well, things seem...

a little more normal with a little more than 24 hours before the plane to Long Beach lifts off. Just got my invoice and payed for my ride to my brother's house tomorrow afternoon. All efforts to try to understand how to get to his house by public transportation failed miserably (very poor directions). Anyway, it is all arranged. And is I get closer to it---a lot of the trepidation seems to be lifting. The plane leaves at arund 1:45---I expect to be at the airport around 10--taking no chances, and also since I have not flown since before 9/11, I don't know what the check in procedure will be. At any rate, that is the plan.
   Yesterday---the baseball double header dream that I had in my mind was squashed along the way. For some reason, I just did not want to do it. But I got off the 2 at 110th and Lenox, only to be surprised by a new luxury building and a new coffee place right around the corner. The barista was very nice---we chatted a bit---and for some reason I mistook Lenox for 8th avenue---had to reminded that I had landed two blocks east of 8th. Moved west 2 blocks, and found the other coffee cafe which has a tv, in the hopes that the Yankee game would be on. It was not---mostly CNN showing the horrifying effects of the Harvey storm now in Louisiana--but to my surprise, I ran into Joe, a teacher in the language department at Friends, who was killing some time at the coffee shop. A long and interesting conversation followed---we talked about the Mayoral races, City Council races and many events going on at Friends. A great way to  kill time---we must have talked for about an hour. For the normal faculty, Friends begins today. I asked him to say hello for me to all that he interacted with, and moved on.
  Tired in the evening, but went to the plaza at Lincoln Center to check out Roberto Devereux on the screen. After a few scenes I had to admit that I found the music uninteresting---all those cabalettas and cavatinas, all the traditions that locked in the form---that Verdi put aside as his own work progressed. So I returned to my apartment early and after listening to some radio, went to bed.
   Not a great sleep---awoke around 3, with the usual restlessness, but at this moment, around 11, I feel very wide awake. Tonight I will probably go down to La Flaca--check in with my friend Bob, the owner (if he is there), watch the Yankee Red Sox game, and then return home.
   Not sure when the next post on this blog will be; I don't expect to blog from California, but who knows? I return on a Tuesday early morning flight, so I may be too tired to go to the library on that day. But definitely Wednesdsay, if not sooner. I can't remember the last Labor Day weekend that I was not in New York. Well, will report next week.