"Lucky" for me our office has a backup generator. Lots of street lights out in the downtown area. But King Taco was going strong so I had some food--taco al pastor, quesadilla con carne.

Syd Straw playing a tiny venue up here this weekend and we can't go.

oh, and paying $34 apiece to frame tiny movie-posters from the 50s which cost me only about $2.50 apiece in bombay.

reason to be cheerful: original movie-posters from the 50s for only $2.50 each in bombay. i bought larger classic hindi film posters for quite a bit more--these are small hard-card posters for cheesy hollywood c-movie fare such as "the white witch doctor", "haji-baba" etc..

Can you scan some of them and do a "story" on your site?

The irrelevant, privacy-invading questions one is asked by a doctor's office on the telephone when trying to make an appointment for the first time.

I told a doctor's office today that I would be taking my business elsewhere. The woman on the other end of the phone was quite, er, surprised.

Driving from Silverlake to the Southwest end of K town with about 75% of the signal lights blinking red. And then back up...

Our neighbors broke a water pipe that serves all the houses on our property. Why oh why did I just use my hands to rub the London Broil with oil, now that I can't wash them properly? Gah.

I'll just lick them, I guess. Or call the kitties.

I bought Jowar flour at the Indian market thinking it was barley flour.

Paris Hilton on the cover of Vanity Fair.

Annual annoyance: the UN General Assembly. Security gets tighter every year. On the bright side, Louie and the cops love each other.

Gassed up the motorhome for the weekend. $67, ouch.

The lockdown is most complete for the Presidential motorcade. I've seen enough of these, and been waved at enough by the last seven Presidents, for all of us. The latest wrinkle is holding pens at each corner of an intersection. When the motorcade is moving, pedestrians are held in these pens until it has passed. Clinton could never have done this because he didn't keep to a schedule. Bush is very punctual. The lockdown is still very heavy while other heads of state are in town, which they are for another day or so. After that, it's just very annoying as the lesser diplomats talk at each other and party at the expense of their citizens for a while.

Walking to my French class Thursday morning, crossing an unkempt field, I stepped in a hole and sprained my ankle. For the next couple of days I watched with interest the purple fading to greenish color in the ebb and flow of swelling around the injured joint. (I was going to try to get the phrase "swelling member) into the mix, but saw no sense in providing Hollywood et al. with a playground for their evil minds. And lest they jump on unkempt, I know you can't actually comb a field. I was speaking metaphorically. I thought of using "harrowed field" for its echos and suggestions, but then I would have to condone inaccurate reporting. Words are my passion, since I've grown too old for most of the rest of them.)

Maurice, if you want sympathy for your pain you must stop writing about it so amusingly.

My current annoyances:

- the convoluted freakshow that is Lebanese politics. It would be funny but people occasionally get killed.

- I can either stop sneezing every 5 minutes, or I can be free of a drug-addled existence, but not both. I think I may be allergic to corn. Or possibly soybeans.

- Sort of related: I can't concentrate

At work, as a group, we buy lottery tickets when the pot is large enough (this is not my idea). Not only is it a silly waste of money, but despite my knowledge of the odds I waste a fair amount of time day-dreaming about what I'm going to do when I win.

The incredibly loud preacher on my train this morning. My ears are still ringing.

Lost my driver's license. Fortunately, I don't actually drive so I can wait the 4 (!) weeks for a replacement, but this has obviously not been a good month for me in terms of my possessions.

B, try Zyrtec (although it's prescription, there are no generics, and it's $$) - Claritin never worked for me, but this one does, and it doesn't make me drowsy.

Same for me.

Very annoying that the hullabaloo at the UN means no greenmarket at Katherine Hepburn park today.

Yes, the hullaballoo sucks. I was walking down Madison, heading for GCT yesterday, and was forced by barricades and large men wearing earpieces to cross the avenue several times. I zigged and zagged my way downtown.

almost getting ripped off by safeway. luckily i am neurotic about scanning receipts to check that promised club-card savings have registered. the receipts seem to be designed to keep people from figuring out what they've paid for and what they've saved. got $6 back from a scallop purchase and $4 back from a bread purchase. bastards. wonder how much they make annually on these kinds of "mistakes".

I'll have to give the prescription stuff a shot, I guess. Feh, more time waiting for doctors...

Stephanie, when I lost my license I went to the DMV and they made me a new one on the spot -- they even had my original photo. I think it cost $10. You probably did it online? Well, at least you don't have to drive. It would be really hard to get along without a car around here. I could try to hitch a cow or something, but I'm probably allergic to those too.

Head cold. Heat. Humidity.
Fuck.

Jury service.


What a complete fucking waste of time. I have never seen a more stupid and inefficient system at work. In 9 days I have spent a grand total of 3hrs in court and 37hrs 45mins just waiting.

If I hear that stupid fucking bitch whore receptionist say one more time: it's out of our control, or, other people have it worse than you (like I'm supposed to be fucking grateful!) I will bash her stupid little head in with her own fucking tannoy system.


FUCK!

Fortunately, in LA we have 1 day/1 jury service. If ya don't get picked in 1 day, you're outta there.

On the annoyance front, my car overheated last night 2 blocks from home. If it's the radiator again, I'm gonna be pissed. In 6 years I've replaced 2 of these damn plastic radiators on this Beemer.

IIRC, in Austin, we can register online, not having to sit through that first day of waiting in the cattle call, and then go down to the courthouse to the courtroom & case to which we've been assigned to await voir dire.

My digital camera died in my hands today. I spent a good part of the afternoon at J & R, looking at the various models and left thoroughly confused.