I've been pretty busy for the last couple of days simultaneously preparing for my impending trip to California and my daughter's 10th birthday. The latter event occurred yesterday and a good time was had by all. I took the day off work so I could bake her this fabulous Chocolate Cloud Cake. I changed the recipe a bit, substituting artificial sweetner for the sugar to make it more Atkins-friendly, but it was still delicious, especially when accompanied by a small glass of Chambers Muscadelle from the Rutherglen region of Australia, a lovely Tokay dessert wine with a nutty bouquet, and an almost pruney finish. No, I did not give my daughter any, in case you were wondering...she's not old enough to appreciate it's subtleties, doncha know.

She got lots of loot, despite the fact that her b-day falls so closely on the heels of Christmas. I gifted her with a half-size classical guitar which should be small and playable enough for her tiny fingers. She liked it, but seemed far more excited at having received Sims expansion packs. Go figure.

As for California, January is kind of a dead month there entertainment-wise, but I got tickets to see McCoy Tyner perform in Oakland next Friday night. As far as I'm concerned, Yoshi's is the best jazz venue in the Bay Area, and their Japanese restaurant is also excellent. On Saturday, I plan to drive up to Napa to visit the COPIA center.

Catch y'all on the flipside!