Gretchen promised that we could go get Peet's this morning when we went to deliver the autographed wastebasket to the Gnomie in need. The only thing between us and the store was a dead battery. Click click click click click click click. One of us left the overhead light on (not quite the dashboard light, which would have been closer to paradise). We came back to the loft and G called the towing service. Minutes later, Andre the Giant showed up with one of those fancy (ultra-portable) battery jumping kits. We were good to go. I circled the block a few times while they started and finished the paperwork. Almost got hit by a DWA; the dumbass blew right through the four-way stop.

We went to the Potrero shopping center; Gretchen dropped off the package and grabbed our caffeinated beverages while I drove around the parking lot for a few minutes. We decided to hop onto 280 and drive to Daly City. Both of us were hungry for lunch, and we needed to make sure that the battery would be fine after we shut off the engine. She said there were good places to eat down there; I thought about hitting the first Mexican restaurant I ever ate at in the Bay area, but when we got there, it was closed – permanently. Ah well, we could keep driving down the street – even though neither of us knew where we were going. The street was definitely laid out by a drunken sailor.

We wound up running into a mall at the end of the street, and since I hadn't been to one in over a year, we parked the car and gathered our garbage. I started the car again, just to make sure it would fire up again. Hazzah! We passed a Starbucks on our way inside, and that seemed as good a place as any to dump our Peet's trash. Ha ha! They were mad at us, but we didn't care. Gretchen flipped them off and I yelled something like “Frappuccinos suck!” When we got inside, I looked around in wonder. After all, I hadn't been in a mall in over a year. She got sucked into Bath and Body Works, but my eyes were on the prize: the video game store. Yeah, their prices sucked, but I was drawn to it, nonetheless. They had new Star Wars figures, but since we hardly have enough room in this loft for the stuff we already own, I skipped 'em.

Perhaps I could get an Xbox from products to test at home? That way, if we don't like it, we're not out any money. Remind me to ask on Monday, will ya? Okay, so anyway, we located the Lenscrafters at the other end of the centre; I needed new lens cloths. Gretchen paid by cheque, but it was rejected (because her driver's license was bent all to hell). Fifteen more minutes of my life sucked away because someone didn't want to use cash. Anyway, we were still hungry, so we drove back to where that one Mexican restaurant was – because there was an Outback steakhouse next to it. Which, too, was closed. Of course, we didn't know that until we had driven back there, parked, and saw the hours on the door. Dangit.

So, we decided to hit something down the street from our home. I got in trouble this morning for saying that Iowa was home. My wife corrected me politely, and informed me that this, here, was now our home. Yeah, well… it still sucks. Anyway, Gretchen had heard this place on Townsend served up a decent meal. We parked the car around the corner (on Brannan) and walked into what appeared to be a dive. Turned out to be one of the best lunches I've had to date. Unfortunately, I enjoyed Gretchen's lunch more than I did my own. She had some shrimp / snapper tapas, and I had grilled lamb. We'll be going back, I'm sure. It's kitty corner from the McDonald's across from the CalTrain station. You know the place?

I was to drop her off at home before I headed to the new Best Buy. I wanted to see what kind of price they had on Gordon (the only Barenaked Ladies album I don't own) and if they had any Lucent Wi-Fi PCMCIA cards. Thumbs down on both items. As I was leaving, I witnessed a crime. Two young boys ripped off and drove away with a radio station banner (which was there for promotional reasons). I didn't catch the license plate of the car, but on the way home, I kept thinking about how people stealing software and using cracks to circumvent registration was just as wrong – and how the act of piracy isn't often regarded as an offense. Taking something that isn't RIGHTFULLLY yours is wrong. Period. When I got home, I set up a blog for Cat (to be announced soon) and covered up this massive pimple next to my nose for the third time today.

Gretchen went out shopping with a childhood friend (who is visiting from New York this weekend) and her friend's friend from Dartmouth (who lives somewhere in North Beach). We're going over there later for a dinner party. Some twenty-five people have RSVPed, although (supposedly) few will know one another. I gotta find something to wear for Tuesday night's fancy dinner, too. I was instructed to wear a suit and tie. I have the ties, but I don't really have a suit (since I lost all that weight, I haven't had the “opportunity” to wear one). Gretchen says we can go out on Monday night. We'll have to. Oh yeah, speaking of dietary choices, guess what we're having for supper tonight? Lasagne. A low-carber's delight! Not. I can fill up on bread. No, I can't – those are carbs. Ah, there's always… no, those are carbs, too. Everything's a friggin' carb. Except salad. That's just blah. Blah, blah, blah.