1) My day at home was punctuated with long stretches of the smoke detectors going off all over the building, complete with an audio voice crying “Evacuate! Evacuate!” All this because the new second-floor neighbors began their kitchen renovation today. A friend on FB suggested that they had neglected to cover the smoke detectors with shower caps - a brilliant idea I will certainly utilize when my kitchen reno begins this winter! At any rate, all that ear-splitting noise was enough to knot my back like an old pine tree.
1a) While dining a seul in Harvard Square, neighbors texted that apparently the alarms went off again, repeatedly, during the evening, but that they seem to be under control and to call if they went off again during the night. Somehow this doesn’t indicate a restful night of sleep to me . . .
2) Now the really lovely thing today was getting to attend a cocktail party held to honor a dear friend’s major employment anniversary. I was a wee bit anxious, as I expected to know only the honoree and perhaps one other person. Instead, it was about five or six acquaintances, which was enough for me to be comfortable. Luscious autumnal drinks, tasty bits, and the best kind of remarks: heartfelt and brief.
3) Walking past English High School on the way home (as usual) I was surprised to see a man (for a moment I thought he had a dog) come out of the shadows near the trees and benches, slowly walking in the other direction. But it was like he emerged from nowhere.
3a) This set me to thinking about February, 2012, when I was thrown to the ground from behind by two men and had my tote bag stolen; this happened on the same street, just a couple blocks away. Remembering that, I turned to look behind me on a dark stretch a couple houses down from my house . . . and there was a man following me about 20 feet away. Maybe it was the same man; I can’t be sure. But he saw me see him, and I certainly felt my blood pressure spike. When I turned back again, before going up my front stairs, he was gone.
3b) I’m grateful something prompted me to turn around.