FOR PEET'S SAKE ...

It was a swell time at 7th and Montana yesterday ... at least I assume so, given that authorities were estimating that swells of up-to-five feet were surging their way to Santa Monica, the result of the devastating 8.9 magnitude earthquake that hit Japan on Friday. A Tsunami, they said, would hit our coast at 8:36 a.m. By 7:36, I was safely ensconced at Peet's, which is 14 blocks inland. Granted, a series of bluffs which are over 300-feet high in some places separates us from the beach, but why take chances? Besides Peet's is nothing if not safe. There's never a loon in sight. "Aha," said one regular pointing at my Spycam and notepad, "I know what you're up to!" And he did ... at least some of the crowd at 14th and Montana seems to know about my blog. "Oh, it's not what you think," I replied, "I'm expecting a conference call." Truth be told, I was looking for something -- anything -- that might be newsworthy. "We're in the midst of our annual brewing event," said one of the Baristas, "That means you can get 30 percent off on a coffee maker." Yawn. Meanwhile, it was also a "yawn" for the idiots who chose to camp out at the Pier watching for the Tsunami. According to The Los Angeles Times, "rubberneckers were mostly disappointed ... gently crashing waves lapped along the shore ...!"