Slices of Granny Smith apple paired with slices of nice cheddar cheese (white).

Mix CD, �Full of Love,� 6.17.02, particularly the initial exuberance of the Chemical Brothers, �Let Forever Be,� and Herbie Hancock�s �Rockit,� which softens gradually through tracks by Starflyer 59, The Breeders, And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead, King Cobb Steelie and Elysian Fields, till you�re down to �Sweet Jane,� by Cowboy Junkies. In the end, it�s come-to-Jesus time with Melanie�s �Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)� (short version). Lovely mix of genres and eras. A perfect gift, if only just now fully appreciated.

Avoidance. (Of the mother ship, of the telephone, of e-mail, of housecleaning, etc.)

Fresh salmon, particularly marinated in white wine and a squeeze of lemon, covered in pesto and broiled till the smoke alarm wails.

Moving back to the parents� house. (Attraction: I would have an opportunity to make a good dent into the debt in which I�m drowning, they would take care of me, and the increased distance from here would facilitate obsession #3: avoidance.)

Joining the Postal Service. (Not the band. Imagine--work outdoors, independently, and receive immediate daily gratification from completing the route and emptying the bags.)

Taking up needlework. (Of all things.)

Pork roasted so long it falls apart when touched by the tines of a fork.

Silicone cooking/baking accessories.

Average Joe 2: Hawaii. (It can't be helped.)

Lovely warm honey color of the old solid wood doors throughout my apartment, how they glow, even in the late winter dark room gloom.

Ralph Nader. (How could he?)

Jincy Willett. Still.