This morning, I awoke earlier than I do on weekdays, just as I did yesterday. I tend to wake up early on weekends; I guess I don't want to miss any of my free time when I am not chained to my desk. So, as I did yesterday, I went for a walk. I headed south this time. I went east yesterday. Today's walk was much longer, probably 2-3 miles, maybe longer.
I walked to a different Starbucks today, expecting to buy a large coffee and read a copy of the New York Times. They had copies, but none available for casual coffee drinkers to borrow...I would have had to buy a copy and then either lug the monster home with me or read just a tiny fraction and leave the expensive paper behind. I'm inclined not to throw money away, except on worthless vehicles, so I opted not to buy a copy. I settled for a 'venti' black coffee, my usual. Despite the fast-paced walk on concrete this morning, my knees did not revolt like they did yesterday.
Yesterday afternoon, my wife and I went shopping for a new camera for work. I need a decent digital camera so I can take pictures at client events. I was planning on buying a Canon SD 450 Digital Elf, but ended up buying a Nikkon Coolpix S1, which is a tad cheaper and which has features I like, such as optical zoom, versus a mechanical zoom. Earlier in the day, I ordered a new pair of frames and lenses...I hope to be able to read books again in about a week! The shopping center in which the camera store is located is in a very, very expensive part of Dallas; it's where people who really do have lots of money (versus those who only look like it...but have lots of debt) spend time. I don't fit in there...but even the rich like Starbucks coffee, so I zipped in to the Starbucks in the center and bought a large iced coffee while the salesman at the camera store was pulling my camera gear together. My wife had an iced tea and lemonade, which wasn't half bad, though a tad sweet for my taste.
After picking up the camera, we stopped at another shopping center and wandered around, window shopping. We went to the Orvis store in the center, hoping to find a shirt similar to one my wife bought for me recently; it's similar to a collar-less cotton sweater, but has four buttons in front, just under the neckline...there's probably a name for the style, but I have no idea what it is. No luck there, but I did see some interesting hats and discovered that I could take a one-day shooting course for only $450 if I so desired. A 2-day fishing course would only cost me $295.
One of four restaurants of a local chain, Taco Diner, is located in the shopping center. The place has wonderful food and we decided to have an early appetizer (we were there about 5 pm). We each ordered a margarita on the rocks and we shared an order of their appetizer sampler, which included wonderful nachos al pastor, flautas, mushroom quesadillas, guacamole, and sour cream. We left the sour cream, but the rest of the plate was empty when we got up to leave. By the time we left, my knees were torturing me. Spending a long time standing and a long time strolling through shoppping centers seems to be rougher on my knees than a long, brisk walk.
On the way home, we stopped at a video store and rented Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. If you haven't seen it, don't bother. The book doesn't translate well to the big screen, in my opinion.
Enough of this 'day-in-the-life' diatribe. More later, when my creative juices are bubbling.
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