Today is the first day in three months where I have been truly alone—and it feels stupendous. My family is in Punta Arenas today, and I have been told I am “duenña de casa.” This means a big pot of coffee just for me, free reign over CNN and HBO, a loaf of pumpkin bread in the oven, and enjoying some precious time on the computer: Chicago Tribune, NYT, and just plain old “surfing”…a luxury I’ve not really had in some time. I’ve had a lot on my mind in the past few months, so in these precious hours of “alone time” I’ve hammered out a few of my thoughts. The posts above are a bit of a first draft of what I’ve been thinking.