I look around this place and see a history of things and projects that have absorbed my attention over much of my life. Cases full of books once read over decades with fascination and interest, much less so today. A bunch of old lp records, listening to them, listening to music once sensual and important, but sitting now essentially gathering dust. Various computers and software once of interest, now tools to be used with the journal and the photographs and nothing else. Which is fine. I'm not really that much of a geek. No complaints.

Still, it would be nice if one of these shadows of the past scattered about this place called out, winked, caught my interest for the day at least, brought back some of that energy they were so good at bringing forth. Could be anything, an urge to put a room in order, get rid of some these computer books, file the photography magazines, finish a project that's been hanging over my head for months. Even some of the model railroad stuff. (No, not the model railroad stuff; been there, done that.)

We're slipping into babble here. Be careful.

Yes, yes. I see the signs. We are in a good enough mood, the attention focused on the knee and, if it weren't for the knee, then the lungs, and if it weren't for the lungs, well then, the what? The lungs have calmed down quite a bit since restarting the inhaler stuff, whatever I had in the way of a flu-cold has bitten the dust, the knee is getting better and I'm babbling. What more could a guy want? A picture or two would be nice, but they will come, if not today then soon enough. I suspect that fire dance group I wanted to photograph in San Francisco this evening is no longer on the slate, but who knows? The fire dancers do all the running around, the photographer, this photographer, could probably do his shtick without too much effort. Maybe.

That's not going to happen.

True. It's not the pictures themselves, but getting over to the city and back. Not something I'm willing to do circumscribed as I am by the knee. Deedle-dee-dee. Here in Oakland at nine in the morning, babbling.

Later. I set out walking to the lake and sat out at that same bench to watch the population passing by. It's a Saturday, the sun is shining and people are out in droves both to walk and to run, to visit the farmer's market and to work out/hang out in the park. So a picture or two, the attitude good, although nothing much to show at the end in the camera. A farther walk down to another bench by the white columns, then on to the ATM and the morning café for a cookie and a Coke. Walking as far as I did deserved a celebration was my thought, although the cookie and the Coke were more to justify my sitting out at one of their tables than anything else.

It's three hours now since I got back and I'm wondering if I might not have overdone it, heading on through the market to the ATM and then the Coke and such at the morning café instead of coming right back. We'll know tomorrow, I suspect, the knee now aching in harmony with some new nearby areas of the leg, this even though I spent time sitting on benches and such to keep the walking to short stretches. It's now the second week since this started, time for it to stop. Nothing on the calendar this coming weekend to photograph, but enough is enough. Stamp our (still good) foot!

No clever projects have attracted your attention this afternoon as you'd hoped?

We've made do with the walk followed by an hour's nap. More than enough for an afternoon, let me tell you.