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So Saddam’s execution is imminent after two and a half years of trials and less than thirty days after his appeal was rejected by Iraq’s highest appeals court. Contrast the efficiency of the Iraqi Criminal Tribunal with that of the California court system, which took over 26 years to execute that shred of human debris Tookie Williams.

Finally, I wrote a play by play of our wedding day.

Yesterday, I remember telling myself to bring OK Computer to work so that I could hear “Let Down”, particularly Thom’s beautiful falsetto in counterpoint harmony in the final verse. But alas, I rushed out of the house too fast this morning and didn’t bring it. At work, I turned on the station radioparadise.com and was treated to “Let Down” about a half hour later. A happy coincidence, but also another little thing to be thankful for.

Aerial view of Simpson Bay, Sint Maarten. Our villa was near the upper right. We weren’t right on the beach, but we could see it from our window.

Our beach: the Flamingo Beach Resort and the neighboring Pelican Beach Resort. In lieu of mixing with the other tourists, Annie preferred to instead bathe by the rocks.

First photo: The shops of Philipsburg, Sint Maarten. Much business comes from cruise ship passengers. The main drag was a one-lane one-way road. It was literally six or seven steps across. And establishments weren’t exactly far away from the street, either. Marigot was much the same way. Philipsburg’s liquor laws appear to be non-existent. Nearly every store or roadside stand sold alcohol of some kind, and tourists were freely drinking from bottles while shopping from store to store. Aside from the usual tourist-centric gift shops, there was a surprisingly large number of tablecloth stores. One store was actually named “Mr. Tablecloth.” If I were a tourist from a cruise ship, the first thing I’d seek out in Sint Maarten would be their vast selection of tablecloths. Riiiight.

Second and third: Annie and I took a twilight dinner cruise around Simpson Bay, Sint Maarten. A few days before, we had attended a presentation hosted by a vacation timeshare company. For our troubles, they gave us a voucher toward the cruise. It was time well spent if you ask me. Open bar, great food, even better views… And waitresses ready and willing to start conga lines. The middle picture is simply gorgeous full-screen.

Annie and I took a boat ride up to the French side of the island to Marigot. We then walked to the ruins of Fort Louis, situated on the top of a high hill north of the city. Enya’s “Orinoco Flow” comes to mind when I see this view. Below: Ruins of the fort overlook Marigot. The city’s port is in the upper right.

The obligatory self-portrait at sunset. Soon thereafter, a nice British couple came over and we took photographs for each other. I hadn’t been in the water much that day, so I jumped in for a while after the sun disappeared from the horizon. I heard that the water there stays at a constant 78 or 79 degrees year-round.

Stepping off the plane today at Princess Juliana International Airport in Sint Maarten, I told Annie “Honey, you’re as beautiful as the day I married you.”