MY FAVORITE WEEKEND

Venetian Life: My wife, Alley Mills, and I live on the canals in Venice in a couple of old houses joined together with a glass walkway. I love to just sit out on the canals and hear the ducks quack, and read. Venice is one of the few places founded for pleasure, not commerce, and I just love that it’s kept that feeling. There are battles between the developers and the old hippies--but there are still enough old hippies around to make it interesting. I’m happy just sitting in the warm California sun. People who need pain in their lives, they can go live in Wisconsin.

No Gondolas: This time of year we also have the Christmas boat parade on the canals, which is just ridiculous. People decorate their boats with these battery-powered lights and sing. And then the neighbors bring out hot toddies. And as the hot toddy intake increases, the quality of the singing decreases.

Sunday Services: The early morning hours on Sunday are sacrosanct. That’s when we watch “This Week” with Sam Donaldson and Cokie Roberts. Then I go out and get bagels from Noah’s New York Bagels.

Seaside Lunch: We go to James’ Beach, on Venice Boulevard by the beach. It’s a laid-back place where you can get a burger or a full meal and they have a patio outside where you can smoke. I don’t smoke, but I find that smokers are more interesting than nonsmokers, so we go out there to listen to them. We’ll also sometimes go to Hal’s, a wonderful watering hole, but it’s gotten too crowded.

Stage Support: The Pacific Resident Theatre has a little theater row down here, so there’s always a workshop production or something going on. We also usually check out whatever’s going on at the Odyssey. I saw “Death of a Salesman” at the Falcon Theatre in the Valley, and “The Mystery of Irma Vep” at the Tiffany, but I don’t get around to as much theater as I should.