I have a new toy. During an evening stroll a few nights ago a skunk ran across the street, bursting out of the bushes barely five feet in front of me. A few blocks later I found a Macintosh Classic sitting abandoned on a curb. This is the small unit from the early 90's with the carrying handle integrated into the case - I think of it as the Banana Jr. from Bloom County. Only the box was there, though - no cables, etc. - so it wasn't until today that I rustled up a keyboard and a mouse, and it seems to work fine. Not sure what I'll do with such an ancient thing, however - it's rather like having a DOS computer in this age of Windows 95 - 98. But... this is the first Apple machine I'll get to know. From the documents on the hard drive (the most recent being from last October) I'd say its previous user was an African-American in high school or early college. Research continues.

Listening to the new record by Joni Mitchell which came out today: "Taming The Tiger". Nice paintings in the packaging, many have her cats in the picture. Although it's too soon to pass any judgment on the music, it's definitely not as angry as the last one ("Turbulent Indigo").

Sudden recollection at work of the time when I was sitting in some restaurant in London, reading, and an older Cockney man sat down across from me and started up a conversation (which I didn't really want to have). He took umbrage at my book - said he didn't like them. Oh, he'd read some westerns long ago - Zane Grey and such-like - but now he had no use for that sort of thing. Actually I had to make some excuse to get away from the guy. It's easier to recall the visual setting - next to a window, with evening street action happening outside - than what he said. I keep thinking instead of that scene in "A Hard Day's Night"...

PAUL'S GRANDFATHER:

"Would you look at him. Sitting there scrapin' away with his hooter in that book."

RINGO:

"Books are good."