The Look Of It
Tuesday. Sunlight, sun bright, up after eight after a good night's sleep last night. Now, what to do for the rest of the day? Obama has nominated a Supreme Court Justice and that's nice. The California Supreme Court has upheld Proposition 8 while allowing those who were married before it was passed to remain legally married and that is going to change, but not today evidently. Lunch tomorrow with friends from the old office and then some thought of driving up the coast. I think I'm committed to the drive and that's probably good, given my hibernation habits of late.
That doesn't really qualify as travel, you know.
Everyone asks me, now that I'm retired, have I been traveling? Traveling as in a plane ride to another country where, if they speak English, they speak it with a very different accent. Brooklyn and perhaps Selma, I believe, count under this definition, although I'm not sure there's anything playing at the Brooklyn Fox theater I'd want to see anymore. I keep talking about Rio for Carnaval. I suspect you could get a pretty good deal on a package right about now and it's far enough in the future I could commit without really committing, you understand, next February or whenever being way too far in the future to be a concern for those of us with at most a week and a half's understanding of time.
You'll never go to Rio.
I wonder. I've lived here in Oakland about as long as I've ever lived anywhere else in my life without moving. Do these old habits change when you get to be this old? I wonder. We're only talking a visit here, you understand.
Later. A bus ride downtown in the crisp afternoon sun to sit and drink a cup of coffee in the Rotunda building facing on City Hall instead of walking around the area. I debated heading for the University district on Telegraph - haven't been there for some time, probably don't need to be there again for some time - and walking down to Jack London Square - been three recently, probably be there again pretty soon, probably wouldn't miss it if I avoided it for months on end - and then decided on the coffee and the ride back. So much for adventure on a Tuesday.
I have stuff I ordered last week due later this afternoon. Usually on a Tuesday, after a three day weekend, the mail won't arrive until late and my sitting here not caring one way or another probably means this stuff I've ordered is stuff I really don't care that much about. No lust for arrival, in other words. What was it I ordered again? OK, I know, and it's all swell stuff - books and doohickeys for strobe lights - and I'll put them to good use, I certainly will, and it's support for the damaged economy and all, as lame an excuse as I can float at the moment. I've had my years of past unemployment and, in retrospect, regret them not a whit. At my age, if I break the family losing streak on male mortality, I can look forward to more periods of penury coming sooner than I might wish from the look of it.
You really burning the candle at both ends?
Not unless I make too many of those trips to Rio I've been talking about.
You'll never go to Rio.
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