Needless to say, Carmel provided a blissful getaway and we had to wear long pants and closed shoes for the first time in months since it was only in the 60s - nice change. We had a great dinner at an Italian place (Nico) with John and Kendra and managed to go the wrong, long way on a bike ride out to 17-mile drive, but I probably needed the kick to push me off my duff.

Now we're back -- actually that was all 3 weeks ago now -- and finding that Pasadena tends to trap us on the weekends which makes me miss the freeway-close Glendale location of our old apt. somewhat (what?!) Akhil's old friend Vasan came up over Labor Day weekend from Irvine -- he is a professorial type down there -- and gave us an excuse to go to one of the best restaurants I've been to in a long time: La Maschera on Fair Oaks in Pasadena. I'd been looking for an excuse to go there, esp. after I heard Paul McCartney likes it too, and yep, it's good, with a hip bar area, great wine list and service, and amazing food. Go. When you go, visit us beforehand -- we're just out the way now and people don't make the drive -- come on, we've got all this Ketel One to drink! Somehow it's fall again ... we've almost got all the doors and windows back on just in time for our neighborhood block party next weekend. Suburbia, suburbia, we are entering Adulthood zone.