Blago

I'm not oblivious to the economic Tilt-A-Whirl the world's riding. But when I call home or Skype friends in the States, I have to feel I'm not getting the full brunt of it. Maybe it's just not a topic of conversation here. Or maybe it is and my French isn't great.

Similarly, I realize I'm missing out on a lot of my former state's drama. My former senator is now arguably the most famous person in the world. And my former governor is making headlines, too.

Fortunately, I still get a lot of my news from the same source I always did.