We're getting holiday cheer in the form of three feet of *SNOW* here in SoCal this week! Beautiful views in the mountains, and this morning, I hit a traffic jam on the 101 as commuters slowed down to gaze at a rainbow just over the Sepulveda Dam -- it was stunning, really, you have to believe me.

Akhil and I leave for Seattle Thursday morning where we'll spend Thanksgiving weekend -- I've barely had a minute to think about it, but all of a sudden, holidays are here. We got into the pre-Xmas spirit yesterday by watching "Elf," which I'll give oh, maybe a B-, and we also had brunch with his cousin Gita at Blueberry in Santa Monica where the weather was very brisk, windy, and altogether un-L.A.-like, so we froze our flip-flop-wearing toes while waiting for our table. Besides a little real-estate-seeking torture, all else we got done this weekend was seeing "I Heart Huckabees," (which was hilarious -- A!), and some random errand-running on Saturday that I barely remember. I do know that we managed to finally get together for dinner with our friends Mark and Melissa at Cha Cha Cha Saturday night. Face-time with friends is therapeutic - and we don't get enough of it. My list of New Years resolutions will be very long this year.

Secret congratulations to two more Moms-To-Be! It's shocking, still shocking, every time I hear.

Todd passed the 31 mark on Monday and I warned him that this is the killer birthday -- not 30 as everyone tells you all your life. And then, at 32, your memory starts failing you. I have experienced some terribly noticeable changes in my brain function this year and have been attributing it to age -- but could it be too much computer time, or Nutrasweet, or lack of sleep, perhaps? God, I hope so. If anyone knows, please clue me in.

Akhil and I tried our best to entertain Laurel this week, visiting from Boston. We picked her up from her conference hotel, the Ritz Carlton in Laguna Niguel, on Sunday. Following a brief tour of the swanky grounds, we brunched in Laguna Beach, tooled around in Balboa, and spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening at Disneyland where we turned into giant five-year-olds. Laurel and I rode Dumbo, and the 3 of us rode Pirates, Haunted Mansion, and Indiana Jones following all with giant chocolate-dipped waffle cones from the ice cream place. Now on at least my tenth or twelfth visit or so, I'm starting to like that free park entry perk.



Now this is what I have to say about "The Incredibles": great movie, but see it for the Pixar "Bounding" short they play as an intro. It's priceless.

For tomorrow: Happy Diwali to those in the know!

Four more years of lunacy. Unless you're single...

From ABC News online:
...In a bid to help out their like-minded neighbours, a Canadian Web site is asking Canadians to marry someone from south of the border. "Open your heart, and your home. Marry an American," jests the site www.marryanamerican.ca.

"Legions of Canadians have already pledged to sacrifice their singlehood to save our southern neighbours from four more years of cowboy conservatism."

Hundreds of Canadians already have signed up, ready to do their part for the cause.

"We envision a movement where everyone wins," it said. "Freedom of expression and a politically convenient marriage with love and igloos for all."

Today's mandate, of course, is don't forget to VOTE tomorrow! (Preferably for John Kerry, but this is America.) Arnold Schwarzeneggar is on our answering machine tonight, urging us to vote his way on a few California props. Now that's new. Moments ago, Akhil and I saw Manny Ramirez, World Series MVP, and neglected to get his autograph. We also saw Mark Steines, but who cares. See you at the polls!