I didn't know he had a daughter.

You can see her (and his wife) in the recent Sardinia episode of No Reservations. She's totally cute.

I wonder if he'll smoke on the show?

Didn't he quit (or at least try) because of his kid?

Hi Sophia!

Anyone want ice cream? The ice cream mistress is making her evening rounds, and the cheerful little tune is jingling through the neighborhood. I hear the song twice a day every day except Monday. It bounces around my head pretty much constantly.

I had a bizarre dream last night. You've heard of the Restaurant at the End of the Universe, but how about the Furniture Store at the Edge of the World? It was this furniture store with completely amazing prices, but it was perched quite literally on the edge of nothingness, and the road to get there was quite treacherous. I was elected to drive a bunch of people (including Darth, interestingly) there. It was considered unimportant that I was driving my high school car (a Ford Tempo), because everyone was sure we could fit several sofas in it. I never made it inside the store, though, because I slipped and flew off over the edge with a friend of mine from college. We caught hold of some cables that were hanging down and were able to perform impressive acrobatics to claw our way back up the ledge. Does everyone have dreams as weird as this?

Awwwww...

You're nesting! And in a particularly *you* way. That's a good dream.

Hey CV! Good to see you!

I have been in hiding trying to grade. I should go back to the land of grading shortly, but egads, I needed a break.

I have officially over-doodled. People I don't know are talking to me about it. But it's hard to stop once you've started.

Roll on, lunchtime. I need a distraction from the document reformatting that's staring me in my face.

How on EARTH is that nesting??? I nearly fell to my death trying to buy an imaginary sofa! And we have a perfectly nice sofa!

I am unable to nest, since all of my belongings (and all of the baby's as well) are currently on a boat in the Atlantic. Actually, they were supposed to arrive in port today, but it could still be weeks before I actually get them. Some Please-Don't-Let-Customs-Be-A-Bitch ~ma would be great! The only baby items in the house right now (no joke) are two blankets (including one I knitted myself!), two puppet style baby washcloths, and baby wash, lotion, and powder we bought a few days ago. If my things are held up in customs, she will be naked and sleeping in a laundry basket. Hmm, maybe I should buy a laundry basket.

Edit: Hi Burrell!

Edit the Second: I suppose my belongings are in the North Sea now. Geography has never been my strong suite.

Don't worry CV, a laundry basket totally works for the first couple of months. I had a friend whose babies slept in a Moses basket.

I had a friend whose babies slept in a Moses basket.

We did that a lot with Matilda, too.

Hi, Callaluna! Matilda slept quite snugly and contentedly in her Moses basket, and, when necessary, it was approximately eighty quintillion times more portable than any of those so-called portable playpen/sleeper things.

I knew about Bourdain being an ex-smoker on account of his daughter, but not that he'll be showing up on Gabba. Huzzah!

I wouldn't say I fake it so much as that I don't bring up my atheism. On the one hand, it's fine, because I'd be a right jerk if I went around "I'm an atheist! Did you know I'm an atheist?" on the other, the assumption of theism, particularly of Christianity, can be maddening. It seems sometimes the only way to counter act is is to say, "Uhm. Scuse me, hate to be a bother, but I don't believe."

Heh. I swear I am the mirrorverse version of DJ. I carefully dance around exactly the same conversational eggshells and unspoken assumptions and trying to decide whether it's worth it to say anything or just let it go, but exactly in reverse, all the time here in the Bay Area. I'd suggest we switch places, but I doubt my version of Christianity would sit any better with the folks you're dealing with than your atheism does.

Plus, we've got Fernet, the Castro Theatre, javachik's Meyer lemons, and JenK. So I'm not leaving.