...but there was no official drive in Chicago. Of course, I called the Red Cross number, sure there was a local office that I could visit and donate blood. But no ... the RC has 1 office -- 1 office! -- in the entire state where you can actually go to give blood. It's in Peoria -- not hundreds of miles away from Chicago, but still not very convenient.

There was a drive next week in Elk Grove Village, very close to work, but I'll be in NYC conducting a couple interviews for upcoming feature coverage in the magazine.

So, I donated money to the Red Cross instead.

But I'm not giving up on donating blood -- there is a company here called Lifesource that has actual branch buildings where you can walk in and donate blood! What a concept! They have 22 -- count 'em, 22! -- donor centers in the Chicago area.

Mary Beth at youchoose.com said her RC drive was pretty unorganized -- maybe the RC will have a better handle on it for the drive in September.

And how fortuitous -- I just got new glasses and prescription sunglasses, so I will join the Blood Ties/Lions Club drive for glasses donations. I usually donate my old glasses anyway, so this will cover 2 causes at once.

OK, tonight is the return of Moonlight -- FINALLY! -- so I need to stock up on provisions...

Woohoo! Moonlight won its first award tonight -- the People's Choice for Best New Drama!!

More than 10 million votes -- pretty impressive.

Now, if CBS would just put us out of our misery and pick up the show for another season ... geez! Only 2 more new episodes before this first season ends.

I don't know why I'm so addicted to this show; I've watched other vampire shows throughout the years, but never has one affected me this way before.

I finally got to see Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter and Alan Rickman in "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street." It was excellent! I had seen the stage play several years ago, but never the musical. Yet the movie was much bloodier than I expected -- way cool!! No CSI teams to ferret out all the blood evidence back then...

Johnny's face has so much expression, you can read a lot into it, even if you can't quite understand all the words in his songs -- and much of the movie is sung instead of spoken. Much like "Les Miserables." But the story is a simple one to follow -- man is wrongly accused of a crime and sentenced to life in prison so evil judge can seduce man's wife and raise man's daughter, man escapes after 15 years vowing vengeance on all those who wronged him, gets a "taste" of killing men in his barber chair, joins up with baker women with ingenious way to "get rid of" the bodies, finally gets his revenge, then is killed himself.

All the actors took voice lessons as they are not singers, and I think they all did a great job. I even asked -- and received! -- the movie soundtrack for Christmas, before I had even heard any of the actors sing!

The set design was great, too -- that perfect creepy/Victorian/serial killer look.

The stage musical will be coming to Chicago this spring, and I plan to get a great seat to see all the action.

I love Tim Burton's movies -- huge fan of "Sleepy Hollow," "Nightmare Before Christmas," "Corpse Bride," "Batman," "Edward Scissorhands." I liked "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," but Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka has a special place in my heart.