Waking up to a chill I pull the covers closer wishing for a warmth that will allude me for the next six months full of coats I don't own yet, sweaters locked in boxes, and gloves missing fingertips. Traipsing in circles, I spin my big wheels deeper and deeper til I uncover the roots planted here when I had a child's eyes.

The words stopped one day, like a pen out of ink scratching last attempts into paper that was already torn. I'm not sure where the words went, if they left me or if I left them. It wasn't a messy breakup full of harsh phrases and descriptive door-slamming scenes. No, our end was more like a silent drift. Our daily meetings became weekly, and our weeklies became arduous. Gone was the secret notepad open at all times on my desktop, hidden in a jumble of letters so the boss couldn't see. Gone were the lunch hours spent huddled over a legal pad in some parking lot surrounded by trees. Gone were the nights when I'd lose track and find myself clacking away at 2 a.m. To be honest, I only really miss the memories. Attempting the act seems unnatural somehow. Forced. Much like reading this must be.

Life is good in these days without words. My car is vacuumed. My checkbook is balanced. My workplace is well-organized and my laundry is done...well, mostly. I wake before dawn and prepare well-balanced lunches for my daughter any myself. I scrimp and save and track every penny in my spare time. I've become more fond of Excel than Word. I've got a relationship that actually seems quite real. I don't go to bars and make up stories about all the random people there. I don't scribble thoughts on the backs of receipts. I don't sit under trees losing track of time. I don't think I'll freelance once day. I don't think I've failed because of my legal gig. No, I'm realistic. I'm organized. I've got everything on a lovely schedule. There will be no more impromptu diner napkin poetry or matchbook haiku. No. No. No. Dreams must die with age or we'd be young forever.

The words were the first to leave me. What will be next?

So we heard a lot of back and forth last night during the second presidential debate in Nashville. Both candidates made accusations and trumped up their own plans for our country. But if you had no definite bias toward either candidate, who should you believe? What facts were true? Which statements were false or misleading?

The Annenburg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania has a project called the Annenburg Political Fact Check, that analyzes the candidates' statements and then gives us the facts. Check out what they discovered about last night's debate at FactCheck.org: FactChecking Debate No. 2 And if you've got a little time, check out all the site has to offer at FactCheck.org . I don't know about you, but in the sandstorm of these final days of the election, I think we could all use a little unbiased clarity.

Forget the law degree...if I follow the Palin plan, I could be the VP nominee in 2024.

Education:

We both have bachelor's degrees although hers in is communication and mine is in written communication. But if you want to get technical, she did transfer colleges five times and I only did once. Plus, I can cite that year as a political science/pre-law student at Drexel where I learned all the ins and outs of political polling.

Honors:

She won a scholarship through a beauty pageant. I won a scholarship through um...scholarship. And I was inducted into honor societies...guess I better keep that quiet or I might be seen as an elitist.

Extra-curriculars and Employment:

She did win a beauty pageant...so she's got me there. I always wanted to be valued for my mind, which really won't win me many Miss Congeniality titles...but perhaps the feminists would have my back?

Palin was a sports reporter on TV. I was an arts and entertainment reporter for print and then a public relations writer for print. She helped run her husband's business. I managed a business when I was 20 and I manage an office now. I've also been working in law for a while now, dealing directly with the Social Security Administration (that's a federal agency, you know) and county and district judges. I'm also cool with the support staff of three local congressman and Senator Spector. But...that could be played against me, making me look like too much of an insider.

Family:

I have an incredibly diverse family, just like Palin. Only I've got her beat because I'm a single mom so I know more about the struggle.

The next steps:

The way I see it, I need to run for some type of public office in Blandon. (Blandon, the tiny little town where I currently live has the roughly the same population as Wasilla did in 2000, (that's the "city" where Palin was elected to the city council). Hey, maybe I could even run for city council in Reading! It's the fifth largest city in PA and it has 15% more population than Wasilla. And my uncle is a former Reading city councilman...so it's doable.

After my stint in city council, I need to ruffle some feathers and start wearing more lipstick. I need to march into Harrisburg and tell them who's boss. But wait! Former PA governor/former head of the Department of Homeland Security, Tom Ridge, wasn't chosen as his party's VP nominee, even though PA is a key battleground in the election. Hmmm...I guess I need to move to a less populous, less important state.

And in between all of that, I need to have four more kids and then let them run wild and get pregnant at 16 so I can show them off to the media.

Watch out America...here I come!

He is a hunter.
He does not wield a weapon.
He does not seek out his foe in the field.
He sets the bait in the place he calls home.
He never traps or kills, but entertains his enemy.
He intermingles the foe with his family and friends.
He insists the foe lurks in my deepest desires.
He believes it will overthrow all that I am.
He knows I will become his fear.

But I'd rather be a daydream than a nightmare,
and my patience has all but unraveled.

The sun slinks slowly beyond the horizon,
and she knows that her time is nigh.
Pleadings emerge for water, tales, and music.

The water must be ice cold.
Any old tale will do, even old texts,
but only her favorite music will suffice.

I read to her of China's geography,
explaining the deserts and mountains,
the Plateau of Qing Zang.

Then we reach the rivers:
Heilong, Huang, Chang,
The Xi and the Zhu.

Her eyes, once riveted, begin to blink.
I ask if she likes the book.
Every ounce of energy fuels her nods.

So we move to the lakes:
The shallow Donting, Poyang in the north,
Tai and Hongze in the east.

Before we reach the Great Wall,
before we reach the Grand Canal,
the blinks have overtaken her.

Thumb resting in her cheek,
long arms and legs carelessly splayed,
she owns the peace of her infant past.

She slipped in through broken shards of glass,
sowing thistles and briers among our seeds yet sprung.

I, a novice gardener, did not know her spirit lingered
as I nurtured our plots with droplets of hope for harvest.

Our seeds soon sprouted, as did her tares.
Together they grew toward the sun, roots intermingled.

To uproot her seed is to uproot our harvest.
But left to thrive, her tares will choke our garden.

I ask you how to banish her spirit from our garden,
but she whispers to you in your own voice.

You believe that she and I are one.
You believe the fruit to be tares, the tares to be fruit.

I know not of the rituals to release her from this space,
but my spirit will not succumb to her power.

I trim the tares into stumps and swab each with vinegar,
with bloody fingers I replace the glass from whence she came.

On bended knee, I plead as I did in childhood until she is gone.
But how will you see it is she who whispered all along?

As my typical boring Friday at work is well under way, I decided to see what the stars had in store for the day. So I typed "horoscope" into Google and read each Aquarius forecast for the day. The results, which are highly inconclusive, follow:
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You've got enough energy to tackle a week's worth of problems in one day - so get to it! If life isn't throwing obstacles in your path, then you can make amazing progress without breaking a sweat.
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Romance is likely to be affected by today's planets; maybe a new relationship seems to lose some of its shine; perhaps there's a pervading sense of dullness instead of sparkle; it could even be that you need a little breathing space. Whichever your particular bugbear, just remember that it's a temporary dissatisfaction!
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Though you have dreams of winning the lottery, it's easy to recognize today that in many ways you already have. Your relationships are strong and getting stronger -- what more is there?
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This is a good work day and may prove to be rather profitable. Working with others is successful and you may be sought after as just the person for a particular job. Your inner resources and emotions are accented. Expect a sense of support and good will from those around you. Perhaps you feel this is really you--how you feel and are. It is natural for you to put your practical and managerial abilities to work. You can make a career out of your keen organizational skills and clear insight into how things work. Supervision and taking charge are your trademarks. You most certainly do things that create a smooth and loving atmosphere. Tonight you may find a group of friends will gather for a bit of musical fun--perhaps a band or quartet sing-a-long.
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-171 Opposition Saturn - Mars

Negative aspect: You will be very tired and any effort will be painful. This transit is not good for the health and, as you will not be on form, your spirits won't be high either. You might lose heart, and be in an even worse humor. During this period, you must restrict yourself to the work in hand, refrain from any action, undertake nothing new and change nothing. Only strictly necessary routine, or paid holidays. Take a good look at the birth chart and the relevant Houses and Signs. Possibly get an X-ray of your blood circulation to check that there is no aneurysm or hardening of the blood vessels. A simple precaution.

152 Sextile Pluto - Mercury

Positive aspect: You will live through a very good period, especially on the intellectual front. This is the moment to take stock, to think over everything you have seen and learnt. A period when you will be full of wisdom. You will see things more deeply, and go to the bottom of your thoughts.

63 Sextile Neptune - Neptune

Positive aspect: No effect on the material level. You will feel good, live in a beautiful dream with no relation to reality.

28 Trine Neptune - Pluto

Positive aspect: Although you will lack reason and logic, on the contrary your psychic faculties (such as inspiration and clairvoyance) are likely to be highly tuned.
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It is unlikely you will be your usual confident self over the next 24 hours, so make allowances and don't expect more of yourself than you know you are capable of. The world has heaped enough on your shoulders as it is - why add to the pressure?
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In a tricky or potentially embarrassing situation today, reach into your brain for a creative idea to solve the problem -- don't worry, it will be there. And if it's not right there at your fingertips, have confidence that your creativity will come to the rescue and help you to at least figure out an effective approach. Your brilliance is legendary among your group, so be prepared for everyone to assume that you know what to do. Don't let the pressure get to you.
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It may be difficult for you to shake off a dream from last night, even after you are fully awake. But instead of trying to forget about it, try to get to the message that's being delivered from your subconscious mind to your conscious mind. Even if it doesn't make sense at first, stick with it until it does.
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Does your idea of a soul mate correspond to reality? That rude awakening you're experiencing is making you aware of special qualities you've been overlooking.
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Are you a writer or teacher, Rita? If you are, you might find that you aren't quite up to par in what you're producing today. Your verbal skills seem to be blocked. Perhaps you should concentrate on the visual for now. If you're a teacher, use a video or prepare a slide show for your students. If you're a writer, concentrate on charts and illustrations. Save the actual communications for another day. Have fun!
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Attend to things that you should have done yesterday. Investments will cost more than you anticipated. Look out for yourself today.
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You encounter a lot of irresponsibility today. You want loyalty and togetherness, but people go their own way and don't cooperate. You must try to cope with decisions based entirely on moods and not on reason.
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A cardinal had a confrontation with my picture window yesterday. For 45 minutes, it hammered its beak against the glass. With the help of my good friend and research assistant Google, I figured out that the bird had probably mistaken its own reflection for a rival that it was trying to attack. Now I'm offering this scene as a cautionary metaphor for you, Aquarius. Keep three lessons in mind: 1. If you feel the urge to fight others, you're probably mad about something in yourself. 2. Watch your tendency to get fixated on an image that is at best a distorted representation of a real thing and not the real thing itself. 3. Don't hurt yourself or drive yourself crazy in an effort to chase away an illusion.
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Fighting for friends and ideals, and maybe even struggling with them, comes into the picture now. Financial advice may be offered from someone you least expect. Taking this advice will lead you to new opportunities. Encourage a child close to you to raise her standards and you will be pleasantly surprised by what she can achieve.
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Face the music and deal with emotional issues raised. Don't ignore facts -- all it will take is a couple of innovative solutions to fix whatever has gone wrong. You can manipulate a good position for yourself.
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These things start slowly, you know.
One red flag unfurled and ignored.
Two red flags catch your eye as you turn your back.
Three red flags encircle you as your stomach turns.

You close your eyes and pretend.
You pluck eyelashes to force your wishes on the world.
You curl up into a ball in the most forgotten corner.
You drown out the senses with a happy tune.
You open your eyes to a sea of red, liquid red:

staining your skin,
soaking your brow,
filling your lungs,
drip by drip.

You gasp for air, fingers flailing
for something solid,
something real,
something strong.

This is the turning point.
This is the first step toward tomorrow.

Will your legs support you?
Or will you succumb?

Will you fill your lungs with air?
Or will you drown in the red sea?

Before you make that pivotal next move, know this:
You are only as strong as you believe yourself to be.