i can't believe tim russert is dead. MSNBC news is the show i watch the most, and tim was the voice of reason amongst the various political talking heads. what will meet the press be like without russert? who can fill his shoes? and to pass away before one of the historical presidential elections of american history, that's just bitter irony. watching MSNBC this afternoon was completely surreal, as most of the anchors looked like they'd just been crying earlier. will television journalism ever be the same with tim russert?

i had a client meeting in concord to discuss a prospective project. i've never been so scared driving before, felt like driver's ed. i've often said that i feel safer riding a motorcycle than i do driving a car. how could that be? well, on a motorcycle there are no blind spots, i see everything. inside a car, i can't see as well. is there something in my blind spot? am i too close to neighboring cars? the one big advantage cars have over motorcycles is that if i get into a small fender bender, i'm not going to break any bones doing it. but fear makes me a better driver. i was super cautious, driving the speed limit, as cars were passing me on the highway.

had another conversation with ed today. for a guy that i've never talked to before in the 6 years i've lived in the neighborhood, he sure is chatty! naturally motorcycles were the focus of our discussion. afterwards i went to the garden to water the plants.