2015 November 10

I ran into Phil in the hallway as I left my apartment, and the two of us had a very pleasant chat, mostly about mail, as we walked along 37th Avenue to the point near the post office (his destination) where our paths diverged. (Actually, I should have walked up to Northern Boulevard rather than down to 37th Avenue, but I was enjoying the talk and didn’t want to turn around to correct my mistake and walk in the opposite direction.) He asked my destination, and I sheepishly said Rite Aid, but I was too embarrassed to tell him I planned to go to two different Rite Aid locations specifically to continue cheating on my diet by buying different leftover Halloween sweets at each. Then, after accomplishing that goal, I stopped in Food Dynasty to buy a pint of ice cream … and when I learned I’d need to buy two to get the sale price, I instead bought a quart‐and‐a‐half container of “Mocha [مخا‎] ice cream swirled with chewy cookie dough and crunchy chocolate cookie swirl.” My embarrassment was also probably why I checked in online at none of those locations.

Smartphone photos of the Caffè Bene interior as I passed. I also wished I’d brought my real camera to document the many men I saw in storefronts along the way.