Friday. An odd night. I did watch Vera, the detective program that finished at nine-thirty, and then got to bed well before ten to then battle with getting to sleep. Not unusual, although the sinuses were aching from whatever pressure was applied to them by the head lying on the pillow. Still, finally to sleep, but then awakening at four, wide awake at four and that was it.

You'd think this would be the start of a slow, tired, drag yourself through the day, but wide awake and clear headed as I'm sitting here preparing to head out for a dental appointment. I'm pretty sure it's a teeth cleaning appointment with maybe an x-ray or two, but easy enough either way.

A fourteen cent jump in the price of gas this morning, by the way. I said I wasn't going to mention it again, but I admit I'm impressed. They say it will go higher, but this is four cents short of a dollar rise in less than a month, a twenty-eight day month, forty-two cents in just this week. So, of course, a picture and a comment.

Nothing coming up in the way of pictures as near as I can see over the coming weekend. The Chinese New Year Parade on March 7th, so something to look forward to, even if it runs in the evening and more difficult to shoot. Doesn't matter, looking forward to it.

Later. A drive to the dental appointment taking San Pablo instead of the highways, probably better and faster to take the highways and so that's what I did coming home. A nice cleaning, the hygienist is the best I've ever found, a set of xrays and then a look see by the doctor. Two hundred and fifty dollars for the hour. No dental insurance, of course. Of course.

Anyway, home before noon, some thought to pick up that prescription and have lunch later at the bagel shop in the City Center, a lie down on the bed without being able to go to sleep. For not getting much sleep last night I seem to be in pretty decent shape: no ocular events, not particularly tired and the sinuses have been fine after misbehaving last night. Oh, and no cavities were detected, the teeth look fine.

Later still. A bus downtown to pick up the new prescription, we'll start taking them this evening and see what happens over the coming month. Cross the fingers, but don't become upset if they don't work. More often they don't work. A return bus then back to the morning restaurant for a grilled cheese sandwich, potato salad and lemonade. Hungry at two in the afternoon. I'd thought of having lunch in the City Center, I could see having one of their turkey sandwiches, but for some reason heading on to the breakfast place was the choice.

Lunch inside, however, as there was quite a bit of dust in the air stirred up by the resurfacing crew. They'd pretty much removed the top inch or two of Grand from curb to curb. None of the namby-pamby effort they'd made a month ago when they did quite a bit less work in what seemed to be twice the time. Not a lot of people eating at the various cafés without available parking. They still have the new surface to lay next week.

Anyway, a walk on to the apartment construction site to take the usual set of pictures. I said I felt pretty good this morning, but I obviously felt even better walking back from lunch. No thought to skip the apartment house construction pictures, the temperature was nice, the breeze was nice, the attitude even better. Have no idea why after last night's lack of rest.

Evening. Good grief, I forgot to run the Protime blood test again, the nurse at my doctor's office calling to see if I'd phoned it in as she was having problems at her end with the fax system that contacted her with test results. So I ran the test at five in the afternoon, took all of five minutes, and phoned it into their automated system. Still too high, even though we made adjustments this last week. We'll now make more adjustments in the coming week.

A New Tricks at seven, I usually like these episodes, not sure why, then a look at Charlie Rose at eight. Sometimes he interviews people who don't sound like a tape loop, repeating the memo sent out by whatever or whomever he, she or it represents. You get more than enough of that reading the morning papers, no need to let Mr. Rose add to it. But now I'm babbling. Not a good sign.