Oscars!!

As you are all waiting breathlessly for my predictions, here they are:

Best Picture

Babel

Best Actor

Forest Whitaker- Last King of Scotland

Best Actress

Helen Mirren- The Queen

Best Supporting Actor

Djimon Hounsou- Blood Diamond

Best Supporting Actress

Jennifer Hudson- Dreamgirls

Best Director

Martin Scorcese- The Departed

I'm more or less satisfied with all of them this year. Sometimes I strongly disagree with who I think will win, but it's pretty clear this time. Happy Predicting!

Valentine's Day

We had a quiet but sweet Valentine's Day, our 10th. I waited a bit late to make reservations anywhere so we were shut out by our usual favorites: Laurel, Oceanaire, Prado, so we ended up at Parkhouse. That was fitting because it was the place we went on our first date. Had the usual delicious liver pate (smaller portion than previously), followed by a former favorite of mine, the beef stew. Unfortunately, the new owner changed the recipe and now it's a ghastly bowl of dog food topped with gorgonzola cheese (can you imagine?!) Gone are all the wonderful vegetables and the sprinkling of sweet cornbread. It was a sad, sad evening. Hector loved his pork chop with smashed potatoes, though.

Hector gave me a certificate for a massage at the Knotstop, our new massage joint in Hillcrest. It was wonderful. We have also started taking a Pilates class there. It, on the other hand, is murder. It's all about working the areas that thought they had earned early retirement: abdomen, thighs, etc. But I do enjoy the stretching.

Philadelphia

Philadelphia was really, really cold. I met Hector in Dallas on Thursday and we flew in to Philly together. He gave me his first class upgrade which was very sweet. Since he worked all day Friday I just wandered around looking at everything. Our Downtown Marriott was directly across the street from Reading Terminal Market, Philadelphia's answer to Quincy Market-Fisherman's Wharf-Pike's Market. You know, an old historic building they've turned into a tourist trap, with cafes and T-shirts and worthless crap. Anyway, I ate at one of the little cafes run by adorable Quakers, then shopped among the few attractive stalls that sell gorgeous fruit, cookbooks, homemade desserts, etc.

There was a time when Philadelphia was known as the fattest city in America and maybe officially it's not anymore but I must say they still have a lot of fat people there. Huge people. Monstrous. Even now it's a really Northeast America kind of city, with blue collar Archie Bunkers all over the place. It has that industrial feel, still. We didn't really do much of the Independence-y stuff because we'd seen it twice before and once was sufficient.

We had dinner at Oceanaire on Friday. I had Shrimps de Jonghe and a Dover Sole. Both great. We got the celebrity treatment from the staff because we were about the only ones in the whole crowded place NOT there for Philadelphia Restaurant Week, hence we were paying full price for everything. The other diners were mostly enjoying the standard "eat-pay-get out!" class of service. On Saturday night we asked the concierge about a good family-style Italian place. I guess she thought we meant cheap, because she started describing places that sounded like tourist hangouts, but then she got it that we wanted a nice place where locals go for good Italian so she steered us to La Famiglia, near Penn's Landing in the Old City. It's a beautiful place, very family, a place the Mafia probably loves. I had an arugula & pear salad and a butternut squash ravioli.

It's raining here at last. Really raining, not San Diego raining, which is when a few clouds fly over and the humidity goes up a little. And since the streets are damp, there is that air of hysteria out and cars are skidding all over the freeway.

On Thursday I'm meeting Hector in Dallas, then we are flying on to Philadelphia, where it is God knows how cold. He has a presentation there on Friday and we'll hang out until Sunday. He's been working in Guatemala City this week, which he says is like being in Tijuana. That's not a compliment.

This week I'm working on a large armoire for Chris & Jim's house. The lower section is complete but I need to get in there and start building the top part. And yet... strangely... I don't feel like it. I wonder what's on TV?

The Pictures

We have a long to-see list of movies before the Oscars in a month. Last night we saw The Last King of Scotland, which is getting lots of hype over Forrest Whitaker's performance. He is great and it's a good story but I'm not sure he deserves the Oscar.

Also good are James McAvoy and lesbian icon Gillian Anderson. McAvoy was adorable as the faun in Narnia and he's adorable here too, but it was difficult for me to have much sympathy with his character, a naive do-gooder who goes to Uganda out of boredom and casually becomes involved with Idi Amin. I mean really.

Notes On A Scandal was absolutely delicious! Judi Dench was superb and Cate Blanchett was right with her all the way. What a great pairing. Watching it was like watching Ripley, where I just couldn't believe the way things were heading but I was relishing every second of the mahem. I wonder how many middle-aged gay men secretly wish they were Judi Dench?

Children of Men has received a lot of mixed reviews but I love movies that have such a dark, depressing view of the future like this. It's been compared to Blade Runner and I have to agree, although this has a much more coherent story than BR. Clive Owen is very Harrison Fordish here. But, as always, when Julianne Moore appeared onscreen I wondered, "what the hell is Julianne Moore doing there?"

The art direction is just spectacular. I want to see it again just to be able to catch all that richness behind the main action.

Ali's Jeans

This week I received an email from Ali, our sweet local guide from central Morocco. One day while we were with him he helped us negotiate for a carpet at one of the merchants. When we thanked him he replied "I want jeans". After a few moments of just staring at him I finally got it that he wanted us to send him a pair of jeans from the States. And not just any jeans but black jeans.

He had no idea of his waist size, so he scrounged up a piece of string which we put around his waist and knotted where it met. I brought this string home and used it as my guide for his size. (it was 33" even though he looked a lot thinner). So I bought him the jeans and mailed them to his village in Morocco ($45 shipping thank you).

This was all weeks ago. Finally he wrote that he received the jeans at last and thank you so much but even though they are too big they fit his brother. I wrote back, " your brother owes you a pair of black jeans and may God be with you."

Vegas Update

Lovely little weekend. The drive over was easy in the new car, the fumes weren't so bad. When we got to Bellagio, we were grabbed by a bored front desk girl who liked the look of us (we must've reminded her of her gay uncle) and upgraded us to a 28th floor lake view room for free. The place was not nearly as crowded as previous trips so that was nice. We enjoyed the spa, gambled [lost], strolled up and down the strip, had nice meals, took it easy. What more can one ask of Las Vegas?

Vegas

Hector and I are leaving on a surprise trip to Las Vegas this morning. Well... the surprise is that we're leaving today instead of Saturday as originally planned. Mark called last night to say that Bellagio had screwed up the reservation and we don't have a comp room this weekend. Hmmmm, suspicious. Be that as it may, Hector and I decided to go now by ourselves and just pay for it. The rates were good for Thu-Sun, so off we go.

Hector got his new company car. We've been waiting since August for the damn thing. It's a lovely silver Chrysler Pacifica. It will be nice for the drive to Vegas except that all that new vinyl and plastic inside is emitting a toxic cloud and I start coughing and gagging the instant I get in.

Movies

Didn't watch the Golden Globes last night, saw 24 instead, but of course recorded it. I understand Babel won for best pic. I thought it was really good, but the problem I have with movies that jump among different stories is that I don't develop an emotional attachment to any of the characters. Somehow that lessens the impact of the movie for me. All the performances were great and the scenes in Tijuana and Morocco were absolutely authentic. We walked through those villages in Morocco and it is just like that. It's not a country one wants to get shot in.

Helen Mirren deserves every award she gets as far as I'm concerned, although I thought she was much better in Elizabeth I than in the Queen... Haven't seen the Last King of Scotland but everyone always raves about Forrest Whitaker and I'm sorry I just don't see it. He's not bad but he's just not that special to me. And that lazy eye drives me crazy... Poor Annette Benning. Another loss, but she should know by now that if Meryl Streep is nominated she should just stay home in bed... We'll see Dreamgirls this week sometime... Apocalypto I liked better than I thought I would but it is ridiculously bloody. There's something wrong with Mel... I guess I'll see Borat eventually but I just know it's going to be fart jokes and queer jokes, regardless of what the critics are saying.

Home Sweet Home

What a blessing to be back home for a while. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the whole trip immensely. Rome was just wonderful... well you can tell from the pix that we saw all the hotspots (and the food!). But by the time we arrived home I had had it with airports, lost luggage (how did BA lose both my bags?), tight layovers and funny sleep schedules.

Now Leslie and I are gearing up with the new organizing business, Hector and I have a little weekend in Vegas planned on the 20th and I'm studying for my contractors license. All in all, very sensible and adult, wouldn't you say?... Check back in a few weeks and I'll be ready to hit the road.

We shipped a beautiful old brass chandelier from Cairo and it arrived yesterday in 1,000,000 pieces. I had packed it myself so I know that the foul Egyptian Customs/Antiquities people opened it up and didn't re-pack it properly. The cheap tin lamp we bought naturally arrived in perfect condition.

Ciao, Roma!

Arriverderci Amman

Steve and Ibrahim

Amman turned out to be a very nice, friendly place. The people are really warm. The highlight, of course, was the trip to Petra. I didn't really know much about Petra so it was a nice surprise. Our driver, Ibrahim, was a fun guy, very talkative after we got him warmed up. On the 3-hour drive there he gave a lesson in Islam and the Hajj, the trip to Mecca. We told him a few bible stories. Mostly, though, he talked about his 6 girlfriends scattered all over the Mideast. When we got stopped at a roadblock he opened the glovebox and pulled out a handful of ID cards, then proceeded to explain to the police that we were on business for the Jordanian Royal Family, which was apparently not so outlandish because they just nodded and we drove on.

To approach the site of Petra you walk down a narrow canyon, then enter into the Siq, a deep crevice in the mountain that extends nearly a kilometer. After walking 45 minutes through this channel suddenly you can see a narrow opening of light. Then, unbelievably, you are standing out in the open looking at a huge shrine carved out of the solid rock. The whole city is carved from the stone, tucked down into a protected valley. It was the perfect defense for the Nabateans, who built it around 6th century BC.

Petra, Jordan

Mount Nebo, Jordan

Looking toward the Plain of Moab and Jericho
Steve at the Tomb of Moses
Dead Sea 20km thataway

If it's Wednesday it must be Amman

It seems I have no photos from Cairo. We didn't really do any sightseeing but I wish I had some of Anna and Shoukry, at least.

Now we're in Amman, which was a quick Egypt Air flight on Monday. Amman seems a bit...sleepy, to be kind. It's dusty, all the buildings are bone-colored, and the nightlife seems to revolve around the bars in the American hotels. 3 American hotels were bombed in November of 2005.

Yesterday Jihan, the Jordan rep, took us to Mount Nebo, nearby. It is where Moses is buried! Who knew? You can stand at the tomb of Moses and look out across the Plain of Moab to see the Dead Sea and Israel. She pointed out the town of Jericho and the Israeli border. Then we stopped for lunch at a wonderful little restaurant in Faysaliyah.

Hector has a presentation this evening, then tomorrow we get up early for our private tour of Petra, 3 hours away. Jihan arranged for us to have the driver used by the Minister of Tourism. Is this a good thing? We'll see.

The Cairo Eye Doctor

Hector accidentally tore his last contact lens so we went off last night (8pm) in search of an optometrist recommended by the hotel concierge. All we had was a business card totally in Arabic and some vague directions that it was "near for walking". After taking twenty minutes to cross the street outside the hotel, we were then plunged into a completely non-tourist area. We stopped 5 times to ask directions and after a lot of pointing that way, we were standing in front of an old apartment building. Hanging from a 5th floor balcony was a dirty banner with a lot of Arabic writing and a picture of an eyeball. That had to be it.

Up four flights I knocked on a blank door that was thrown open by a woman who looked at us, screamed and slammed the door in our faces. After a few seconds of more screaming behind the door she opened it a crack and I stuck the business card inside. (scream, scream) "upstairs!"

On the next floor we found the Dr's receptionist and Hector managed to explain who he was. We sat a few minutes in the crowded waiting room, like a pair of fucking Martians, and then we got ushered into the Dr's office. It turns out that he was educated in Spain so he and Hector, of course, were immediate best friends. After an exam and a lot of jokes about the silliness of U.S. medical care, Hector got his box of contact lenses. Total cost for the evening: $19.22

Cairo

I was so excited that I was flying Emirates Air out of Dubai to Cairo, first class no less, while Joan and Hector were in business. But our plane was an old bucket and it was no better than some crappy American airline. What a disappointment. I had always heard it was ultra-elegant.

But we're here now. Good old Cairo. Good old filthy, stinking, chaotic Cairo. This is our 3rd time here. Our hotel is the Intercontinental Citystars, attached to the fancy schmancy Citystars mall and in the area, Heliopolis. We have the same sweet, funny driver as last time, Shoukry. He's a hunky former U.N. soldier and I'm certain he carries a gun in the car somewhere, in addition to the 3-foot long club he already showed us. He sees himself as a bodyguard as well as a driver and keeps an eye out for all the Harcourt people here.

We met up with Freddy, our Egyptian friend, last night for dinner. We went to the Four Seasons Hotel for their Lebanese buffet, which was delicious. But the hotel is incredible. It sits right on the Nile and is absolutely gorgeous, by far the nicest in town. As we were walking out of our hotel, trying to negotiate through the heavy traffic, a car ran over my fucking foot! Luckily for me it was a small car and they must have needed air in their tires because it didn't really hurt at all. Mostly my pride.

Today Hector is presenting at the American University of Cairo. I joined them all this morning for the opening but they said I could take Shoukry and get out of there so I did. Outside it's cold and dusty, a rotten combination, so I imagine I'll be staying in the hotel or the Citystars Mall all day.

The Burj Al Arab Hotel, Dubai

Looking up inside the atrium
In the Lobby
In the bar, 27th floor

Dubai

Burj Al Arab Hotel


Indoor ski slope at Mall of the Emirates

Dubai

We're here at last. After three long flights, we made it to the hotel at 3 am Monday after leaving SD at 1030 am Saturday. Our hotel, the Montgomerie, is just great. It's a brand new boutique property located on the grounds of a private country club.

Dubai is one big construction site. It's as if Sheikh Mohammed woke up one day said "let's build a city today" and they started on the whole thing at once. My cousin, Babs, said it used to be a charming little sleepy place when they first came here in the 1970's. Her husband, Crawford, works for one of the big construction firms.

Best of all, the schedule is easy and I've had 2 days now to play on my own. Yesterday I met Babs and her friend for lunch and we took an abra ride up the Dubai Creek. Today I went to the incredible Mall of the Emirates, which has the only indoor ski slope in the Mideast. Shopped at Harvey Nichols.

Hector has had afternoon presentations in Abu Dhabi and Al-Ain. Tomorrow night we're going to a barbeque at a local's home and then Thursday we leave for Cairo. I'm still fighting jet lag. It's only 4 pm and I'm eyeing that luxurious bed... maybe just a little nap...

Last night my old friend from 2nd grade, Chris, called to let me know that he was in a Tulsa hospital after nearly dying from a ruptured appendix. Apparently they kept telling him he had an ulcer and sending him home until finally someone did the right diagnosis. Further proof that a hospital is the last place you want to be if you're sick.

Then this morning I was talking to my old friend, Diane, and she was on her way to the clinic with a bunch of suspicious symptoms like nausea and lightheadedness but no fever. She was scared. At our age it could be anything.

Plus, my old friend, Kent, needs to have a hip replacement! He's younger than me, for God's sake (but only by a couple of years). We were with him in Palm Springs over the weekend and he was limping around like Grandpa from The Real McCoys. By Sunday I had developed a sympathy limp.

Today, however, I'm feeling by far the healthiest of my contemporaries.

Fun-filled weekend in Palm Springs

Just returned from a whirlwind weekend in good old Palm Springs. Our friend, Rob Lang the photographer, was having a gallery reception there this weekend and invited us over. So Bob and Kent flew in from Santa Fe, we collected them here in San Diego, then all drove over together Friday evening. H and I stayed at the antiseptic Courtyard by Marriott (have to build up those points), they all stayed at the Mirasol, a charming gay guest house that was built in the 1940's by Howard Hughes, though not as a gay guest house, of course.

Rob's reception was fun, even though it was competing with the annual Christmas Parade outside, which was mostly a parade of city utility trucks decorated with Xmas lights. But we met lots of new folks- some from LA, some from PS, discovered some new restaurants, and did some lounging by Howard Hughes' pool. Hector and I are buying two of the pieces from Rob's show.

Back in San Diego now, I have dropped them all at the airport. Hector is going to Seattle for work, K & B returning to Santa Fe, and I am vegetating for the rest of the evening so stop bugging me.

Jimmy Carter

Last night I watched Jimmy Carter on 3 different talk shows in the space of about 2 hours. He's selling his new book, Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid. He basically answered the same questions and told the same story on all the shows but I always love hearing him because he's so obviously informed about world events, he is still involved, and I always feel he's telling the truth. Like saying that an honest discussion about Israel/ Palestine is missing in the US, even though it's occuring everywhere else in the world. I was too young to understand his presidency when it was happening, but I think these days that he's one of the few honest voices we have in this country.

Last night we put up our new phony Christmas tree. Once I got the thing out of the box I realized it's 9 feet tall and six feet wide! But the good news is that the lights are on it permanently. We simply hung a few ornaments and congratulated ourselves on a job well done. I realize it's a bit early but since we're leaving on Dec 9...

Happy Thanksgiving

I can't imagine a more gorgeous Thanksgiving Day. Here in the desert it's about 72 degrees , just a few clouds. From our 3rd floor balcony we fed the ducks old bread this morning and I pitched a few carrots to the families of bunnies frolicking in the marsh grass. The only thing spoiling this serene picture is the loud, cigar-smoking old men on the other balconies.

We loved Bond on Tuesday. Daniel Craig is a more serious Bond than the others and I like the way they've removed a lot of the sillier aspects of the genre. The realism makes it more suspenseful. Last night we saw The Fountain. Very surreal, but really engrossing. Hugh Jackman is great.

I guess we won't be having turkey today but what we will be having is repeated trips to the ATM machine at the nearby Agua Caliente Casino.

Thanksgiving in Palm Desert

We are now at our time-share, Marriott's Shadow Ridge, in Palm Desert, a few miles down the road from Palm Springs. It's a beautiful place, very green, sparkling pools, all that. But it's mostly all about playing golf so the place this week is crawling with the whitest bunch of squares you've ever seen. We usually just drift around seeing movies, gambling at the nearby casino and lounging by the pool. Went to see A Good Year yesterday. It's really terrible. Russell Crowe and Ridley Scott should be ashamed of themselves. Today we're seeing Casino Royale. I love Bond. And to continue further in the Hollywood mode, yesterday we saw Carol Channing at Albertsons, looking at fake fireplace logs. So you see that Palm Springs glamour is not dead, even though Frank Sinatra and Bob Hope are.

A Draining Day

I took Hector to the Lipo Clinic at 7 this morning and collected him at 12. He was all doped up and damp and oozy and I barely managed to get him up the stairs and into the [guest room] bed. Now it's 5 pm and he quite literally hasn't moved a muscle in hours. Even though I can hear an occasional snore it's a bit like having a dead body in the house.

Wednesday November 15

In typical Berrier fashion, my siblings are all drifting away from the "Christmas at Steve and Hector's" idea in favor of ideas of their own. After some initial disappointment, I think it will work out well. Hector and I have decided to extend the December Mideast trip so that we fly from Amman to Rome and spend Christmas there with the Pope. There's a Marriott in Rome, so the hotel is on points... and we would have to fly past Rome anyway to get back home...

Wednesday November 8

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Antique Silver and Brass Chandelier

US Customs

We had a nice, quiet weekend. On Saturday I cooked a lovely Beouf Bourginon and had Mark & Arturo & Sonia and Steve & Jeff over for dinner. On Sunday we saw Marie Antoinette, a piece of shit, then came home and watched 8 hours of 24 on DVD. Hector is now in Puerto Rico for 10 days so I am expecting a very quiet weekend ahead as well.

On a different note, US Customs finally released our antique chandelier from Morocco and I picked it up today. What a bureaucratic nightmare. Those Customs guys think they are actual policemen and have to act all tough. However, it was worth the wait. See above.

More of an idiot than I thought

God I'm fucking exhausted and it's only Tuesday. I haven't really worked in 6 weeks (some would say my whole life) and I remember now that I don't like it. Traffic is hell going up to North County, I'm having to carry heavy shelving upstairs, and I'm not being paid enough. Waa waa. I thought I would be finished today but I have to return tomorrow to complete the job.

I did see a body on the freeway yesterday. There was a crowd standing around a guy that had jumped from the overpass. He was dead, quite dead.

I see that Bush has changed his tune re: the Iraq War. If he thinks that lame story is going to fool anybody he's even more of an idiot than I thought. It's all about votes in November.

Monday Monday

It's Monday morning and I'm in a holding pattern re: today's work. My client disappeared over the weekend and I'm waiting waiting... It was a good weekend though. Saturday, we met Orrie at a new Moroccan restaurant called Cous Cous in Hillcrest so we could dish everyone that was on the tour with us. Flirted with the waiter from Marrakech, had some wonderful lamb, beef, veg and couscous. Sunday, Hector and I had breakfast at The Mission, then came home and relaxed.

We did get my air tickets for the Mideast trip in December. I was hoping it would be a bit cheaper than last time but, no, it was not. $8k. It's all those business class upgrades. But I'll be damned if I'm going to fly 16 hours in coach while Hector is languishing in business class. One leg of our journey is on Emirates Air, which I hear is really fa-fa-fa. And another is a BA flight from London to Dubai and word is that's pretty nice as well.

Poor Hector had to fly to Oregon last night. He'll be gone all week, but then he has 4 days off, then to Puerto Rico for 9 days. Then he has a whole month off after his lipo. He'll be slim and rested for Dubai.

London, Morocco, San Francisco, New York

Well, goodness! What a month... I loved Morocco. Frankly the trip was so full I don't know where to begin. But we did a lot of walking (it was, after all, a 13-day walking tour), a lot of eating (yummy tagines of lamb & veg or beef & veg), lots of shoppping (bought a huge carpet, antique chandelier, camel saddle bag, clay tagine, yellow pointy shoes) and I can honestly say I've never met a friendlier people than the Moroccans. Really, everyone was warm and welcoming, even in the small villages where they didn't speak anything but Berber. Everyone was curious and sweet. And those adorable Berber boys! (see Mohamed above)

I also had a wonderful time in London. It was low key. We had a good visit with my cousin Babs before she left for Dubai, saw Billy Elliott and I really enjoyed it. Had dinner with friends we met in Ecuador and just strolled about a lot. We stayed at the Grosvenor House on Park Lane and it is our official hotel now. It's old and funky but really elegant and directly across the street from Hyde Park.

Back home for one day then we left for San Francisco. Gorgeous weather, discovered a couple new restaurants, and of course a nice hike in Muir Woods. I got a haircut. Then on to New York. We stayed at the Marriott on Times Square and although the hotel is nice and remodeled I hate Times Square, it's such a crowded freak show. Also discovered a new Thai restaurant, visited the Natural History Museum (wow!) and happened to be walking on the East Side, past the building that got hit by an airplane, right after it happened. So we joined the thousands of gawkers in the street, chatted with everyone, then made our way back to our freak show. I didn't make it to Las Vegas, which was next on the itinerary, because of flight delays in Chicago. So we spent the night in Chicago, then I just came on home. Thank God. I was exhausted. I have no idea what time zone my brain is in but I'm still going to bed at 8pm and getting up at 4am.

So I'm home for a while, until December when I'm joining Hector on a biz trip to Dubai, Cairo, Amman.

Morocco

We're Off!

It's 2 nights in London, where we'll see Billy Elliott, then to Fes for 13 days walking in Morocco, then back to London 2 more days- dinner with John and Karen, a charming couple we met travelling in Peru and Ecuador. Back home for a quick turnaround, then off for 2 days San Francisco, 2 days New York, 2 days Las Vegas. Photos to follow!

Brother Lucien, Groom Ron, Bride Sandi, Me, Brother Keith

Sandi's Wedding

I've just returned from a whirlwind weekend in Dallas for my sister Sandi's wedding. We flew in Friday evening after many delays due, first, to poor airplane maintenance, and second, bad weather. I left the hotel once the entire weekend. We stayed at the beautiful Adolphus downtown, where the wedding was held and it was fun to see everyone- all the sibs, and the nieces and nephews and such. We all had our significant others with us so we were all pretty mellow.

Sandi's wedding was very nice and simple (fitting for a middle-aged second marriage, rather like Charles and Camilla) but I find it so exhausting to have to get all dressed up and remain presentable for more than a couple of hours. Especially after a cocktail or two. I was the DJ for the ceremony, which entailed switching among 3 songs Sandi had chosen for the various entrances and exits. The Wedding Song went on for so long that the maids of honor were throwing me filthy looks.

After the wedding and the dinner, a small group of us took over the jazz lounge and I polished off a bottle of red wine alone so today I'm rather weary. It's wonderful to be back home now, I'm going to scour the kitchen for dinner then go to bed. Ta ta.

Mission Accomplished!

Bally Arakis in Black Calf

Size 10D

$395

Las Vegas

We drove over yesterday, Sunday. Five and a half hours. It's always easier heading here than heading home. No Mark and Arturo this time, it's mainly a work trip for Hector. And we're staying at the Paris, not our beloved Bellagio. After checking in, we wandered around a bit, and played at a few casinos after we arrived. And, surprisingly, I won a total of $800 at 4 different machines at 3 casinos. I was hot. And now early this morning, to confirm my fears that my lucky streak was temporary, I just lost about $100 in less than an hour. Oh well. I'm now heading over to Kenneth Cole at Caesars Palace to buy a new pair of dress shoes before I squander the rest of my winnings.

TGIF

This has been a busy, physical week with work. Lots of hauling heavy bookcases up to the 2nd floor at Jim's and schlepping all my tools everywhere. So I'm looking forward to our upcoming 3 nights at Paris Las Vegas. I'm even looking forward to the 5 hour drive over on Sunday. It's a work trip for Hector so while he's doing his song and dance I'll be at the gym, the pool, the spa or the slot machines!

Suspicious activity

This morning at 130 am I awoke to the sound of car doors out front. I looked out the window and saw a police cruiser driving away. My immediate thought was, "are they here for me?", an instinctive reaction that I haven't shed since my pot-head days in college in the 1970's. But now, returning home, I see my neighbor's car is being towed, or more acurately: repossessed. So it's odd that a cop would be snooping around his car at 130 am but as they say...rather him than me.

My brother Lucien, me, my cousin, my brother Keith, Crawford

The Wright Family:
Mom is upper left, Uncle Harold is bottom second front left

My new cousin, Barbra, and her husband, Crawford

Just squeaked past a birthday over the weekend. A very low-key one, compared to the over-the-top celebration of last year. But we had dinner with Jorge & Elsa at Park House Eatery on Thursday, then dinner with Mark & Arturo at Pacifica Del Mar on Friday. By Sunday I was ready for cheese and fruit in front of the DVR. Hector bought me a beautiful jacket and trousers to wear to my sister's wedding in 2 weeks.

We just returned from a family reunion in Waxahachie. The Wright Reunion (Mom's side of the family) is held every 3rd Sunday in August at the Optimist Youth Center. I haven't attended in 35 years but the place hasn't changed one bit. We all went so we could meet our newly found cousin, Barbra, from the UK. It's the big news in our family: My long-dead Uncle Harold served in York, UK during WWII and apparently did a bit of fraternizing with a local married girl, whose own husband was serving in Europe. Anyway, Uncle Harold eventually returned to Texas and never told a soul what happened. 60 years later, Barbra decided to search for her birth parents, which led her ultimately to my cousin in Waxahachie Texas. And although her birth mother rejected her attempts at contact, we all welcomed her and actually smothered her to death with attention. She and her husband are really fun. She got to meet tons of cousins and saw hundreds of old family photos.

Hector is working in Costa Rica this week, I'm catching up with clients, then we are driving to Vegas on Sunday. It's a work trip for Hector, a pleasure trip for me.

Monday

I took Hector to the airport at 5 am today then had a pit stop at Starbucks on the way home. It was so nice on Adams Avenue that I sat out front for a bit to enjoy the sunrise. Now home, I need to prepare for the electricians who are coming soon to install the new lighting. Ceiling is scraped, house is clean, a long to-do list awaits me this week.

Back home now. The remainder of the trip was wonderful. After 2 nights at Monte Sagrado (and wishing there was a 3rd) we drove back to Santa Fe and re-checked in at Inn at the Loretto. Suddenly the city was overflowing with tourists and we discovered that the annual Spanish Market was scheduled for that weekend. We caught a bit of it before leaving on Saturday and there was some impressive folk art but everything cost $3000. I suppose they price things for the rich New Yorkers who jet in just for this show. Needless to say we left empty handed. Even the children's art section was overpriced. I'm so sure I'm going to pay $85 for a 10-year-old's painting of the baby Jesus.

Today, Wednesday, we have the ceiling scraper crew in to remove all the "popcorn" (acoustic texture) from the ceiling. They are making an unbelievable mess and we're not allowed upstairs for any reason. Floating down the stairs is a lot of dust, a few curious trickles of water, and the occasional whiff of pot, so at least they are finding satisfaction in their work.