A very short note ... I'm about to head over to D's so I haven't much time.

I'm thinking about my friend Mike and his wife and their new baby, which I hope entered the world yesterday, fat and happy.

Meantime, I'm exhausted (per usual) from a hectic, dreary work week and looking forward to a couple of days off.

The whole Iraq 'thing' is so out of hand it's becoming too bewildering for me to keep up with. I only know that we've got to pull it together quickly and stop the violence against our soldiers and the Iraqi people (the innocents, of course – to hell with the rest of them).

Well, as I said, it's a short note.

Mike, if you read this, here's wishing you contentment and the best of all possible worlds. Ciao.