In 48 hours I'm hoping to be climbing off a Delta jet at Tampa airport and making my way to the hotel shuttle. Of course, they are now predicting a snow storm for Saturday so all bets are off.

Frankly, this is one of the reasons that Donna and I tend to fly to our departure ports a day early when taking a cruise. This is also why two of our cruises have left from New York. You never know what the weather is going to be like so why take a chance.

I'm enjoying DREAMING WAR: Blood for Oil and the Cheney-Bush Junta by Gore Vidal. Been a while since I've read a totally political book and I've long been an admirer of Vidal. Author, playwright, essayist and (back when intelligent two way debate was allowed on network television) a sometime commentator on American politics.

I don't know if I agree with everything that Vidal puts out, even though I'm as much of a conspiracy nut as the next Lone Gunmen. The great thing is that Vidal knew so many of the characters created the National Security State in which we live. He's not blinded by Received Opinion (RO, as he calls it) but actually has spent years doing historical research while writing his series of novels on American history. Part of the book consists of reprints of responses to criticism of several of his novels.

Highly recommend, whether or not you believe the current administration didn't do all they could have to stop the events of 9/11.