A certain goddess came back from her extended absence (in Indonesia) so as a mere mortal I had to go pay homage. Drove up to the bay area on Saturday. Butt sore but arrive in one piece about 4:30 hours later. The itinerary turned out to be meet up with Aly, shopping therapy, dinner at a charming Italian family-run place on Union Street (called Luisa. Recommended.) with a fairly good and mild Martin Ray Merlot (Sonoma, 2000). Aly recommends the Vongole and I had a good time with my lobster tail special. Met the goddess's family and had some interesting discussions about classical music/CDs. Thank you Oakleys for the hospitality.

Sunday, after leaving my hosts' abode, I went straight to IKEA in East Palo Alto. What a godawful evil place. But I escaped relatively unscathed with $50 invested in a coffee table, a wine rack, a funky clock, tupperware, and some napkins. If only I weren't broke and had an apartment to furnish...

4:30 more hours later and I'm finally back in Santa Barbara. My butt hurts but then since when does one complain after a visit with a deity? Ack but so much work now. Oh, the picture has nothing to do with anything. I'm a photography neophyte and still am in love with how objects transform when they are shot close up. It's just my [s]watch.

PS Not to sound old but do the UCSB fratboys have to play Marco Polo outside my room at 11:30PM on a monday night? Come on guys. Don't you have girls you want to impregnate? Girls that have, as they say, gone wild?