BARRON'S BIRTHDAY

Yes, your amazing webmaster and my best Bay Area buddy will be celebrating another candle on his cake, September 5th.

If you appreciate this Virgo genius as much as I do, don't hold back and check out his Wish List!

One of the many bonds I share with "B" is being an only child and we are very big believers in personal recognition, especially during milestone occasions. That's a fancy way of saying "pony up if y'all love us"; )

This has been one of those transition weeks in my writing career. I closed a multi-year chapter on some non-DF works that were, ultimately, the steps needed to be where I am now. For those readers who have crossed over to here with me, I truly thank you for the years of support, encouragement, and the occasional snail mail surprise (still trying to figure out the box of half-eaten Apple Jacks and the mysterious vibrating bubble wrap).

Right/write now, I am working hard on shifting my focus to an area where I actually might be financially rewarded for what I have been doing creatively since the journal days of junior high. It's a risk but I'm not getting any younger so why the hell not? You all tell me I have "it" so let's see if you're right! Don't worry, Darkfin is still on track and I have completed the first chapter of the new season, it still has a few rounds of editing but "Harmonic Convergence" will be set to go by late September/early October.

Quick movie review:

"Signs" - do yourselves a favor and go rent "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" - if this writer/producer/director guy is the next Spielberg, I'm the next Cindy Crawford! He did a great job with "Sixth Sense" but has yet to recapture that muse.

"Blue Crush" - a nice little movie, no biggie but it was really cool to see a woman listed as the screenwriter (another "Lizzy" no less!). Michelle Rodriguez continues to prove why she'll be around for awhile and the underwater shots were worth the price of admission.

OK, I could accept old Beattles songs selling stuff and Who songs selling allergy drugs, but this is too much! I just heard The Clash "London Calling" being used to sell cars! The CLASH people! Proto-punk, proto-reggae band from the 80s. Anti-establishment Clash. What's next? Dead Kennedy's "California Uber Alles" selling West Coast travel?!? The Ramones "I Wanna Be Sedated" for sleeping pills? How about anything by the Sex Pistols for Viagra?

Dammit you advertizing weasels! STOP STEALING MY YOUTH!!!!

OK, since Barron is busy figuring out the good, bad, and ugly of FLASH, I suppose I should provide some filler...

Hmm, let's start with taking my best friend to get her semi-wisdom teeth pulled in Tarzana. On a Tuesday. During a supposed "off-hour."

As a native Californian and once-proud Valley Girl, I just have one thing to say to the current influx of newbies: "Like omigod y'all need to GO HOME."

It took us over AN HOUR to drive two miles! If you are thinking of moving to Los Angeles County, DON'T. If you are thinking of having children here, PLEASE DON'T. We so do NOT have the room, the roads, or the water. And it's only going to get freaking worse: (

To counter the terror of overpopulation on Tuesday, I had a nice, relaxing dinner with an old co-worker I hadn't seen in nearly a year on Wednesday. It is indeed amazing how quickly the days and weeks blend into each other when you're not looking. We got to sample four delicious (well, maybe three) varieties of regional wine and then enjoyed various dishes, including a very yummy sweet corn ravioli. It was good catching up with her and the traffic wasn't nearly as bad (of course, she was driving, so I can make this statement).

Tonight, I look forward to "The Rerun Show" on NBC. Those of you who are familiar with my writing style and sense of humor know how I have been counting down the days for this. Parody/Satire is a lost art form here in the US and it's about time someone does something about it!