I did the quick turnaround trip this week--left at 1 p.m. Wednesday for Beallsville, arrived around 7, and then left again at 11 a.m. Friday, went shopping with Dad and then to his favorite Chinese buffet , and was back in Ann Arbor by 5:30. I was just awake enough to go out to Leopold's and kick ass at Taboo, along with my lovely and talented partner.

Today was a heavy work day, but this evening I went to a group to Blue Nile here in town. If you're here and thinking about it, go. It certainly did nothing to dispell my belief that Ethiopian is the most underrated of our ethnic cuisines. It's a curious set-up too, but wonderful if you're an option paralysis sufferer like I am--your table decides on vegetarian or non-vegetarian, and they bring out a huge plate that has a little bit of everything, all you can eat. For about $20 a head, we ate brilliantly well, mostly on pretty healthy fare to boot. It's not my favorite Ethiopian place, but it will do quite nicely. It's also pleasantly communal to share food family style with no utensils; you use the injera bread to scoop--it's surprisingly efficient.