It's taken me a week, but I think I finally have my schedule of classes for the Screenwriting Expo 3 in LA the weekend of November 5-7. I'm such a sucker for famous people that I've signed up for classes with all the screenwriting big honchos like Syd Field, John Truby, and of course Robert McKee. After watching McKee portrayed in "Adaptation", I just have to find out if he's as intense as the movie portrayed him. If I like McKee well enough, I'm even thinking of heading out to Vegas in December to take a three day class from him.

Some of the classes I really wanted to take are advertised as "Professional Level Seminars: appropropriate for writers who hav eat least optioned one script". And I'm like darn, I guess that's not me. Those "Pro" classes are the most intersting ones though. When I looked at my final class schedule, all of my classes are in the "Advanced Level Seminar" category, appropriate for writers who have finished at least one script.

Besides famous people, most of my classes are being taught by either people who teach screenwriting courses at UCLA or have written screenwriting books that I've heard about.

The one fun thing that I'll probably be attending instead of a class is watching Jerry Lewis receive a lifetime achievement award. I'll probably do the same thing as my roommate for the weekend, sign up for a class and then blow it off to check out Jerry Lewis. Gotta see the guy before he keels over, and besides I've always loved his movies.

My roommate warned me not to sign up for any 8 am classes, because she said last year she was up partying all night. There are some really good seminars at 8 am however, and I might just sign up for them just to see if I can make get to them. I'm sure if I don't make it, I won't be the only person missing classes that weekend.

I'm excited because it's so fun to take classes, learn new things and meet other writers who are working on their craft. I'm hoping the experience will give me perspective that the writing life isn't so lonely after all, if there's all these other people spending their nights staring at their computer screens hoping, praying, desperately pleading that the writing muse will visit them tonight.

I think I read somewhere that the Queer Eye for the Straight Guy gang is going to start a new show called “Queer Eye for the Straight Girl”, and I can’t wait. I want Carson to just go off on women who wear those ped socks with shoes for the sockless look, which has reached pandemic levels in San Francisco.

Okay the thing about those ped socks, is I don’t think the rest of the world is supposed to see them. They’re supposed to be hidden, out of sight, otherwise you don’t quite achieve the “sockless, I don’t wear socks look”. But not in San Francisco. Like oh my god, those ped socks are visible on every woman wearing them. And you know what, they look pretty dang awful. Not only do they so not look like you’re not wearing socks, it looks you’re trying too hard to not look like you’re wearing socks and badly, badly, seriously failing.

And women in San Francisco wear that I’m failing to achieve the sockless look proudly. Like they think it’s so darn stylish to appear as a one huge fashion disaster.

I must admit I myself bought some of those ped socks, and tried it with my shoes. After two hours, I decided I had wasted my money because there was no way I was every going to look I was going sockless with the current shoes I owned. So my peds sit in my sock drawer until I can buy shoes that will achieve the perfect sockless look. And the manufacturers have the worst colors too. It's either black, white or some odd shade of tan than I've never seen on any living human being.

I don’t know about you, but I’m not into walking around looking like I’m failing at wanting to look like I don’t wear socks with my shoes.

I am in love, and it’s so unbelievably glorious. I never thought I could ever fall in love like this, where it’s exactly like what has been described in verse, song and books since time immemorial. But it’s more than that, it’s just fun, fun stuff. And this is only the beginning too. I’m like what if this continues and keeps getting stronger as the months go by. I’m so in love I’m starting to think that not having prenup might be okay, only because I know the red-haired guy isn’t going to ream me over money. But I’ll make that decision when the time comes, if we ever end up going down that road.

Yes, red-haired guy and I are still together. We had a bad moment where I saw his worst side and he saw mine, and then we both apologized and then we made up and it’s all better now, much better. Poor guy. His brother had some major, major unexpected surgery, so he was totally freaking out and not calling me. And then I got so freaked out because I hadn’t heard from him in awhile, and I jumped to the conclusion that he was trying to ditch me but couldn’t bring himself to do it and had decided to just stop calling.

But then he called and said he was a “bad, bad, bad boy”, and I said to him “I was a bad girl too” because I did feel guilty for throwing a major insecurity fit on him. Then when he told me his family trauma story, I felt so guilty. Then we saw each other the next day and we had a fantastically fun make up date, and I’m back in love and very, very happy. And now he’s planning all these romantic mushy dates, because he’s the romantic one in the relationship and I’m like so grateful because I’m not romantic at all. And of course like any silly girl, I'm thinking I think I really want to marry my red-haired boy some day and we're going to be together till we're old and gray. And red-haired guy keeps telling me we're going to be together till we're 80 years old. And life is good for now.

Saturday I went to a mall in the East Bay specifically to compare the Dell laptop I wanted, and then go next door to the new Apple store to compare it to the Apple ibook G4. Of course, the best laid plans never pan out.

The Dell people didn't have the laptop I wanted because as the salesperson said, it's not a popular model and Dell doesn't know how the sales are doing. She said they might be getting it in a few months. She told me I could just order it online, and then if I didn't like it I could get a full refund in 30 days. Whatever!

Then I went to the Apple store where there was a line because the store was just opening that morning. I got a free t-shirt, and checked out the iBook G4 again.

I hate when I can't do comparison shopping. I want to be able to pick up the Dell laptop, and feel it in my hands and think about whether it's something I wouldn't mind carrying around in my bag every day. I pick up the ibook G4 and it's bulletproof casing built to take abuse by students, and I see myself carrying it around. I'm not in love with the touchpad, never did like those things but I suppose I would get used to it.

So still no laptop. I read reviews of both on C/net and the Dell laptop kind of got a bad review for it's bad battery, easy to dirty screen and its three-prong cord. The Apple iBook didn't fare that well either.

I hate when I can't buy something that I want. There's something seriously wrong with that. I have this vision of a laptop I think I need, the world is getting in my way.