Saturday morning I was reading a book about Mecca. That big block is the Kaaba, or Ka'ba; the building around it is the Sacred Mosque, and the heavy black drapery covering it is the kiswa. It's hajj time now; the radio advises of another killing stampede, in adjacent Mina last Thursday.

Today in a Borders Books I saw an unusual volume (at 30% off) called All About Me by Phillipp Keel - a book-length "test", mostly fill-in-the-blank but some yes/no. Here's ten of the former - instead of reading my response, this time you do it - email me your answers:

1. A film you could watch over and over:
2. A piece of clothing you love to wear:
3. A monument you would like to have a view of from your bedroom:
4. Your favorite time of day:
5. Your favorite place to sit at home:
6. Something important on your night table:
7. You don't have a lot of:
8. Death is:
9. The animal that best describes you is:
10. The farthest distance you have ever traveled to be with someone you desire:

Another trans-bay sojourn this Satur-afternoon, to the fringe of Berkeley to inspect the store called Real Goods there. I joined to get the discount and a Solar Power book, and welcomed the news that they'll be opening a branch in Palo Alto this Fall. On the way back I drove across Oakland, taking surface streets and passing through that city's center for the first time, and my immediate impression was to agree with Gertrude Stein. <1>

This is how D's tape turned out, a solid hour of Frank:

...with end filler from "Angel Eyes" and "It Was A Very Good Year". Everywhere I went this weekend I heard Sinatra. The radio tells me the force which makes "My Way" the default choice comes from Karaoke. In Japan, "it's the favorite song of businessmen over 40". One said it "...appeals to our national character".