I rarely eat out, preferring my own crazy mess for dinner, but when I do geography often requires that one go with the flow, and so I've traded my Mexican food penchant (which I gleefully indulged repeatedly on our recent trip south and west – oh heaven!) for decent Chinese takeout, found rarely in Maine and so something of a "new" thrill. Not that this island has much to offer in the dining out department, but there is a new Chinese takeaway here on the island; You can't miss it for the wild flutter of flags out front, and the name alone pretty much demands you try it. I mean, who but a newly minted immigrant would have the cajones to call their place "BEST FOOD IN TOWN"? That's not a subtitle, it's the name of the place. And it's not bad. Certainly the best quality food for the money here, so far. No MSG use, fresh vege, and delightful young women run it who remember what you ordered last week and want to know if you liked it.

Note to smug America: this is why we are losing the battle for hearts and minds, because we exhibit none ourselves.

I have never seen the ocean quite the color blue it was yesterday, never. A true blue usually reserved for the sky alone, sky blue. T described it as "iridescent". But the clouds, great roiling ones, were moving in in billows of shades of grey, reflected in that perfect blue sea as greasy grey smears sliding like seals across the churning, perfect blue waves. There was no wind on the beach (for a change) yet the sea was heaving and crashing every which way. It was stunning. (Not what is pictured above, I didn't have camera with me during yesterday's walk with T.)

Shoutout to Bassman and A dela F for the Peeps and Comic they sent along. Will have fun with both, Peeps headed for the grill first chance we get.

Nice to have a few hours with wonderful Av and Tony Monday evening, too much wine (I love red wine but must always pay heavily next morning and so usually normally eschew that for white) and lively conversation about contradictions, what they mean – the fury rising in a dumbed down US; T's stories of the gentle acceptance one feels in the non-threatening poor of Mumbai's endless slums.

Today is gloriously clear after rain, breezy and T and I will head to Cloud 9 (no less) on mainland for hot stone "treat"ment for what ails us.

I have a rather daunting task ahead of me this month, my last month here at Marcie's Hideaway. To organize myself into a selling machine for the book, and find an agent. To that end I will be limiting the blog to two days a week (unless i find myself bursting to say something that requires urgent and timely commentary), Wednesday and Sunday. That way I can just focus and try to giterdone as we say up north. Am also looking for a housesitting gig in Washington, DC area for the summer, if anyone knows anyone. It can be for as short as a couple weeks, a month, or all summer. That town, I know cause I went to college there long time ago, empties out in summer, is really hot, and I like that, having all those air conditioned at taxpayer dollars museums to myself. So if you have buddies down there who need someone to lovingly look after pets or plants while they enjoy the breezes of the Eastern Shore or the gale winds of their home districts, do let me know? Grazie..

A few things came up in the news today I thought warranted everyone's attention. The first was a piece on the downside of reliance on Powerpoint briefings by government lackeys and their bosses. I really loved this one, especially the part that described how pissed Lt. Gen. McIernon was when Tommy Franks tried to give him some BS "vague" Powerpoint show regarding the imminent invasion of Iraq in 2003. The point is that Powerpoint is good for "hypnotizing the chickens" of the press, but does little to inform generals and other decision makers as to what should be done and who should be doing it. Well done there. Lesson: If it seems easy to understand it probably isn't.

Headline: Ruling Class of Inbreds Dies of Obesity! In the "Who Cares? " department, it appears that neither money nor ignorance buys health or bliss. The people of Qatar have transmogrified into something that is considered the norm there (a 'norm' we see increasingly accepted stateside), and, despite an outrageous per capita GDP , the result is not a happy one. I can see the new travel ads now: Qatar, Appalachia's Got Nothin' on Us. To quote the bril Eddie Izzard: And that's what happens when cousins marry!

Take a minute on this one, folks, so you actually know what's going on. I guess Congress is trying to come out looking like good guys now as they grill Mr. Blankfein and his ilk about the shenanigans at Goldman. This is all about Glass Steagall, and its repeal in 1999. If you don't know about that, don't pretend to know anything about this mess. Yeah, it's true that it was a Republican dominated congress that got the repeal rolling and wrote the legislation to undo the two part Banking act of 1933 (passed in 1932 and 33 to prevent another Depression, hullo?). And it's true that the repeal of that act in 1999, engineered by flab king Phil Gramm and his cronies, passed the House and Senate along party lines at first, but then it went to committee, and suddenly the over $300 million dollars in lobbying efforts by the financial industry over twenty years beginning with the arrival of the RAYGUN in the White House and the rise of credit cards, paid off. When the doctored repeal found its way to final House and Senate floor votes, the Dems caved, with only 8 holdouts in the Senate and 54 in the House. Shame on them all, parading by the Senate vote counter in their flashy new hooker getups. And then Clinton signed the thing. Did he want to? Who knows. But I'm guessing Rubin was making it an appealing argument in favor of him doing so. Stroke, stroke. We need a more distinguishing word for "male political whore".

Ooooooo.... you just wanna smack em.

Did you see the kids in Joisey (where I am) out in the streets protesting cuts to schools? Twenty thousand or so. Good for them. Not as brain dead as we thought, as least the ones who had the courage to demonstrate and utilize their right to free speech and assembly. Of course Gov. Christie's office had to diss their efforts as kids with spring fever who were just ditching class. Hey, Christie, I'll show you spring fever!

Finally, and herein lies a lesson most women have already learned well, a comment from an economic researcher in the UK on the subject of the EU bailing out its own: "When a large portion of your country's debt is held by foreigners, you are dependent on the kindness of strangers." Amen to that, brotha.

See you Sunday.