Now it's Saturday and we can get on with it. I've been charging batteries for the cameras, the Nikon's now have a fresh set and a fresh backup set and I'm working on the batteries for the strobe lights. All the same rechargable AA cells, two Radio Shack rapid chargers, eight batteries between them at a time, takes about an hour to charge and fifteen minutes for them to cool down. Each of the Nikons need eight batteries, each has a backup set of eight in a battery pack that easily slips in and out - click!- the strobes take four and you load them one battery at a time. One day you will need to know this.

The Chinese New Year parade runs in the late afternoon today in San Francisco, the unofficial/official start of my new year of shooting. I had breakfast at seven, hitting the money machine on the way over, three loads of laundry now finished and I need to pick up kitty litter and flea stuff at the pet shop before I vacuum the rugs and get ready for the delivery of a new stove this afternoon. The landlord will be here to supervise while I'm heading for the parade in San Francisco. I wonder if she'll notice the spots on the rug? I've been thinking carpet remnants where Wuss makes his marks, two strips for the hallway, a larger rectangular piece behind my computer desk. May work, may not.

Later now, after the parade. Muscles hurt. Five hours and nine rolls of film and my back is saying please don't do it again. A good days shooting. Plenty of faces, plenty of pictures, the last hour practically shooting with a strobe in the dark.

Sunday. Beautiful day. I need to get outside.