Queen Elizabeth, 81, passed the mark set by her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria. Palace officials said there would be no special events to mark the occasion, and the queen had no public appearances scheduled Thursday. She spent the day working quietly at home on royal paperwork.

I’m not much of a royal watcher but I adore the idea of royal paperwork.

Friday night we decided to take the 22 Fillmore. We approached the bus stop and a woman was talking on the phone. “Did she tell you about that guy she went on a date with from Craig’s List? He showed up wearing flip-flops! Who wears flip-flops in the winter? I know! And then she made out with him anyway. And she’s going to see him again! I know!”

The bus arrived. As we sat down I gestured toward the talker and said “She’s having the best conversation.”

He asked “Would you like to move closer so we can hear?”

And so we got up and sat behind her.

Today when I saw Ike Turner died I thought about his complicated life and his contribution to music and how that could go either way in his memorials. There is no way to extricate his musical success from his beating Tina Turner black and blue. The lead to his obit in the San Francisco Chronicle sums it up:

“Rhythm and blues pioneer Ike Turner, who died Wednesday at age 76 at his home outside San Diego, will be largely remembered as the abusive husband of soul queen Tina Turner, obscuring his crucial role in the birth of rock ‘n’ roll.”

A jug fills drop by drop.
- Buddha

The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time.
- Abraham Lincoln

Last year someone died who I’d met a few times but with whom I’d emailed plenty. I was sad and felt a bit out of water, given that she wasn’t my relative or close friend. It is a strange feeling, mourning, and I think if you are feeling it you have to accept it and let it take you somewhere.

The first time I met Leslie Harpold she told me I had something in my teeth. That is the kind of woman I want to know better, the stranger who isn’t too shy to possibly embarrass someone new out of kindness. She was terrifically funny — the kind of humor you appreciate days later.

Last December I started visiting Leslie’s annual advent calendar website. I loved that thing and looked forward to it every year. It was a fantastic idea, a website with little windows that became clickable links one day at a time, leading up to Christmas. The advent calendar wasn’t updated for a few days, and then word got around that Leslie had died.

Earlier today I checked The Morning News, as I do every morning. They reprinted their memorial page for Leslie and it’s terrific. They link to her article about how to right a thank-you note, which is the No. 1 search result for that topic. You should read it.

My husband was in the New York Times twice in one week. I couldn’t be more happy for my rock star Top Dog.

First there was a story about Dogster in the Thursday Styles section, written by a reporter who put her dog on the site and was amazed by the response she got to a forums posting. The story rocks.

And then today was the grand mama of them all, possibly the biggest bit o’ press The Dog has ever gotten: a pull-quote from the first story was featured in Chatter! He had no idea it would be there and his response was to hoot, holler and flip out. If he were a circus poodle he would’ve done backflips through a hoop. It was great.

It’s been a lot of hard work for Ted and the team to get Dogster where it is today, years of 60-hour weeks and late nights. It’s not weird at all, babe.

One bottle of 1945 Mouton Rothschild, $12,999.00. This wine has a perfect score, 100 out of 100. “One of the immortal wines of the century.” — Rober Parker

Well there you go.

Two great friends are collaborating for an art show tomorrow night. You should go.

Green and Lovely: The Portraiture of Jennifer Mondfrans. Colorful
and smart, like the artist herself, Jen’s work is another take at faces
we know — and an inviting glimpse into figures from history, arts, and
science. Jen also distills her own absinthe from a 19th century recipe. Buy a bottle and buy some art! I own two of Jen’s pieces and they are fantastic (Billie Holiday [pictured above] and Holly Golightly).

My friend Polly runs the The Sometime Gallery. Located on the edge of East Oakland in the Dutch Boy Studios, The Sometime Gallery is a now-and-then atelier for art with views of sky, trains, and transit. Open by appointment and chance.

Thursday, Dec. 6 - opening time 6:30 p.m.
The Sometime Gallery
4701 San Leandro Street #49
Oakland