One week before Christmas and I have all my shopping done. Amazing. All finished today with a stress-free trip to Oakridge. Here's a little tip. There are only two places where you should even try parking at Oakridge. One is behind the Target facing Thornwood where the bank is in the back. No entrances mean no one wants to park there. But today at noon, it was filled up. So, plan B. 3rd and 4th floors of the Sears parking garage. It was only half-filled at noon today, supposedly the busiest shopping day of the season.

Sports around here have gone from bad to confusing. It was bad enough that Cal didn't make the Rose Bowl. It's also bad that the Sharks haven't even played a game yet. It's bad that the 49ers are just so bad. But can someone explain the moves the A's are making? Sure, Tim Hudson probably couldn't be re-signed for a reasonable amount in the offseason so Billy Beane had to move him, but what's with Mark Mulder being traded? To me, he was the most consistent of the pitchers on the A's and now the team only has Zito, Harden, and a bunch of promising prospects, nothing like Hudson and Mulder offered.

At least the A's are making moves. What of the Orioles? All they've done is sign their senior citizens Palmeiro and Surhoff to 1-year deals. They still need a starting pitcher and another slugger.

I finally got around to trying one of the two new seafood buffets in the area, one called Super and the other Crazy. I liked the dungeness crab. Everything else? So-so. There is a lot of variety. I didn't even venture to some of the stations. At $16 though, they should scale it down and focus on a few items. I'm going to another buffet on Monday, Todai to be specific. The reason should be clear because of what day it is.