Which we of the going to Western Pennsylvania in mid August persuasion will be sweltering in.

Come, JohnSweden, cry on my shoulder.

Hec, stop it. You're making me very jealous and angry and I can't leave Boston for another two years.

But Emily you'll be missing...

Best Film Noir Festival

It's official. 'Noir City' is now the biggest, most heavily attended film noir festival in the country. Head honcho (and author of Dark City: The Lost World of Film Noir and other fine titles) Eddie Muller is mum on the details for "Noir City 3" — he wouldn't tell us the theme even after we broke a few of his fingers with a hammer. But we did get him to admit these facts: it will be (where else?) at the Castro Theatre, Jan. 14 through 27; a big-name noir actor will make an appearance opening night; and the program will include a spine-tingling 27 films, undoubtedly an excellent mix of acknowledged classics, quality genre efforts, some genuine obscurities, and a few legitimate rediscoveries. A few "lost" films mysteriously dropped from earlier "Noir City"s are slotted for screening ("Crawford fans rejoice," Muller mutters enigmatically). And this year passes go on sale in December. We know what we want to find in our stockings. www.noircity.com.

Best Free Film Noir

Several times a year a shadowy group of film noir aficionados operating as the Danger and Despair Knitting Circle — a reference, for novices, to Out of the Past — surfaces on Thursdays nights to screen classic, offbeat, and plain obscure film noir for everyone's favorite admission price: free! It's strictly an underground operation — reservations are mandatory, and most screenings take place in vacant downtown offices — but we have no complaints. The chairs are comfortable, most prints are 16mm, and the stuff they show ... Many of the titles never even made it to DVD or video: the recent "Poverty Row" series included a few films that survive only in the archives of private 16mm collectors. This summer expect a brace of precode crime films, followed by fall's "Film Noir of 1941: A Look at the Gateway Year" and winter's "The Red Scare: Those Nasty Commies in Film Noir." Looks like our Thursday nights are booked for the year. E-mail screenings@hotmail.com or call (415) 552-1533. www.noirfilm.com.

Sean! I sent you email, which you need to answer.

Hec, what about Zam Zam? Ya gotta say something about Zam Zam!

Hec, what about Zam Zam? Ya gotta say something about Zam Zam!

Fantastic martinis, tiny place with a Persian theme, beautiful old horseshoe shaped bar. It's fab.

So, you're saying I should bring, like, socks, to SF? And a jacket? Real clothes, instead of just surviving through the August swelter minimal decent covering? Cool! And Kewl!

For those who are asking, Nilly's airfare total is about $1500, and we collected $3050.

That should be plentiful for walking around money and trainfare, given that Nilly has no lodging worries.

Deb, I'll forward you her itinerary.

Since there is going to be dancing and such on Thursday I just may need to pack my leather...Kilt.

I don't live there but I tragically mis-packed once when I went to a conference in San Francisco during August.

I did the opposite. I used to live in Marin, so knew the chilly. Went to SF for a conference and they had the hottest weather in, like, forever. I just about died. Not that this relates to F2F, except, you know, the all about me part.