last night pat and i met meghan and josh for dinner at the crepe vine in pasadena. it’s meghan’s favorite place to eat in that city and an excellent choice – the carnitas flatbread pizza was delicious and the duck confit crepe was one of the best things i’ve ever tasted. pat and i had a great bottle of wine and we all split a nutella-strawberry crepe for dessert. after dinner we went to lucky baldwin’s for some beers then to neomezé for cocktails. on the way back to the car – the best pistachio gelato i’ve ever had. a fantastic night. and tonight? IRON MAN.

just got back from the live screening of ‘this american life’ and it was so so good! the hangman and anagram pre-show animation (that replaced the typical pre-movie trivia slideshow) was funny and clever and the show itself was fantastic. some outtakes and clips were shown from the new season of the showtime tv series version of the show – the chris ware clip was adorable and the segment about the ‘ask an iraqi’ booth was brilliant. and, as pat predicted, i totally have a crush on ira glass now. i can’t wait to see the new season on sunday night!

…was monday the 7th, sometime after i got back from wii-purchasing at target. that was the day when someone broke into my car in my building’s garage and stole my super cool expensive alpine stereo. it was the most polite robbery ever: no broken glass, no torn wires, nothing taken except the stereo, my emergency credit card and maria’s costco card. so all in all, it turned out ok. i got my check from the insurance company today and it’ll cover the cost of a similar model (they’re now much less expensive since ipod connectivity and in-unit control is more prevalent) but the downside?

not only did i find out on possibly the worst day of my life since i’ve moved out here (post possibly-hormone-induced verbal diarrhea to a loved one and pre-gyno appointment – ‘just relax.’ yeah. sure.), but i have to commute every day in total silence.

do you know what that’s like? to sit deadlocked in traffic on a 12 lane highway with nothing to while away the time but the sound of the neighboring car’s squeaky fan belt or – seriously this was disturbing – their creaky clutch? it’s terrible. my whole driving experience is a lot more irritating now. i am acutely aware of every time i get cut off or someone doesn’t use their signals. maybe this is the key to preventing road rage – listening to enjoyable music. sure, i sing to myself, but it’s a hollow sort of experience with no backing band or professional singer to bolster my self-confidence. i am however, getting really good at the chorus of ryan adams’ ‘when the stars go blue’. it’s the only part of the song where i know the words (hint: it’s just the title of the song over and over) so i just sing it ad nauseam (my nauseam, let me assure you).