Lunch today with Mr. E down the hill at the sushi place, Mr. S not able to join in, Mr. E having a coffee date later with Ms. Right. Indeed. A few flasks of hot sake couldn't hurt beforehand, we thought, to ease us into the afternoon; Ms. Right calling him on his cell to say she's not able to make coffee as planned and scheduling for another day, time for another flask, we thought, now that there was no need to be marginally coherent in the early afternoon.

I'd skipped breakfast, as I had an appointment earlier to take Ms. Emmy in for her annual checkup, the only question I had for the vet being the patches of thinning hair that were developing on her hind legs. Nothing too gross, you understand, but something needing attention. The vet said allergies, a blood test for allergies running well over $300. Sigh. A blood test this morning for Ms. Emmy. Maybe I'm also allergic to whatever's gotten to her and this test will give me a useful heads up, although I recall my own set of allergy tests cost half what I've just spent on her. No complaints. Life goes on, Ms. Emmy is curled up on the bed right now dreaming recrimination.

Late afternoon sitting out at a table drinking coffee in the City Center having popped a couple of the pain pills I've just picked up at the pharmacy on Broadway, the doctor having phoned the prescription in, buzzing, watching the people and, although the temperature is quite a bit warmer than I like, feeling the day is finishing well. I'd taken a nap after lunch (or had you guessed?) getting up after a while to watch the news on PBS, now watching the people who are passing my table wrapped in their own particular versions of reality and heading for who knows where. This retirement business is OK.