01.31.02 - 4:56 p.m.

Hee! A woman just called and asked for Perry MASON! We do have a Perry here whose last name begins with an M, but it's definitely not Mason. Oh, those Freudian slips. Hmm, I'm stuck to a Raymond burr!

I thought I had a lot to say while I was walking to the Path this morning, but apparently not enough to write before 4 in the afternoon. After getting six hours of sleep (if that), I thought I couldn't make it through the morning without the Beatles on my discman. Then I ran out of batteries five minutes into my walk.

It's been an ongoing debate over who gets the final spot in my Three Favorite Bands. R.E.M. and Ben Folds Five have permanent residence in the top two positions, but I've always been conflicted over who is worthy of the third. Dave Matthews? I do love him and will always be devoted, but kind of pedestrian for such an honor. Pat McGee? A little of the same. Howie? Too early to tell. Live and Pearl Jam? Remnants of an earlier age. Veruca Salt, Buffalo Tom, BNL? Too difficult a decision. And then, this morning, it came to me, about the same time as my batteries died. The Beatles are my third favorite band!

Yes, they're in every critic's top ten - if not top five or top two - but there's a REASON for that. They changed the world. They now and forever rule. It's almost superfluous to explain why they should be in my top three, and it seems almost too easy or too obvious, but there they are. I can say no more (say no more).

Mother bee, mother bee! I wore those.