If you have an hour to kill, and morbid curiosity, here I am speaking to the La Verne Historical Society on a rainy Jan. 9, reading from “100 Years of the Los Angeles County Fair, 25 Years of Stories” and taking semi-audible questions! It’s the first time someone has filmed one of my presentations (and possibly the last). Thanks to LVTV’s Claudia Gonzalez for the filming and editing. If nothing else, it’s a keepsake for me.

I’m recovered from my mild case of COVID — although I could use a nap. (Couldn’t we all?) Many of you responded by email, phone or social media to my column last Friday about it, including a few “never-hadders.” I excerpt some of your comments in this Friday’s column. Stay safe out there!

I escaped COVID for nearly three years until testing positive this week. Well, it was a nice run. I write about it in my Friday column and mention all the events I would have attended the past few days. Now you know why my Wednesday column was absent.

What did I do on vacation in San Francisco, the one to which I flew from San Bernardino? A lot of walking, as well as bus riding and train hopping. I focus on the walking aspect, including a self-guided tour around one neighborhood with a mystery writer connection, in my Sunday column.

I didn’t miss any columns, but I did spend a long weekend in Portland, Oregon, one of my favorite places. Here’s how it went, as chronicled in my Wednesday column.

On vacation in New York, I bought a MetroCard transit pass and used the heck out of it over the next few days. Best $34 I ever spent. I also did a lot of walking and stair climbing. I talk about the experience, and recount some highlights (and one lowlight) from my trip, in my Sunday column. Have you been to New York? Did you love it, hate it or somewhere in between?

While on vacation, I saw the Yankees, and two days later, I saw the Mets, upping my ballpark total to 14 (of 30). I write about the experience, including bringing along a transistor radio, in my Friday column.

There’s never been a book until now on the LA County Fair. And I’m the author. Sometimes, if no one else is doing something that needs to be done, you have to do it yourself. I announce the book and list events scheduled so far in Sunday’s column. More to come!

I was a guest during a segment of KPCC-FM’s “Air Talk” on Thursday about the return of the LA County Fair. If you missed it (likely) or caught it but want to relive the glory (theoretically possible), you can find the audio here. Scroll down until you see the heading for the third segment of the show. It’s 14 minutes.

Bewilderingly, I’m on Day 10 of the flu. By now I’m mostly fine, but it’s proving stubborn. Have you had the flu this season, or thought you had COVID when you didn’t? I write another column from home for Wednesday.