Day two at Ye' Old Permit Office. Of course it's in the municipal building in the heart of downtown. I refuse to pay $10 to park in the building so I get off cheap for $3 blocks away. Shelp my 6 sets of blue prints and (seriously) two reems of documentation up to the 20th floor. They've recently changed the rules (I think they're performance is measured on the number of rule changes per quarter) now you have to make an appointment for permit intake. It just took effect and this was my first scheduled appointment. I thought it was a good idea as sometimes in the past you could wait up to an hour to be seen. The city tells you to be 15 minutes early as it's a $50 fee if you miss the appointment. It's not exactly like you can go down the street and get your permit elsewhere.

Anyway - I get there at 1:30 after scrambling all morning trying to get the info packets together. At one point I had to threaten an employee with an error prone paycheck if he didn't stop calling me every 15 minutes. (I later apologized) So I get there and sign in. Shmooze with my buds and give dirty looks to the useless bureaucrat drones that make up the rest of the office. Finally at 2:20 they call my name. I'm nice, I'm smiling, I'm seething. Anyway, I got Betty, one of my buds and I'm in and out in 5 minutes. (Yea! for pretty Betty). I left $5300 poorer, but it takes money to make money, it's a big job for us.

I'd booked myself out of the office for most of the afternoon, so what to do now ? Certainly not go back to work. Right ? I don't care if I do own part of the company at heart I'll always be a slacker.

So off to old stomping grounds it is. I went up to Broadway on Capital Hill. Which was named in the late 1800's in a bid to win the states capital. We lost, but the name stuck. It's a great street. The main business district of the Gayborhood. Jay and I lived on it in our early years. It was so vibrant and funky and alive. We both loved it there. After we moved it started to go a little chain store commercial but it's still very cool. The streets trees planted in the 80's are huge now and give it a nice canopy. I actually felt a pang of nostalgia. I would never give up our place now, but I do miss being in the heart of things. We used to wait for 9:00 pm and go across the street to the pizza-by-the-slice place as they gave away what was left-over at closing.

There used to be a blind man that played his completely tuneless trumpets songs with his case open for donations. I still feel guilty for the Sunday morning I crossed the street in bathrobe and slippers and verbally assulted him at 8:00 in the morning for his sustained, pitch resistant toots.

The Peroshki resturant is still there. I circled the block 4 times looking for parking before I gave up. Regretting that now at dinner time. If you've never had a Russian peroshki your missing out.

The old street has changed a lot but still has a lot to say for itself. I settled for lunch at Two Tart's bakery on the way home. (Local insider note to fiwa and Mo: it on Airport Way @ Corsen Ave S - great grub and they use Grand Central Bakery bread - nuff said) - a ham and swiss may sound simple but the Two Tarts (Lori & Sue) work magic with it.

Made it back to the office at 4:00, poked around some, listen to Jay and Al gas bag in the other room, picked up my keys and said goodnight. (4:15 and not a bit of guilt)

So there, that was my fun day. Hope you all had fun.

XOXOBC