1940s rotary phone. Model 302. Designed by Henry Dreyfus in the late 1930s. Reminds me of the days I was writing the Design Patents book.

After caffeine came fever
I never sit down when I do a reading. I get into it and stand and make gestures and apparently do some kind of trademark kick and am known to surf the hand through the air for emphasis. So to the audience, all you good people, I apologize. But I had to sit down. I was feeling a little woozy and warm. Clomping down Partition Street looking for a quick bite beforehand, I could not focus on store signs. My brain did not want to process information. It wanted to shut down.

I got through it, by sitting, with some kind of no doubt bizarre explanation as to why the chair. Apologies for that too. But I did get through the whole chapter. And thanks to great Southern homie and son in their red volvo, got back to Winchell's corners and my car. Could not recognize the car for a full ten seconds. Now if there is one thing a driving person does, it's instantly know their car. We imprint on them so quickly. Clearly this was not normal. I drove carefully. Slowly. The night seemed to have a reddish cast and I ignored the feeling that I was driving on Mars and just followed the plum colored road all the way to the pinkish gate.

1940s - 1950s bedtable. Perfect for being sick in bed — or better yet, just pulling a Judy Holliday and eating bon bons.

For the next 6 days I had a fever that crested somewhere past 102. Turned out to be walking pneumonia. Which means, no walk, just — collapse. How the heck it decided to settle here, who knows? There went the neighborhood. And now, for a while, I have to keep driving slow. This thing takes a long time to pack its bags and actually leave. But I swear I will not read sitting down again until I am of an age when it is appropriate and suitable.