Vanity plate: ZEN PD (dark blue Saab)

3:15-3:45pm: had a nap.

Santa Claus just came out of an apartment in the building across the street from us (corner of Mildred and Dell). He got into a Chevy pickup truck and drove off.

Things Mrs. McCloskey said in her sleep last night:

"When you get up, tell me about the investigation, okay?"
"It took a long time to incorporate all the information."

Note to self: chocolate cookies at four o'clock in the morning = not a good idea. Now I know.

They were cool boots.

On my way back from the corner shop with a bottle of milk a woman in tall boots asked me to take a Polaroid of her and her three friends pushing a Christmas tree in a shopping trolley across the street (Venice and Dell). I couldn't see a bloody thing through the viewfinder, plus I was holding a bottle of milk in my hand, so I just pointed the camera in their general direction. One of the four was a man called John, from Texas: he just told me that - I didn't ask him. He asked me where I was from. I resisted the temptation to point at our building and say "over there" and said "Ireland." He said "Cool." Well, that's a matter of opinion.

4:45-5:30pm: had a nap.

Also at the post office, the following conversation transpired when the clerk saw my name on the package I was mailing:

Clerk: The postmaster in Venice is called McCloskey. I wonder if he's related to you?
Me: He can't be: not if he's got a job.

At the post office: a man wearing a pink baseball cap and carrying two red apples. He had a book of photographs of the Princess of Wales. The photographs were covered with postmarks. He wanted a new postmark, stamped with today's date, on a particular picture. This strikes me as strange, even for Venice.

They're out there, you know. You can't always spot them, but they are out there.

Ummm.....

Google search results: "Brian McCloskey & blogspot"

Vanity plate: 1 OF EM (red Celicia convertible)

At the store: two French women laughing at the peanut butter.

Hmmm....I bought the first transfer at 10:22am and it expired at 12:30pm. Whereas I bought the second one at 12:36pm and it expired at 2:00pm.

So one was valid for 128 minutes and one was valid for 84 minutes.

What does it all mean? You can be sure the government doesn't want us to know.

4:14-5:20pm: had a nap.

First time I bought a bus transfer....first time anybody ever called me "Ace"....quite a morning.

Conversation which transpired when I got off the third bus:

Me (to the bus driver): Thank you.
The bus driver (to me): Take care, Ace.

I bought a transfer for the return journey too, but didn't use it. Decided to walk home along the beach instead.

The second bus drove up that street along which Keanu Reeves chases the booby-trapped bus in Speed. So it was a bit like being in a film, only not at all similar.

In fact, the second bus driver didn't thank me at all.

Couldn't help but notice, however, that the driver of the second bus was not as quick to offer thanks when I handed the transfer to him as I had been to thank the driver of the first bus, from whom I had originally purchased the transfer.

But, when the bus to which I wanted to transfer did eventually arrive, I successfully completed the transfer procedure.

Mind you, when I got off the first bus, I had to wait for half an hour for the arrival of the bus to which I wanted to transfer. Cannot deny a certain amount of annoyance on my part.

Bought my first ever bus transfer this morning. Can't deny there was a certain amount of pre-purchase apprehension, but I think the transaction was carried out successfully and without major incident. Upon boarding, I put my three quarters into the slot, requested the transfer in a firm but polite voice and, upon receipt of the transfer, thanked the driver for same.

At the bus stop: an Irish woman (with an overbite of which Matt Groening would have been proud) asked me if it was the right place to get the bus to Ocean and Broadway. It was.

That poodle wasn't too keen on the idea of getting into the Bronco. You could tell.

LK sounds like a human when she sneezes. A little one.

Those peas really were a handful earlier.

A great gift for a shoe lover. Cosmetic bag 99c with every purchase of $9.99 or more.

Just did a really stupid thing with the peas.

Can't get the Looney Toons theme music out of my head.

Idea for a film: a man can’t remember whether or not he has been to the state capital of California --- Sacramemento.

You are here.

Google search result: ""wickes furniture" + Texas"

Google search result: "CANVAS SHOES"

A fortune cookie narrative:

"You will be fortunate in everything you put your hands on. You would be wise not to seek too much from others at this time. Do not dwell on differences with a loved one - try a compromise."

In the alley behind the building: Buddy, a large poodle wearing a bandana getting into a Ford Bronco.

Things Mrs. McCloskey has said to me in her sleep (in alphabetical order):

“Brian, out of all the penguins, you’re my favourite penguin.”
"Maybe the housework fairies took him away."
“We have to make a new batch of spiders.”

Selected item numbers from the Crate & Barrel 2002 holiday catalogue:

#29149 (“A sumptuous stocking with a velvet body.”)
#49081 (“Handblown in Poland.”)
#29164 (“Kissing balls.”)
#29079 (“Easily transportable with the smooth knob handles.”)
#29136 (“You’ll want those rocks handy for game night.”)

2:15-3:50pm: had a nap.

Wooden horse shmooden horse.

Yahoo search results: "Barrels for Saint Bernards"

Sunday's Numbers:

Bananas consumed: 2
Cans of Coke drunk: 3
Teeth currently sore: 2
African-American men standing stark bollock naked by the side of Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu: 1
G.I. Joe jackets tied to my ponytail by Mrs. McCloskey: 1
Yellow Ferraris: 1
Loads of laundry done at Mrs. McCloskey's sister new apartment: 3
Final score in ball-throwing game played with nephew in parking garage: 5-3
Pairs of socks in the pile of cool clothes Mrs. McCloskey got from her sister: 4
Pedestrians who looked like the drummer out of Squeeze: 1
Sofas sitting on the sidewalk, corner of Mildred and Riviera: 1

How to claim your prize:
If these numbers match those on your official Sunday's Numbers game card, call 1-800-LEONARD. Please have your prize claim code ready when you call. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited.

Idea for a film: Paris, Texas Chainsaw Massacre --- Harry Dean Stanton wanders around the desert for four years, then kills Nastassja Kinski with a power tool.

Outside the building: a man who looks like Gilligan unloading stuff from a purple Camry and putting it all into a green plastic wheelbarrow with big yellow wheels. Surely this will end in tears.

My favourite guitar strings (in alphabetical order):

A
B
Bottom E
D
G
Top E

Google search result: "right-handed" "eat left-handed"

That's just silly.