Saturday. To bed, to sleep, up with the alarm on this cool and overcast morning. To breakfast and back thinking I'll do the Sistahs Steppin’ in Pride Parade later, then head over to Japantown for J-Pop. And that's as far as I've thought. Get the cameras ready and maybe take a morning nap, as complicated as that. Start simple, add any complexity later as needed. It's too early in the morning for actual thought.

Later. OK. Tired but feeling reasonably good. Can't complain about that. I went over to the lake to photograph the forming up for the Sistahs Steppin' at ten, thinking it started at eleven. It turned out the drummers started playing at eleven, the parade itself set out at noon. OK, two hours of shooting, enough pictures for a section on artandlife. Maybe two, but that would probably be stretching it.

I returned thinking to get ready to head over to San Francisco and then said no, we'll do ChinaFest in downtown Oakland, take it easier for the rest of the day, devote tomorrow to J-Pop. ChinaFest was as ChinaFest has always been. I shot some pictures, but not nearly enough, didn't find nearly enough, it's a difficult shoot. And, hell, maybe I was tired. Good music, though, a Tower of Power sound alike band drew an enthusiastic crowd.

A few pictures and then home to work on the Sistahs section for artandlife. Maybe there's two sections here, I don't know.

Evening. The rest of the afternoon putting what turned out to be two sections together for artandlife. I'm probably stretching it further than the pictures allow, but such is life. Art and life. Tired, not overly tired, I suspect there's a good night's sleep ahead. I hope J-Pop turns out well tomorrow, I have no idea if one day is better than another. I'd think, if you were heavily into the costumes and such you'd be there on Saturday, given a choice, as there are many side events and evening events scheduled that run in conjunction to the street festival itself. Then again, if you're really into it you'll be there both days. I wonder what bands they've booked?

It's approaching ten. I've spent very little time on the guitar, we'll see if we can't make up for it tomorrow, do one more session right now maybe, close the gap. Catching up tomorrow is one of those phrases that predict failure. We don't want no failure. Not yet. Not before the lesson on Wednesday, here in the procrastination ponds of Oakland where the old photographers dwell.