Another spectacular sunny morning. It's going to get pretty warm later from the feel of things but, as I look out the balcony windows, I see the light is really nice for photography. Earlier it was even better. I understand why some photographers get up before dawn to shoot as the sun comes up rather than have breakfast and read the papers at a comfortable café and maybe I'll start doing that one of these days too (tap into the inner lunatic), but for today I've had breakfast, read the news and I'm home now thinking of attending a park fair later over in Berkeley.

Later. A bit too warm to be outside. Best for the late morning and early to mid afternoon to sit in front of the fan and practice these chords that I'm finding it so hard to finger without slopping over and pressing against their neighbors. Makes for a funky chord, let me tell you. It isn't just learning the notes and chords and then going over and over them until you can play without thinking, first you have to stretch and limber up your fingers to play them in the first place. OK, I'm here to learn, not to complain about the steps involved. Everyone else has gone through the same sequence, some have gone on to play ‘Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star’ with the best of them. They may have bitched, but they didn't quit. Not after five days, anyway.

I'm concerned about my cat Emmy. She stopped eating yesterday and the day before. She still drinks water, but she's been very quiet and now she's hiding under the bed. I talked earlier with the vet and decided to bring her in on Monday if she doesn't get better. Somehow having her sitting in a cage at a veterinarian's office over the weekend doesn't sound very nice, assuming there's nothing they can do or give her other than check for the obvious. Not eating is not a good sign for a cat. Has me feeling down, let me tell you.

You sure about not taking her to the vet?

No. Are you sure about anything when it comes to your cat? She's had her teeth examined and fixed, we talked about that on the phone, so that's most likely not the issue. Might be better if it was. Teeth usually aren't life threatening. Part of me just says take her in, part of me says there's nothing to be done and leaving her in a strange place for two days isn't the thing to do. Not nice at all. But then I could be wrong. Bring her by and then take her home unless they give you a really compelling story? That might be the way to go, I can still bring her by later. Her carrier has been out sitting in the living room now for well over an hour. Maybe part of me has already made the decision.

Later still. Emmy is still hiding under the bed. She'll come out and go to the kitchen for water, but slowly, methodically, looking scruffy. Probably not good when your cat allows herself to look scruffy. I've stayed in the apartment, it's over ninety outside, although the humidity, at least, is in the twenties to thirties and reasonable. Cats, cats, cats. I'm worried about this one.