There's a certain materialistic joy in kicking back, working on your laptop while "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" plays in the background. It's taken a few days but I'm finally getting the hang of this "vacation" thing. I'm reading for content (and pleasure) and finally getting caught up on a myriad of writing projects (by the way, check out the new and improved Birdhouse for more Cardinals news than you can shake a stick at plus a newish column by yours truly...)

I've also gotten started on a new novel. I learned my lesson from last time and that's all I'm gonna say about it (otherwise it's like I doom it to sit untouched in a corner of my hard drive for months on end...) other than so far I've got a good feeling about how it's starting out.

And now I've been distracted. Sorry about that. Um, I don't know what I was going to say.

How about that "American Idol"? Um, I'm so glad that one person won it instead of that other person. Cuz that person sings so much better and stuff.

Who am I kidding? I've never seen a single episode of that crappy show. I was watching the Cards whup the bejesus out of the Pirates last night and I couldn't be happier.

So there.

-Joe