Monday. I read yesterday's entry before posting and wondered what in the hell was going on with the Korean soap business. Which I watched last night. That ending with the (good) prince getting shot full of arrows was resolved as I thought it would - it wasn't the (good) prince at all, but one of his disguised (loyal) followers - as he was (cleverly wearing three sets of armor) was knocked off his horse unharmed and got right up ready again to ride on to another day where he'd get shot full arrows in some other improbable way. In May. Hey.

Slapstick. Maybe that's what I mean when I label it a soap, I guess I really mean a form of theater more from the silent film era than the 21st Century, Little Nell tied to the railroad tracks in the snow, the Midnight Special approaching from the distance.

Yet you seem to be watching.

That's what has me stymied. Why am I following along, even half heartedly?

Because....

Let's not go there.

Anyway, to bed at eleven for another fitful night's sleep, up with the alarm, to breakfast and back by eight. They say there's a good chance of rain later today, although the sun is out and the sky doesn't look all that unpromising. A week ahead with rain they said. We'll see. Something a little different may be required in tracking down pictures.

Later. There was some bit of sun this morning as I set out for a walk down to the usual place for coffee and a croissant, but it's overcast now and they're saying a thirty percent chance of rain today, fifty percent this evening and seventy percent through the rest of the week. So we'll dig out the plastic camera covers and persevere.

I did pass that same Pelican on the way along the lake carrying, of course, a camera with the shorter 120mm lens. I like the color though. A closer cropping of a second picture to see what might be possible with the right equipment. I should spend some time and energy to get it right which, coming from me, isn't worth a laugh anymore, but we'll see.

I passed by this group shooting at the white columns taking this picture on the way back. Passing, the camera obvious in my hand, I taunted (very nicely): “work, work, work!” and the fellow laughed and said that was never the case and that I knew it as well as he. He's right of course. Hope whatever he's working on turns out well.

Back then to mess around on the web, to take a short lie down listening to the radio and a long bath (so much for the hair staying in place) and think about the guitar. I got my time in yesterday, but need to make a proper go through today and tomorrow. That chord change is finally coming along, I'll have in down cold in no more than a month or so. I know - ha! ha! - but that's not so bad. It does move forward and practice is what makes it happen and once you have the one in hand it applies to many of the other chords coming up.

Nobody said anything other than it would take a couple of years of decent practice to learn how to play and nobody's really defined what they mean by “know how to play”. I assume some facility in keeping up on the chords and playing fairly simple tunes fairly well, fairly well if you give each tune a “fair” amount of practice. That seems to be how it works and so far I have no complaints.

I see the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations continue and we seem to be joining in with them both here in Oakland and San Francisco. A hopeless gesture maybe, grubby little ninety-nine per centers, but someone out there is doing something and I plan to at least take pictures. Not the same thing as carrying a sign, but at least I'll be there getting a contact high. The country's in a mess and nobody in the government seems to be doing anything about it. The Republicans have gone clinically insane and the Democrats are hopeless.

Now, now.

Not with a bang, but a whimper. Well, let's at least make it a loud whimper.

Later still. Rain, but at least I looked at the weather report again and it said it would last through Wednesday, not through the weekend, sun again starting Thursday. So fine. Nothing much happening otherwise, changed two pictures in the second People's Republic Anniversary section on artandlife, I doubt anyone would notice. They're better pictures, though, makes me feel better.

Realizing I have a haircut scheduled for tomorrow (my barber is returning from vacation) and the hair is about as long as it's going to get I figured I'd throw some lights together and take a picture. “Throw some lights together” is a way to sidestep the fact the lighting isn't right and I'm not willing to change it, which is chicken shit, but we do indulge ourself more often than not.

Still a bit of a droop in the eye there, something that started about a year ago, maybe two years ago, but seems to have all but cleared up in the last few months. Tired today, I'm afraid, and that's probably the culprit, but we'll get some sleep tonight starting about eight I think.