Good morning!

First the good news. S10's team won their summer baseball championship and I enjoyed the shore with the kids--despite the less than favorable weather.

The only downer is the kids constantly asking about when we'll do things as a whole family and their discussion of plans for the beach next year in anticipation of me and W being together. On top of that, the single parenthood trap where I can't take a kid or two someplace or on just errand while leaving the other kid behind with with W is a real drag. The kids certainly don't like being schlepped around everywhere and I don't dare leave any alone given my legal sitch. I guess I'll just have to learn to plan better.

I'm also finding it harder to explain things to them without sounding blameful of W. Suffice it to say that while we try to stay on the same track with the kids, many of us may vary our routines in order to avoid conflicts or unneeded interactions with our spouses. Explaining thesechanges without saying "it's because Mommy this or that" stinks! In addition, if I have to find any more creative answers just one more time to the question, "Isn't family more important than work," as to why W is at the beach during the week and I am not, I will... !!!

As for OM, I've worked around and for politicians for more than 20 years. The Jim McGreevey incident this week in NJ is a perfect anaology for OM in that many polticians are so skilled in compartmentalizing those parts of their life they want out of the public eye and their political lives. To some extent, all politicians have huge egos--which they need to have to take the abuse and criticism heaped upon them. But the career pol is especially skilled at compartmentalization and elected office is what OM lives for. He is aware of what I know and does not care. The few times I confronted him he went straight to W--so I really don't have many options other than to let him destroy himself. For most pols like McGreevey, Bill Clinton, OM--and I'll bet countless others in your own communities, things eventually catch up with them. You can only pray they leave as little damage as possible to others in their wake.

W continues to live in her dream world in preparing to file against me--and it just saddens me to know where this will lead because for the first time ever, W will begin to truly confront the reality of where she is taking us--and it's not in her WAW script.


Keep on fighting the good fight.

Merrick