It was a beautiful day here in Las Vegas. I almost forgot I was living in the desert until I had to snap out of my I-live-on-a-tropical-island-with-palm-trees-and-gentle-breezes daydream to violently swerve my car to avoid the gigantic tumbleweed blocking my lane on Frank Sinatra Way.

I enjoyed the day driving the Malibu with the sunroof open singing along to the CD I burned the other night.

Lisa’s American Mix CD
1. Star Spangled Banner – Jimi Hendrix
2. American Woman – Lenny Kravitz
3. American Girl – Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
4. All American Girl – Train
5. She’s An American Girl – Trisha Yearwood
6. American Girls – Weezer
7. Stuck In America – Sugarcult
8. The New American Way – Dropkick Murphys
9. Only In America – Brooks & Dunn
10. Born In The USA – Bruce Springsteen
11. American Girls – Counting Crows
12. Surfin’ USA – The Beach Boys
13. American Soldier – Toby Keith
14. Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue – Toby Keith
15. God Bless the USA – Lee Greenwood
16. American Pie – Don McLean
17. American Woman – Jimi Hendrix

I suppose I was feeling excessively patriotic the other night, but I’m glad. I think this will be an outstanding listening choice for the 4th of July, which is coming up in 102 days.

Speaking of patriotic, I wrote the first of my new American flag checks today ($10 to Chris DeMay), and I went to see a bunch of 8- and 9-year olds play America’s favorite sport. (Franky’s first baseball game of the season was today – his team won, 9-1.)

Yup, definitely a beautiful day – a gorgeous night, too. It’s perfect shorts-and-a-sweater weather – my favorite kind – so I think I’ll go outside and read some more of It Doesn’t Take A Hero (the autobiogriaphy of General H. Norman Schwarzkopf) by flashlight on the hammock before I head to bed.