I am at Lookout Joe’s for the morning.

There was a very acceptable parking space nearby, one that can be had for two hours at a time with a dollar’s worth of quarters.

There are still the Christmas decorations up inside: tinsel around the menu board and tinsel and lights around the specialty tea display in the back of the room. The room is full of women gathered talking to one another. There’s only one other woman in the room besides me who is not involved in a conversation and who does not work here. Sporadic men, only two of whom are talking. I am sitting in the corner of the couch which I managed to get after two other regulars having some sort of meeting, casual-business style, left. If one waits, one gets the corner of the couch. Patience is required for this.