A blissfully quiet few days. It's been good to spend some time at home just bringing myself back down to earth. Just the usual routine of work, gym, running, and getting stood up by Hector. For the last time - stood up by Hector, that is. And yet I don't feel badly towards him - I'm pretty sure it comes from insecurity. In any event, I've reached my limit with him. So much for the dating scene.

Finally, I'm starting to enjoy work, and feel more useful. In fact, I almost have too much work now - I'm involved in three projects suddenly.

My apartment life shows sign of improving too. I've finally found out some details about the family downstairs. Apparently they were homeless, and an agency is paying their rent. Since I've been complaining about the incessant noise, the agency has gotten involved and have promised to sound-proof the building! We'll see if that works.

On my first night back here after our headquarters in the south, the noise from the freeway, the club across the street, and the major street beneath my bedroom window, kept me awake half the night, and, the next day I finally decided to drag my bed into the living room and see if I could sleep better there.

After two nights, I was sure it was infinitely better. So, in the unexpectedly hot afternoon here, I started moving my living- room furniture into what used to be my bedroom. Starting with the two great big sofas.

Once it was all done, and I could lie on the sofa in the window of the room facing out into the street, it felt great. I've always wanted to be able to sit in the window in any case. Just to watch the world go by, and to read with the sun on my body when it's cold.

Saturday was a pretty full day, with tennis, the gym, shopping with Cecilia and remaking my bedroom and living room. In the evening I went to a rather bizarre party. I had some trepidations about going since Jason, who was throwing the party, is a very spiritual person and I've heard stories about his other parties - there be singing and banging of cymbals here! Sure enough, it was as bad, or even worse, in that respect, than I expected. Everyone sang the "food song" (no kidding!) before eating. And we were expected to hug total strangers. This all made me very uncomfortable, even though the one guy who did hug me was this drop-dead gorgeous too-good-to-be-true straight guy.

After eating, we sat around and read quotes that each of us had been asked to bring, and then played a game where everyone chose a gift (again, each of us had been asked to bring a wrapped gift). There was all kinds of spiritual mumbo-jumbo flying around the room - "I lost my heart-stone on the beach after my naming ceremony", "gaia-sexual" and "auto-sexual" (I suggested that meant someone who's a chronic masturbator). I have to say, though, that people were very nice - although the term painfully well-meaning comes to mind (at times it felt a bit like a Saturday Night Live skit). But I loved the gift I ended up with - a cute, Balinese wooden dog.