I'm not a fan of Anne Coulter by any stretch of the imagination and hate almost everything she's ever written, but I kind of like this article. Ann Coulter: How can I make your flight more uncomfortable?

We had a photo contest in my department and I won first place in "Offsite Picture" and "Best Overall". There were only six people taking photos so it's not like there were dozens to choose from, but I was so surprised I won. I didn't even buy my digital camera. My cousin gave it to me in 2004, and I'm pretty sure she bought it at Walmart's or some store like that.

The photo was taken at Domaine Chandon, a champagne maker Napa. I think it won because on the right side of the photo somehow I captured a beam of light. Is that hard to do? It must be because it's never happened to me before. The mushrooms were just rocks piled up to look like mushrooms.

I won treats from Peet's coffee: a bag of chocolate toffee almonds for best offsite picture, and a one-pound bag of coffee called "Holiday Blend" for best overall.

I need to update my reading list. I have been getting into reading Isaac Asimov's Foundation stories.

I've read Prelude to Foundation, Fondation, Foundation and Empire, Second Foundation, and Foundation's Edge. They are amazing stories.

A friend got into reading Asimov's Robot stories and she's going to lend me her books.

I'd like to read all of Asimov's books; he is such a good author. When I really like a writer I read all of their books. So far I've read all of F. Scott Fitgerald, Elie Weisel, Oliva Butler. Can't remember any more right now.

The worst thing about having to sit around and wait to see "Heroes" is having to watch Howie Mandel on "Deal or No Deal". I just don't get him and that show, and even just five minutes of it is torture for me.

I'm getting over a cold and waiting for "Heroes" to come on. There was an article on SFGATE.com about the show, http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2006/11/09/apop.DTL&hw=dna&sn=003&sc=242, and I had to watch it. I downloaded the episodes I missed on iTunes and got hooked. What can I say?

For Thanksgiving I drove up to Redding to see my aunt and uncle. There were their usual selves and I spent Thanksgiving at an indian casino gambling, just like the last time I saw them. My aunt made turkey dinner and I brought home a ton of leftovers. But it was rainy up there and I think I got too cold and on Friday I started sniffling. This is my second cold of the season. Normally I get a cold when I can't get enough sleep. I didn't know I could get a cold when my body temperature drops too low, so this is a new one for me.

The first one only lasted 4 days, although I was in recovery for a couple of weeks. I'm on day 3 now and feeling better, but I think it will take me all week to get over it.

I've seen three movies with all this time off. So here are my capsule reviews:

Marie Antoinette - I wanted to see this movie because The Cure contributed two songs, but there were instrumentals only. I was so bummed. The costumes were beautiful and I think Sofia Coppola was able to film at Versailles, which is rare. I read the review afterwards and loved The NY Times review. The movie needed I think some editing, and I think the type of storyline that worked in "Lost in Translation" doesn't quite work in this type of historical fiction movie. Jason Schwartzman was totally miscast only because he looks so much older than Kirsten Dunst. Marie Antionette was 15 years old when she become engaged to the Dauphin, who was only a year older than her. If the Louis character looked around 16, the storyline might have made more sense. If you're into late 80's post-punk music, then you'll like the soundtrack. I think it might have been better if I saw this movie in a theatre with a better sound system.

Casino Royale - Daniel Craig is beautiful and he looks like he could kill a man with his bare hands; how cool is that! The first James Bond actor who actually looks like he can kill people, and not some dressed up Brit pansy. I mean Pierce Brosnan is not a man I want to see sans clothes, but I'd love Daniel Craig to walk around in my apartment permanently in the nude or with those cute swimming shorts of his. I normally hate men in tiny swimming shorts, and Daniel Craig is an exception. He is so cute! And so rough and tough too with great biceps! He looks mean and nasty. There was not not quite enough violence in the movie to suit my taste. I think they toned that part down, but there was some good hand to hand combat scenes with 007 getting punched out and bleeding. Some guy in the theatre afterwards said that Daniel Craig looked like Joe Montana. Interesting. I'm not into blondie boy either, but Daniel Craig can definitely act and he's got killer blue eyes like my first love. I'm a sucker for boys with deep blue eyes.

For your consideration - not as outrightly funny as their other movies, but the laughs are there if you get the jokes. It helps if you know yiddish too. Catherine O'Hara was brilliant as usual, but even more so in this movie because she went through quite a transformation. I think you have to know quite a bit of how Hollywood works to get this movie fully. The characters aren't quite as self-explanatory as they are in the other movies. I'm not sure how many people will like it because it represents an evolution from their other movies. Instead of just presenting people as they are, they added some commentary probably because it's Hollywood and it's their business and they have a ton to say about it all works.

I think I just added I just added a favicon to my blog. It's showing up on my computer, so hopefully other people will be able to see it.

I went down to Pacific Grove to attend a seminar. The weather was gorgeous and the monarch butterflies were there for their migration. A volunteer at the Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary in Pacific Grove that last year there were 17,000 butterflies, and this year their number had increased to 23,000. There were flying overhead in the grove of eucalyptus trees and it was amazing. I had never seen so many butterflies in one place before. It was hard to get a photo of the butterflies, but I did manage to take a photo of one.

My digital camera is not the greatest, but I did get a decent photo. If you are passing through the area, the monarch butterflies are going to be there through I believe mid-December. It is so worth seeing them. The volunteers had a telescope set up and I saw the monarch butterflies clinging together like a daisy chain. It was so unreal to see them like that, all close together and just hanging on to each other. It was like I was looking a live butterfly curtain, which felt so surreal and yet it was right there in front of my face.

Then we drove down to Carmel and walked down to the beach to watch the sunset, so here's my Carmel beach at sunset pic.

The weather was warm which was so unexpected since it was rainy and cold just a couple of days ago. Okay, one more photo.

We were at a gallery afterwards and asked the gallery person for a recommendation for dinner, and she said to go across the street and try the newest restaurant in Carmel called Cantinetta Luca http://cantinettaluca.com/, which is located on Dolores Street between Ocean and 7th Avenue. The woman at the gallery said the pumpkin ravioli was to die for.

We were able to only able to get a table because it was 6 pm and very early for dinner, otherwise the restaurant was all booked up with dinner reservations. For appetizers, we tried 1) Arancini - fried risotto balls with mozzarella and prosciutto and 2) Grilled local sardines, eggplant crostini, teardrop tomatoes and balsamic Vinegar and the Tricolore salad of bitter greens, green apple, gorgonzola, walnuts and honey vnaigrette. I loved the fried rissota balls, very inventive, and the local sardines were out of this world. I'm not a big sardine lover, having only ever had the canned variety, but I could get used to eating fresh grilled sardines.

We each had the pumpkin ravioli with brown butter, sage and saga and just a glass of wine each of the Sangiovesse, Remole " Marchesi de Frescobaldi" 2003. The sangiovese was like a pinot noir only a little more earthy, and a very good wine.

We were thinking of eating at the Merlot Bistro on Ocean at Lincoln. I've eaten there a couple of times before, but it's nice to try new restaurants especially when one that's been recommended. And it wasn't that expensive either I think. We paid around $80 with tip for dinner for two; not cheap but not outrageous for great food and very, very nice wait staff. And I love that they had dishes I'd never seen before and wanted to try.

Never give money to your political party or to a candidate you like, because they will sell your identity and at election time your home will be bombarded by pollsters and voicemails from party freaks wanting your vote.

Okay, I'm one of those crazy people who permanently votes absentee ballot but who totally waits till the night before the election to vote. Nutty, yes!

And there were so many things to vote for this time, what a bother! I'm thinking this is the first time, but I know it isn't, that I'm voting for the other party! I am still peeved at the Phil Angelides people for booting Steve Westly from the demo primary for Governor, so I absolutely cannot vote for him. In fact, I'm still so peeved I voted for his opponent. Oh well, the Governator will sweep Cali big time so one more vote won't hurt.

I've also never voted for either Dianne Feinstein or Nancy Pelosi. I cannot stand either of them. I detest Dianne Feinstein for her performance as mayor of San Francisco, and feel she is directly responsible for SF's homeless problem. Nancy Pelosi is way to left of center to ever get my vote, plus whenever I hear the woman speak or give a speech I totally cringe!

And just to be incredibly anti-Feinstein and anti-Pelosi, I voted Republican in both races. It's a wasted vote since they will probably both sweep.

I also could not vote for Cruz Bustamante and had to sadly vote for Steve Pozner. Boy, maybe the pundits are right when they say that the older one gets, the more conservative one votes.

Plus since I'm in a major contrary mood today, I whipped out the Bay Guardian guide to voting and voted against everything and everyone they endorsed! Actually, that was the fun part of my voting experience.

I am so looking forward to the elections being over because I've been bombarded by voicemails from people asking me to vote for this or that. I received voicemails from Bill Clinton and Al Gore, and didn't even listen to the message and hit the delete button. The Democratic Party sold my identity and had all kinds of democratic freaks calling my home. I even received a voicemail from Nancy Pelosi; talk about scary!

I heard a phrase in a meeting today that I thought was very intriguing - "dollar curtain". It's a variation of the phrase "iron curtain", which was coined by Winston Churchill to define the boundary between the Soviet bloc countries of Eastern Europe and the West European countries.

"Dollar Curtain" means a town that defines the boundary between the rich and riff-raff/have-nots. Mission Viejo was described as a "dollar curtain" town in Orange County.