Without strength and courage it's really hard to perform at the highest levels of international figure skating because you're alone on the ice and you only have seven minutes over two nights to prove yourself.

But it seems that the judging maybe they shouldn't at least see the practices all week long. That can taint the way they go into the judging and the outlook of what's going to happen instead of just watching those four minutes and judging on those minutes alone.

Palin was a political Hail Mary a long bomb in the closing minutes of a game that John McCain and Co. were certain to lose. They didn't care if she had the policy or political or emotional capacity to serve as vice president let alone president. They were willing to drive the country off a cliff if that's what it took to win.

We were alone. Where I could not say hardly imagine. All was black and such a dense black that after some minutes my eyes had not been able to discern even the faintest glimmer.

I started writing when I had three kids under the age of 4. I used to write every ten minutes I got to sit in front of a computer. Now when I have more time I function the same way: if it's writing time I write.