A brief nap (we did get up with the alarm) and now a fairly clear headed morning. A walk of some kind later I'd think. I haven't had an urge to go downtown in what seems like weeks, maybe think about it, although the idea leaves me flat. Lunch later. Take it easy, get back into the world one small step after one small step. I wish I were kidding about poking my nose out of my neighborhood less and less often, let's hope it's just a phase and not a new norm.

They tell stories about old coots who never get off the living room couch.

Only so many pictures you can take from a couch.

Later. Nice day out there, fairly warm, nice breeze. None of the slight double vision, head in a bubble limitations from yesterday while walking to the morning café for pastry and a coffee, not really hungry and so leaving it at that. We'll top off with some cereal later I have no doubt.

My waitress mentioned this morning that a young woman who often sits outside at a table in the afternoons, working away on her Apple laptop, had it stolen yesterday by someone who came up behind her, grabbed the laptop, ran down the sidewalk and hopped into a waiting car. Obviously something planned out ahead of time and something I'm always at some level thinking about. I never sit at a table too close to the street, keep the camera in close on the lap or sitting on the ground tucked under my feet, but hearing this brings it a bit closer to home. You hope all you lose is the camera and not an arm or a hand. Fingers are delicate. Bones crack.

A bit dramatic, don't you think?

Still, something you keep in the back of your mind after fifteen years of packing a camera on the Oakland streets. I've been thinking about the first Friday Art Murmur that will take place tomorrow. There was a shooting and killing at last month's event. Makes you think about being out alone (even in a crowd) after dark. But enough, the day has started well and the head's in good shape.

Later still. Still clear headed but without ambition. Ennui with a long “you-eeee”. I walked over to the lake just to get outside, no thought to do more than take a snapshot of a bird or two, just get out, see what the temperature was like. Ennui. Well, ennui with a clear head is more than a step better than fuzzy, so we won't carp.

Right.

Right.

Evening. I've gotten in some guitar as we head into the evening. I'm thinking of taking a break from the lessons in March. I'll pay for the lessons of course, he's not there at my convenience, but that's not a problem. I need to clear the head and rearrange things to get me going again. Or is that obvious?

The pulmonary doctor appointment tomorrow at nine, the guitar lesson after at ten-thirty, so the morning will be busy. Silly to say. To one and then on to the other, plenty of time in between, but I still have this hyperactive “can't arrive late” gene watching, making me more uncomfortable than it should.

Nothing I want to watch at six, probably nothing on later, so we'll get to bed early.

Even though Elementary is on at ten?

Well, it will also be available on the CBS site tomorrow, so I may well watch it tomorrow and opt for rest.