Curiosity killed the morning

We have a weekend houseparty to gear up for. Wash to do. Beds to make. Food to prepare. The last minute cleanups. So what have I been doing this morning? Surfing. Poking around in the fascinating piece of the Web called fundrace.org

All calculations are based on records filed with the FEC of contributions by all individuals totalling more than $200 (and some totalling less than $200) to a single Republican or Democratic presidential campaign or national committee between January 1, 2003 and May 31, 2004.

Pop in your ZIP

Which neighbors are giving what to whom?

The Blums are supporting Kerry. Now there's a big surprise. (Blum is married to Dianne Feinstein.)

Hey, there's someone else. I didn't know she lived in the city.

Oh, and hey, look at that attorney with Babcock & Brown. $2K to Bush and $1K to Kerry. Changed his mind? Wants his name on both lists?

One I found yesterday was puzzling. I'd popped in the name of a cousin's deadbeat ex-husband and found someone with the same name who'd given $20K to the DNC. His occupation was listed as "deceased." Interesting occupation, wot?

I popped the name and the ZIP into the Social Security Death Index. The guy died 09 Nov 2001 (requiescat in pace). This database runs from 01 Jan 2003. A bequest to the DNC?

I also find that there are absolutely no Towses in all of the USofA who have given to the campaigns covered by this database in the dollar amounts covered by this database, cheap sons of guns that we are.

There is someone with my stepdaughter's name in Bethesda who gave $2K to the John Kerry campaign. No, my stepdaughter doesn't live in Bethesda.

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I discovered a nervous tic the other day. Help me keep track of the number of times I start a sentence with "so," I'm trying to break myself of the habit.

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On tap for this weekend's house party, if all agree, are as follows:

(1) Dinner at Fior d'Italia tonight. Fior d'Italia is not my most cherished place to eat, but the chicken livers are delish and when you have a large-ish party and you don't know how far people want to walk and you have some members who are used to a low-fat, vegetarian diet and it's Friday night on a weekend that includes the North Beach Jazz Festival, you need to find a restaurant close by with large rooms that has a wide selection on their menu and takes reservations. Fior d'Italia ("the nation's oldest Italian restaurant") it is.

(2) Down the Filbert Steps and south on the Embarcadero Saturday morning to the Farmers' Market in the Ferry Building and a visit to the Book Passage branch at the Ferry Building.

(3) XOX Truffles, preceded by a walk through North Beach and Washington Square Park, which should be just a mess of people because of the Jazz Festival.

(4) An Exploratorium excursion per request from one of the participants

(5) Salmon grilled on the deck for dinner Saturday night. Salad. Macadamia nut brownies. Dinner at home to avoid the aforementioned messes of people in North Beach. Free jazz brings out thousands.

(6) whatever else we can think to do ...

... but right now, I need to hem some chair covers, bake some meatloaf for sandwich makings, prep some food, and stop messing 'round on the Web.