December 30, 2002 | 10:14 PM

A more lovely day could not have been had.

Slept in late, and for the first time in a long while, awoke from good (sexy) dreams as opposed to nightmares.

Went out to Fox�s Deli for lunch with my Grandparents. The three of us got egg creams and had a good discussion about Spinoza, which as I study more and more is the closest of all western philosophers to my idea of what �God� is. We also talked a lot about politics.

After that we went back to their house and my uncle did my ASTROLOGICAL TRANSITS for the upcoming year. The big theme was that there�s a lot of opportunity for creative and artistic growth as long as I disassociate myself from any impulsivity and emotionalism�that I need to become very pragmatic and goal oriented�I had similar aspects the year I got laid off and it turned out to be very true then as well.

After the transits, my uncle, my grandparents, and I sat around for four hours and listened to music. We listened to Julie London and Lou Rawls (my fucking grandparents are fucking LOU RAWLS fans. That if nothing else qualifies them for the Greatest Grandparents ever award) and Sinatra and Count Basie and Eartha Kitt. It was so wonderful.

Then the four of us had a big debate over the best songs of the popular music era spanning the first half of the 20th century. We came up with this top ten list which is flawed and incomplete but I think it�s pretty good for a start.

1. Stardust

2. Stormy Weather

3. Autumn in New York

4. One More For The Road

5. Blues in the Night

6. Someone to Watch Over Me

7. Summertime

8. Lady is a Tramp

9. Anything Goes

10. Strange Fruit

Our votes for the ten best popular singers of the same era are as follows

1. Frank Sinatra

2. Peggy Lee

3. Ella Fitzgerald

4. Billie Holiday

5. Big Mama Thornton

6. Bing Crosby

7. Ethel Waters

8. Sarah Vaughn

9. Josephine Baker

10. Edith Piaf

(There was a big debate over whether Jacques Brel should be included, but we all decided he�s more relevant as a composer than a singer.)

My Mom and brother and sisters picked me up at 6:00 and we went over to our family friends the Chayevsky�s for dinner. We had salmon and rice and salad and homemade bread and asparagus. We talked about books and movies and played with Lucy their beagle. There was a big fire going in the fireplace and it felt so nice and cozy like the Glass Family if they weren�t all neurotic.

And now I�m just sitting here typing up this entry.

Tomorrow my Mom and I are going away to Niagara on the Lake (a really sweet little town in Canada where the Shaw Festival is held every year.) We�re staying at a fancy hotel and getting spa treatments and drinking lots of dessert wine. It should be splendiferous.

So you won�t be hearing from me again before the New Year. I hope you have a dandy one and I�ll be back soon!