REMEMBER WHEN: Between hazy memories and conflicting stories about repairs to former Gov. Mike Easley's home, the State Board of Elections hearings offered plenty to talk about this week. The hearings gave a glimpse into the type of people who drive big time politics: one Easley supporter said he couldn't remember anything about two $50,000 checks he wrote to the N.C. Democratic Party.

BOUNCE BACK: Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina sent a mailer to members urging them to rail against the public option for health insurance. The mailer backfired, leading recipients to lobby for the option. Next time, the insurer might consider using a little reverse psychology.

ALMOST READY: U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan, a Democrat who has been reluctant to stake a position on health care reform, already supported a public option provision similar to the one being advanced in the Senate.

IN OTHER NEWS: Elizabeth Edwards told a Washington-area television station that her marriage to John Edwards could be considered "a great love story." Patricia Gerrick, former chief investment officer for the state pension fund, asked her employees to help with her daughter's homework.

Elizabeth Edwards told a Washington television station that she is focused on living and that her marriage to John Edwards is for life.

Edwards told WJLA-TV that she does not want to give her cancer any more days than it has already taken.

"I hope it's not true but that's the likelihood. Cancer will probably win. Why would I give it anymore days than it may already take? That's the choice I make," she said.

Edwards declined to say much about her husband's affair with a former campaign worker.

She says only that her husband has been supportive and that they are still writing their story.

Said Edwards, "John said, 'Perhaps not the great love story that we hoped, but maybe a great love story nonetheless.' [It's] 'till death do you part -- because that's what I want."

For those who haven't gotten enough of the John Edwards/Rielle Hunter/Andrew Young saga -- and that's likely a microscopic demographic -- Politico has a nicely written, four-jump post on Young.

The best deets:

* The supposed sex tape of Edwards and mistress Hunter is Young's "hole card" as he struggles for income, Politico writes, attributing information to two sources who have seen the tape.

* It was Young who tried to secure the high-demand-short-supply Playstation 3 from Wal Mart before Christmas 2006 on behalf of Edwards, a Wal Mart critic. The incident that drew howls of hypocrisy.

* A recap of some of the nastier comments Elizabeth Edwards has made about Young, including that he was "pathetic" and that she and John were Young's "victims" -- "guilty only of 'being vulnerable to obsequiousness.'"

The story recounts how Young took care of all things Edwards: dry cleaning, milk in the fridge and the then-required Diet Coke supply.

Elizabeth Edwards, the wife of former presidential candidate John Edwards, will appear Sunday on North Carolina Bookwatch to discuss her best-selling book "Resilience."

The show will air on UNC-TV at 5 p.m.

When it came out last spring, Edwards' book garnered considerable national attention because it dealt with her reaction to her husband having an extramartial affair.

But much of the book deals with her continuing battle with cancer.

Elizabeth Edwards will be interviewed by the show's host, D.G. Martin.

John Edwards' political career was launched when he defeated Martin capture the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate in 1998.

Former Sen. John Edwards, right, arrives with his wife Elizabeth, for the late Sen. Edward Kennedy's memorial service at the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum in Boston, Friday, Aug. 28, 2009. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Elizabeth Edwards, author, was at UNC-Chapel Hill today to promote her scheduled appearance next month at the North Carolina Literary Festival.

She wanted to talk about books and the festival that will draw more than 100 authors to Chapel Hill Sept. 10 -13, reports Anne Blythe. Questions about her husband's indiscretion with Rielle Hunter were off limits. There was no discussion about whether there had been DNA tests to determine paternity of Hunter's child. Nor were there  inquiries about the federal investigation of her husband's campaign spending.

When one reporter dared broach the topic, Edwards became testy. She launched into a tirade about how the media focus on gossip is a problem for society.

"Serious people in the news are talking about serious issues," Edwards, 60, said. "Attention to things like this as opposed to the serious issues is one of the things that contributes to the dumbing down."

She is the author of "Saving Graces: Finding Solace and Strength from Friends and Strangers,” published in September 2006, and "Resilience: Reflections on the Burdens and Gifts of Facing Life's Adversities," released in May.

Elizabeth Edwards, speaking today in Chapel Hill, had a few words to say about the death of Sen. Ted Kennedy.

"It's an enormous loss for the country," Edwards, 60, said. "His absence [in the Senate in recent months] has been a hardship to health care reform. I hope... his death will be an impetus."

Edwards, the wife of former Sen. John Edwards, spoke at UNC-Chapel Hill today to promote her appearance next month at the N.C. Literary Festival, reports Anne Blythe.

Elizabeth Edwards, along with author John Grisham, will speak to reporters in Chapel Hill Wednesday about the upcoming North Carolina Literary Festival.

The festival, to be held Sept. 10-13, will feature more than 100 writers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Jane Stancill reports.

The wife of former Sen. John Edwards has been in the public eye a good bit recently. She appeared on Larry King Live last week. During the weekend, she opened her new Chapel Hill furniture store, called Red Window.

At the festival on Sept. 12, Elizabeth Edwards will speak about her latest book, "Resilience: Reflections on the Burdens and Gifts of Facing Life’s Adversities."