December 22, 2013

Dragged the furnace guy to 51 to look over problems the inspector found. Stuart stood out in the rain, but I invited him in, and I think it was a good idea. I mentioned to him, conversationally, what the inspector had found and he nodded and agreed to fix them all– the furnace alone will cost $400. Some he didn’t know about–such as the fact that one of the burners on the stove was out. Karen was a little apprehensive, for there is a process whereby she gives the list to his realtor and bla and bla and bla, but a man can feel the vibration from another man, and I guessed the direct approach would be better. I’m sorry we didn’t meet before this. We are near neighbors and I think we could have been friends.

Chunk of the afternoon with Casey. We ate downtown at Over Easy (whom I have always loved because they found my lost cellphone, and went to some trouble returning it to me) and talked, talked, talked. He filled in the blanks on whole epics of local theater gossip, and on the unsuspected turbulence of his own life. I admire this. I’d no more talk about the dark of my life in a casual conversation than I would fly to the moon. I felt honored and–what?– brotherly when he did. The cook at Over Easy is Ben, a former student, who bought me a mimosa. Casey and I ranged up and down Lexington finishing our Christmas shopping.  I was happy being with him. The lady in the store talked me in to buying my sister a pretty handbag (“All women love bags”), my realizing afterward that I’ve never seen her with a handbag. Maybe it was for the lack of one. . . .

Sat at my table deep into the night reading Tolkien. Something's gotten into my throat and I'm barking like a seal.