Musical selection tonight: Itzhak Perlman's Greatest Hits - music to soothe an elf girl's soul. It's amazing what a lack of sleep can due to my mostly happy mood.

There was an accident on 19th Avenue near Judah on the way home tonight. An ambulance and police were at the scene. I try not to look at accidents when I drive past them. They freak me out, especially since I once saw a car on fire with I think people in it on the way to a Dead concert in Sacramento a very long time ago. We were going so fast, we weren't sure what we saw, but a car was definitely on fire. It's way too depressing to look at car accidents. I know many people who've been in car accidents, and it doesn't matter how long ago the accident was, the injuries still affect them and will probably continue to do for the rest of their lives. A car accident injury totally messes with your body for as long as you live. I think of my injured friends every time I pass an accident on the road.

I'm in such a melancholy mood because of my bad boy dreams and lack of sleep. All I want to do is work on my new needlepoint project, listen to my classical music cds, wait for it to get dark and then go to bed. There is something very relaxing about doing needlepoint. I like the repititiveness of it, and the fact that I really have to concentrate on what I'm doing since I'm not a good stitcher. It's almost meditative when I needlepoint because I can't think of anything else.

And afterwards when I look back at my work, I feel such a sense of accomplishment because I see how much progress I'm making on my pillow or on the purse that I'm now working on. Of course, the best needlepoint projects you can buy are found in London at Harrod's or Liberty of London. Needlepoint must be a big hobby there, because the selection of needlepoint projects is unbelievable. The kits you can buy here in the states are so mediocre compared to the kits in London.

My friend Mel is in Italy for a month. I am very jealous. I would love to go to Italy, if I could stop in London either on the way there or on the way home so I can buy new needlepoint projects at either Harrod's or Liberty, purchase new tartan shawls on Portobello Road, pick up a few silk scarves at Liberty of London which are divine but quite pricey, and then stop at Harrod's for tea and to check out their silver and raincoat departments.

If I had oodles of money, I would fly to London for the weekend, like I how used to fly from here to NYC for the weekend, for shopping, West End shows and a proper English tea.