Okay, everybody! Time to place your bets. When will we find Osama Bin Laden? We are moving into the crucial time for his "discovery." How will it be timed? During or after the Democratic Convention? As the center piece of the Republican Convention? September 11th? (How ironic, they will all say.) Down the stretch in mid-October for a last minute boost? Or just days after a "terrorist event" at the Olympics?

I'm betting on mid-October, with "after another terrorist event" a close second.

Sometimes you have to find joy in the small things in life. Today I fit into the skinny pants, which I haven't worn since last summer.

First, I would like to thank the esteemed Marty Barrett for the free tickets to the R.B.B.B. Circus. Without them, we would have never had this experience.

Yesterday, also known as 7/15, Steve and I headed down to the LA Memorial Sports Arena located in and around the USC campus. We went down a little early to go to the California Science Center located next door. They are having a special exhibit called BODY WORLDS, that we wanted to check out. It is amazing (more later) but we rush through it, because we have to meet Dave at 7:15pm at the circus arena.

As we drive over to the arena, which we can't understand why we have to since it shares the parking lot with the science center, but that arena entrance is closed up tight, so we are driving around to the other "front" entrance. Steve takes a more careful look at the tickets. They are for July 22nd. Crap. And Dave drove all the way down to meet us for the show. Well, I bet Dave likes dead bodies...we call him on the cell and head back to the museum. They let us park again for free, and re-enter the museum with our stubs, and along with Dave, get to enjoy the BODY WORKS exhibit to its fullest.

I am a big fan of the Mutter and Walter Reed museums. Both of those places feature medical oddities-babies in jars, tumors, photos, early medical instruments, that sort of thing. This exhibit takes it all to a whole new level.

This exhibit is entirely made up of dissected, plasticized corpses.

It is disgusting and fascinating at the same time. Not quite gross enough to make the bile rise in the back of my throat, but very close. I may never eat beef jerky again. I took Anatomy and Physiology back in high school, and it all came flooding back. I had not thought the words "vena cava" since 1987.

It starts off with a regular old skeleton, like you would see hanging in the back of a science classroom, and goes on from there. Different body systems are right there to be examined. The central nervous system, with all the nerves and the spinal column, in front of your eyes, hanging on a skeleton with some muscles. Spooky, fluffy forms that you realize are blood vessels. Only the blood vessels. In the form of a man, woman and child. Cases filled with different organs, usually with a healthy example and some deformed or diseased version next to it for comparison. There must have 45 full-size variously dissected bodies in three galleries. And a horse thrown in for good measure. And because of the plasticizing process these things are very durable. Very few of the bodies were in cases. Of course, you were not supposed to touch them, but you could look very closely. Not once did I see a guard reprimand a patron to step back.

If you live or will be visiting the SoCal area between now and the end of January 2005, I highly recommend this exhibit. I thought the price was a bit steep at $12, but for $17.50 you can also get the IMAX movie.

It was Carla's birthday last week, so we went to lunch at Madre's in Pasedena. Madre's is the celebrity restaurant owned by J.Lo. We have wanted to go since it opened, because just idea of it is very funny to us. As soon as you pull up to park (valet only, $4.50) you are overwelmed by Shabby Chic. White painted furniture, beige striped awnings, and dusty pink and faded green abound. Cut crystal chandeliers, mismatched vintage china... Rachel Ashwell must have made a mint off of this joint. This ain't Jenny from the Block! This is Jennifer of Mailbu.

It was sort of surreal dining experience, as we were one of only three tables of patrons in the whole joint. The place is devoid of customers. They certainly look like they can accomodate for crowds, but it was VERY quiet for a Tuesday at 1:30. Our waiter fawned over us, our iced tea glasses were never empty, and the food was just fine. It wasn't amazing, but it fit the price point, if not the decor. I had a grilled chicken sandwich ($9) and Carla had some sort of pulled pork sandwich ($9). Or as Carla pointed out, (9). The cigar box inspired menus had that "classy joint" thing going on where the price is noted with only a round number, no dollar sign or cents.

I have no idea how Madre's stays in business. Maybe they do a big dinner rush or hosting private parties might be the specialty, but from the looks of things, if they are still open in September I would be very surprised. Unless this whole thing is a tax write-off and place for varied friends and relations to hold down nice jobs. Then Viva Madre's!



P.S. I just checked my link to Madre's. It WAS designed by Rachel Ashwell herself, and they even used the phrase "cigar box inspired menus." I'm in the wrong line of work. I really should be a copywriter.