I caught a 7:45 bus out of New Jersey yesterday morning, and stared idly out the window as the landscape rapidly shifted from suburban to industrial, all under a blanket of mist. As the cars on the turnpike growled toward the city, cranes and other machinery loomed like dinosaurs from the rail and factory yards. And then we were sucked into the tunnels and spat out on 42nd Street.

The rest of the day was fairly quiet. I got back to Brooklyn by 9:30, unloaded my stuff, and then lounged around watching The British Baking Show until midday, when I went back into Manhattan to meet P during his lunch break. It was raining and humid, and I spent half an hour under an awning in Chelsea, watching the wet and the people and the buildings, until P could escape from work.

Then after lunch I came back to Brooklyn and read and took a nap until my friend Ray (who works nights) got up, and then we went out to his bar, and visited with friends, and met up with his husband, and eventually made our way to a local Italian restaurant.

This morning P and his partner will stop by for breakfast, and then be off into their days, and I will wend my way back into Manhattan and wait for the bus to carry me north toward home.

This week has been crazy and I will be very glad to return to my routine, but the week has also been rich and varied and filled with so many people and places that I love. Not to mention those doughty Democratic voters.