You should be able to "force" a view of the photo by typing or copy/pasting the following address into the address bar:

http://epoch.htmlplanet.com/lorijulesrick.jpg

**************

Last weekend in Sacramento was nice, although it was bubbling hot. I still don't have the air conditioning in my car fixed.

It's vaguely alarming how I'm forgetting my way around Sacramento even though I moved away only 4 years ago. On Saturday night, my sister and I went to see Monty Python's "The Holy Grail" at the Crest Theater, a historic, beautifully restored art deco theater. I'd seen a few movies there before, as well as some concerts (including the fantastic Missing Persons/Flock of Seagulls tour about 6 years ago). So why couldn't I remember which theater it was, let alone where it was located? For some reason, I kept confusing it with the historic Tower Theater.

Then, yesterday morning, when I was leaving my sister's house to meet my friend, Alice, for brunch at one of my old haunts, Cafe Bernardo, I had a momentary memory lapse. I had to ask my sister to remind me of its location, for crying out loud!

After brunch with Alice, I went to my sister's PartyLite candle party, where I purchased some scented candles and a beautiful blown-glass/stained glass Tiffany-looking candle cup.

The "candle lady" was a little odd. She's the type who volunteers a little too much information about herself. Like how she took her son, who's 5, to the Jellybelly Factory and he stole some jellybellys. She took him back to the factory and made him return the stolen jellybellys and apologize. She said, "I just don't understand why he did that! I pray with him and everything."

She asked me how I like living in San Francisco. Everyone does that. People either love San Francisco or hate it... or at least hate the thought of living there, i.e. raising a family there. I don't understand that at all! I think raising a family in a metropolitan area is a hell of a lot better than raising a family in a homogeneous anti-environmental suburb lacking culture. Stepford Wife communities teach children that being different is shameful and bad. You've got to "conform or die", as Rush (the rock band, not Limbaugh) would say.

She said, "I can't imagine raising a family there. It's just so crowded and chaotic."

My response to her was simply, "My boyfriend was born and raised there and he's quite proud of that."

Correct response should have been: "My boyfriend was born and raised there. He didn't turn out so bad; he only steals jelly bellys from the Jellybelly Factory a few times a year."

After the party, I drove back to San Francisco in mind-numbing traffic... at 10 pm! I'm perplexed that the traffic always bottlenecks in Fairfield. Fairfield, of all places!

I arrived home with a fierce headache that I still have today. Two Excedrins and a large latte haven't helped remedy the situation. I hope it resolves itself before tonight, when I will meet up with Kris for happy hour drinks and dinner.

In the meantime, I have work to do. C'est la vie.