It rained until well after lunch today. I went out at noon and the world was nothing but light and water. I took this picture in the parking lot at work, looking out the window of my car.

I'm feeling wiped out tonight. Alicia said she thought everyone was feeling overexhausted after the last two weeks, and I have to agree. There's just been too much too feel and too much to think about, and we're all low on energy. She's right, I think.

Two people, Maria and my cousin-in-law Kevin, asked me today whether I could believe that Don Henley's "New York Minute" wasn't on the Clear Channel list. In a word, no. I mean, if "Mack the Knife" made the list, why not "New York Minute"?

I'm listening tonight to one of my world music mixes. I've been working on a series called "World in My Head" for the last few months, and have done three so far: Mbube, Spirits, and Mexico (the one I'm playing tonight). There is nothing better than the Gipsy Kings' version of "Hotel California."

Marty's dad and stepmother arrived here today from North Carolina. I cooked spaghetti for dinner and we had a nice visit. They'll be here for several days, and tomorrow one of Marty's brothers will be here too, just for one night. We live so far away from our families (and most of our friends, too) that this visit is a real treat.

If you ever ride in my car, you'll see this mascot on my rear-view mirror: