Extraversion excursions.

A friend came in to New York for the weekend, so I took the day off from the gallery to see her for a few hours. We met up for lunch and tea and conversation, catching up and swapping new anecdotes. We couldn't go into the Frick because she had a suitcase which couldn't be checked at the coat room, so we went to the zoo instead. The best part of it was sitting outside near the sea lions and enjoying the company. Even better than the snakes and toads and tufted puffins; they're there all the time, but friends don't come to town nearly often enough.

I'd met someone else for coffee and a walk uptown yesterday, which didn't last as long but was still a pleasing way to spend a couple of hours. My feet hurt from all the walking on both days, so by that measure, it's been a success.

After seeing my friend off at the subway after the zoo, I walked back uptown to meet my brothers, my grandmother, and a brother's friend for dinner in my neighborhood. There's a bookstore a couple of blocks away from the restaurant, so I decided I'd go there for a few minutes before the reservation. And my brothers and the friend were already there to greet me. They'd tried calling to leave a message, which I didn't get, which I didn't need to because my brothers and I all know to zero in on bookstores. It's still remarkable, and we all had a good laugh. That sort of congruence doesn't happen nearly often enough.