The next four to six months of the war in Iraq are extremely important. Just like the last four to six months. And the first four to six months of the war were very important. The four to six months after that were also important. The four to six months after the next four to six months will be very important. And after that, it'll be getting into the 2008 Presidential Election--and those four to six months (times two) will be very (very) important.

Four. Two. Six. Eight. Twelve. Months. Years. Days. Weeks. Decades. Generations.

I'm not sure if there has been any four to six month period in the Prez's six years in power that haven't been very very important. Even the four to six weeks he spent on vacation before the September 11th attacks were very important--although he didn't give a speech about it at the time. But we found out years later with a cursory investigation into what the administration knew or didn't know (did or didn't do), that he was working really hard at something during this pivotal vacation (although what specifically, no one could really recall--but they definitely were NOT ignoring reports from intelligence agencies about terrorist activities). And thus, it is all very (very) important.

Last night, the last four to six hours before sleep were very important. For the first hour, the Cowboys blew their playoff chances. And, in the next hour, I napped. The next three hours were all about watching live music and drinking. And the last hour, which included the drive home and fade out into sleep (via David Bowie and a bit of pot), was critical to the successful night of sleep that followed.

The next four to six hours of awake time (which includes right now as I write this) are important, as ribs are slow cooking in the oven. The four to six hours after the morning and early afternoon will be important, too, because it takes a long time to slow cook ribs. In fact, it could very possibly might be the most important two times four to six hour period in the history of slow cooking ribs today. At my house. In my oven.

The next four to six months are very critical to me and my life. The plan is to surge my writing output from four to six pages every couple of days (and, sometimes, just four to six pages a week) to have the discipline to write four to six pages a day (only taking off the occasional day or so to space out and write cryptic notes on the yellow pad). And, that way, in the next four to six months, I might get a first draft done. The next four to six months after that will be about making some kind of coherent novel out of the first draft. And, as you can tell, those four to six months will be very important as well.

In the next four to six months, my band will be practicing and refining our songs so that we can record in four to six months. If we don't get it done (or get started) in the next four to six months, then we'll have to try and get something done in the four to six months after that. But it is very important that we try to get it started (and done?) in the next four to six months. Not just for the stability of the band, but for the benefit of the nation of garage bands who seem to be better at making recordings of their music than our lazy asses.

The next four to six months will see an end to this cold and snow here in Albuquerque. It should get warmer around here. If it doesn't, then the four to six months after that will be spent wondering why the southwest has suddenly been plunged into a new ice age. And that will be very important, because we'll all have to rethink our fashion choices and selection of quality footwear.

It is very important that the new Congress get something done in the next four to six months. Because, in the last eight to twelve months, they didn't do much of anything. Of course, it's not an election year, so maybe they don't have to do anything this year either.

And, of course, as I wrote earlier (and has been said with much regularity in the last few weeks, months, years), Iraq is facing a rather tough next four to six months. Never, in the history of the world, has a four to six month period been so important to Iraq--or to the people of the United States. Unless you count the last eight four to six month periods or maybe the four to six months after the next four to six months. Those have been and probably will be very important. This cannot be understated or overstated or repeated enough.

We must remember this. We must understand. It is very important.

In the next four to six months, everyone needs to get a CD by James Brown. In the next four to six months, everyone needs to lose weight (except those crazy kids in Hollywood--they need to get off the speed). In the next four to six months, everyone needs to think about the future. In the next four to six months, we should remember the past. In the next four to six months, we need to come up with a plan for the next four to six months.

Four. Two. Six. Eight. Twelve. Months. Years. Days. Weeks. Decades. Generations.

Four to six months from now, we will need to reevaluate the last four to six months.

Matt Worley will be paying very close attention to everything in the next four to six months.