Just Looking
I handed over the two cd's and a DVD to the smiling woman behind the counter at the new Zavvi in Cabot Circus.
"Did you find everything you were looking for?", she asked.
"I wasn't looking for anything", I said, "And if I stay here any longer - I'll buy some more things I wasn't looking for."

New Friends
I've got three new friends on Facebook. That makes 93 in total. I'm not bragging - but it is interesting to me. I wonder how many I would have if everyone I know joined facebook. No wonder its hard keeping in touch with people.

My most recent new friend is an ex lover of mine. (I use the term lover - because this was what she used at the time - 16 years ago. Partner or girlfriend didn't seem right.) She now knows some people who are friends of my current partner and one of them suggested that I might like to be friends with her.

My second most recent new friend is an Israeli man who I met in Exeter last week when I went there for Yom Kippur - the jewish day of atonement. He ran the service. He was young, spoke with an an american accent and I found him inspirational. He has over 250 facebook friends and lots of them comment using hebrew script.

My third most recent new friend is my sister in law. She lives in South Africa. I was a bit unsure as we have different lifestyles but I decided to give it a go and it seems fine so far.

Comedy
I went to see some comedy on Saturday night. My friend won 2 free tickets to go to the Colston hall to see Mark Watson. He was very good. We met a guy who worked with my friend in the bar during the interval. It turned out he was Mark Watson's uncle. I found out that Mark Watson is not in fact welsh at all - but his welsh accent is part of his act.

I was really impressed by the support act - Tom Basden - and partly in homage to a blog I have just read called

bluemoggcomedy.blogspot.com

I am posting some clips of him.

Paper Shop
I went out for eggs this morning. Cooked breakfast is one of my sunday teats. I remembered on the way to the Spar that I could get the paper. Unusual that I hadn't thought of this first as its a usual part of the sunday routine. On entering the paper shop I noticed that the newsagent I'll call Andrea wasn't there. Instead a man and a woman stood behind the counter and two other customers where chatting with them.
"Where's Andrea?", I said when I got his attention.
"She just walked out," he said. "She can't stand the shop any more. She's gone for a walk."
I felt a wave of sadness thinking of this woman who'd lost her husband recently. I hadn't warmed to her - but old age, loneliness and wondering what's the point are universal themes.
I noticed that they couple who were running the shop couldn't work out how to use the till and were taking money on the counter, writing down each paper they sold. I felt bad about having a tenner - but they managed it. It felt warm that the community had stepped in to keep the shop open.

Spar
As I approached the Spar - thinking about the strange scene in the papershop, I noticed a woman I know through a friend, going in with two children. She is the woman I failed to recognise on 21st Aug (Bead Shop post). I tried to catch her eye but she seemed to look away.
"Hello", I said.
She looked up, smiled and said hello and called me by my name, then looked away again. I wondered whther she was being offish because I had forgotten who she was last time. I also wondered if she thought I had forgotten her name this time as I hadn't used it. I wasn't sure why I didn't - embarrassment I think.

I approached her in the queue after she said something about giving in to her children by buying them sweets.
"Easily done," I said.
I confessed that I was making a point of recognising her after what happened in the bead shop. She smiled and chatted. She seems like a very nice person - but I am confused on how to be with her because I find her beautiful.