Book # 35 is The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Kid. I had heard about this book a little while ago, but for whatever reason just didn�t pick it up. My sister gave it to me for my birthday and I just finished it. It is such a good book. It really is. It is very different than I thought it would be. All the characters are so great and even though the story is a bit fantastic it still reads as believable. I recommend very highly.

Yesterday was �Italian Heritage Day� in San Francisco. I went down to North Beach to see the Blue Angels and stop by the Saints Peter and Paul Church Bazaar. It used to be Columbus Day, but it was decided that was far too un-PC, and besides, it was never really about Columbus anyway, just like St. Patrick�s Day isn�t really about St. Patrick, so they city finally decided to call a spade a spade and make it �Italian Heritage Day� so everyone could feel better about eating salami and drinking Chianti. You think I�m kidding? No. At the church bazaar there was a booth where you threw balls at salamis and if you hit one, you got a big ol� salami (that is not a metaphor) as your prize. They also had a �grown up� booth with a roulette wheel and if your number won you got to pick a bottle of Chianti. Of course the busses were all screwed up because there is a parade and with the air show, so I took the bus to Chinatown and walked the rest of the way. I ended up doing quite a bit of walking yesterday. Up and down hills, too. I do sort of wish I had gotten my butt out of bed early enough to see the parade, but ever since High School (I was in the Color Guard), I just haven�t really had the drive for that. It would�ve been nice if I could go, my Alma Mater would be there as well as the school I work for now, so I could have cheered for both of them. I am, however, a lazy supporter, so I just didn�t go.

It really was a pretty day yesterday, not too hot, but still really sunny, especially in North Beach. I was also a really good girl while I was there. Lots of times I end up eating way too much, especially on a day where there are festivals, etc, because there is so much good food around, and I really don�t make it down to N.B. as much as I would like to. This time, though, I got a sandwich at the bazaar for lunch, and that was about it. I was proud of myself, and I didn�t feel ill when I got home. Yay me.

I just found out one of the rental guys at one of the other production companies just died. It is really quite sad. He was only in his thirties and I actually talked to him just a couple of days ago. I guess there is going to be a memorial sometime soon, so if it isn�t during work hours I�ll probably go. We weren�t best friends or anything, but I talked to him at least once a week or so. It is really so very strange when someone is there and then, suddenly, they�re just gone. You weren�t around them enough to really feel a hole in your life or anything, but it is still sad and there is still sort of that, �Oh, I�ll just call so-and-so and ask� wait, I can�t�� I�m still sort of processing the situation.

In fact, I�m pretty much out of wind completely at this point.