I had lunch with the usual crew. Mr. E being back finally from Florida, so five of us met at Harrington's in San Francisco for lunch. I kept it to three glasses of Guinness and a salad, they (the greedy sons of bitches) went for grilled animals, many more than four glasses of Guinness and finished with shots of various whiskies. I arrived at noon to find Mr. S sitting at a table, the rest arriving soon after, all of us leaving for BART some four hours later.

A short nap when I got home preceded by two of those swell little pills they give me for my sinuses (they do seem to work) and now I'm ready for an evening of writing this, futzing with an old picture for the top and watch my Chinese soap. I think I've mentioned my Chinese (and Japanese) soaps, many of which seem to be written for the entertainment of small children. I don't like to admit to this, but I'm long over the hill on this embarrassment thing and don't really give a damn.

What was that about?

Probably just a way to prime the pump. Now that I've watched the News Hour on Public Television I'm feeling pretty good and looking forward to the evening. Had I participated to any degree with my afternoon companions (the lushes) I'd be three sheets to the wind and feeling crappy. It's only taken me thirty or so years to figure this out and that's only because I'm a fast learner.

The San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade is tomorrow and it's supposed to rain like crazy throughout the weekend. The parade is what I consider the beginning of my photography year. (No, I'm not sure what that means either, but it's always sounded good and provided a little boost of energy in the middle of winter.) I do have specialized rain gear fitted for the cameras. Well, one camera. Which I've never used. Will I set forth into the storm? Probably not, but I've got to think what in the hell I'm going to do without them. I've been going back to some of my negatives for past parades and looking for photographs I haven't used in the past that seem halfway decent, a project that's telling me there's some cataloging to be done. Ah, the undeveloped black and white. Rainy weekend, develop the black and white. No, I don't think I'll do it either, what are the chances after all, but it's a thought.