First, I had a great time with my kids last weekend, watching the three younger ones while Mom and eldest daughter escaped to New England. We saw Harry Potter on Saturday (really good) and then went to the Lord of the Rings exhibit (costumes, props, models) at the Indiana State Museum on Sunday (to include a hilarious forced perspective shot we had made whereby our two youngest were made to seem roughly the same size as me!).

Sunday night drove my mother-in-law home to Terre Haute (she had gone to Boston with my ladies) and then father-in-law and I drove to brother-in-law's place in Chicago for the night. Next morning the three of us, plus another brother-in-law, drove up to Green Bay, getting there just after noon. We toured Lambeau, ate lunch there, visited the Hall of Fame, then shopped at the Pro Shop, then did a tailgating party (very nice at the Resch Center) and then hit the game.

Instead of my usual seats in the South End Zone, I had trade within my family for the four pack of seats in the North End Zone (four front-to-back on the end of rows 14-17, smack dab in the middle of the goal post). I had never sat that close before, the the long perspective took a bit of getting used to (feast or famine). Brett three two TDs (#393 ande #394, leaving him 26 behind all-time leader Dan Marino) and the second one came right to us, which was very exciting. Game, however, was lost on last-second FG by Vikes into our goal post (bit sad). Still, the four of us had a great time together at the game, so a special shared time with relatives that's priceless, including a brief chat with brother Andy and sister Maggie (they took my usual seats in the trade).

Yesterday as we're hopping around Lambeau, I get an email on my Treo from Diane Rehm's show producer, asking if I can appear tomorrow (meaning today). I say yes, but that it will have to be over my cell phone and I'll just pull over from the drive back to Indiana.

To my shock, they say yes.

I will admit to much beer over the night, so getting up early today for the long drive back was no picnic. We make it past Milwaukee to a Cracker Barrel off I94 just above the Wisconsin state line by 1020 EST. So I get my relatives set at a table, order the "sunrise sampler," and then go sit in the car for the brief 5-minute bit on Rehm's show right after the 40-min break mark. I hadn't been listening to the show (doing a bunch of phone calls), so I stuck to big-picture stuff from BFA vice trying to get really specific on the subject (the desire for troop withdrawals from Iraq, as triggered by the Murtha controversy).

Not sure how well it fit. Rehm intro'd me as Naval War College and didn't mention BFA (my fault for not alerting my PR people at Putnam to work the issue for me, but hey! I was on vacation, so to speak). I didn't correct her at the start (always a no-no), but instead waited until I was on my way out to plug Esquire, Enterra and . . . even I managed to forget BFA, it seemed!).

Ah well, I have enough people whose opinions I really care about describing BFA as superior to PNM, and enough connectivity ensuing with senior policy types and military leaders as a result of BFA, that I simply refuse to get too jacked about how well BFA does in this crowded book season seguing into the holidays. It's a great book and I'm immensely happy I wrote it. It is one that should stand the test of time quite nicely, and I like to write for that long haul.

Go here to listen to the Diane Rehm show