Friday, August 28th, 2020

On the main street of the next town over, a colorful troupe of troubadours plays music that I can’t hear. The air conditioner on the bus drowns out the sound. Through the window, I see six musicians, playing clarinet, accordion, a bass drum, and other instruments that I can’t make out. One wears a gaudy jester’s hat. Another has rainbow hair. Each wears exaggerated makeup. Those not blowing into instruments wear multicolored masks. Children jump up and down around them. They’re playing at the entrance of a supermarket. It isn’t a grand opening. There isn’t a visible sale. The holidays won’t be for another few weeks. The musicians are just there. The bus is headed into the larger city just south of where we are. It hits a massive detour once downtown. A main street, inbound, is closed for construction. The bus has to navigate narrower roads. Many of them are already clogged with deliveries and double-parking. Once we get to where I’m going, I try to get something to eat in the double-corkscrew shaped mall. I fail. None of the fast food joints that I think of hitting are visible, either where I remember them or near the glowing signs with their logos. I give up and get an adequate falafel at a corner shop outside. After eating, I head across the street to the one good record store that I know in the city. It’s the prelude afternoon to Record Store Day. The buses don’t run on Saturdays, and many people don’t shop then, so they’ve started things a day early. There are discounts on used disks and a few special items. I end up not getting anything. Most of what I might want and can afford, I already have. After I leave, I think of a few items that I might have gotten. I suspect they’ll still be there when I return. By the time that I get back to my city, almost everything is closed. I’m the last customer at the produce shop. The bakery is out of challah. I forget to hit the ATM. I’ll have to go there early tomorrow, so I can pay the cleaning person in the late afternoon. When I get home, I drink the last of my cold brew coffee and make more for the morning. I still have a lot to do.