This is the pool at the house where I'm staying in L.A. I head to Laguna Beach for 24 hours tomorrow for this dang wedding. It's so hot here! San Francisco averages a cool 62 degrees everyday, so my tolerance for heat isn't what it used to be. I think that also translates metaphorically. The pressure hasn't let up since before my Japanese house guests arrived last month. I thought once I completed my three-week stint at the magazine, I'd be in the clear, but instead more deadlines have piled up and I'm cracking under the pressure. I've had three stories come back to me with queries/edits in the last day—unheard of, at least in my career. That's not a boast, that's just a fact. I need a week of rest. And even though sunshine and a pool are usually signs of relaxation, I can attest that these five days in L.A. hardly qualify as the rest I need.—SF