Wednesday. To bed last night at a decent hour, up with the alarm and back now from breakfast, the sun starting to poke through the overcast. They're saying high winds for the rest of today and tomorrow after these two days of heavy morning fog. So far no wind, but they're saying gusts of up to seventy miles an hour, so we'll see. I hope the undergrowth on the hills isn't too dry, we haven't been in a drought now for some time, but you never know. Wind is not your friend in a fire.

Otherwise the guitar lesson in another half hour. I'm as prepared as I need to be, I think, the string bending having been the focus this last week. I continue to practice some of the earlier lessons, of course, and have noted I'm hitting some of the chords I've been wrestling with much cleaner and more easily in these last few days. Nice. Just like that. I may learn to play this damned thing one day, although I suspect it's best not to hold my breath.

Later. Hmm, well: as in hmm, it went well, a run through the current lesson hitting the chords as many as one or two out of three times and then on to a new Yardbirds song that includes some of this string bending stuff. I was quite jazzed, actually, as much of it sounded about right. Maybe I'll get in more than enough practicing this week, see if I can't play the damned thing at the next lesson.

I went by the supermarket on the way home from the lesson and picked up some necessary items including a little sake and a broiled chicken. For some reason I wanted a chicken sandwich and actually got off my duff and bought the makings. Good for me. Now as to how it tastes, how it actually works out in the scheme of things, well we'll find out.

A bus downtown to run by the City Hall plaza area to see what might be happening and to to have lunch (we'll save that chicken sandwich for dinner) in the Rotunda building, lunch turning out to be a cup of coffee and a raspberry shortcake cookie. Have I mentioned those cookies? Ah, I have.

Mr. RunningWolf's teepee was sitting off to the side. I was expecting to see it covered, as the papers this morning had said they'd come up with a compromise in that he could set up his teepee, but had to tear it down by ten every evening, they didn't want no Indians sleeping in teepees on government land. Trees were evidently bad enough.

I took a picture of the interfaith group as they were setting up their tent, as they've been doing now for as long as I can recall now at the plaza. They've been taking it down and packing every evening, at least that's my understanding from what I've been able to see (and recall), although, when I returned from lunch, there were police talking with the people who were manning it, obviously telling them it had to come down. So, of course, I took photographs.

An exciting day, I'd say. A good lunch, a picture or two, another “hey, take my picture” event, a walk and then a bus a ride ride the rest of the way back home. A message on the cell I'd missed while I was at my guitar lesson. Normally I take the cell with me, but I'd worn a sweater without a jacket that didn't have any pockets, so I left it at the apartment not checking it before I headed out again downtown. Anyway, some of the usual crew is to meet at Roy's, so the day will end as the day has begun: running full tilt. Well, inside the brain, anyway, at least until I get into a second or third pint of Guinness.

You going to keep it to two or three Guinness this evening?

We'll see. We always see, whatever we've been saying prior to arrival. Here, balanced at the lip of a pint of Guinness, in jolly old Oakland.