http://www.thesmudge.com/reporter/ en-us 2006-08-24T08:26:43-08:00 http://www.thesmudge.com/reporter/archives/000312.html My grade school science lessons and the mobile I made of the planets have just had a rude shock: Pluto is no longer a planet. Except for Earth, Pluto and Jupiter were always the easiest planets for me to remember... Layla 2006-08-24T08:26:43-08:00 http://www.thesmudge.com/reporter/archives/000311.html For those interested, here are some photos from the camping trip to Point Reyes: Russ reading, which is probably my favorite picture of the batch, artistically speaking Our campsite, which consisted of two tents, a picnic table, some chairs and... Layla 2006-08-20T22:48:20-08:00 http://www.thesmudge.com/reporter/archives/000310.html By now, if you don't know that Mel Gibson was arrested for driving drunk and then let loose with a bunch of choice anti-Semitic lines, you're probably never going to hear it. I followed a lot of the aftermath, including... Layla 2006-08-07T22:35:36-08:00 http://www.thesmudge.com/reporter/archives/000309.html Did you miss me? OK, probably not, but that's OK because I didn't miss you. No, I'm not that mean. It's just that I had a good weekend camping at Olema Ranch near Point Reyes on the coast. Two friends... Layla 2006-08-06T22:06:45-08:00 http://www.thesmudge.com/reporter/archives/000308.html I had a friend request on MySpace tonight from a guy whose page background consisted of South Park, which is fine on its own but made me a bit skeptical when combined with large, red font and a friends page... Layla 2006-07-27T23:41:48-08:00 http://www.thesmudge.com/reporter/archives/000307.html There's no end in sight to the heat wave that is roasting Californians to death -- literally. Somehow, I've managed to stay alive despite having no central air and living upstairs on the side of the building that gets afternoon... Layla 2006-07-24T19:16:06-08:00 http://www.thesmudge.com/reporter/archives/000306.html As most Americans know, it's been really, really, really hot lately. Of course, this is July so we shouldn't be especially surprised -- unless you're my slightly off-balance neighbor who insists that July has never, ever, ever been this hot.... Layla 2006-07-19T21:26:34-08:00 http://www.thesmudge.com/reporter/archives/000305.html Every once in a while, a not-so-normal obituary makes news and reminds me that I really should sit down and at least write out a few basic requirements. The latest interesting obit appeared a couple days ago in a Virginia... Layla 2006-07-11T22:59:37-08:00 http://www.thesmudge.com/reporter/archives/000304.html Rob Thomas is incredibly cool. The Ironstone Vineyards ampitheater is also quite cool. Put the two together, throw in a beautiful night under the stars with no city smog, then add good company. The result is a very good concert.... Layla 2006-07-08T02:06:15-08:00 http://www.thesmudge.com/reporter/archives/000303.html So I wrote about a MySpace-related arrest for work (teen posts picture of girl on his MySpace page, her boyfriend's friends threaten and then try to beat him up) again. I had fun finding the suspects' sites and quoting from... Layla 2006-07-06T19:47:04-08:00 http://www.thesmudge.com/reporter/archives/000302.html You know, I was really enjoying TV-free existence for a while there. May sweeps ended, the season finales were over and my TV was off most of the time. But then Rockstar Supernova started tonight. I wasn't even going to... Layla 2006-07-05T20:50:59-08:00 http://www.thesmudge.com/reporter/archives/000301.html Since my return home from vacation Tuesday night, daytime temperatures have passed horrific triple-digit numbers every single day. Sunday was forecast to be no exception, so I escaped to San Francisco, where I met up with a friend for some... Layla 2006-06-26T20:54:52-08:00 http://www.thesmudge.com/reporter/archives/000300.html People sometimes seem skeptical when I tell them I was spoiled by cold, good-tasting tap water for the first 18 years of my life. Well, they can sneer no longer: Mt. Shasta's water has won a contest for the best... Layla 2006-06-21T22:15:23-08:00 http://www.thesmudge.com/reporter/archives/000299.html After two weeks of wandering a select portion of North America, which included adding Michigan to the list of states I've visited, I'm back home -- where the temperature is supposed to be in the triple digits tomorrow. I think... Layla 2006-06-20T23:46:52-08:00 http://www.thesmudge.com/reporter/archives/000298.html I've finally been outside the United States! I'm in Canada, in a beautiful place on Lake Huron (north of Toronto), with lots of family members I haven't seen in years. My cousin is getting married today and, if my run... Layla 2006-06-17T08:09:24-08:00