Briefly.

• After two bus rides kicking off at 6:55am and two thousand dollars I finally retrieved my repaired and now driveable VW from the mechanic. As I pulled out of the parking lot I turned on my radio and discovered it was locked in some sort of "safe" mode that is difficult to unlock in order to dissaude thieves but in this case was merely triggered by the power source in my car (known to most humans as the battery) having been disconnected. In other words I was forced to make the morning commute, at the height of rush hour, in total silence. Who would have thought it possible that I would actually miss the sound of Ted Kennedy or Sam Alito's voices?
  
• Yesterday I was in an all-day meeting at work. What this means is that I basically spent the whole day taking in information. What this also means is that I basically spent the whole day taking in assorted snacks and treats offered buffet-style and available whenever a case of the munchies arose or an infusion of sugar was deemed necessary by my body. This was about every five minutes. It was worse than holiday snacking. Today is day two of the meeting and I hope to cut my caloric intake by half...to only about four or five thousand in this particular sitting.
  
• I just realized that here we are, thirteen days into 2006, and I haven't seen a single live musical performance. Wha- hoppen'?!
  
• Oh hey, smell that? That's a freshly brewed pot of Kenyan espresso. I'm out of here.