I thought it would change my life

And who knows, it just might. But, I don't think so.

I bought an iPhone yesterday and now I am officially one of those people who thinks they cannot be away from the world for more than a few nanoseconds. Always connected, always needed, always needing.

In the twelve hours that I have been in possession of my month early birthday present to me, the thing has been emitting strange sounds. This means that I need to read the owner's manual, or pester someone, to program the thing to stop doing this.

Anyone? Please make it stop. Brother James?

Brother James

Growing up, I was rather annoyed by the fact that there never seemed to be enough room in the family station wagon. I have one brother and one sister, and for what seemed like years on end, I was always the one sitting between the two of them. I often thought about how great it might be if my parents had only two children, since two kids to a backseat is much more roomy than three. However, I am the baby of this family and I very well did not want to be the one eliminated from the pack.

Nowadays, we rarely go out in one car. In fact, we may never do it again since my immediate family is slowly expanding and segmenting into sub-families of their own. And even if we were still required to sit in one car, I now wish that my parents had had a minivan full of children. As an adult child, I recognize that more siblings mean more people to share the responsibilities of being a family member. And believe you me, it's not an easy thing being a member of this family.

Over a month ago, I met a tall, white like Jewish egg bread, young electrical engineer named James; he was one of my brother's groomsmen. During the course of two consecutive weekends, the first in Lousiana and the latter in Los Angeles, I noticed that he has a compulsion for thoroughly reading instruction manuals and picks up after himself without being prompted. James also happens to speak Mandarin fluently and understands Chinese cultural nuances.

My immediate and extended family both really like James. He effortlessly integrated into our conversations and activities as if we had known him for decades. So, at one point during the craziness of the wedding, we decided to adopt him as one of our own. And really, I could not be happier about having another sibling. James is the kind of brother you would happily squeeze yourself in the backseat of a regular size sedan for. That is how much sibling perfection he is.

Welcome to the familia, Brother James.

A gourmand's tour of Los Angeles

A friend and I have been planning a gourmand's tour of Los Angeles. When he first proposed this idea to me, I wondered what he meant. He described it as a day's journey which centers around visits to a string of food establishments, most of which require long car rides and are situated in some sort of eyesore strip mall, which feature one or two extraordinarily delicious foods.

His description sounds like a tiny sliver of heaven to me, most probably because I am such a lover of food. No one gets between me and my food.

So, I am looking for suggestions to these sorts of establishments. I really am talking about extraordinary--The Donut Man of donuts, the Luscious Dumplings of beef noodle soup, the Bulgarini of gelato, the Sushi Masu of toro tuna, the Caffe Luxxe of coffee, the Kings Hawaiian of chocolate chiffon cake, the A&J Restaurant of green onion pancake, the Fosselman's of ice cream.

Please help. :-)

Not working for God

DS: i spend 15 hrs a week now telling judges why ppl can't get divorced
ME: why can't they? b/c of the laws? or b/c they shouldn't?
DS: haha yea laws of course dork. i dont work for god
ME: LOL
DS: haha u bring out the best in me

Pillow Talk

BH: I must have slept wrong last night. My knees hurt.
ME: Your knees hurt because you didn't sleep correctly?
BH: Yeah. I could not find my body pillow.
ME: Oh. You slept on your side?
BH. Yes.
ME: Ah. I need to buy a boyfriend pillow.
BH. Aren't they the best? They make you feel safe AND they don't breathe on you.
ME: Ah, yes. That is exactly it.