My niece is the cutest:



My sister said she asked her what Aunt Lisa likes, and my sister told her I like dogs. So she put a dog in the picture. That is so cute! If only everything in life was that easy.

In other news, I biked down to Golden Gate park last Sunday to take some pictures of the California Native plants at the Arnold Arboretum as potential candidates for my urban sidewalk garden, now on the fast track. I have to submit a plant listing with my application to the city, and although California native plants aren't required, they're highly encouraged.











I realized later I may have wandered into South Africa for part of my photo shoot. Oops! Well, how different can that be? All these plants seem to be thriving just fine in California soil, which is all I care about. So sue me for not being a botanical purest.

p.s. - (e:Matthew), I wish you were here now to help me pick out my landscaping and paint colors. On the other hand, maybe by the time you get here my little construction zone upstairs will be habitable. That would probably be better all around.

This is what I have to contend with:



No I was NOT cruising (or posting) in casual encounters -- just looking for a Pete Yorn ticket. Which is no time to be picky, so I searched all the personals at once.

I guess I'm pickier than I thought since I didn't respond. Although my first thought was, why didn't I think of that? And my second thought was, why is this classified under m4w? Then I realized it's a guy looking to GET a hand job or blow job in exchange for a ticket, not the other way around. I wonder if he would have accepted some marketing tips instead, haha.

The crazy thing is, Pete Yorn came up on Pandora just as I hit this. I never entered him in any of my stations, and I was listening to a new station based only on Lou Reed (trying to remember a song from a dream last night). Weird, huh? Or did the terms of service I always accept without reading say something about capturing and interpreting my every keystroke? Oh well, either way it seemed random.

I'm not saying I put any stock in this, but can't help wondering if my recent horoscope might be onto something.

Sagittarius
Even though it's illegal, marijuana is now America's biggest cash crop, generating more revenue than corn and soybeans. Official government sources won't acknowledge this fact, of course, and the major media would prefer to ignore it. Let's use this situation as a metaphor for your personal life, Sagittarius. Meditate on the following three questions. (1) Is there a valuable asset that you neglect to account for when you take inventory of your total resources? (2) Is there a Big Important Thing that you don't fully acknowledge? (3) Do you play down the power of a transformational agent that's taboo or not fully accepted?

Ok, I see where you're going with this, and don't think it hasn't crossed my mind. But I happen to live in an area where that particular market is already pretty well-saturated. Besides, aren't I in enough trouble already?

Speaking of trouble, this notice was posted on my door last Thursday.

(But they couldn't hurt.)

I am so pissed I missed Inland Empire last night. Who the hell puts the headliner first in the lineup? I literally stumbled upon this at 9pm last night. Which still would have been plenty of time to make it to the after party at kink.com's Porn Palace, but that really would have been too depressing being the only one there who missed the freakin' movie. Not to mention rustling up someone to go with at the last minute. Dang it! I am really going to have to take better control of my social life. This work thing keeps getting in the way.

p.s. - this is what happens when you get the early edition of the Sunday paper then leave the house before reading it all. Oh well, I still have time to catch one of the other highlights.

That's what I feel like I was asked to do tonight. I wish I was better at helping my friends work out their problems.