Praise then darkness, and creation unfinished

First, I called the Unemployment Insurance people, just after 8 a.m. (I'd called yesterday at about 4:30 and been told, after three or four minutes of automated menus, that they were too busy to get to my call by close of business at 5, try again later.) I talked to a nice person who asked my mother's maiden name (in addition to the usual PIN), asked three questions, and told me okay, I had now certified for the week I'd forgotten.

cattitude and I headed out around 9, he to work and I to the bank and the gym. I explained to the teller that no, I didn't want twenties, or I'd have gone to the ATM and not used her time, I wanted tens and fives, which she gave me. (We're not talking inch-thick stacks here, folks.) The workout seemed to be going well until I got to the mat work, when I found an odd pain on the left side of my upper back; I stopped doing crunches, did a few more things with machines, then showered and changed back into my street clothes.

Lunch at Excellent Dumpling, as is my habit. I'd arranged to meet someone at 2:00 to pick up a pot (suited for dyeing fabric) that she was giving away on Freecycle; it was barely one o'clock when I finished eating. Well, I have an errand and an unlimited Metrocard, so I went up to Toho Shoji and bought a selection of little Swarovski crystal beads in purples, cobalt blue, green, and clear, suited for stringing on wires for the sort of thing elisem was showing me how to make. And some of them might wind up in earrings, especially if I can figure out a good way to get duck feathers onto an earring head pin.

Back on the train, a quick rendezvous on Third Avenue, and I and my nice used pot went back west to meet roadnotes.

We sat in La Lanterna, whose air conditioning wasn't getting enough voltage to satisfy either us or the owner, and talked. I told her what a good time I'd had in Montreal, and about other stuff going on in my life, and she told me how she's coping with healing her leg, and we continued the long-standing discussion about friendships, relationships, and human interaction. Eventually I observed that I'd talked myself hoarse, and had better stop. We ducked down to Porto Rico, on Bleecker Street, for coffee—one of the employees praised my (really Cattitude's) choice of Kenya AA, and I also bought some loose vanilla tea since I've used up what I bought at Tea Luxe in Cambridge and may not be up there again for a couple of months.

It was just past five when I got on an A train. I was standing, and a stranger offered me his seat. Thinking "I am proud, and tired," I thanked him and accepted: I'm proud, but not stupid enough to let that pride lead me to falling over (I'd been a bit unsteady on my feet waiting for the train: too much running around on a hot day). And so home, with a brief but pleasant breeze as I walked up Isham Street. Soon, I shall start chopping things for a chicken curry.

( gym numbers )