Yesterday I received a good lead on a four-month contract job. I will meet with the hiring manager and project leader tomorrow. There are still details to work out, but it's the most promising opportunity that I've had so far. Sandra and I might be able to ride to work together. (There I go, thinking too much about what the job would be like before I have a written offer.)

I'll make some calls on pending jobs to learn if anything is imminent. I would prefer a full-time, permanent job, but hiring decisions are measured in months, not days. Some of the possibilities in my queue now might not lead to a job until October anyway.

The news of the day remains grim. Scores of people dead in Iraq. Bombings in Turkey. Predictions of new terrorist attacks. Last weekend we listened to the news on the radio while driving back from the Cape. It was a worry for the kids more than the adults. I remember lying awake as a kid, worried about nuclear war. Kids these days have fresh dangers from so many sources.