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Gomer Who?:  Todd West was sitting on the beach near his home in Hawaii and who walks up but Jim Neighbors.  Yes, Gomer Pile.  "Well, Go-olly" Jim Neighbors.  Yes, that's the one.  Same guy.  They started talking and Todd quickly found out he lives close by... and that he's gay.  Didn't everyone know that?  Before you know it, Gomer had invited Todd to lunch with him and a friend of his.  This story is not going where you think it is.  Keep reading.  This friend turned out to be Miss America.  Okay, she won the crown for 2000 - she's not the current Miss America, but so what?  Lunch was great and afterwards, Todd got a nice big hug from the incredibly beautiful woman... maybe "nice big hug" doesn't describe it.  Todd said it was more like "groping".  So, how many of you out there have met Jim Neighbors and groped Miss America all in one day?  I'm thinking Todd will soon be sending something in the mail along these lines:  "Dear Penthouse, I never thought I'd be writing you a letter...".  I highly doubt Mr. West will ever regret moving to Hawaii.

Riding In Style:  I had dinner with my cousin, Mare, on Thursday night.  She arrived with GiGi (her brand new BMW) and a new hair do.  I thought maybe she was styling it differently, then I realized Mare had "convertible head".  This copper vehicle is beautiful.  Mare says GiGi is as pretty as two boys kissin'.  That's L.A. talk.  Statements like that make some people uncomfortable here behind the Orange curtain (not me, of course).  GiGi is microscopic compared to the monster SUV's currently peppering the roads and burns about the same amount of gas.  Half of GiGi is engine.  The trunk is something like 2 inches deep.  But she purrs like a kitten, glides on the road, Mare doesn't have to slow down to make turns.  Completely impractical, but it's all good for Frankie, Mare's Chihuahua.  He's a stylin' passenger in this car.   Mare also had awesome news for me:  She won her School Board election...all three seats, new candidates and "kicked incumbent butt"!  I'll have to look up 'incumbent', but it sounds pretty cool.

Find the Time:  My friend Jennifer McIntee was nice enough to sign the guest book recently.  She mentioned that she didn't know how I find the time to update this website each week.  I thought I would address the question as it actually got me to thinking - where do I find the time?  The first thing that came to mind is that I truly enjoy working on this page.  It documents my life and the life of my loved ones.  Pictures and stories are preserved for future reference and I find that to be important.  Therefore, I make the time to do so.  Secondly, I have many friends that provide me with wonderful content for the site.  What's the point in having experiences if you can't share them?  Granted, there is way more behind the scenes that doesn't make the weekly updates.  I respect the privacy of my friends and family.  It does amaze me how much information they unleash on me knowing I have a website, but they know that if they say, "This isn't for Pique's Lair.", the statement is as good as a binding legal document.  I'm glad you do share the good times though.  I couldn't do this without you, so... Thank You!

Anti-Thanksgiving Dinner:  Saturday, November 24th @ 7:00pm.  Why so late?  Skippy is coming in from out of town at 8:00 that night and I didn't want him to miss the goodies.  He'll be joining us right after he lands at John Wayne airport.  Why do we call it the "Anti-Thanksgiving Dinner"?  It was initially scheduled for our friends who were far away from their families and the date normally fell on a weekend close to, not on, Thanksgiving.  We then served non-traditional food for dinner.  Over the years, we discovered many things:  (1) People were secretly fond of tradition, (2)  People actually like cranberry sauce with stuffing and (3) Lou-Dog cooks a mean Turkey.  So, it became more traditional and, in sticking with tradition, we kept the name.  Please mark your calendars.  We would love to see you!  If you are planning on attending and/or would like to bring something, please let me know.  I will post the guests and goodies on the web page next week.  Oh, I almost forgot to set the mood:  Stimulating conversation around a roaring fireplace, linen napkins and holiday crystal, after-dinner games and delicious dessert.  We'll see you there!