Slim's at his little sister's graduation from Berkeley, in Peace Studies. Obviously he's seeing, like, ten ex-girlfriends while he's out there but, as my Christian Scientist great-grandma Viola would have said, there is no pain in matter. So, we are philosophical.

Enjoyed splendid evening with a bohemian friend who is (I think) an artist and in any case has the most immense atelier. (I lived there last summer while she was picking grapes in Tuscany.) Her beau, she says, takes great pains to protect his bald pate from the sun (largely by means of a pork-pie hat). Nevertheless, "it's always a uniform, gleaming salmon color," she informed me. My friend Johann joined us and discoursed on his new journal of arts and politics, his latest romantic entanglement (Turkish) and, being Germanic, Fritzl, which he declared to be no shock to anyone who's read any 19th Century Austrian dramas. Other trivia gleaned from this evening: the loutish family who lives on the parlor floor might be evicted on general grounds of domestic disturbance plus a small dog. In which case, being a New Yorker, I would pounce.

Received somewhat measly birthday check from grandparents, not to sound greedy. But did have pleasant brunch at Sarabeth's.

Last night entertained GK4 and Moishe. Prepp'd requested greatest-hits menu of roast chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans and ice cream with homemade fudge sauce.

"Where's the pecan turtle?" demanded GK4 belligerently when I produced the unadorned sundae.

This a.m., got my dad to list me for a breakfast talk by Hon. Cory Booker at the University Club. ('Poor spread,' remarked my dad, who was attired in a check shirt, loudly patterned tie, and tweed jacket.) I, myself, was wearing an especially unconvincing business costume of tweed skirt, vintage polyesther stretch blouse and artfully knotted neckerchief. Well, I was headed to the gynecologist's after, and one must compromise. ('Take off your lower clothes,' directed the nurse, so the doctor came in to find me attired in blouse, scarf, glasses and high heels.)