The news media were feasting on Hurricane Dennis yesterday, even if it was no longer packing quite the punch of last year’s worst storms. In Washington, Karl Rove may have breathed a sigh of relief, since, between the weather and last week’s bombings in London, news of his own little scandal seems to have gotten buried. Was Rove responsible for leaking the name of a CIA operative in retaliation for something the agent’s husband said that didn’t sit well with his boss? We’ll probably have to wait until the mayhem elsewhere subsides before we can find out.

Meanwhile, credit Dennis’s weak second act with what these days passes for a respite in the oil pits. Crude closed under $60, a level which doubtless will be regarded as “critical” until spot quotes punch a big hole in the $70 “barrier”. All I know is that 91-octane gas cost me $2.39 at the pump yesterday, the highest price I’ve ever paid. How am I coping? Well, I’m not driving significantly less, but I’ve found a way to ease the pain: I no longer wait until my gauge reads empty before I refuel.

In other news, while stocks were blowing some ostensibly daunting hidden pivots to smithereens yesterday, I was having my stitches taken out and a new cast put on my right arm . There was good news – that, because the ligament tear I suffered in a ski accident was a relatively clean one, the repair might actually work. I’ve included a picture of my X-ray so you can judge for yourself. The metal pins look worse than they feel, but the occasional itch is less benign. Five more weeks of this, supposedly, and I’ll have my good hand back. By then, I could be typing 35 words a minute with just my left hand. Talk about a useless skill...