Hello and Welcome from beautiful downtown San Diego!

I am in a Booth in the San Diego Covention Center for the Annual Neuroscience Conference. It's a great place for a Convention. Great weather, beautiful City next to the Bay, and much to see.

Coming to this Conference with Luigi was not in my original plan. We are moving a few days from now and I need to be home to co-ordinate everything that needs to get coordinated when you are transferring all your possessions to a new dwelling.

I really wanted to get away from things at home. It has been at least two weeks of non-stop 'Murphy's Law'.

It started with a few scary 'things' about the skin Cancer that the Dermatologist removed a couple of weeks ago. Everything turned out ok(except for the fact that I'm not sure how big the scar is going to be.)

Next Episode is the one with the Painter calling you up on your cell phone to inform you there is a leak in the Roof and it is major water running in between the Walls. Nice. Called former Owner....knows nothing about it. We are still working on it.

Thursday night, on the way to San Diego, my car was acting funny. We got off the Freeway in Huntington Beach and pulled into a Gas Station and filled up an empty water Resevoir? Why was it empty? The Radiator was not overheated.

We got back on the Freeway, and near Laguna Hills discovered that the water level indicator on the Dashboard was dipping low. We got off and again filled up the Reservior, that was again empty, with water. I called a Towing company from AAA. We ended up at a Flea Bag Motel that night in Laguna Hills and the car was towed to a Mechanic. The next morning we rented a car, and drove to the Mechanic to hear the bad news. My seven year old car(whose Birthday is on Holloween---ha!) probably had blown a major Gasket. The pricetag was estimated to be around $2500.

So. What else could go wrong? I don't know, and I am not holding my breath. With the possibility of trashing my car to buy a new one, or to sink $2500 or more into it, is not something I want to think about . Neither do I want to think about the cost of repairing the leaky Skylight in the new Living Room. The new Homewoners Association informed me that is not covered in the CC&R's. We are stuck.

So I am sitting here in one of the nice cozy booth's of the Neuroscience Convention 2004 with my head in the sand, hoping all of this will go away.

Tomorrow I take the rental car back to L.A. and drive to the Mechanic where my car has already been towed to the tune of $200. Does anyone out there, own a Money Tree?

September was the month that wasn't there. That is to say it wasn't there for very long.

We are about to move. Moving is one big pain in the neck. But it is more of an extreme problem if you are an extreme Pack Rat, which irritatingly, I admit I am. Why did I save the Eden Outdoor Adventure Hiking schedule for October 1996? What about the single 'older' man who sent me a letter answering my ad in the Singles classified, from 1994!! There were other such sundry 'letters' in a shoebox with a broken seashell and 5 safety pins?? Was I planning to pin them to my clothes and walk around with them?! What if Luigi found them? "Why are you saving this junk?" He might say. "Are you planning to call these guys if you leave me?" I mean it is possible those things might cross his mind.

The point is that it is taking an inordinate amount of time to pack since I have to go through so much (why -the- heck- did- I- save- this) junk.

On top of everything else, my Dermatologist discovered a Basal Cell Carcinoma on my forehead above my right eyebrow. I had it removed On Tuesday, and the bridge of my nose has swelled to twice it's size and my eye is swollen. I pulled off the band-aid to show Luigi the stitches. He almost fell over. I don't think people expect a non-melanoma to look so dramatic. Plus the fact that collagen is also removed with the skin cancer, and it is expected that my forehead may 'drop' a little. ok. So if this keeps up, by 2008 will I look like Frankenstein? I also am depressed by the fact that the doctor now tells me there is a cream to put on topically to reduce these skin cancers or even eradicate future ones. This, after the fifth one on my face!!!

Anyway I keep sane by keeping up with what's going on politically. Ha! I'll bet you're wondering that, that in itself should make me more depressed.

Anyway we have been watching C-Span. Especially the Book-TV edition on the week-ends. As I have said before I have learned so much from that one program alone that it even makes it easier and more complicated as well, to make my Political choices. Both 'sides' are reperesented. I have heard Liberal, Centrist, and Neo-cons discussing their books. They even have divergent opinion Panels. I can't understand why there are so many 'swing-voters'. Why can't they make up their minds? Maybe because they're lazy, (or perhaps really, really busy) and rely primarily on their friends'email to keep them politically updated.

If you are constantly watching those T.V. Reality shows and are addicted to those kinds of 'dramas' then you are missing out on your important valubable time by not listening to more informative types of programs like c-Span. This is a very important Election Year. If you are a true Patriot, start feeding your head with vital info rather than junk. Enough said. Go back to your beer on the couch with the Exteme Fear T.V. program. Maybe you will be in Extreme Fear this November 2nd.

I asked Luigi what he thought about why C-Span Book-T.V. does not enagage more authors to speak at booksellers and venues here in California.(They all seem to be on the East Coast. ) Luigi explained it to me in this way. He went into his "Hi, my name is Tiffany" routine, in this very high pitched, dumb blond voice" (shaking his head from side to side):

"Hi, My name is Tiffany. I am a Porno Star. I am here to talk about my Book, My View on Diplomacy . I have slept with many Arabs. I know about being well informed in Foreign Diplomacy. Why are we attacking the Mid-east? Those Arabs are so nice, and the're so cute."

All I can say is you had to have been there. Luigi's imitations always leave me in tears. And now I feel bouyed up again and ready to tackle this insane packing, and the removal of my stitches on Monday. OUCH!