After work: Nice weather draws me to campus for late dinner. Walk past Hocus Pocus, for a few minutes I make friends with friendly black cat in closed store window. It brushes around the votive candle display and the window wanting me to give it a scratch between the ears, but I can't. Settle on BaBa D's for some Middle Eastern fair, stuffed cabbage in specific. Salad and hummus prelude is quite good as is the main course. Arabic language and music comes from behind me, I'm the only patron in the restaurant. Arabic mixes with english as fellow employees help waitress with her calculus homework. I decide to have baklava, music breaks into Middle Eastern version of "Louie Louie", I can't believe my ears. I have to ask waitress what music we're listening to, she calmly says, Egypt's greatest hits 2001. I'll have to come back here for more of this.

"I have to answer one of nature's fundamental calls..I'm going to get a cookie"....Arthur

All yellow ping pong table on page B10 of today's Times makes me want to break out my paddle slam some white plastic. Doubles are fun, but two players is the best way to play the game...SLAM..AHHHH...wadayamean..its..OUT..uhh..your point..16-18..your serve.

Archimedes, inventor and mathematician of ancient Syracuse, provided many devices to defend the city against a Roman siege during the Second Punic War (215 B.C.). One was a crane with a claw attachment that hoisted Roman galleys partway out of the water, and then released them to fall back and capsize. The Romans were so frightened by his machinery they were said to run in panic every time a bit of rope or wood showed over the wall.

Current event fun from CNN and the Christian Science Monitor: A former cook of Osama Bin Laden told a CSM reporter that when it was time to exit stage left from Tora Bora, Bin Laden had three offers for escape. The first was from Iran, the second was from Iraq and the third was from some "Mafia" types. Yes, you heard it right, the cook said "Mafia" types. Oh, if only to be a fly to see the Osama meeting with the mob(chortle)and then to proceed to shit repeatedly in his soup and everything else around him...thats what I'd do if I was an Afghan camel fly..yesiree.

Just came back from seeing the movie Amelie. Really a great film, didn't really know what to expect, it was really clever, quick paced, and very funny. Photography was well done and quite beautiful. I'm really glad I decided to see this film, very well done! A box of DOTS was easily consumed during the watching. Before the movie I stopped and picked up a menu at Pino's Mediterranean Eatery, this place has been getting the buzz around here and was packed with happy eaters..will have to try it sometime soon. Did try some coconut tofu at Zaw's Asian Food nearby..it was alright but I think that next time I'll try something with real meat like the Mongolian Beef or the Pineapple Chicken..the tofu really wasn't doing it for me tonight.
Last night was also a movie night. After running into my barber, his wife, and one of his film proteges at Starbuck's I decided to go with them and see the movie I laughed at everytime I saw the trailer: The Mothman Prophecies. I think it may be the worst movie I've see for awhile. Totally unfrightening. I realize horror is a hard genre to pull off but this was just plan stupid. Richard Gere was unconvincing and spent most of the movie looking confused and talking to the "Mothman" on the telephone. At one point Gere asks the MM on the phone what is he(Gere) holding in his hand..to which the MM responds correctly "chapstick"..Gere flipped out drops the phone and the chapstick...hahahah..now thats very funny and not at all scary. Do bad some nice shots of Pittsburgh were wasted on this feeble attempt at a supernatural thriller. The Moth Man urban legend is so great..the actual Moth Man should have haunted the set and stopped this movie from ever being made..oh well. France, Amelie, good, smart movie. U.S., The Mothman Prophecies, complete waste of everyones time and $. It was it least fun hanging with three other fun people for an evening, better than staying at home.