Monday. OK, on the phone with the mail order pharmacy again due to this change over to Medicare coverage resulting in a drive down this afternoon to the doctor's office in Palo Alto to pick up pills to bridge the gap while the HMO fumbles with the changeover. I should have pushed harder, yes, but I would also think if you're with, say, United HealthCare, as I have been since the beginning of time, they'd have some transfer mechanism in place to shuttle their pre-Medicare customers to their Medicare Schedule D program without a lazy senior like me having to wave a flag and (puff! puff!) jump up and down.

So how was Palo Alto?

Didn't stay long enough to see. Plenty of traffic on the highway between two and three in the afternoon, though.

Walked down to the usual café around five to hit the ATM machine and get in a little walking. Had a cup of coffee out in the open air at one of the tables. Watched the people pass on the sidewalk. I find sitting alone watching the world walk by soothing, not unlike sitting in a warm morning bath solving the problems of the world. Sat again on a bench by the lake on the way back again watching people walking, running and biking. Tried recording passing conversations on the swell digital recorder I carry, but somehow never have the presence of mind to use. Took one or two pictures, nothing special; watched a group of birds I can't remember seeing before diving for food. Migrating? Setting down for a couple of hours to catch their breath in America's oldest urban bird refuge? Passing through on their way to San Jose? To Santiago? Does Homeland Security know about this?