WILD WEEK

I had to paste this picture here. Why? Because this is one of those weeks that will drive you to drink. And even though it's Friday it isn't over yet. We're in the city tonight for the opening of a brand new restaurant. A close friend has invited us and so we're going. Tomorrow night we are at the Wolf Trap Gala. Sunday I plan to collapse. I knew I was in for a wild week when the week began with a late dinner with old friend Ted Alemayhu. He's the head of U.S. Doctors for Africa. http://www.usdfa.org/index.cfm?views=home

Ted's concept is great. Africa is suffering from a brain drain. So many gifted doctors head to other countries rather than stay on the Continent. Many study abroad to pick up their skills and never leave. One of those places is the United States. So Ted thought why not send some doctors from here to there?

Ted is from Ethiopia. He's the founder and CEO of U.S. Docs. He was here in Washington for some meetings at the White House and a host of other things. We spoke on the phone and he said, "How about an early dinner?" With my schedule those are magical words. I couldn't have been happier, until he utters his next sentence. "How does 7:30 sound?" It's so funny how each person has a different definition of early.

So we meet at Etete Restaurant on U street. It is a great Ethiopian restaurant. The food is terrific and so is the conversation. Ted wants us to come to New York next month for their East Coast gala. Last year I had the honor of emceeing the event here on the east coast at the World Bank. This year Russell Simmons will be there, along with Earth Wind & Fire performing. http://www.usdfa.org/gala2007/ We already missed the gala in Los Angeles. It was huge! About as huge as one of the guests. Yes that's Dikembe Mutombo with Ted. He may tower over my friend, but I'm willing to bet he can't match him when it comes to energy. I'm still trying to work on Kate to see if we can go up for the event. It's guaranteed to be a lot of fun. But as crazy as our schedules are, we might have to miss it.

The next day was a solemn one as Americans reflected on what happened on our soil 6 years ago. It was the anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11th,2001. Wednesday I ended up in Baltimore. I was up to see my friend Rory Markas. I never would have dreamed I'd be on the Angels pre game show. It was a blast. Just imagine you are a kid growing up in Southern California listening to Dick Enberg call the Angels games. Then one day you are on the broadcast. Pretty wild stuff! So yesterday I took a breather. Then today to close out the week I spent a little time with the President of the United States on our 9 am show. Can it get any better than this? Okay we really aren't that close that he would just drop by the station to appear on the air with me. It's the President that will be on display at Madame Tussauds. The new museum opens early next month. http://www.madametussaudsdc.com/

Have a great weekend!