Do something for somebody every day for which you do not get paid. — Albert Schweitzer

David and I returned to San Diego last night, sans luggage, which is supposed to be delivered to us sometime this afternoon. We were able to fly first class on every leg there and back, so a little inconvenience like no tweezers for a finite number of hours is of little consequence (though I’m having difficulty finding another outlet for my usual “It’s Sunday and I have a column to write” stress). Barbarella, wean thyself from thine sharp silver crutch. Those wild brow hairs will still be there when the suitcase is delivered this afternoon.

We had a TIGHT connection in Denver. I thought I was in pretty good shape. What am I talking about? I AM in pretty good shape, relatively speaking. While on the island, I went to the gym four times, each time spending at least an HOUR on the elliptical machine, with energy to spare. But I never tried running the span of 20 gates a MILE up, in thin air conditions. I can’t remember the last time I was that winded. Luckily, we made it to the gate as they were closing the door, holding our tickets in front of our faces and puffing, “HOLD IT! WAIT!” We settled into our seats with a bottle of water and a bottomless glass of wine, but it still took about 30 minutes for David and I to stop coughing. David said, “That’s why athletes come to Denver to train.”

We had a good visit overall. No drama, really smooth, and we had some quality down-time with David’s parents, playing rummy (my new favorite game, second only to Scrabble), talking politics… oh, speaking of which, did anyone see the Republican YouTube debate? YIKES. The part that I found particularly frightening was when the candidates answered the question about whether or not they believed every word in the Bible to be true. It was in that moment that I had an extreme epiphany — I am among the minority. It was liberating, really. Somehow, I’m less frustrated when I hear people spout what I think is nonsense. I realize, that’s okay. There are a LOT more people who think what I think is nonsense — they are the majority. When you live in a democratic country, you agree to defer to the majority, because the laws are made to accommodate the “majority.” I guess that makes me my own little special interest group. You know, the kind that prioritizes privacy over protection, a woman’s right to choose over a chunk of cells, and a person’s right to marry whomever he or she chooses over a book of pages written by a handful of guys a few thousand years ago. I prioritize free thought over dictated doctrines, and free speech over spared feelings. And so on. Don’t call me crazy, just consider me a member of the minority.

But I digress. We’re home now, but only for a few days. I’m looking forward to going to Seattle Wednesday morning. First of all, we’ll be staying at what looks like a great new hotel, Hotel 1000. The day we arrive, we’ll check in and get ready for a dinner party at our friend Davis Freeman’s home. We’ll get to spend some time (some more time, because we saw her over the Thanksgiving holiday) with David’s sister, Michelle, who is an amazing GLASS ARTIST. Then, of course, on Thursday night, we will attend the reception party for David’s exhibition at Benham Gallery. I’m going to try to squeeze in a facial (that last one was so good that I’m craving more) at the hotel’s fancy-looking “Spaahh,” but for the most part, during the days I’ll be hanging out in the hotel’s lounge, working on a project that is already overdue (oops).

Martha’s Vineyard was relaxing and fun, and we spent the last night of our trip in Boston, dining out with friends, with whom we also had brunch the next morning, before heading to the airport. So I’m crunching for the next few days to finish my two weeklies and a video, unpacking and packing again, and heading out to Seattle. I’ll be doing the same thing a week from now, because when we’re back form Seattle, I’ll have the same few days to crunch and prepare for our journey to New Orleans. It’s a crazy month, but I’m having fun (and freaking out here and there, because such is my nature), and in January, we’ll relish the down-time.

Stay tuned, I have another video coming soon! But now, back to writing this week’s column.