Things I didn’t need to experience today:

* Watching a white haired old man ask a portly Latino prostitute with a cigarette hanging out of her mouth, “What can I get for $10?” They walked away together so I assume it was going to get him something, though I really would have thought inflation would have made the $10 hooker a thing of the past.

* My third trip to the supposed New York style deli in which they did not have any matzoh ball soup. Listen up, chuckleheads, if you don’t have matzoh ball soup, you are NOT a New York style deli. Period. Either make an effort to have it or take it off the damn menu and admit you’re a Seattle deli.

* A field trip of 10 year olds swarming the bus and surrounding me with their yelling, jostling, posturing, and fighting. It was at least funny watching one of them tell the mopey goth guy with many piercings, “Your earrings are tight!”

On the upside, I’m making good progress on the book of Tolkien’s letters. Since each letter is fairly short, it makes good reading for the bus. Even if I’m just on for a few stops, I can read a letter or two and each one is complete.