In the I-can't-believe-I-feel-this-way category: Bush makes it a little better. "Bush appears to have concluded that the cost of continued inaction outweighs the cost of a possibly failed intervention." I would add: "...and that he will look like an unabashed hypocrite to the rest of the world if he doesn't *do* something." Sending Powell there, although it might not do anything concrete, at least makes it look like the US is trying. Better than nothing.

Anyway, the Friday Five.

1. What are the first things that you do in the morning to start your day?
Um... wake up to NPR, stretch, yawn, shower, that sort of thing. I realized after looking at other people's answers to these questions that I don't actually have a snooze button because I use my stereo as an alarm clock -- if I'm really tired, I'll turn the alarm back five minutes and reset it, but seeing as that takes a fair degree of brain power, I don't normally do it. Instead, I'll lie there with my eyes closed and listen to the soothing voice from the radio for a while.

2. What are the last things that you do at night before going to bed?
Read, flip on the environmental noise machine thingie, flip off the light.

3. What daily routine have you recently added to your day?
A vitamin. And a Viactiv calcium chewy chocolate.

4. What routine do you wish you get rid of?
Taking out the trash... emptying out the dishwasher... cleaning of any kind... :)

5. What's the one thing that makes you feel like something is missing if you don't do it some point within your day?
Talking to certain people on the phone, emailing certain others (although that only feels weird during the week). Driving, unfortunately. Feeding the fish -- I woke up in the middle of the night last week thinking I'd forgotten, only to remember I was on another continent and a few zillion miles away from said fish.