Ten years ago (!) yesterday, my day started off as usual: I rose from my twin-sized bed in a large house on MLK in Berkeley; I donned my bathrobe, walked downstairs, and grabbed my copy of the Chronicle, which I subscribed to back then, the Web having not really taken off yet as a primary means of gathering one’s news. It’s weird, now, thinking back to days when the dead-trees version of the paper was something I not only paid for but looked forward to each morning. How alien!

Anyway, in 1996 local legend Herb Caen was still alive, still writing the best three-dot column anywhere. His need for more “items” was insatiable, and one time, I happened upon something that seemed item-worthy, so I sent it in. And on that splendid Tuesday morning ten years ago, I damn near had a heart attack when I saw my name down there at the very end of the column. My item had made the cut!

I’ve been thinking about making some changes to mahnamahna.net, and recalling this happy little episode has given me an idea. Coming soon to the mahna mahblog: ITEMS. Stay tuned!