Wednesday. To sleep not long after eight to awaken (sort of awaken) at five-thirty, but wide awake by six to listen to Democracy Now! and prepare to drive to breakfast a little early as I was going to take the car to the Honda dealer and have them perform the smog test as well as get the recalled defective passenger side airbag replaced. Another day with two copies of the Chronicle being delivered, but no New York Times.

The restaurant is having the floor tiles in the area I've been eating breakfast in replaced, so I had breakfast out on their patio for the first time. Overcast and a little cool, but otherwise it worked out well. Had the two strips of bacon, scrambled eggs, country potatoes, toast, fruit cup and coffee, finished up before nine and drove to the Honda dealer's shop on Broadway, not sure how I was going to get home.

Pulled into the repair line and described what I needed to have done to the mechanic who said, in looking at the DMV letter I'd received, that my Element needed to be tested at a STAR smog testing station and they weren't certified for STAR. Oh.

I described the problem with the battery/catalytic converter that the earlier smog testing shop had experienced and the mechanic mentioned the car needed to be driven at various speeds with the gas tank one quarter to three quarters full to get the catalytic converter to reconnect to its electronics, so at least the problem became clearer. Complicated but clearer. Decided to give up on having anything done at the shop and drove home.

OK, we'll do the driving he described and see if we can go back to the original test station here locally to get it done. Life in the fast lane. At least the blood pressure has been behaving, 119/74 when I got up, making me hesitate before taking the blood pressure med before leaving, 106/72 now at ten-thirty as I write. It's low and somewhat concerning, but similar to yesterday's readings. At least I'm not feeling tired. We'll continue taking readings.

Later. The rest of the day has been piddled away in the usual way with time spent lying on the bed with the tablet, another detective series in this case, as well as the mid-afternoon and early evening news broadcasts to increase paranoia over the coronavirus. Not that we don't need more paranoia if we're going to get the infection rate d0wn. Or something like that.

You're babbling.

It's been a long afternoon.

Evening. Watched the first half or so of Midsomer Murders that started at eight until deciding I was tired and didn't need to know who'd done the evil deed and so to bed with lights out again after the six minute news at ten. Still have to get the car successfully tested and arrange that second Shingles shot. By the end of this week.