A pleasant, not-so-nice Washington, D.C. good morning to all of you out there. Apologies again for the gap between posts. We've been having some internet problems at home and the days at work have been getting increasingly more busy. Believe me, I am trying to do something everyday. Note that it is currently 8:50 and I got here 20 minutes ago. Will not be leaving until six, at which time I'll be playing in a softball game. Such an exciting Monday. Full of meetings and such.

First a couple notes on this week: I'll be continuing to update a website, a project I started last week. Also, we're still working on LTE's and trying to send them out to seemingly every newspaper in the known universe. It takes a lot longer than one might think. The Senate lobbying continues and it is going to be a fight.

Harry Potter was awesome. Full disclosure: I saw it twice. The first time, as some of you may know, I was not impressed. I thought it was just too much of an overview with little details and some possibly plot-changing differences. Karen pointed out that Harry was not petrified in the scene where Dumbledore dies, which seems a small thing until you realize that 100% of the time Harry is in a situation like that he runs out and does something rash and stupid, yet in this case he didn't. Out of character when Dumbledore could easily have petrified him. Also, the one that caught me was the Weasley's house burning down. Maybe I don't remember correctly, but that doesn't happen. Not only does it not happen, but the Death Eaters can't even get to the Burrow because of the security. Are they just going to rebuild it? I ask because there is a particularly important scene in the seventh book that takes place at the burrow. Stay tuned. Also watch out for the seventh movie in two installations, starting, wait for it...next November. Is this like Star Wars? Anyway, the second time I saw it I was much more impressed. I actually just sat and watched this team and much of the detail is really there. You come to realize that it is a setup for the seventh movie, more than anything else. That and there is a lot of character building. They do a lot to help you know Harry, Hermione, Ron and especially Ginny and Malfoy, which is what happens in the six book. So, impressed. Now 16 months until the next one...

On to the links:

A school district helping out families.

We talk about nuclear a lot here. It's a question that doesn't have many answers now. We just know how expensive it is and if you're from Washington you know the waste has serious consequences.

The Washington Post has little hope for President Obama.

"C-Street" in DC - well, read for yourself. Rough days for the GOP.

Today is the 40th Anniversary of the Moon Walk in 1969. A NYTimes year in review of the year of the Miracle Mets. What an absolutely incredible year.

Wanted to throw this in on Friday, but didn't. Beware - definitely not G-rated. It is an all-star weekend video of Adam "Pac-Man" Jones, Nelly and J-Dupri. Can you imagine having 40,000 one-dollar bills?

And finally, I do love Maureen Dowd.