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Boys, I want to tell you right now that there are dangers in being a couch potato -- although you just keep on being one if you want to.

By Mark Kennedy

NEW YORK -- It's only 9:33 a.m., but already Danielle Steel is having a lousy morning.

She's in a Rockefeller Plaza dressing room, having her hair tugged and her makeup tweaked. She's endured questioning from Matt Lauer on the "Today" show and soon faces a second round with Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb.

SANTA ANA, Calif. -- "Mom and Dad, I'm home," used to be joyous words for parents as their kids returned for a visit.

But increasingly, it's "Mom and Dad, I'm moving home," a phrase that often sets off much angst and soul-searching as parents find themselves having to figure out a whole new set of rules for living with their children, now as adults.

Q: My daughter is 33 months old and has been potty trained for a year now. Short of wiping herself after pooping, she is tall enough to take care of her potty needs without any assistance. When my mom comes to visit, or when we go to her house, she still reads my daughter books while she goes and helps her do everything. Should I ignore this or should I insist that my daughter go through the motions herself? Mom also wants to sit or lie down with my daughter at nap or sleep time until she is asleep, which we haven't done for at least a year now. All of this grates on my nerves, but I try not to say anything. My daughter can be needy, and it took a lot of work on our part to get her to this point. What do I make an issue out of and what do I leave alone?

"Spook Country," by William Gibson. (Berkley, $15.) Gibson's first novel since "Pattern Recognition" abandons science fiction to consider our fragmented post-Sept. 11 world. ("Contemporary reality is like an overlapping set of dire science-fictional scenarios," Gibson has said.) His characters -- a former rocker turned journalist, a member of a Cuban/Chinese crime family in New York, an amphetamine-addicted cryptographer -- converge around a mysterious shipping container moving toward an unknown destination. "The country he hoped was still America" (as one character puts it) is buffeted by globalization, technology and the threat of terrorism and finds itself awash in confusion and fear.

Demanding. Gratifying. Life-affirming.

Of all the words used to describe the parenthood escapade, you never hear anyone call it "startling," "icky" or even "really flipping disconcerting" -- all of which I find it, at times, to be.

It got a little bit hotter than we were bargaining for this Sunday, with a high of 95 in Roanoke, the hottest day since the June 6-10 heat wave ended. That kind of heat is more expected in mid to late July than it was in early June, but today's high was still 7 degrees above normal. We could see another similarly hot day on Monday, with highs in the low to mid 90s, before more unsettled weather begins taking hold through much of the upcoming week as a weak cold front moves near the area and zigzags back and forth a bit. Coupled with some upper-level disturbances being pushed through by a dipping jet stream, we will probably get back into the afternoon thunderstorm pattern we've been used to much of the summer so far.

Tropical Storm Cristobal will pass close to Cape Hatteras tonight and then pull away from the U.S, picking up speed as it moves northeastward, probably never quite making it to hurricane strength. Tropical Storm Dolly has formed in the Caribbean and will likely move northwest across Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and the western Gulf of Mexico toward the Texas-Mexico border. So much time over the peninsula may make it hard for Dolly to reach hurricane strength. At any rate, it appears that Dolly will not have any direct impact on the eastern U.S.

Rain Yancey's rainbow

Cristobal's feeder bands over harbor. Courtesy of Keith Yancey

You can see many more photos of Cristobal on the coast from the Yanceys via the Botetourt View blog.

As you can see from these photos, there's not much of a panic going on related to Cristobal. It's just spun out a few gusty showers along the coast. The Carolinas could really use more rain than this storm is likely to produce.

Cristobal will move close to North Carolina's Outer banks today as it continues moving northeastward. It may slowly increase in intensity, but it remains unlikely that it will become a hurricane. You can follow the latest on the National Hurricane Center Web site.

SUNDAY, JULY 20, 5 P..

Aaron McFarling here from Greensboro, Ga., where we've wrapped up Day 1 of the 2008 ACC Football Kickoff.

First things first: We're 138 days, 19 hours, 59 minutes and 21 seconds -- nope, make that 19 seconds...now 18 -- from kickoff of the ACC championship game. Are you hyped? Well, what if I told you it's now 138-19-58-50?

I know what you're thinking: How does he know this so exactly? Well, let me tell you. I now have an official "The Road to Tampa Bay" countdown clock, courtesy of the fine folks of the conference. Think of the uses! I could...put it on my desk at work. Or...give it as a gift. Or...simply watch it tick slowly down as I salivate. As far as I can tell, that is its only function -- counting down. (Wait. I just fiddled with the buttons on the back and revealed a clock as well. Oh, well. Lame punchline coming anyway.) I'm hoping when the countdown numbers reach zeroes it magically turns into a flat-screen TV upon which I can watch the title game. Guess we'll see.

Every team sent two player representatives to the interview room today. Virginia Tech went with quarterback Sean Glennon and defensive lineman Orion Martin. Virginia sent linebacker Clint Sintim and tight end John Phillips.

The preseason poll will come out Monday, and Tech will almost certainly be the favorite in the Coastal Division. (I voted for Tech in the Coastal, Clemson in the Atlantic, with the Tigers winning the league title game). I asked Glennon if he thought the Hokies were deserving of that division-favorite label despite significant losses at the offensive skill positions and on defense.

“I think so," Glennon said. "I don’t want say that we’re the favorites, but being defending conference champions and with the tradition we’ve set up at Virginia Tech, we expect to win 10 games, we expect to go to the ACC championship.”

Another reporter suggested that this might be a "bridge" season to big things in 2009. Glennon, a fifth-year senior, wasn't buying it.

“That’s what they said in 2004," he said. "We won the ACC and went to the Sugar Bowl, so…this team is similar. That year Bryan [Randall] was working with a whole new crew of receivers…It may be a rebuilding year in terms of we’re young, but I don’t think it’s a rebuilding year in terms of we should expect less wins or anything like that.”

Glennon spent the offseason working out with his younger brother, Mike, a freshman at N.C. State and one of five candidates for the Wolfpack quarterback position. Sean recently served as a counselor at the Manning Passing Academy in Louisiana, teaching high school kids the position alongside Peyton and Eli Manning. The college counselors also had an opportunity to talk with the two NFL stars in a private Q&A session.

“We were asking them how they work out, how they study film, what it takes to remain a guy at the next level," Glennon said. "We were just asking them everything. I gained a lot from that, just picking the brains of the last two Super Bowl champs.”

Obviously, the QB spot at Tech is still open, with Glennon battling sophomore Tyrod Taylor for the job. Martin said he's confident both QBs will play this fall. Glennon, though preferring to be the full-time guy, said he knows the dual system is a possibility.

“A lot of things remain to be seen, but I’m not ruling that out," he said. "We only went four games or so with it last year, we haven’t experienced a whole season. That will be interesting to see if that plays out. Is it working? If we’re winning, I’m sure it’ll keep everybody happy. But what do we do if we lose a couple games?”

The offense will no doubt look different either way. The receivers are all new and a fresh tailback will take over for the departed Branden Ore. The one sure thing seems to be the line -- seemingly a rarity in Blacksburg.

“I don’t know if it plays in my favor, but I was really pleased with the line play," Glennon said. "We had pretty good protection this spring. We have four guys that have been around the block: [Ryan] Shuman and [Nick] Marshman and Sergio [Render] and Ed Wang. They’ve got a lot of starts under their belt…If you give me four seconds, I think I can do a lot of damage. I see that happening this year barring injury.”

Martin brought up a good point that the Aug. 30 season opener against ECU, played at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, will be "almost like a bowl setting." While Tech fans might cringe at that thought -- the Hokies are 1-4 in their past five bowls -- it ought to be an interesting atmosphere that could help build some confidence for December or January.

On the Virginia side, a reporter asked Sintim if he had to pick one game to win -- and only one -- would he prefer a victory over USC in the season opener or a win at Tech on Nov. 29?

"Oh, man," Sintim said, smiling. "I can't take 'em both?"

Roanoke Times scribe Doug Doughty tossed the linebacker a lifeline.

"You're only supposed to be thinking about the next game," Doughty said.

"Good answer!" Sintim said. "I'm just thinking about the next game right now."

You hear that, Hokies? He'd rather beat USC than you!

Just kidding.

Sintim was pretty funny. Doughty pointed out that he wasn't wearing his trademark eyeglasses, then asked Sintim how his eyesight is without them.

"Terrible!" Sintim said. "Why do you think that I don't have an interception [in his career]?You think I don't have an interception just because? I can't see!"

Nobody's giving the Cavaliers much of a chance against USC, but Sintim's fired up about the opportunity at Scott Stadium.

"What's the point of dipping your foot in the water?" he said. "You might as well jump in."

That's all for now. Look for stories by Doughty and Tech beat writer Randy King in the morning. I'll leave you with one final Glennon quote.

“Not being brash or overconfident," he said, "but I’d be disappointed with anything less than a trip to Tampa. That’s probably the best way to put it.”

Here's another way he could have put it: "In 138 days, 18 hours, 56 minutes and 23 seconds, my butt's gonna be in Tampa. Count it down, brother."