I got up rather late, drank coffee, read the news and blogs, did laundry. Then my friend at the MLA called-hi Deb-so we arranged for lunch. Since I hadn’t showered yet, I pretty much had to rush around getting ready. I rode the train in and met her in the lobby of the Marriott.

We had a wonderful lunch–both the same–of Chilean sea bass atop shrimp risotto. Conversation was aplenty and discursive as always–from the mundane to the academic to the political. I always like hearing about what she’s working on and it’s nice to have a conversation about literature again that’s on a whole different level than the book club I’m in. Then we wandered over to the Reading Terminal Market and had cannolis at Termini Brothers. And we had to get coffee at Old City Coffee, too. Much indulgence and much fun.

So walking is out because it’s dark now and I must pack for my trip. But I’ll be exercising at the hotel. They have a nice workout room there. I’ve learned that it’s best to do this exercise thing first thing in the morning, because it’s too easy to let the day get in the way. So now I think I’ll be ready when I get back from the trip.