Life is a Basketball Game Or Apologies to the lovely Joshua tree and The San Bernardino National Forest

As M and I loaded my mother's stuff into the car at the hotel in Las Vegas yesterday, M said she felt like we'd made it to the top of the 4th quarter. I said, "Yeah, I think we're up by 15 points." But my mother had to take her Lasix pill because her feet were swelling. Lasix went about its business then of ridding my mom's body of extra fluid. After the 3rd stop to pee, M and I concluded that our lead had eroded. After I freaked out about having to exit for a fourth time rather suddenly through two lanes of trucks on a precipitous slope, I said we were down by two.

The I-15 between Las Vegas and L.A. is my least favorite stretch of road in the universe. Even the pristine parts, where it seems that herds of camels might appear at any moment, are set against a background of smog. But we made it through this infernal inferno, weaving through lanes of chugging trucks and BMW-driving maniacs. When I pulled into the driveway at my new house, M flung open her door and yelled,"I can smell the ocean!" Aaahh.

We crossed no rivers yesterday. Just two cracked gouges in the dry earth labeled, "Sheep Ditch" and "Case Ditch."

Last night's dinner menu: seared ahi tuna, sweet potatoes, tossed green salad. Little squares of white chocolate with blueberry bits served as dessert.

Beverages: red wine, margaritas, and martinis.

Basketball score update: Game over. Our teams wins by 30.

My favorite part of the day? When I had to almost immediately hop back into the car to pick the Man Who Loves Me up at the train station.

My second favorite part of the evening: Listening to M and the MWLM discuss the prospects for a hot new Laker season.

We're home, everyone. Come visit.