feeling much better, enough to take a walk in the evening.

is the cold wind good for me? probably not. but athletes compete in it, and young kids play in it, so i'm not too scared. physically, i felt no real exhaustion despite walking all the way up to 61st street and back. the only thing left from my little bout of sickness is sinus drainage, which at this point is coming from the cold air and my refusal to dress warm enough.

(it's a constant shuffle between coat on and coat off while i'm walking.)

paris baguette, though it's a chain, is not bad. i stopped in for a sandwich at one somewhere on lexington avenue, i think.

there was a woman there speaking to the man behind the counter in a beautiful mix of english and spanish. i believe they were cuban, judging by their accent. she kept showing him designer stuff she owns on her phone, but always with the caveat that she owns it for some reason i couldn't quite distinguish.

a gaudy little bracelet she had on traveled across the glass of the display case for him to look at: "see? what brand is that? you see, it's on the inside. what brand is that?" he searched for the name, and his co-worker, seeming interested enough said, "is that gucci?"

i never quite figured out whether she was trying to sell something or include them on some bootleg jewelry business.

two men sat to the left of me, dial-in conference lines in hand, computers in lap, working on a sunday night.

an old woman and old man sat near the entrance on barstools looking out at the avenue. he went to the restroom and the woman's body turned toward that direction, looking at me occasionally while she waited for him to return. he looked on the border of frail, moved slower than maybe he should have to for his age.