Monday. We've got another storm coming later, but they're saying it will clear up by Wednesday and we'll have a clear and sunny Thanksgiving weekend. I'm ready. Feel pretty good, up before six before the alarm, back now at eight, the sun creeping through increasingly ominous looking clouds, but again, the attitude good and I'm up for getting in my walk (hup! hup!) before the day turns nasty again.

I did manage a decent session on the guitar yesterday in the early evening hours, practicing my chords, finally (I think) memorizing three that have been giving me problems both in fingering and remembering what they are. (The D, D7 and Dm becoming D for “down”, D7 for “up”, as in 7-UP and Dm “the other one”). No big deal, but a stumbling block that's no longer a stumbling block, the interest in practicing increasing.

So with that we're ready for the week. (hup! hup!) We'll leave my little sake adventure on Saturday night in peace. The sake that remains in the kitchen will sit there for a while, let me tell you. Not all of it was horrible I have to admit, it cleaned out my system like a champ. We'll leave that one alone as well.

So what to do here in Dingle Dell? Tomorrow they put in the crown, the gums around the temp no longer sore. Took it a while, it did. Brushing was an adventure. Sore as the dickens if you brushed it, not so bad left alone on its own. Not as painful as the bill that will be presented when he's done I suspect, now that I no longer have dental insurance. No complaints. Could be worse. You hear stories.

Later. A run down to the local Ace Hardware store to pick up a heavier duty plumber's helper (which unfortunately doesn't seem to be up for the job - we won't go any further with this one either), back before it started to rain, so I guess no walk unless there's a break later. We shall not count on a break later. We shall practice more of these chords and keep our butt planted firmly here in the apartment. (hup! hup!)

Later still. There seemed to be what I thought was a break in the rain and I decided to dress for the worst and head downtown to hit an ATM. At least it wasn't raining was the thought and, whatever might happen, I had my priorities straight with everything I needed (plastic bag and such) to protect the camera.

The sky became lighter and the rain stopped. Not many people about, but I used the ATM in the City Center and had a cup of coffee outside at a table sheltered under a building overhang. A single picture, nothing to talk about, as my heart wasn't in it. Walking back to the apartment I did get a somewhat better shot of this café. Don't ask my why I wanted a better shot. It's an oddball design, which I like, but I haven't been inside to see how oddball their fare.

The mood good, the energy good, I skipped getting on a bus when I turned off Broadway onto Grand and shot a couple of pictures as I passed by the lake after crossing Harrison. Liked the clouds. I assume the floating barrier the cormorants are sitting on was tangled in the thunderstorm night before last. They don't seem to mind. If I didn't know better I'd say they had some religious thing going on with the sun rather than just drying their feathers. Ancient Egyptian or Mayan ties that have never been broken? But that's the mind wandering. Pay no attention.

So we are back in the apartment, it's after noon, the sky is again growing dark, we'll see what we can find to amuse us inside. The guitar, of course, I'd like to solidify those chords, integrate them with others and see if I can't find a way to move from one to the other still keeping the beat. The instructor says you can be a little sloppy, people won't notice and it tends to be (ahem) “older” students who get fixated on getting them exactly right. He said it delicately, no offense meant or taken, and it does seem to be the truth. Relax. Play. Don't fret. Older student.