The following is a work of fiction.

Not Nick Nolte's Diary, Malibu, California
May 8, 2005

Piper

When I'm out of the house for an extended period of time I have Manolo collect all of the loose change in the house and get it over to the coinstar at the Malibu Feed Bin. You'd be surprised how the dimes add up. When I called this morning, I could hear Elvis Costello blasting on the Linns. My, my. What cliche best applies? He who dances pays the piper. Or maybe he who pays the piper, calls the tune. Which phrase came first? Pittsburgh has a museum of language and I spent three hours pondering questions like that. I did notice a dumpster outside the hall of prepositions that forbade playing on, in or around and I had a chuckle. We're about to leave to have dinner at Constance's childhood home. We visited yesterday and I was surprised at the decorations in her room: not a Smiths poster to be found. Goodbye from steel city, Diary.