Slumming around the East Side...

Today's my day off...here's how it's gone so far...

> I slept in, woke up around 8:30 am; remembered I need to get an alarm clock. Note for later...

> Went to find my shoes...where are my shoes? Not in my bedroom or my bathroom. Must be downstairs...not there either. I haven't had coffee yet, so I'm a little slow; I sat down to check the news on my laptop while I waited for the hard-drive in my head to warm up. About an hour later, I look up: there they are under the coffee table. Thank you, Saint Anthony!

> Off to Panera; detoured by street work on Wasson. Avoid it today.

> I love Panera for lots of things, but not the quickness of its service. If you have several cash registers, maybe one of the folks milling around at the sandwich counter could come over when the single line gets to be four- and five-deep?

> Not too hot to sit outside; nice!

> I went over to Old Navy--I need to replenish my supply of baggy cotton shirts and golf shirts. It's been awhile since I went to Old Navy; it looks like they are skewing younger. I found what I wanted, and as I was checking out, I said, "maybe you could start a new branch, called the "Really Old Navy" for us fat old guys?" She laughed.

> Oh yeah, the alarm clock; where to go? After looking around the Rookwood Commons mini-mall, in vain, for something suitable, I powered up my iPad and searched for Wal-Mart. Over on Red Bank. How do I get there again? (Sad how nine years up north makes me forget things like this.) Over Wasson? Nope; how about Brotherton? After a few uncertain turns, I remembered how quirky that section of Red Bank is--nothing seems to connect to it. Drove by the old Frisch's Mainliner: the old drive-in is gone, but the old signs are still there.

> In Wal Mart, I made my way to the hi-fi section; at least, I think we'd have called it that, back in the day. Seriously, boys and girls, I can remember when a "clock radio" was the new thing! It took me awhile, but they still have them. Two alarms! De Luxe! That's what I wanted!

While there, I browsed around, in case seeing something reminded me I needed it. (I.e., otherwise I'd drive back home, and think--oh yeah, I could have picked that up while at Wal-Mart!) That's when I thought, yeah, I could use a couple of key rings; couldn't find what I wanted, so it's off to a proper hardware store. Do they still exist?

> Back to the iPad! It directed me back to Hyde Park; but on the way there, I found an old fashioned hardware store in Oakley. I love those old places, with rows upon rows of gizmos and varying sizes of gaskets and plumbing fixtures. And, sure enough, they had simple key rings (Wal-Mart's were star-shaped and Hello-Kitty themed, or something absurd like that) in varying sizes. I bought a couple, to have an extra one. Headed back home...

I still have the rest of the day!