Sunday. To bed at a reasonable hour last night, watching the first half or so of the late night weekend “historical” Korean soap, bailing finally thinking this is too painful, I can't really watch any more of it. Again, written for children. And, on occasion, people like me. Ouch.

Still, to bed, up this morning at about seven without the alarm, to breakfast and back on a foggy overcast morning. They're saying sun today, so I'm going to believe them, but for the moment I'm going to find things to do here at the apartment. Not hard to find things to do here at the apartment, the problem is in doing them at all, this weekend before Christmas.

I went back and reread yesterday's entry after posting, making a few corrections and adding a link to the obituary the Austin Statesman published on Tary Owen's death. I realize in looking back on my life I've been a great deal less than curious about the earlier lives and history of the people I've known. This is a relatively extensive Tary Owen's biography published by the Journal of Texas Music History.

I knew something about his background, we had many friends in common. I knew of the heroin addiction and that during our time he was probably chipping, of his friendship with musicians such as Mance Lipscomb and R. Powell St. John and I'd met many of his other contemporary Texas musician friends, but not in any breadth or detail or how well he was and later became thought of in Austin and the Texas music scene in general. Wouldn't have made any difference - I liked the guy, liked his band, their music and the people he knew - although it would have changed the context of that friendship in some ways I suspect.

I could say this about most of the people I've known: I haven't asked them questions, haven't for whatever reason been curious about their histories and so I'm sometimes surprised by the things I've later learned. A defect of character? I don't know. I have no idea how common this apparent lack of curiosity is on my part or even if it shows.

Do you tend to fill people in on your own history?

Only if they ask. Some do, most don't.

Later. Headed out the door in shirt, sweater and winter jacket, got as far as the lake and turned right around again and walked back to the apartment. Cold out there. No wind, but cold. They're still saying sun today - sun, not sun and partly cloudy - but it's noon and I'm not seeing much improvement. Well, I said there were things to do around here and it is light, easier to poke around and get things done. He said. I said. Here in Oakland.

Later still. Some late afternoon sun, maybe the partly cloudy day forecast for tomorrow will inherit today's now clearing sky. A walk down to the usual café thinking their kitchen would be closed but I did want a walk and found they were indeed open until four (this at five minutes to four) instead of three. A hamburger (for some reason a hamburger seemed possible if it didn't have any cheese) with potato salad, the waitress bringing me two pieces of cake to take home for “something sweet” later. They treat their regulars very well at my morning restaurant.

A walk back, a photograph or two without really paying attention to the taking of photographs, the Grand Lake theater with a change in their marquee continuing their upset with the Oakland mayor. Mayor Quan needs to become more aggressive and state clearly what's she's up to and how she's moving things along. She screwed up the first clearing of the Occupy tents big time and needs to cop to that, but I'm not ready to get rid of a mayor who seems to have many other strengths to take a chance on whomever may come. But who knows? Clarity is the first victim in a fight.

Otherwise time on the guitar (my fingertips are indeed getting tougher), some time fussing with the tape player and recorder, going through old tapes to see what I have in the collection. I had a habit of recording songs from records over an evening, whatever happened to appeal from one to the next as the evening progressed, and then playing the tape back whenever the mood struck. Everyone does this nowadays on the new easier to use players for similar reasons. Interesting to listen to what I'd recorded then, what I was listening to, this track followed by that track. What was I thinking? Will they still get me off? I suspect. Why not?