As in Dowd and her column Blue is The New Black.

Slow day in the political pundit world? Decided to leave John Edward's paternity issues alone? Obama's dissing of Kanye West to rest? Palin and Bush just simply too b o r i n g?

Don't get me wrong, more often than not I love Maureen. Although, I, for one, couldn't get through her "Are Men Necessary." And I also, for one, don't want to be lumped into a definitive statement as to whether or not I am happy or less happy than I might have been, want to be, could have been, should have been, at any other time, in my time, am.

Aging is scary enough.  Being told that it is compounded by aging poorly, based on the evidence of the obsession of how one looks; that older men are less likely to remain widowed; and that even if one has choices, the choices leave us unhappy– are all singularly and collectively, not comforting.

But are these statistics true? Are these two quickly referenced studies valid?

So I looked up this fellow she quoted, Marcus Buckingham. Lots of self help books under his belt. Motivational speaking engagements, too. Go team go. So I wonder, is it self serving? If Buckingham writes a book about women circling the drain of sadness, is a pep rally far behind?

So, Maureen…pretty certain that all the various and assorted shades of grey, as it relates to happy, is still the new black.