OK, a drive then to Palo Alto for the annual prostate checkup, the traffic somewhat worse than I was expecting and the roads both leading into and around the hospital in the middle of a massive reconstruction project. Bitch, moan. He who is never late was late, but not too late, ended up walking to the appointment through weird little paths between all kinds of machinery and people directing traffic, to meet with the doctor. Any issues? No. OK, go get the blood test, I'll call you tomorrow with the results, come back in a year unless I have something to tell you when I call. And so I drove home.

I say “drove” but, as all the usual exit roads were now blocked, I managed to get myself completely turned around out there in the middle of somewhere before I finally pulled over and lit up the Mapquest app on the smartphone and let a lady's voice direct me. Next time I'm using the smartphone. I'm a believer now. I was a believer, but now I'm a real believer, much like I've become a believer who now is now backing up his photographs before bed at night. Just takes one lesson to stiffen the spine. Two lessons.

It's past noon, I'm heading out for lunch. So far, other than the driving (almost three hours of driving), we're in a pretty good mood and, with the temperature heading into the 70's as they did yesterday, we're ready for the day. And lunch. This started with lunch.

Later. Silly me. Heading out the door the weather was overcast and, well, a bit chilly. So much for the mid-seventies I'd thought was on the table as I was driving up from Palo Alto. Periods of sun on the way, I had the air conditioner on toward the end of the trip, the brain evidently thinking, well, air conditioner, must be warm. Warmer.

To the morning café for a pastry, ice cream and coffee, we'll see how that sits with the ocular gremlins, back now at the apartment (under an overcast sky, I now seem to recall they were indeed forecasting a chance of rain). We'll tune the guitar and play a couple of riffs to get started, listen to some good plain as oatmeal news and get on with the day. At least there are no more appointments, other than for the Thursday guitar lesson on Saturday, when I'm due at the dentist's for a teeth cleaning.

Pretty exciting stuff.

Now, now, that's my old tired riff, make up one of your own.

Later still. It took more time than I was expecting to move the Children's Holiday Parade photographs to artandlife, but the deed is done. Some of the photographs go back to the 2000 parade and I've had some, um, modifications-changes-redesigns over the years since then. I suspect it needs a complete recoding before the next one rolls around, but that's not for another year and we can deal with it then.

As in never.

No, I actually rather like working with this stuff, so something will come up and it will happen well before the next year goes by.

Evening. Another Maigret I've seen before at six, no idea who'd done it until the very end and even then it was the very, very end. Remembered the beginning scene, some of the characters, but that was about it. Still, I watched (and read the subtitles) with some interest as I played along on the guitar. We're getting better with our lesson, but Thursday is coming and we're not quite there.

Feel good. The trip to Palo Alto was no fun, but those are just the usual day's ups and downs, otherwise, other than not really having taken any pictures, we can mark this one up to the good. A good day after a good day after a good day, I'd say. Anything further back than three I can't remember.