Today I will be flying to Houston, Texas. A state with a population of about 21 million people. And, one presumes, very few Jews. (Don’t you just love reinforcing stereotypes?) (Texas video link via Macboy.)

Today will be spent frantically sorting out last-minute work things, putting up a tent in the living room to make sure I can still do it, packing clothes, and packing up this computer to be sent back to Apple (that’s a story for another day). But before I go:

New Yorkers can look out for my latest story in the New York Times City Section on Sunday. Proud mothers will have to make do with the Internet. Mum, it should be on this page on Sunday for one week.

Secondly, a friend of mine is going to London soon and she needs some local advice on where to go and what to do. She’s already done the tourist thing. Now, she wants the real thing. I left London more than five years ago so my knowledge is pretty dated. Maybe you’d like to drop some suggestions in the comments box.

Thirdly, I have another Blogarithms piece in Metro today. The feature has moved to a permanent home towards the front of the book which I’m taking as a good sign. Pick up a copy. If you’re not in the city you can download a pdf of the page (UPDATE: or view it online).

Oh, and this story made me laugh.

Alright, so I admit it’s not the best photograph to illustrate last night’s shenanigans but it is apt for two reasons:

1. I am unmistakably my father’s son. Those who know the great Lew on League will recognize that unmistakable profile and the addiction to wine.

2. The Mr Scruff T-shirt. Mr Scruff is playing New York tonight and tomorrow. You can catch him Friday at Turntables on the Hudson. I cannot believe I am going to miss it. You can check out his music and animation on the Mr Scruff website. I particularly recommend Hot Pot Radio for a dose of his DJ skills.

It’s my 30th birthday today.
The sun is shining.
And life keeps getting better.

By way of celebration I’ll be heading to Texas in a few days for a well-deserved holiday and a long-awaited exploration of America.

Thanks to Adam for the wonderful card.

PS Adam, I am going to get you back for this one. Just you wait…

My apologies. I am so busy at the moment that I am barely finding time to read the newspaper and peek at my favorite blogs. I leave you with this Scrabble board from the other night. Good game, Mr Levin. What was the score again?

PS Don’t you hate it when blogs only show you a summary in their RSS feed? This blog is now set to full text.