AT&T, phone home

OK, I need your help. We've lost our cell phone, and our options until it's time to renew our contract in October (when we can get a better phone for cheaper) are 1. Buy a new, super-basic, low-end phone for $120 (in October with a contract renewal we could get a better phone for $75) or 2. Find a cheap or free replacement in the interim. If we can get our hands on an AT&T or Cingular Nokia, we can put in the new SIM card and use it. So, if anyone has such a phone sitting around gathering dust that they'd like to unload, please let us know. There are some relatively cheap ones locally on Craigslist , but I thought I'd put out the call, so to speak, here too.

Also, if you could e-mail me your phone number(s), that would be great, too, since all the stored numbers on the now-deactivated lost phone are gone. Thanks!

The Sundance Kid

Michael & I finagled tickets to a Robert Redford speaking engagement and "VIP" passes for a reception afterward. Unfortunately, 100-200 people also had passes to said reception, and while there was a nice dessert/champagne setup, it meant no autographs or real photo ops other than snapping pictures of him on his way out. Michael managed to get the shot of me just after I shook Redford's hand and he'd moved on to the next person.

Michael did get a brief moment with him, sending regards from a family friend who was Redford's frat brother in college. Michael's mom says the guy sends naked Christmas cards every year!

Redford's talk was enjoyable; he touched on his movie career and activism. Said he bought a 2-acre piece of land in Utah back in the day for $500 that's now part of Sundance. It's also where "Jeremiah Johnson" (my mom's favorite) was filmed. He was asked what his favorite Paul Newman food product was, and he said he didn't eat it (sounds like they are still pals, though, and I heard recently they may have a new project in the works). All in all, he seemed like a pretty well-rounded, normal, happy guy.

Also, he is fairly short; I was wearing 4-inch heels (very unusual for me), but he didn't seem much taller. Maybe 5'8"? And for a nearly 70-year-old -- whoosh! He's still got it!

The leather men

OK, in retrospect, these photos aren't that exciting, but I got you to check back, didn't I?

While at the Derby party, we noticed a couple of leather men heading into the church across the way. Before long, there were groups heading in every few minutes, all men, all in leather. I started snapping photos from my vantage point. Our party's interest was piqued; we figured maybe it was a wedding. When I saw that a photo session was going on at the church, and since I had several hours of mint juleps in me, I walked over -- mint julep and camera in hand -- and asked the guys if they'd like me to take a group photo. They were happy for the opportunity, and I had them say "Happy Derby Day!" rather than "Cheese!" I also asked what was the occasion; they said a leather dinner.

I took the close-ups with their camera, not with mine, as I didn't want to intrude (which I did anyway from a distance), though later Michael said they'd probably have gladly posed for me seeing as how, well, they were in leather and probably would love the attention.

Walking home a block away later, I peeked into the church, and it just looked like your run-of-the-mill banquet: a bunch of dinner tables, a speaker behind a lecturn -- and leather as far as the eye could see.