Soooo, it's 3 p.m. or there after and still no word yet on whether everyone is home yet or not. I'm going absolutely bonkers waiting for one little phone call. Part of my problem is I can't remember when Bob told me they were leaving to come home. If it is anything like when I did my trip, the group didn't board in Shannon until around 3 p.m. their time and we got landed at JFK sometime around 8ish N.Y. time. Longest flight I've ever taken. I'm wearing pink again today, just in case.

Looks like we'll be at war again in 48 hours. I was very uninspired by Bush's address last night. He still doesn't have me conviced this is a good idea. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing but respect and total support for our troops over there but I can't shake the feeling this is going to be longer and messier than Desert Storm was. It feels like that was just yesterday, not 12 years ago. I can still remember what I was doing when we started bombing in 1991. It was the end of my sophomore year of high school and I was writing a paper for my biology class (can't remember on what). My parents just happened to be out of the house that night so I had the t.v. on in the background. About half way through my paper I stopped to stretch and take a break when the announcement was made about our bombing runs. It was such a remote place it never occured to me at the time that we could just as easily have been the targets of their bombs.

Sigh. Can't help but think of a saying I learned in 7th grade, from one of the great early historians Santyana (sic) "Those who do not study the past are doomed to repeat it."

The situation in Iraq is also affecting the NCAA Tournament. As well it should. For now. At some point though we will need to get back to some semblance of normalcy. Whatever that is. Heaven only knows I do not have a normal life.