10:02 PM PDT — Met up with Chris on the street tonight. Pure accident. But he was boyfriend-less so I dragged him off to pick up my husband then the three of us had a neighborhood dinner. Very pleasant all around. And if I'm running into him by chance and heading off to dinner, I figure it's time to move up from bookmarks to life over there on the left.

10:01 PM PDT — Tell me the cat didn't want all the attention directed her way.

8:53 PM PDT — Jesus, that's a great story. Wish it was true.

8:26 PM PDT — I survived. Actually, the trip was halfway pleasant. Mostly due to the work folk who went along. Not that any day that begins at 4:00 A.M. and involves four plus hours on the United Shuttle can be all that wonderful.

10:11 PM PDT — Well I managed to make it though the weekend of work. Actually, it wasn't so bad. We had a rough edit by the end of the Saturday session. Sunday I only had to take care of some admin stuff then I was free to enjoy the day with Rich and neighbor couple Keith and Rich. Nice drive. Tasting at Bonny Doon. Then lunch on a deck perched above the Pacific. None too shabby. Another eight hours in the edit suites on Monday and voila! Movie magic.

Now I must sleep. Have to be in the beautiful northwest for a 9:30 A.M. meeting. Love that United Shuttle experience.

11:59 PM PDT — And Then There's Bea. I laughed. I stood. I applauded. Worth the $50.

The nice recipe for leg of lamb is just a bonus.

10:27 PM PDT — Thoroughly exhausting work week. Feels as if I've been running a series of marathons at a sprint pace. And guess what? The fun isn't over yet. After several false starts and stops this morning, it's confirmed that yes indeed I'm making movie magic for a Tuesday presentation. Shot 60 plus minutes of talking heads this afternoon and will drop into the maw of an Avid suite in less than 12 hours. Hopefully we'll emerge in three days with a suitably whacked, pruned and polished two-minute show.

And people wonder why I prefer print sometimes.

7:27 AM PDT — Nothing quite like opening the blinds on an August morning and finding a veil of mist. Again.

11:54 PM PDT — Lynette wants all of you to know that she was drunk.

11:52 PM PDT — So I'm enigmatic, am I? And here I've always thought I was totally transparent.

10:20 PM PDT — Slight modification ahead. The weekly mp3 feature shall hence for be known as Music of the Monday. I tell you, sometimes I am so clever, I scare myself.

Or something like that.

11:18 PM PDT — Rich and I were a bit restless on Friday. Rather than face what's become a weekend routine of errands, laundry, cleaning and gym, we decided to head for the City of Angels. Brought back pictures.

7:12 AM PDT — Can we put Mark Morford in charge of something?

That while marijuana ain't exactly health food, no one but the most uninformed or panicky anti-drug zealot actually thinks it's genuinely dangerous to the public at large anymore, really, especially in harmless gilded little towns like Santa Barbara, especially not when compared with the demons of alcohol or television or unchecked Republicanism.

3:20 PM PDT — I'll jump on the latest survey meme, too. If you want to play, try the blank form.

I see: Cable car tracks
I need: A nap
I find: This mildly diverting
I want: Too many things
I have: Too many things
I wish: I had a flat stomach
I love: Rich
I hate: Paperwork
I miss: Friends in NYC
I fear: Being single again
I feel: Happy most of the time
I hear: People laughing outside my office
I smell: Coffee
I crave: Nothing at the moment, oddly
I search: High and low?
I wonder: Why I'm doing this
I regret: Too many things to get into now

When was the last time you...
Smiled: Two minutes ago
Laughed: Ditto
Cried: Last month
Bought something: Lunch
Danced: Uh
Were sarcastic: Who me? (That would be now)
Kissed someone: This morning
Talked to an ex: A lifetime ago
Watched your favorite movie: Uh
Had a nightmare: Uh

Last book you read: Uh (But I enjoyed it)
Last movie you saw: The Anniversary Party
Last song you heard: Oscar Peterson, "I Love You"
Last thing you had to drink: Water
Last time you showered: This morning
Last thing you ate: Crispy calamari linguine

Smoke: Tobacco, I assume, no
Do drugs: Yes (alcohol and caffeine, among others, are drugs after all)
Have sex: Enthusiastically
Sleep with stuffed animals: No
Live in the moment: Or pretend to
Had a dream that keeps coming back: No
Play an instrument: Badly
Believe there is life on other planets: Logically there must be
Remember your first love: Uh
Still love him/her: No
Read the newspaper: Yes
Have any gay or lesbian friends: Oy
Believe in miracles: No
Believe it's possible to remain faithful forever: Why bother?
Consider yourself tolerant of others: No
Consider love a mistake: No
Like the taste of alcohol: Probably too much
Have a favorite candy: Extremely dark chocolate
Believe in astrology: You've got to be kidding
Believe in God: Not in the organized religion sense
Believe in magic: No
Pray: No
Go to church: God no
Have any pets: Yes
Talk to strangers who IM you: No
Wear hats: Right now, in fact
Have any piercings: Yes
Have any tattoos: No
Hate yourself: No
Have an obsession: Singular, no; plural, yes
Have a secret crush: No
Collect anything: Nothing that can be discussed in polite company
Have a best friend: Yes
Wish on stars: No
Like your handwriting: No
Have any bad habits: Thankfully
Care about looks: Of course
Believe in witches: No
Believe in Satan: No
Believe in ghosts: No

8:28 AM PDT — Just for the record, it was 53° according to the dashboard computer as I drove around randomly last night. If you're saying so what, take another look at the date. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. I hate sweating from heat. Still even after six years here, the cold, blustery, fog-bound August experience is bizarre.

5:44 PM PDT — Courtesy of my work pal Mark, the Meredith and Winter saga is "too stupid to be made up." I love this excerpt:

Last fall they hatched a simple three-part plan. (1) They would send away for tickets to the television game show "The Price Is Right." (2) They would be contestants on "The Price Is Right" and one of them would win a 32-foot RV. (3) They would drive that RV around the country and follow 'N Sync on tour.

10:30 PM PDT — Remind me never to shop at J.C. Penney. Not that there was much chance before.

9:49 PM PDT — Or how about Björk with a 54-piece orchestra?

9:22 PM PDT — Anyone up for seeing They Might Be Giants?

11:59 PM PDT — I planned to say something witty and clever. But then I forgot.

Oh well, you'll have to be content with a new MP3.

9:13 AM PDT — I am fucking pissed. How did I miss New Order with Billy Corgan?

Oh right. I was working 12 hour plus days so people who I marginally like and walk out at 4:30 can keep their jobs.

But I'm not bitter.

9:15 PM PDT — Happy happy to my pal David. What do you say we mark the occasion with 37 crawdads?

9:39 PM PDT — Long days, longer week. Sorry I've been too obsessed with work to answer email, never mind update the old web page. A couple of notes though.

1) A new New Order album. It's about time. (Thanks Chris.)

2) There's a recent Volkswagen Jetta commercial that shows a cute guy attempting to drive quickly to a church in order to presumably break up a wedding. And in a weird coincidence, Apple features the same actor in a new commercial about a couple who announces their elopement with a homemade DVD of their beach wedding.

10:05 AM PDT — Interesting profile of Alfred Peet, the man who saved us from the curse of Folgers.

6:03 PM PDT — Met up with Chris last night. Ostensibly to trade MP3s but the conversation turned out to be the main attraction. Something clicked and I just prattled on and on. Highly unusual. But fantabulous. Hopefully there'll be a repeat performance soon.

9:43 AM PDT — So I turned on MTV this morning and Madonna's Borderline came out. Followed by Cyndi Lauper, Prince and Depeche Mode. I'm happy. Even the interruptions from The Romantics or Huey Lewis and the News didn't annoy me as much as they once did.

11:11 PM PDT — All things considered, I'd rather have napped through the day.

11:23 PM PDT — Five recorded words that never fail to give me goose bumps, Louis Armstrong growlling, "Take it, Ella. Swing it."

10:03 PM PDT — I almost hate to admit it but I did watch the MTV 20th anniversary show tonight. The music of my youth, now 20 and counting. Does this mean I'm officially an old fart?

They brought out a parade of music celebrity types with mostly embarrassing results, though the answers to the stock question of what was the first thing you remember about MTV generally amused. Of course, no one came up with my answer. The delightfully odd Barnes & Barnes clip for Fish Heads. Sing along kids:

Fish heads, Fish heads
Roly poly Fish heads
Fish heads, Fish heads
Eat them up, Yummm

Fish heads, Fish heads
Roly poly Fish heads
Fish heads, Fish heads
Eat them up, Yummm

In the morning
Laughing, happy
Fish Heads
In the evening
Floating in the soup

Fish heads, Fish heads
Roly poly Fish heads
Fish heads, Fish heads
Eat them up, Yummm

Ask a Fish head
Anything you want to
They won't answer
They can't talk

Fish heads, Fish heads
Roly poly Fish heads
Fish heads, Fish heads
Eat them up, Yummm

I took a Fish head
Out to see a movie
Didn't have to pay
To get it in

Fish heads, Fish heads
Roly poly Fish heads
Fish heads, Fish heads
Eat them up, Yummm

They can't play baseball
They don't wear sweaters
They're not good dancers
They don't play drums

Fish heads, Fish heads
Roly poly Fish heads
Fish heads, Fish heads
Eat them up, Yummm

Roly poly Fish heads
Are never seen drinking
Cappacino in Italian restaurants
With Oriental women...Yeah

Fish heads, Fish heads
Roly poly Fish heads
Fish heads, Fish heads
Eat them up, Yummm

Fish heads, Fish heads
Roly poly Fish heads
Fish heads, Fish heads
Eat them up, Yummm...

(Yummm)

Fish heads, Fish heads
Roly poly Fish heads
Fish heads, Fish heads
Eat them up, Yummm

Fish heads, Fish heads
Roly poly Fish heads
Fish heads, Fish heads
Eat them up, Yummm
YEAH!!!!!!!!!

Previously