Gathering clouds, a suspiciously still rough sleeper on a bench, a barking ambler at one point of the creekway and a disrespecter of personal space at another point, weaving from parking lot to walking path and back while holding her phone in front of her face and continuing a conversation out loud.

One of the better workweek starts in revenge memory, with a fair amount of Triumph’s “Rock & Roll Machine” in the air at my local in Eastlake, a solid practice with a pal in the Laurel and a trade-in of some old clothes that saved me on better fitting jeans’ cost in Emeryville.

After a bit of driving around highways and interstates this morning, I wound up on an island at an intersection in a lower end of the El Cerrito hills pulling weeds, chatting with new folks, catching up with a couple and handing out my card, and leaving a snail where I found it minding its business.

Never left the house, but ate and drank water and read a George Michael biography I’d checked out from the library over a month ago. Got some sun from the balcony, and a long bout of exercise bikery, so I wasn’t entirely slothful so much as slightly screen avoidant, aware of tomorrow’s errands ahead.

Staying home today, except for a shopping mall takeaway run, was very necessary after the last two days’ errands and duties, but also today’s attention divides. I couldn’t stay for what looked like a rich, but deeply frustrating work presentation because of stories at my shift’s very start and end.

This point of the week’s not always easy to scale, but several harder parts came yesterday. Accordingly, today’s smaller uglinesses seemed slightly less troubling, and a few nice things did land nearby. There’s no one to thank for that but circumstance, and perspective. For today, it’ll have to do.

Today? Crummy. The antidote? Get strummy! The cut on my finger is too fresh to play anything stringed. But karaoke this evening means someone might’ve sung “Wichita Lineman” by Glen Campbell, “Driving My Life Away” by Eddie Rabbitt and the Eagles’ “One Of These Nights.”