They had no gas in their kitchen this morning at my usual breakfast place so I suffered through with lemon tea and a bagel as I read the papers. I wonder if they can blame the Russians? Dinner was planned this evening with Ms. T, but she's working from home today and suggested we get together for lunch instead, which is fine. A fellow photographer, who's been doing what I should be doing if I had more gumption and energy. She's done more studio photography in this last week than I've done in my life and I'm curious to see how she feels about her effort at this point and where she sees it going. We'll discuss this over a little Absinthe and sushi. Absinthe. I'm curious how my stomach will react.

You said no more bellyaching about that.

True, but I have to admit I'm curious.

Later. A nice lunch. Sushi finished with muffins baked by Ms. T with wicked little chocolate pieces inside. I was able to ask how satisfied she was with her progress after the many photo sessions she's been shooting recently. That and trying, for the first time, this Absinthe stuff: ice water drizzled through two sugar cubes over a glass of the green liquid itself, a famous liquor from the past with a ritual attached. Interesting, a licorice flavor (the way I've always heard it described), nice. Impetus for getting my own act together.

Impetus from the photography or the Absinthe?

From the photography, not that Absinthe with its great resume and sake can't share the same stage of course.

As an aside we talked about the problems each of us has been having with our sinuses. She'd never had sinus issues until she first moved to San Francisco and now to Oakland. I've always wondered about my own problem since it started when I moved to Oakland proper. There are a number of freeways cutting through Oakland and none of us really lives all that far from one. Any chance moving away for say three or four months would be enough to see if this is the issue? Should I maybe try it before I consider buying a condo? I follow the local political infighting over air quality, getting diesel trucks squared away (they idle for hours waiting at the Oakland port to pick up containers), the increased incidents of everything from asthma to lung cancer and now I wonder how many other people in this town may have low level problems similar to the ones we've been having? And then I have another glass of whatever and move on to something more cheerful.

You said you'd lay off the bellyaching.

Lay off the aching stomach, not the aching sinus-head thing. We've got a veritable smorgasbord of aches and pains to choose from around here, compliments of many hard years of rag tag living.