Shots from the Lip

 21C at 9:18am.  It was down to 11 in the wee small hours of the morning - especially not having turned on the heater to automatically start....nonetheless, it is going to get a bit hotter this afternoon - not what it was when it was too damned hot but hot enough to wear a T shirt (possibly) this afternoon and tomorrow. I've started Michael Lewis's Blockers.  Yeah, it is 'appealing' and down right revolting to me that this is happening......of course I'll buy the book upon completing the sample.  Tom McCarthy's The Rhys Poster is another sample I just downloaded and I'll start reading this one, too.   And then there is my main book at the moment:  Michael Connelly's The Proving ground - Lincoln Lawyer #8..  I've read #s 1-6....never read 7 but got 8 at discount price and now Ihave page turned through 35% of the book. There...that's my current reading - in addition to the New Yorker that I read online, courtesy of the Santa Monica Public Library!!...

 I was reading Joseph Heller's Something Happened.  I liked what I read but the book did not hold me back from adding one book at a discount during Prime Days - and it is a page turner.....and there are two samples I've added that I want to read more than Something Happened.....thus, after 13% of the book read, I'm leaving it on the Kindle but not reading it any further for the time being (or longer).....thus, nothing happened.....

 When hell freezes over?  How about yesterday morning when it was 10C outside (assuming the watch temperature is to be believed).  It got up to 15C this morning - far more tolerable.  And I've already been out, twice!  First, my usual morning walk:  north to Santa Monica Blvd and then west to 20th Street;  North to Wilshire Blvd and then right (east) to 23d Street and Trader Joe's where, this morning, I got Persian mini cucumbers and carrots.  Then south on 23d Street and home. Later, I took a 30% off internet ad for Gateway Hotel that I received this morning with the two confirmation emails for Gateway for 31 Oct - 6 Nov to Gateway and asked for the best/lowest rate for us - as long time customers of the hotel.......all in all, the savings amounts to under $200 - not a whole lot because this is nothing more than deceptive advertising.....but any reduction is better than none!

 How misleading the weather on my iPhone:  There's an 80% chance of rain today - should we be alarmed?  Not necessarily!  Scroll down further on the phone and you'll find two brief instances during the day where there'll be projected rain.  But how much in total for the day?  1mm!!!  Hey, that ain't rain!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Fred Chasen's parents, visiting from the DC area, joined me, yesterday, for a day of music and food.  We started at Teddy's for breakfast - got there by Big Blue Bus.  We then took the E Line to Grand Avenue, Bunker Hill and the LA Philharmonic.  After, Vespaio, opposite the Broad for lunch - they've got the best pizza I've had here in LA.......and then the E Line home.....great day! Here it is, 11:30am and I've completed my morning routines.....what can I do productively this afternoon??  Only time will tell.....

 It is 10:40am on a cooler day than all the past week......and it'll be cooler outside each of the next days of the coming week if the weather projections keep as currently posted.  I was out walking with T shirt covered by a Dodger jersey....I'll wear that one as long as the Dodgers are in the competition - 4 teams as of this weekend........Dodgers-Brewers starts this Sunday...... About a half hour ago, I was full of proverbial writer's piss and vinegar, ready to write today's paragraph or two as a blog.....and here I am, now, wordless, without incentive to write now or any true idea of what to write about.  I am, though, getting more experience on the Fire.....will I take it for the week at the Gateway, instead of the computer?  Not likely as I'll have both Joanna and TianTian ready to help me with my techie problems that I can't handle myself...... Ah well, enough for today.......unless I have some good ideas later......

 I could have come back to CVS later today.....or tomorrow morning.  But why risk a reaction to covid and flu vaccinations that would screw up either/and/or Sweet Dreams on Thursday night or music at the Disney this Friday. I am looking forward to Friday!  This is the first of this year's series of 8 Friday morning concerts - set up specially for old farts like me who can no longer do night travels for music.  Thus, I am happily content with 8 at the Disney plus 5 Sunday opera matinees at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.   And who knows - with the Center Theatre Group doing Music Man at the Ahmanson (next to the Pavilion), perhaps there will be more DTLA performances to attend??!!! Regardless, as a prelude to this Friday's concert, we're going to Teddy's for breakfast!!!