Sunday Morning, Oct. 8th, 2006, 6:36AM

Bullet Post Update:

* Last night M, my wife, and neighbors planned a bonfire in one of the local front yards. I wasn't in the mood. I stayed home, read Walden, and fell asleep by nine. I woke in the middle of the night but managed to get back to sleep, a rarity lately. This morning my sister and her kids are driving up from Illinois to meet M and the kids at the Milwaukee Zoo. Since I skipped the bonfire I should probably hit the zoo. I'll negotiate how long we're going to stay and make a decision.

* I've been reading Sarah Vowell's work over the last few weeks. I think I've read all the titles except the radio one (bad reviews, first book, although I'm interested in what she has to say about WZRD, since I worked for years at that station). I'd rate the books, in order from best to worst, as 1) Party-Cloudy Patriot, 2) Assassination Vacation, and 3) Take the Cannolli. She stays away from the romantic relationship dissection way more than Sedaris or Klosterman and focuses on depression and history a lot more. Worth reading.

* I am physically afraid to read Cormac McCarthy's "The Road".

* I am drinking a lot of Bija tea, either the anti-cold or the "deep cleanse" variety. I had no idea that the "deep cleanse" tea is meant for people with constipation. Trust me, the tea works.

* The house has been clean lately. I've been cleaning more on weekends in my "get away from work" effort. I should do more outside, though...never sprayed the sealant on the cedar this summer, and I should put the anti-dandelion crap down on the lawn soon.

* My favorite movie as of late is "The Devil and Daniel Johnston". I also snagged a CD of some of his older material, along with a set of covers from other artists.

* It's October ninth. The weather channel predicts temperatures above seventy. That's just wrong. It's fall, dammit. At least tomorrow the temperatures are predicted to dip into the fifties.

* Next weekend M flies east to visit friends. The boys are I are solo. I'm considering hiring a babysitter Saturday afternoon, just to be safe, but I think the weekend will be fine. It's all about the planning...making sure I hit the supermarket on Friday, all that.

* More later. Almost dawn. Need some tea.