The Ballard burglar is by no means a smart man. Imagine ripping off the headquarters of Chin Music Press and: 1) looking for cash (who they kidding?) 2) looking for expensive hardware (ibid) and 3) not stealing a book (idiot!).

So, yeah, we got broken into over the weekend. And so did some of the neighboring businesses. Some of them had far more substantial losses than we did. The semi-literate burglar ransacked several offices, looking for cash and small items he could carry, dropping many of the things he was trying to steal along the way (my neighbors arrived at work today to find a new video camera on their floor!) and finally opening a door to an office that still had people in it! OK, this guy is not a master criminal. He probably doesn't even have a bachelor's. But he did make a proper mess of CMP HQ. For a moment Sunday, sifting through all the papers on the floor, I thought I was in my brother's apartment (ba-dum bum).

But we're back to normal now, although with a cancelled credit card.

We also received a rather tepid review of Poppas in the Baton Rouge Advocate Sunday. But then — and it may sound cliche, but these sorts of emails make my day — we received a message from a reader of DYK that said in part:

"I just purchased Do You Know What it Means to Miss New Orleans? from Elliot Bay and read it in the same day. As an evacuee from New Orleans to Seattle, it was moving to see people outside of New Orleans realize what an impact the city has. You were able get writers who captured the essence of the city that is so unique and beautiful. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

All in all, it was a good day.