This Saturday I'm signed up for:

HealthWatch 2004 with keynote speakers Dr. Deepak Chopra and Dean Ornish, a comprehensive health and wellness event providing a rare opportunity to explore a wide variety of mind and body issues with renowned medical and nutritional experts from around the country speaking all under one roof. From heart health, stress related problems, diets and nutrition, to fertility issues and laser eye surgery and much more. HealthWatch 2004 offers the public the chance to gather a wealth of information in one place in order to make informed and healthy lifestyle choices.

Followed immediately by:

Martini Party at Quinn's new house, featuring several types of Martinis from the classic to the obscure, for the purist and not so pure ....(and yes Sharon, there will be a chocolate martini for you and anyone else who is brave enough). Bring your favorite martini glass, an appetizer and or dessert, and BYOB if you don't care for martinis......

Dress is black tie ... tuxes, high heels, bling bling........

I wonder to how much of an extreme I could take this if I really tried?

Part of me still wonders if I'm really just an unwitting participant in some mind-control experiment. So having successfully infiltrated the background landscape[inlink]twisted,53[/inlink] of my dreams, the next phase is actively planting a cat there. [inlink]paul,2392[/inlink]

Ok, ok -- maybe that's a stretch. Still, having two simultaneous IM sessions going w/(e:paul) last night reminded me of the time we had at least five going at once. But then, that was to test the new [inlink]news,524[/inlink] YIM! integration. (Or was it...?)

;)



See what I mean? I did not set this up.




Um, it's a little late to be asking me that now!

New venue (to me) this week. I'm pretty psyched about this. One of my new music buddies is rabidly into indie music (mostly brit) and old punk. I don't know why I'm even trying to quantify this guy's musical tastes, except to explain how we connected to see Siouxsie and the Pixies, so now I'm also getting to see a bunch of new bands I probably wouldn't otherwise go see, like Franz Ferdinand, the Futureheads, and Hope of the States.

Kind of funny to be turned on to new bands by a guy who's 10 years older than I am, but I hate listening to commercial radio these days and he hears about them by avidly reading Brit music magazine 'Q.' So that's the backstory.

We're going to see Dogs Die in Hot Cars this Thursday, and the Futureheads again next Friday, at Popscene -

basically, doors open at 10pm, popscene dj's spin cool 'danceable' indie music,
the band plays around 11:15 or so and then we spin records to close.

Also got tix for X at Great American Music Hall Jan. 15. I can't wait for that one. X is Andy's (my best music buddy ever) favorite band. God I miss him. We lived on the same dorm floor freshman year with all journalism majors, and we're all still pretty close because of that. Andy and I started showing up at the same shows all the time and finally decided maybe relentless independence was overrated and we should try going to shows together instead of just showing up solo all the time. That was the start of a beautiful friendship. Anyway, any time X was in Boston we went to see them. I think diving into the mosh pit kept him connected to his LA roots. I'd just let myself get bounced around the fringe until he emerged from the depths. That was fun.

I couldn't convince my new music buddy, Larry*, to go see X at Slim's instead, so I don't think we'll be moshing. Oh well, easier on the shoes.

• Not to be confused with my other new music buddy, Aaron - The Cure, Tears for Fears and Morrissey (although Morrissey called in sick! dang!) and R.E.M. Kind of funny, because he's 10 years younger than I am. Who knew a love of 80s music could span the generations?

I'm now famous in Backwoods, SC. I'll spare you the whole 'news' story, but here's the photo of me, Dad and Jean hauling wine out of wine country for an SPCA benefit.



I love how they put 'Wine Country' in quotes.

My sister is flying out here for our traditional pre-xmas shopping expedition. We started that ritual years ago so my grandmother would know she had dedicated shopping time with us marked on her calendar. As long as Grandma got all her shopping done that weekend (which she always did, and wrapped by the next day) the trip was a success. Otherwise she would have worried about it all season.

Usually my sister, Mom & Gram would fly up to either Boston or NY, and my sister-in-law or I would drive to the designated point of operations that year. It was hard to keep doing it after Mom died, but we wanted to make sure more than ever that my grandmother had that chance to be with us. She and Mom were so close.

I feel lucky to have been so close to my grandmother too. She was truly amazing. We had a family reunion on Fire Island for her 90th birthday in 2001. Her special request was to go shopping at Sak's while we were in NY. So the "girls" took the ferry/subway to NYC and tried to get on the Today show (no luck - got there too late), went shopping and saw 42nd Street on B'way. That was fun.


Hanging with the great-grandkids on Fire Island.


My sister and me holding the sign over Gram with my two sisters-in law.
Should have been on TV!


Visiting me in SF, August 2002


Family sailing trip in Grenada, 1994

I guess my whole freakin' family is pretty close.

This'll be the first xmas shopping expedition since my grandmother died. I wasn't sure if we'd still try to do it, but I guess it was as much for us all along. I actually hate Christmas shopping. (Darn! I was staying so positive up until now!) But I can't wait to hang out with my sister.