Out with the old. I've been cleaning up the mess left over from the last six years. It's interesting how I feel a bit lighter each time I throw away an item related to one of those rare passing moments where he attempted to prove his worth. Rare. At any rate, it's good to be free.

The week went by rather quickly, which was my plan. Monday I spent 45 minutes at the post office filling out passport forms, just because it's a good thing to have. No traveling plans as of yet.

Tuesday's concert was entertaining. It was a bit difficult to concentrate on the orchestra at times because of the hoard of people chatting on The Great Lawn. I kid you not, there must have been 10,000 people in attendance. Dvorak never disappoints though, and the New World Symphony was incredible.

Wednesday saw me at the dentist, and I'm still trying to get used to having these new fillings in my mouth. It feels almost as though I'm chewing with someone else's teeth. The great part about this dentist is that he fixed my tiny little cavities with no novocaine. I can honestly say that he didn't hurt me. I did, however, give the poor man a heart attack when the drill made an insanely loud noise in my mouth which jarred his hand, causing me to reach up and pull his hand away from my face. I spent the last five minutes with my hands balled up into fists with the dentist wondering whether or not I was going to punch him. He escaped unscathed, as did I.

Thursday it was time to get a haircut. I don't cut my hair all that often, but there's a difference between long and unkempt. Maria at Macy's did the job well; so well in fact, she received a $5 tip for an $18 cut. You do the math. The hair drier she used was one of those newfangled contraptions that uses heat from an oven with an attached comb to make your hair completely straight. I want one, thank you.

And here we are at Friday. My sister just called to say they've boarded the airplane and will be on their way to NYC shortly. Her first visit to NYC, and my first job as tour guide to immediate family. None of them have ever come to visit me before, and I am so excited. I hope I can manage to put her on the plane Tuesday morning without wanting to jump on it with her and go home. My stay here is limited.. for I tire of the city life quickly. But I must put things here in order before I depart.