O, how very much I love Eats, Shoots and Leaves.

It is the best book in the whole wide world, it really is. Now, admittedly, I'm a big old punctuation geek from way back (there's a sign that goes up every Thursday on Theatre Row saying "The Mentalist Thursday's at 8p" that makes me want to scream all day long!!), but you don't need to be to enjoy this book.

I've always said that good writing can be about anything at all, because good writing can make anything interesting. Do I care one bit about bike racing? Could not possibly care less, but while I was watching Breaking Away, I cared, boy did I ever care.

Candyfreak is another good example--it's not a book about candy, it's like a great on-line journal, really fantastic personal narrative that is from the point of view of a man obsessed by candy. And, even though Steve Almond is massively wrong about some things (hating white chocolate, Chuckles and coconut for three), I fell madly in love with him and want to have his babies immediately.

Well, Eats, Shoots and Leaves is just like that. I want to talk to Lynne Truss on the phone every single day and have her sputter about punctuation. Or anything. She's as good a writer as Mo! She's as funny as Jenfu! Or Weetabix! Or Beth! There are no greater compliments in my repertoire.

And the best thing about it? They didn't try to Americanize it. There are some jokes and references and turns of phrase that really only people who have spend a good deal of time in the U.K. (and, in some cases, in the U.K. in the 80's) will get, but you know what? Things become clear in context--it doesn't take long to figure out what Opal Fruits are.

We don't all need to be patronized, i.e. Harry Potter and the Americans Won't Understand What a Philosopher's Stone Is.

So yesterday I sent out a VERY SAD little whimpering note to my old notify list, when I realized that if I had the list, which I do, that I could send personal emails from my very own email, since clearly no-one got the damn opt-in emails, and, hooray! Lots of subscriptions!

In fact, I'd have to say that there were more subscriptions in my email this morning than spam. I know! When has anyone had anything more than spam?

The best bit is knowing that over 300 people don't really hate me and wish I were dead. 300 people who used to like me, that is, I'm sure that 300 people really don't like me, but they never liked me, it's not that the scales fell from their eyes or anything.

Now, only 150 people hate me and wish I was dead. I can live with that.

Am I the only one who keeps seeing the new Practice spin-off, Boston Legal as Barely Legal? I can't possibly be the only one.

Heard this morning on The Price is Right in re a ceiling fan:

"The blades are constructed from real rattan!"

Is there a huge market for imitation rattan? Are the streets flooded with rattan knock-offs? On the other hand, is rattan murder? Is imitation rattan cruelty-free rattan? Are all the little rattans running free through the wild, or were they at least until The Price is Right started murdering them for ceiling fans?

I may be reading too much into this.

Caught up with Mandy and Mary Ellen's big two entries.

It looks like I'm slowing down, but really I'm still reading whomever I mentioned for the last couple of days, it's months of entries for crying out loud! Sometimes I have to pee! Or sleep!

Today's horoscope:
Your feelings for a long-distance loved one aren't going anywhere. They're probably going to deepen over the coming days. Better prepare yourself for a trip -- or for a visitor.

One year ago today:
And then it occurred to me that maybe I didn't want to be in therapy because I didn't want to admit to anyone that there is something really wrong with me.

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Last Updated Thurs 30 September 12:26:09 2004