NEWS OF THE DAY: Looks like we are a couple of weeks from war. Let's just get it over with. I hope that the Chinese or North Koreans don't decide to attack anyone while we're focused on Iraq. I guess if they were planning anything we would have heard about it by now.

SPACE SHUTTLE COLUMBIA MOURNING: This is an excerpt from the NASA Columbia Condolences book:

"The greatest heroes are those who ride the leading edge of technology, often at great peril, to pave the way for the advancement of humanity. The crew of STS-107 are among the greatest of heroes. May their sacrifice be transformed into a beacon of hope for all -- that we may continue to learn from our mistakes and carry on our mission of discovery. And even beyond discovery, these heroes served an even greater goal - the unity of humankind. For it has been said that, from space, one can see no political borders -- from that vantage, we are not residents of any one country, rather, we are residents of Planet Earth. Your family members, as discoverers and uniters, are indeed the greatest of heroes. They will be missed."

WORKOUT LAND: I did a 6 mile track workout last night in 35 degree weather. Know what I am sick of? Getting all tired and sweaty but still having frozen fingers and toes. I am also tired of working out by myself. I've been training since August by myself which violates the common rule of "find a training partner." Everyone in the office here in Nashville is big, fat, lazy, and full of excuses. The funniest thing is that most of the fat people claim they cannot run due to bad knees or ankles. How come none of our President's or fit celebrities have bad knees or ankles? Even most ex-NFL players still run to stay in shape. I believe it is easier to sit around and pretend you can't run than to lace up your shoes and get out there. I never ran more than a mile in my life until I was 32. Then, at 36 I ran a marathon (well, jogged it really.)

My parents have a treadmill in their basement. When my uncle, a runner, saw it for the first time he was incredulous (my paren't live on a long, tree-lined quiet street with few cars, perfect for running.) He kept saying "Thank God for our treadmill. The roads here are so bad!" They don't even use the treadmill, by the way.

TRASH TV LAND: These are some telling comments from one of Joe Millionaire's former girlfriends. Apparently his stupidity is really not an act:
"He was very eye-catching -- when he walked into a bar he caught the eye of every woman. But after you'd spend some time with him and talk to him, it was like, 'No thanks.'
"It wasn't that he was dumb, though he certainly was no intellectual. He just always said off-the-wall things in the middle of a conversation. I'd say something, and he'd come from left field with something, and that was the end of the conversation.
"He was just like he is on the show: 'What?' 'Huh?'
"He didn't say a lot. He's not a sparkling conversationalist. But anything he did say left me in a daze. He always left me feeling very empty inside."

Last night I dreamed I was in a plane crash. It was actually more like a crash landing. It was a huge jet like a 747. I thought I would be screaming uncontrollably in such a situation but instead I sat terrified in silence. I think my heart rate was about 180 though and I was breathing as if I was sprinting. When the plane finally ground to a halt and I realized I had survived, I cheered. Several of the other passengers were angered by my reaction, as if my joy at being alive was absurd. Maybe it is selfish, but I think human nature is to first be glad you are alive before verifying the welfare of complete strangers.

Regarding Iraq: The Iraqis interviewed in this mornings "man on the street" interviews keep saying a couple of common things. First, that Iraq has no weapons of mass destruction and second, that America only wants to control Iraq's oil fields. Number one, how would the everyday Iraqi know what his President has in his cache of weapons? They are not a free country! Their press is controlled by the Baath party and Saddam's son Uday even runs the major newspaper. Second, would it be so bad if we controlled their oil fields? The Saudi Arabians seem to be pretty well off. Lastly, are they implying that they like being ruled by a dictator? These "man on the street" interviews are complete BS. They remind me of Jay Leno asking college graduates what the square root of nine is....'Uh, 5?"

Lastly, I missed my run on Monday due to rain and being exhausted (I'm typically exhausted on Mondays.) So I ran 5 miles then immediately drove to the athletic center to swim. I swam an 1,800 yd workout that consisted of about 1000 yds worth of sprints. I wasn't that dizzy right afterwards but I stopped at the grocery store and suddenly felt like I was going to keel over. My countdown is 45 days until my first triathlon race of the 2003 season. I have another 16 lbs to lose.

JOE MILLIONAIRE, EPISODE 4, 3 LADIES REMAIN: "Zora really freaked me out when she told me about her dream. Maybe she's some kind of psychic or something." ...Joe Millionaire.

Where did they find Evan? They say nothing is perfect, not even a perfect idiot. I think Evan has proved that statement wrong.

We lost the space shuttle orbiter, Columbia, on Saturday morning. It is hard to capture all of the different emotions I'm experiencing over this. In many ways, it is just like the loss of the Challenger back in 1986. On another level, it is a reminder of the immensely complex precision required to launch people into orbit and bring them back safely. Reading the biographies of the astronauts reminds me of growing up as a child in the "Apollo" era when the astronauts seemed even larger than life than they do today. There is also a degree of national pride that this brings forward, especially since we are on the brink of a war to end the reign of a dictator and liberate the Iraqi people.

I cannot help but examine my own life when reading about the lives of the astronauts. These people dedicated their lives to the achievement of an ideal that most of us dismiss far too casually. The pursuit of knowledge coupled with the intense, all consuming desire to help mankind...this was the common thread of the astronauts. Doctors, pilots, engineers....the best of the best (Commander McCool was 2nd in his class at Annapolis.) They are not heroes because of the way they died, they lived heroic lives.

Thankfully, they haven't shown any celebrations from any of the more radical Arab countries. I take comfort knowing these people will never have the motivation or the drive to build a rocket, or a car, or a gun for that matter. Let them burn our flag; for that is about the only thing they can do well. They are enemies of freedom and of progress and they live to terrorize those who dare to dream. We send people to the moon, while they send their countries to the stone age. We build skyscrapers, while they scrape around in the dirt. Our schools bring dreams to life, while they imprison and suppress their dreamers.

We will mourn our heroes, then find out what went wrong and go on. Though tragedies are terrible, they always bring forth greater inspiration and energy to our dreams.

Swim 1,400 yards last night. Swimming, when I started 18 months ago, was incredibly challenging. I could barely swim a lap without stopping to catch my breath and cough up water. Now, weird as it seems, I think I might actually enjoy it. I am not good at it, but am making improvements.

A friend of mine is probably going to get a divorce soon. He is holding out hope, but how much hope is there when your wife tells your therapist she is "95% sure" she wants to get divorced? Not to mention that she's moved out the house, cleaned out the safe deposit box, and has slandered his reputation amongst their mutual friends. I would say it is time for him to cut his losses and move on. Incredibly, he is reluctant to give her the divorce because he is "concerned he will not be able to find someone else." It just amazes me how irrational people can be during times of strife.