in my cd player... PJ Harvey Live at the Paradise The show I missed due to my going-away soirée. Luckily Jeff has a kind heart and a CD-burner. Mercí, Jeff!   on the page... Gustave Flaubert Sentimental Education   into... Paris!   smarty-pants... Laine gave me a Resident Smithsonian Membership for my birthday. How spectacular! Now I can partake in their lectures and read their member magazine and go to their special events and feel like an all-around smarty. Mercí!   valentine-tire-trouble... Erika emailed me a list of Valentine's Day horror stories that made her day almost as bad as Todd's. Two flat tires, a 30 minute wait for Chinese food, rain, rain, rain, and no free Clinique gifts. She needs this trip as much as I do.   such wisdom... Laine sent me her most perfect Valentine's day card ever: "Just because someone gives you a ham*, doesn't mean you have to sleep with them. (*Even if it's honey- roasted and spiral cut.)" This is funny on so many levels.   and not to forget... Happy Birthday to me!