Slept pretty well last night. In fact, I slept in a little this morning as well. I guess I needed it – I had been pushing myself all week in anticipation of returning to work on Monday. Mistake. Wasn’t ready, and shouldn’t have pushed so much. It feels like that last 20% of swelling is going to be there (at least what you can see from the outside) for a while, and then one day miraculously it will disappear. I hope. But I did wake up with a clearer head.
We have such a cross of cultures in Sunnyvale. It’s the mid-afternoon, and warm. I can hear the bells tinkling from the walking ice cream cart man as I write this. We used to have the Good Humor truck drive through Belleville, NJ when I was young. I don’t think any of those exist anymore. There used to be the mobile ice cream van in Southern California in the 80’s. My sister Miriam informed me that there are still Good Humor trucks roaming Long Island neighborhoods. But here in the 21st century, in Northern California we have the hand carts that are rolled through the streets by the Mexican vendors. Very New York. After all, New York is the street vendor paradise no matter what time of year. I still think that the reason that Denny and I have found the Bay area nice is because there are so many things that remind of from the east coast where we both grew up. Everything old is new again. It’s the best of both worlds when the best aspects of the old way of doing things are ratcheted up for newer technology but fulfill the same purpose, feeling all the better for it.
Today I read two short stories by William Trevor. I heard his name on public radio when the topic was short stories and I checked out a book (After Rain) before I went in for the surgery. I am just getting to it now and so far it’s pretty good, although I do think I already read one of the stories. Then I watched four Brother Cadfael episodes. I love the period costumes. They look comfortable and now I know I could have been the village spinner or weaver. Oh for the simpler existence! The thing that amazes me when I watch these stories, and even the modern crime shows, for all our “civilization” we still are easily drawn into the angry mob mode. We would like to think that we have protection from the local law enforcement, but I really question how much ability they have to protect us against ourselves. An endless debate. But not one I am inclined to continue – I just woke up from an hour and a half nap (oh joy) and am going to drink my tea, through a straw. Then maybe take another nap. The ice cream man will have a while to wait before I can buy from his cart…..
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