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CFM:

I never read any of them. From your comments, I feel very positive about that choice.

Matilda took off for "Senior Brunch" this morning and was at school from 11 to 2:30, and I thought I might see her tonight.

But she called me and said her friend Mia had called and begged her to attend a concert tonight. Mia already had tickets but nobody else could go. Mia's dad would drive them to the concert in San Francisco and then bring them back home.

So I said okay.

On my way home from Haight Street I texted Matilda and asked when she was getting picked up.

Turns out Mia's brothers were also going to the concert, so Mia's dad said they should all take BART. Also it was at the Oakland Coliseum.

Okay, that's not what I agreed to but they should still be safe with Mia's two adult brothers.

Half hour ago I get a call from Matilda. Mia got scammed in buying the tickets and they were counterfeit and no good. Could I pay for the tickets for all four of them.

Matilda's debit card had a limit on it and wouldn't allow a $365 expense (even though she had more than that in the bank). So they tried to get me to pay it through PayPal by sending me a code...and it didn't work.

So basically a situation which started as a little bit of a stretch out of my comfort zone (last minute late night concert) got increasingly more chaotic with every update until the whole thing collapsed.

I am expecting them to BART home in defeat at this point, but they might surprise me by doing something stupid. Or rather some new stupid thing.

ETA: They snuck past security and got into the show.

Oh dear. I hope the rest of their evening is relatively uneventful and that the PayPal code wasn't another scam.

CFM: I haven't read the other two, but I have read all of Rand's fiction. Reading her early works helped me understand how she got to where she did, but I certainly wouldn't want to live there (or even revisit). I guess that puts her in the F (been there, done that) category.

The book I've loaned to friends most often is Station Eleven. For randos on the beach... maybe Saving Fish from Drowning?

ETA: They snuck past security and got into the show.

The whole event sounds so much like teen Laura, except I probably would have pulled that stunt at 14.

I’m glad Matilda is at a point where she can enjoy some teen adventures. And the news about her friend’s mom is amazing! My friend lost her dad to pancreatic cancer 20 years ago, and remission wasn’t even considered as a remote possibility then.

I read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance in my late teens. It left me with a burning desire for a motorcycle (preferably a Moto Guzzi), and a deep distaste for the narrator. Since my balance and coordination both suck, it’s probably just as well I didn’t have the funds for a motorcycle in my 20s. But my Cycle World subscription was nice. Hunter S. Thompson occasionally wrote for it. Thompson was an imperfect man, to be sure, but damn he could write. Way better than the Zen dude. So, FCM:

F Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

C The Fountainhead

M Jonathan Livingston Seagull

Chuck Rand as far from me as possible. I read JLS decades ago, and I remember being vaguely interested. I would be willing to go back and see if I get something more/different out of it as a middle aged person, which is more than I could say for the other two. Which isn’t quite marriage, but it’s closer than the others.

Ugh. i bought a new cellphone in March, and last night I realized the charging cable wasn't connecting: the charging port is broken. It's under warranty, but it will take at least a week to get it repaired or replaced. What am i supposed to do in the meantime? Not have a cellphone?

I wish I'd kept my old cell around as a spare...

Ugh. i bought a new cellphone in March, and last night I realized the charging cable wasn't connecting: the charging port is broken.

Ugh, indeed! I hate that shit. My previous iPhone was always getting clogged in the port through pocket lint. (Apparently I have filthy pockets? IDK)

I was so happy when I got a newer iPhone and the charger is a magnet that attaches to the back.

Matilda made it home safely. They went to see Zach Bryan at the Oakland Coliseum - which is apparently the biggest show he's ever done. He was quite humble about it, but he seems to have ascended very quickly to an arena level act.

Fog's rolling in this morning. Will have to hit the stadium for steps early today since we're getting into events/camps/graduations season and it will be closed more often.

Took Tilly for a jog-walk-jog in the redwoods, and did some recall work with her on a long line. She's generally pretty good on her recall, except for some reason when she's in the backyard, and then she just gives me a stare. I have already signed her up for obedience class starting at the end of the month.

Good girl, Tilly!

Did my run early today after several days of not.

Which is good because the stadium is closed all week for graduations, including Matilda's on Tuesday.

The fog is in retreat and blue skies have returned. More of a pale blue summery sky than the deeper blue of a San Francisco winter sky.