Dexter is back on Showtime . . .

And it looks like Dexter has lost the killing touch. Dexter's life as the world's only principled serial killer is falling apart, and it looks like this season will be as good as last.

My weekend was low key, but nice. Some friends stopped by Saturday with their 3 month old baby, and Hanna was fascinated by her new baby smell. They have a black Lab, so the baby was completely unperturbed by being smelled from head to toe and back again. Labs seem to have a natural affinity for babies.

The girls and I stopped by a dog bakery (they sell dog treats, not baked dogs), and a dog breeder there informed me that Noodles is likely Basenji and Chihuahua . . . we know the Basenji part, the mystery other half seems to be Chihuahua or Jack Russell. Not that it matters.

I went on a cooking binge this weekend, so if anyone is hungry for Ratatouille, Florentine Frittata with Bruscetta topping, or Slow Cooker Chicken*, please feel free to stop by. I did HORRIBLE in the football pool after finishing in 2nd place twice in the first 3 weeks. However, I survived in the winner's pool while more than half of the folks are out in the first 4 weeks. This pool, which costs 20 bucks to enter, will pay out about $4,000 to the winner or winners . . . what a lovely vacation/Roth IRA this could fund!

Sigh, tomorrow is Monday . . . hope the week is good for us all!

*Easiest recipe ever: 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, two cans drained black beans, 1 1/2 cups frozen corn, jar of salsa. Cook on low for 8 - 10 hours. Awesome over rice, in tortillas or on its own. Serve with cheese, sour cream or guacamole.

Having recently read Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild, and after reading the grand review's Sean Penn's adaptation was getting, I had to go see this movie, and I'm really glad I did.

After reading the book I wrote:

"This is the story of Christopher McCandless, who, after graduating from Emory University in Atlanta in 1992, abandoned his possessions, gave his entire $24,000 savings account to charity and hitchhiked to Alaska, where he went to live in the wilderness. Four months later, he turned up dead. His diary, letters and two notes found at a remote campsite tell of his struggles, and he apparently starved to death, though his mistakenly having eaten poisonous seeds likely contributed to his slow death.

Krakauer, is clearly sympathetic to the young man, and seems eager to discredit those who lashed out at McCandless after his death for being foolish at best, and having a death wish at worst, by drawing parallels to his own reckless youthful exploit in 1977 when he climbed Devils Thumb, a mountain on the Alaska-British Columbia border, partly as a symbolic act of rebellion against his autocratic father.I enjoy Krakauer's writing, but I wasn't entirely convinced. McCandless stuck me as being a very, very bright kid, but lacking even a modicum of common sense. That he survived for 4 months was a miracle."

Penn is even more sympathetic to McCandless, he's made a lovely film in tribute to him, and after seeing this movie, I am convinced. The young man's charm comes through in spades, and you're left with the tragedy of the early death of an idealistic, albeit somewhat foolish, young man. Emile Hirsch does a wonderful job as McCandless, and the physical transformation as McCandless starves to death was amazing. (Hirsch lost 40 lbs during the filming). He also conveys the tragedy of a young man who comes to realize that life has so much to offer and so much to be shared, only to lose his life before he could put these realizations to good use.

Penn filmed the movie in the same areas that McCandless travelled and the scenery is spectacular. The soundtrack rich with Eddie Vedder's original songs was the perfect accompaniment; I've already downloaded the soundtrack album off of iTunes.

Into the Wild is only playing at one theater in Orange County, but it is worth tracking down when it goes into wider release. The photo below is a self-portrait of McCandless taken in Alaska. The camera and undeveloped film were found after this death.

Two weeks from today, I make my way to the Big Apple. In anticipation, I purchased tickets to two Broadway shows: Avenue Q and Spring Awakening.

One is supposed to be kind of dirty, the other stars Muppets.

A new season of Dancing with the Stars . . . last night was the ladies, tonight was the gents.

Starting out tonight . . .

Cameron someone from All My Children. Good looking, can't dance, played the "I wore braces on my legs as a kid" card.

Every season they include an athlete out of his element, and this time around it is boxer Floyd Mayweather. Kind of a natural, if he can channel all that energy and rhythm and pick up some technique. I texted my votes for Floyd.

The future winner? Past Indy 500 champ, Helio Castronueves. This guy came out and danced the fox trot like he was channeling Fred Astaire. If ABC was willing to give up 12 additional weeks of revenue, they could just give the mirror ball trophy to Helio now.

Next up, model Albert Reed. He's 22, goofy, and I have no idea why he's on the show.

Apparently, being a billionaire isn't a full time job, so Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban found a way to embarass himself on tv during the NBA's off season. Oh, and he just had hip replacement surgery.

Finally, the perpetually cool Wayne Newton filling the role of the older, likable male contestant. He's slim and has an excellent plastic surgeon, but isn't much of a dancer.

Rumor has it a few of the ladies can cut a rug, but from the fellas, Helio is a shoo-in.

I'm not sure if this is truly a sunflower (albeit a small one), but it sprouted from the bird seed remnants strewn around the deck from the feeder.

I also have a late rose - it's blooming on a branch that is about 7 feet high.

I'm still plodding away at the blue cardigan . . .

We received ALOT of much needed rain here in So Cal last night. I'm not sure how many inches came down, but my bird bath filled to overflowing . . . while walking the dogs this morning I had the opportunity to try out my foul weather gear purchased for the Berkshires .

Last night I started making my compulsory packing/shopping/to do lists for my upcoming vacation. In all honesty, there is not much to do, but my anal retentive nature demands that I do something. Because I have two different legs of the trip to pack for - NYC, where I'd like to have something decent to wear to the theater, and hiking in Massachusetts, where I want to be well-equipped and comfortable, I'm concerned about over packing . . .

So as you can see, I'm hoping my entire weekend is filled with this mindless trivia! And here's hoping the Angels clinch the AL West this weekend, and that the Chargers make a better showing against the Packers!

My nominee for nice story of the week, is this story about the Miracle League, a baseball league for disabled children. The little guy in the photo suffers from a condition where his spine doesn't connect to his legs, but check out the look on his face as he closes his eyes and swings at the ball, and you can tell the people who put this league together are doing a good thing.

It's been an exhausting week, and this, for me, was a nice reminder that work isn't everything, and it's important to keep things in perspective.

The League has been an inspiration for the non-disabled participants too. Each of the players is assigned an "Angel in the Outfield" who assists the player during the game. This young man, who was in a program for trouble youth, came to the League the first time as part of a public service assignment, and now comes back on his own.

May we all do something this weekend to put a smile on someone's face.

With the coming of fall, we've had a fair amount of fog lately, and every evening, the fog horn has been sounding . . . I can hear it now as I write this.

Today I had meetings up in Century City, and left in time to stop at my favorite taco joint in LA - Tito's Tacos in Culver City.

Two tacos - with cheese. Beef is all they serve, and it's really good quality meat. Crispy chips and tasty salsa, add a large soda, and you have the perfect meal for under $5. Tito's is one of those places that brings people from all walks of life together, and everybody gets along. I think there must be some understanding among the local gangsters that Tito's is a war-free zone. As folks order their food and then wait for it to be served, everyone is unfailingly polite to each other as they make sure who's waiting and who's ordered, so that no one is cut off in line. I'm sure there is some life lesson to be learned from this to make our communities friendlier, but other than serving tacos all day, I'm not sure what it is.

I watched more network tv tonight than ususal. Let me say that "Kid Nation", a show I will never watch, has already been done - it was called "Lord of the Flies".

Ah, Saturday . . .

I started this sweater last winter, and put it aside. I picked it up again last weekend, and it's going pretty quickly. I hope to finish it for my trip back east in a few weeks. And thanks to everyone for the great suggestions of things to do and see in NYC!

This morning while running around doing errands, I finished listening to Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer. This is the story of Christopher McCandless, who, after graduating from Emory University in Atlanta in 1992, abandoned his possessions, gave his entire $24,000 savings account to charity and hitchhiked to Alaska, where he went to live in the wilderness. Four months later, he turned up dead. His diary, letters and two notes found at a remote campsite tell of his struggles, and he apparently starved to death, though his mistakenly having eaten poisonous seeds likely contributed to his slow death.

Krakauer, is clearly sympathetic to the young man, and seems eager to discredit those who lashed out at McCandless after his death for being foolish at best, and having a death wish at worst, by drawing parallels to his own reckless youthful exploit in 1977 when he climbed Devils Thumb, a mountain on the Alaska-British Columbia border, partly as a symbolic act of rebellion against his autocratic father.

I enjoy Krakauer's writing, but I wasn't entirely convinced. McCandless stuck me as being a very, very bright kid, but lacking even a modicum of common sense. That he survived for 4 months was a miracle.

I had loaded up my iPod this week, so after finishing Into the Wild, I started On the Road by Jack Kerouac. I read this book 25 years ago. I was spending the summer in Edinburgh, Scotland, and had taken the train down to Brighton for the weekend. While walking around Brighton, I stumbled into a small book store where I bought On the Road, and then started reading it in a local pub. I was killing some time before I went to see one of the Star Trek movies at a cinema in Brighton. I'm not sure of the name, but it's the one in which Scotty dies, and they play Amazing Grace on the bagpipes . . .

What are you reading?

Start spreading the news, Im leaving today [ok, Wednesday, October 10]
I want to be a part of it - new york, new york
These vagabond shoes, are longing to stray
Right through the very heart of it - new york, new york
I wanna wake up in a city, that doesnt sleep
And find Im king of the hill - top of the heap
These little town blues, are melting away
Ill make a brand new start of it - in old new york
If I can make it there, Ill make it anywhere
Its up to you - new york, new york
New york, new york
I want to wake up in a city, that never sleeps
And find Im a number one, top of the list, king of the hill
A number one
These little town blues, are melting away
Im gonna make a brand new start of it - in old new york
And if I can make it there, Im gonna make it anywhere
It's up to you - new york new york

So what would you do with a few days in NYC?

Apparently, a dead starfish must sit out in the sun along the side of the road for 4 - 5 days before it achieves the perfect amount of ripeness, because that is how long one had been steeping across the street before Hanna sniffed it out again this morning and . . . ate it.

NFL, Week One:

I made it to the next round in both my winner's and loser's pools. Overall I was 11 - 5 with my picks. Ok, some of my picks were lame, but who knew the Eagles would lose to the Packers? And KC losing to the Texans? Anywhoo . . .

Good news from the NFL - Kevin Everett, the Bills tight end who broke his neck in the opening game Sunday, is regaining movement in his arms and legs.

Work has been crazy, so I'm thrilled to be home tonight with no briefcase sitting near my couch. I think I'll take a hot bath and read some more of The Queen's Fool. Phillipa Gregory writes historical fiction that is pretty entertaining. In Fool, Hannah Green and her father, both Jewish, have fled persecution in Spain where Hannah's mother was burned at the stake. Hannah has the gift of "Sight", and is brought to Court by Robert Dudley to spy on Queen Mary. . . . . intrigue to follow!

I got my foul weather gear (rain jacket and pants) by mail order from Cabelas that I bought in anticipation of rainy weather in the Berkshires. . . . Vacation is just around the corner!

The new season of the Biggest Loser starts tonight. The transformation these folks undergo is truly amazing and inspiring. . . .

Are you looking forward to any of the new fall shows? I'd say that Chuck - the show about a computer nerd spy, and Journeyman, about a time traveller, look promising. Otherwise, I'm looking forward to new episodes of the Office, 30 Rock, Dexter and L&O Criminal Intent.

It's been awhile since my brother and I have had Sunday dinner together, so I am cooking up Italian Pot Roast in the slow cooker. I saw this prepared on a PBS cooking show, and have been dying to give it a try . . .

I'm also cooking up a Carmelized Onion, Spinach and Canadian Bacon Quiche from Cooking Light. From here I will likely spend most of the day watching football, knitting and doing some work. I should put in a full day of work to make next week less hectic, but that isn't likely to happen . . .

While I'm typing this I'm listening to Sherlock Holmes stories playing on my iPod docking station . . . they have the feel of old time radio programs. I've always been a big fan of Conan Doyle's detective - I love all the tv shows, have read all the stories, and now enjoy listening to the audio versions. Heck, I have even driven by 221B Baker Street in London.

The weather has cooled down this week, and I'm enjoying that change very much. I hope all of you are enjoying your Sunday as well.

Are you ready for some football?

Ok, so far I am 0 - 1 on my football picks. I took the Saints over the Colts on the Thursday opening night game. This pick is reflective of a problem I have with my pool selections - letting my like or dislike for a team interfere with picking the most likely to win.

I am a in winner's pool and a loser's pool. For these, you have to pick a team each week that will win, or lose. Any week you are wrong, you are knocked out. And you can only pick each team once. There is a 10 or 20 dollar buy in at the beginning of the season, but with a lot of participants, the pay out can be pretty substantial. My winner for this week is New England; my loser is Tampa Bay.

This weekend is also the local chili cook-off. 10 to 15 local bars, restaurants, businesses, or just groups of friends, enter their special recipe into the competition. There is a live band and raffle drawings and it is generally a good time. The fact that each group tries to buy your vote by offering up an alcoholic beverage of some sort doesn't hurt the festive atmosphere.

I don't have a lot of money in the stock market, but I did actually stumble onto one good move. The first stock I ever bought was a few shares of Walmart - purchased at probably its highest price in the last 50 years. About 2 years ago, I decided to bail out on Walmart and invest the money in Wild Oats instead. Some of the reason was financial - the growth potential was better, and some of the reason was political - that I'd rather have my money in a company promoting organic foods, than in, well, Walmart.

Anywhoo, the deal for Whole Foods to purchase Wild Oats recently went through, and all the shares were purchased at $18.50/share - a nice profit from the $8.00/share I paid! The money remains in my IRA, and I need to find another stock to invest in now . . . too bad Target is priced too high as well . . .

"Ice cream is exquisite. What a pity it isn't illegal." ~Voltaire

My favorite maker? Haagen Dazs. Favorite flavor? Dulce de Leche. I'm also a big fan of Baskins & Robins' Pralines and Cream.

With the warmer weather, ice cream has become a must have treat. Fortunately, I have found a couple of healthier options. Healthy Choice makes a fabulous caramel ice cream sandwich at only 150 calories a sandwich. Dreyer's makes individual cookies and cream double churned cups at 100 calories a cup. Both get a big thumbs up from me!

What's your favorite flavor of ice cream?

Wow, it's nice to have a 3 day weekend! Mine was nice and easy. My biggest accomplishments were probably:

1. replacing my lightbulbs with the new energy efficient type; and

2. getting a new tank with a big living underwater plant for Splish, my ancient gold fish.

And, I have to say, from the perspective of a person living at the coast, I'm glad summer is officially over, and life at the beach can return to normal.

I was very excited when I went to the post office this week and discovered that the Postal Service had issued a bunch of cool new stamps recently. I picked up some of the Jimmy Stewart commemoratives, mahogany speed boats and beautiful blooms. I may have to start corresponding with friends and family just for the opportunity to show off these spiffy stamps. I did a bit of stamp collecting as a young girl, and still have a soft spot for good looking stamps.

I also went shopping on iTunes this week. Music: Pretty in Pink by the Psych Furs, and Sympathy for the Devil and Gimme Shelter by the Stones. I also picked up some audiobooks, including Sherlock Holmes and the latest by Jon Krakauer - Into the Wild - a book about a young man who wanders into the wilderness of Alaska, and who's body is found six months later by Elk hunters. His books on an ill-fated climb of Everest (Into Thin Air) and about the killing of a woman by her fundamentalist Mormon brothers in law (Under the Banner of Heaven), have both been excellent.

They are playing a couple of my favorite Clint Eastwood movies this afternoon on AMC - High Plains Drifter - in my opinion, the best of the spaghetti westerns, and Escape from Alcatraz. I'd be happy staying home, knitting, and hanging with the girls, but a friend is dragging me out to a local restaurant/bar to see a band she likes . . . they are pretty good, but the older I get, the harder time I have trading off evening entertainment for being tired in the morning, when Hanna wakes me at sunrise for a walk.

The NFL season is just around the corner. In one pool in which I participate, there is a "33" pool - if your team scores 33 points (as the final score), you win the cash. We draw for teams, and last season I had the Chargers . . . they came close, but not close enough. Actually, through the whole season, no team ended with a final score of 33. This year I have the Patriots, so I hope Brady hasn't injured his throwing arm dating supermodels, and adding to the number of single mothers.

And finally, "EL,EM" (eat less, exercise more), is paying off and I have dropped about 4 lbs in the last 12 days . . .

I hope everyone is enjoying their 3 day weekend!