Thursday. A call from the body shop saying the car is ready after I got home from breakfast this morning so I think the walk for the day will be a walk to the body shop. They're saying there's a possibility of rain later, possibly raining out the game, but its clear enough at the moment, the sun shining through, the clouds starting to look as if they're going through changes, but so far, so good.

Yesterday marked the end of twelve years of keeping this journal, today begins year thirteen. Good thing I'm not superstitious. I figure after twelve years any damage is already done. I have no idea why I started this, other than I guess it became possible to keep an online journal sometime back in the late nineties. My guess is I'd be called a late early adopter.

There weren't all that many of us around in 1998 and with the advent of blogging software they add more blogs in a couple of hours today than existed in the entire country back then. Good or bad, wonderful or sad, here we be (in the Twenty-First Century). Twelve years. More to follow? Probably, unless something more interesting comes along to absorb my mind. More interesting is always good, I'm thinking. If I'm thinking. Not the first time I've asked.

Later. A walk over to get the car, the first leg along the east side of the lake taking a picture or two and I progressed. It's an area of Oakland I'm less familiar with, although I passed by the Parkview Theater, something of a legend in the area, a theater I've attended many times in the past before it folded and now sits empty. So, the car looks good. I realize I was slightly apprehensive driving it back, the thought of denting the thing again so soon after it had been in the shop. Silly. But not unusual I'd be willing to bet.

So a long walk followed by a walk down the way to Bakesale Betty's. I didn't mention I'd passed it by yesterday thinking, well, why not have their strawberry shortcake? Couldn't hurt. So I went inside to find they didn't have strawberry shortcake, but pumpkin pie (with whipped cream). What the hell, Thanksgiving and all, I was there, we'll try the pumpkin pie (with whipped cream). Was it good? Did I mention I set out for Bakesale Betty's early this afternoon for pumpkin pie? Yes it was good.

So what to do? A walk then to the City Center to have an ice cream bar outside of Starbucks (Pumpkin pie with whipped cream and an ice cream bar for lunch? No apologies whatsoever. They were very good.) taking a single photograph and then a walk back down Broadway opposite Sears where I caught the bus back to the apartment. I was planning on meeting Mr. E and Mr. S at Harrington's later to watch the game over a Guinness, but decided I'm tired after all this walking, too tired to think about making it a long evening in San Francisco.

So I'll settle in to watch the game while practicing the guitar. I have chords to learn. I've been avoiding my chords. One should not avoid one's chords now that you've got a music instructor who's expecting progress.