25 July 23:59

The funny things we do when we enter our house, or our boat, at the end of the day: we dump out and rearrange, carry objects from room to room, contemplate and look quizzical as we turn from one space to another, ferrying more objects to their respective places for further use or for safe harbor.

26 July 23:53

Last night was spent reading, then contemplating the various relationships of each person in this marina to money. This occurs to me as V. arrives back from an event at the University Club, dressed in a black cocktail dress and a pair of hot heels; as I am drinking beer with Joe on his boat, who cannot sail, and is talking about money that is owed him. It seems that he is perpetually in this state of being about to have money, never fulfilled, and it barely matters. D., on the other hand, is a high roller who throws down cash on a regular basis, lives on the verge of debt, and never quite falls over the precipice, speaking poker metaphors all the while. And then there is L., who lives on Sutton Place but maintains a sailboat here, though he travels in Asia for most of the year. This is a true microcosm.

The relationship is particularly stark when contrasted with the wealthy suburban condominiums surrounding. In this neighborhood, there is not even a laundromat—each family has facilities within their apartment.

[interlude, dock conversation]

A conversation with Krys and Chris about the sewage results in my being quite annoyed—they are describing the river as a 'cesspool' and worrying about herpes from water contact. The two of them are so disgusted by the river that I am tempted to throw them in. They are both ignorant when it comes to this. I wonder whether I've picked up an ear infection from Riley the poodle, myself.

3 August 21:25

It started raining around four this afternoon. I knew it when I left the boat around noon—though the sky was blue and a lovely breeze had everything rustling in a summer-afternoon kind of expanse, I felt it would rain. I'm not sure how I know this. Being outside all the time has attuned my awareness to subtle shifts in wind and barometer, even though I could barely explain pressure systems in a pinch.