The next morning we hike Park Slpe,
the neighborhood of our hotel,
to find a shoe repair shop to shine shoes.
We detour to Dizzy’s diner for a half-hour wait.
Dizzy’s is filled with regular Brooklyn folk–
Moms who have parked their babies’ buggies outside on the walk,
a lawyer and her client finishing up the last few changes to a contract.
The look like a couple at matching height and weight.
They wear their clothes like they are just thrown on.
When the woman straightens his outerwear,
he adjusts it back to “fly away.”
Three young women–and when did I get so old
to have to say that about 20-somethings–
in shorts and sandals and high fashion blouses
situate themselves around the take-out pass through.
They laugh about bacon and wine for breakfast.
One waiter serves twenty tables inside and out
though two helpers bus and refill waters.
This is a place you come to talk
and eating is an aside, not the focal point.
Slow service is a source of joy,
since an hour’s wait is one more span of uninterrupted sweet conversing.
After a gargantuan granola,
we pop back over to pick up the wedding taps.
Gorgeous completely new brown wing tips
are $10 from Joe, since the owner never came back.

The ubiquitous yellow cab taxis line the airport exit
making the foray into the city a literal snap.
Three bags maneuvered into the trunk like airplanes on a tarmac.

We are off.
Television in the cab is free
and the ads are interesting–
at least the first three times.
The journey out to Brooklyn is $36
and there is no air conditioning.
There is also no smoking so the cabs don’t stink
and we are arriving after midnight,
so blown hair is acceptable.

1. Pain.
I am in a lot of pain. I took two Benadryl and 3 naproxen three hours ago and I am just starting to be able to relax. (Of course my stomach is actually in more rebellion, but…)

Maybe 3.5 hours and it is starting to kick in. I may take a nap. (It is 5:35 a.m. right now.)

I am starting to think it is the marshmallow crème. When I had marshmallows the pain didn’t happen, but when I do the nutella smores with the crème, I get lots of pain.

So I guess no nutella smores with crème, and no homemade fridge fudge since it has that in it too.

I don’t think I have made any since Dec of 1989. Long time passing…

2. What I Did With My Summer “Vacation”
I need to keep a running ledger of how I spend my time this summer so I know whether or not I wasted it or actually did something useful. If I put it in Evernote, I should be able to access it from anywhere.

Went to the Medieval Congress for the 3rd year in a row. When I was getting ready to come, I thought I was too tired to come. Now I feel like not going home.

I bought way too many books, but that was somewhat fun and hopefully I will use all of them.

Of course, I mailed them home and I will have to carry them to work. That will not be fun.

My friend isn’t coming this next year. I would like to come anyway.

Hope it is chilly next year too. I would far rather be cold than hot.