1. I went to Austin weekend before last to help get Grandma ready to move into an assisted living facility. It was in the mid-eighties, while Portland was barely breaking 50 degrees. This is the time of year when you want to be anywhere but Portland. On the flight back, the full moon was rising (it would have been eclipsed, actually, had we been farther east). It was behind dark clouds, but they were so thin it shone clear through them—so it looked like the moon was just a mile or two away, flying along with us.

2. I smoked a brisket and made pintos last weekend, so I've been eating almost exclusively brown food for the last week. The brisket isn't very good out of the fridge, so we're going to turn it into tsimmis soon. Barbecue tsimmis.

3. The cops cleared out the house next door and the owner had the locks changed, so everyone on the block is very happy. Now if we can just get the owner to clear out all the crap from the back yard.. Spray painting "no trespassing" on plywood and nailing it to the back door seems to be a great way to attract trespassers.

4. Very tired today, and yesterday. Maybe coming down with the sick that's going around the office. Blah.

5. We leave for China in two weeks and a few days. Our passports should be at the Chinese consulate in New York now, waiting for approval.

6. So tired..