I don't know if it's joy exactly

But waking up this morning was a lovely experience. The coolness and greeness outside my windows enhanced by the beauty of the falling rain. I only wished I could stay in bed and just revel in it all--there's nothing like the feeling of being in a warm and cozy bed with a chilly, rainy day outside. I love it.

But I had to come into work so that I could finsih my last day of work before *vacation*! Scotland, here we come (soon)! The beautiful poliscidiva and I can both use some time away from the everyday, in a place full of mountains, seacoast, sheep (baaaa!), and kindly hoteliers purveying good food and cozy beds. I keep adding things to my "do before leaving" list almost as fast as I cross them off, but soon we'll be lining up forcheck-in and screening and hopping on that jet plane! Bliss!

OK, off to clear out my work folder before I go...

if Congress were an Internet discussion board

The moderators would have locked the Priscilla Owens thread under the "Nazi" rule.

Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) said Democrats have violated a long tradition of letting judicial nominees reach up-or-down confirmation votes.

He then denounced "the audacity of some [Democratic] members to stand up and say, 'How dare you break this rule?' It's the equivalent of Adolf Hitler in 1942 saying, 'I'm in Paris. How dare you invade me?' " Several liberal groups called the remarks out of bounds.

full story int he Washington Post