12 july 01

In the past week I have received two invitations to parties written in pirate speak. The second one was an ordinary email message but the first I received by post. It was set in a calligraphic typeface and printed on parchment which had been burned around the edges, rolled up and secured with a fraying ribbon. This elaborate missive is an invitation to an informal celebration in honor of my old friend Ryan's wedding. Speaking of weddings, I got a call yesterday from Samantha, in Belgium, telling me that she and Lino have gotten engaged. I couldn't be happier for them. Slowly but surely my friends are all getting married. OK, maybe not quite all of them. But a lot of them are. And I am perfectly content not to be counted among their number.

Otherwise, work has been maddening but will hopefully start calming down now, I'm fighting with Oxford Health for $250, I doomed a batch of cookies to hell by accidentally leaving out a cup of flour, saw Zadie Smith read, watched Freedy Johnston (and Jill Sobule) perform, and began freelance work on a website. The end.