right now:

reading: magical thinking by augusten burroughs. i finished harry potter and this other book called from potter's field, strangely enough, last week (don't judge me on the murder mystery--i was stuck housesitting and had nothing to read. my choice was down to cheesy airport novels or shakespeare criticism. late at night, what would you choose?)

watching: the motorcycle diaries, an episode each of rockstar:inxs and laguna beach while i was housesitting, and kinsey

anticipating: the visit of MMC next weekend

cooking: penne alla norma, a huge batch of chili with heirloom cannellini and cranberry beans, ricotta gnocchi with chanterelles and summer savory, and caponata

eating: a lot of pizza. and persian burgers from bongo burger. i love bongo burger.

playing: with my new computer. the new ibooks (better loaded and much cheaper than the old ones) came out two weeks after i bought mine, so i went to the apple store and complained and they gave me a new one and money back. how awesome is that?
i've just lost my blogging gusto lately.

where have i been, where have i been?

reading harry potter, working, going on a field trip to bob's, where we picked fruits and veggies and made a wonderful dinner out of them, trying to think of another cute baby present to make for a co-worker's shower this week, doing a focus group and getting $100 for it, filling out the rebate forms for my new ibook!!!!, housesitting in the berkeley hills, working, getting another package ready for my secret pal, reading a book about knitting socks that my sp sent me, going to thai temple, going to citizen cupcake, scheming other ways to find money to pay for my computer completely (i've got $1570 covered. i'm almost there!), and working.

when i move back home next week, i'll get back to the blog. and it'll be good. promise.
i love the slide at codornices park. i don't know why i don't go there more often.

bertolli's wife was there this afternoon as we ate our junk food and drank franzia and wine coolers (uh.) she accused cisco of waxing up the slide and making it too fast for the little kids. ha! ridiculous! we just tried to keep her from seeing our picnic table.

(i just got a random text message from someone i've never met in france or belgium. weird.)

anyway, the sun came out for us, and it was a lovely afternoon. my little buddy will be missed by all (but we're all taking bets on when he'll be back). and the slide makes me want to make a trip out to the diamond street slides in the city. those ones are far superior.
okay, i'm going to just spit it out.

i've been bored lately. i've been boring, too. i don't really do anything, and so i don't really have anything to write about here. no exciting law school news, no goings on in my personal life (what personal life?), just working and sleeping and being boring.

my friends are opening buseinesses, traveling to the mediterranean, moving to new york to go to columbia, and starting new jobs in courthouses. i just go to work and target, mostly.

and i spend my free time working for my friends.

now, as i sit here, i am trying to finally get all of my cds onto my hard drive so i can get them onto my ipod. woo-hoo!

i was hoping to get a job as a GSI for an english class in the fall, but i'm ineligible since i don't have a phd and am not working toward one.

meh.
i've been having a great time getting everything together for my secret pal. besides the lovely article pract, i've found that michael's has greatly expanded their knitting section. they have all sorts of lovely ribbon yarns, and brightly colored wool and cotton yarns. it was pretty exciting to witness.
well, thanks to lasassy, i've become addicted to perez hilton. i read it late at night, so no one can hear me snickering and giddy.

i went to the berkeley public library today and checked out a bunch of books i'm too ashamed to pay for, plus the excellent queen bees and wannabes, which i remember tja reading, and which is also the inspiration for the excellent movie, mean girls.

a new, excellent yarn store has finally opened in my hood--stash on solano.

i think, though, i still be loyal to article pract, especially now that it's right between my favorite pizzeria and bakery (opening tomorrow!).
last week, i had dinner with my most excellent professor of all time, stephen booth, and his wife. we ate at eccolo, and had a great time.

i tend to do things that really ought to embarrass me in front of him, but never seem to. i think it's part of what endears me to him. anyway, at dinner, i was telling them about dario, and how there's going to be a chapter about him in bill buford's forthcoming book.

i started the story by asking, "are you familiar with the writer bill buford?"

stephen and his wife looked at one another for a second and then he said, "well, he dedicated his book to me."

WHAT?

i'm sitting there, trying to tell a story about the editor of granta, a man who writes for the new yorker. i want to make a connection for my listeners. i want there to be relevance for them. so i ask if they know who i am talking about, to make sure my story won't bore them to death. and bill buford effing dedicated his book to booth?!?!?!!!

i should have known. this is not the first time this has happened to me with him.

he went on, telling me how on the night that buford found out that he received the marshall scholarship, he came over to their house, and they all went out for chinese to celebrate. he told me how buford was among the many of his graduate and undergraduate students to be in love with the lovely mary booth (his daughter!).

maybe i'm not doing a very good job of telling this story. i feel like i'm not. but it was really funny when it happened.

trust me.
i forgot to mention that charlie and alison are both set to open their places in the next week or so. it's so exciting!

yesterday, i went by to see both of them, and both of the places look so wonderful. alison makes the BEST scones! i can't wait for her shop to open. i stopped by charlie's after, and i really love how he's preserved the character of the place. the wood-burning oven was fired up, so i stuck around and had some pizza. i have to say, his crust is amazing--maybe the best i've had out of italy. and somehow he lucked out and found a guy who used t work at grimaldi's to come make pizza for him.

i'm going to give charlie a hand on tuesday, so if anyone is around, come stop by! it's the official opening, but i heard a rumor that no one will be charged for food, only drinks.