Friday. To bed just after nine last night, to sleep just after ten. It seems to take an hour after I lie down before the lights go out. Maybe just plan for it, get to bed every night right after nine, get up at five forty-five with the alarm and be, if not immediately feel, rested. Everything else remains a little screwed up - some of the off the wall sinus stuff is probably mine for the rest of my life - but still rested. Rested (aware and reasonably comfortable) is nothing to sniff at.

Overcast at the moment, although they're saying sun through the weekend, no sign of any precipitation in sight. The reservoirs are at capacity from earlier rains, but this winter season has been really dry and there's no snow in the mountains. Melting snow is where the water for the summer comes from and, if this continues, we'll be feeling it next winter. Or whenever. I read the headlines, I don't read the small print. No rain for long enough, however, and we have the old problem. Don't flush so often, watch the water or the poor world will end.

Nothing on the calendar for the day and it's nice to not feel any pressure. Something planned for both Saturday and Sunday, so the weekend is taken, but this free day business, when you're retired, is turning out to be nice, particularly since I may be more sensitive now as the years have passed to what I perceive as pressure. I think.

Maybe I'm just more sensitive to something that hasn't really changed. Modern life is stressful? No one is surprised. You become more sensitive as you age? Could just be me, could be I'm whinging here about something I know nothing about. Best to not think, just take the day as it comes. Keep my mouth shut.

Later. An early morning trip down the hill, noting I'd just missed the bus, so I crossed Grand and took my four millionth picture of this tree. I do like the tree, mostly don't like the pictures I take and mostly don't do anything about it. No reason to stress over the obvious. Nice.

The next bus downtown to do a quick walk around the Occupy area. Plenty of police, given the number of people remaining they need to keep an eye on, but essentially little activity given what's been going on in the past. Still, plenty of attitude among the few - I wouldn't want to be a cop patrolling the area: too many nasty catcalls - and, I suspect, none of this is over. Our man is still up in his tree, blowing a horn. Makes as much sense as any of the rest.

You seem to have a somewhat dismissive attitude.

Not really. I still believe corporate lobbying has consumed the political process - the politicians and the main stream press - but we're at the lip of a major change (at least I hope we are) waiting on someone or some group to come forward with a coherent message that can resonate and, until then, it's a pox (and pictures) upon all their houses.

Sounds like you should be running things.

Well, as long as I could get to bed by ten and there's no stress.

Later still. OK, the second camera body has been acknowledged by Nikon and now it too is being repaired. Not quite as expensive to clean the D2Xs as it is the D3 and you wonder if the difference is just that one is the later model and they feel they can charge more, but either way they came in at the price I was expecting. So good, things are on track and they'll be back next week. I think.

I may get in another walk later, it's still early, but for the time being get in some time on the guitar and maybe think about a nap. Take the afternoon easy. It's Friday after all, a weekend ahead and it's good to prepare. Certainly at my age. Here in Oakland.

Late afternoon. A walk down to the morning café to have an apple turnover. I'd had enough coffee for a day, not being able earlier this morning to finish a small cup downtown. A picture or two, nothing to rock the world, but again, one or two I liked (such as the one up top).

Coming back I looked at the photographs I've taken with the D2X these last couple of days and realized the light balance needed adjusting for many of them taken in the morning. I've gotten used to the later models that handle what's called white balance much better than the older models such as the D2X and I hadn't remembered I needed to make what is a simple adjustment. So I went through a section I'd started yesterday and finished today for artandlife, tweaking the ones that were obviously off. My, my. Obviously off. Two steps forward, one step back.