Stella and Satisfying Sunday

The crossword was annoying obscure, but I got most done. Met Stella after twelve o'clock mass at the Mission (no, I didn't go--heaven forfend!). She suggested we go to Stout, a new restaurant where neither of us had been before. I was surprised, as it prominently features a remarkable array of beers, ales, and IPAs and she doesn't drink.  I had a hamburger and a good IPA, Stella some kind of ground meat and a salad. I finally received my twenty bucks for her play ticket and we had a reasonably good time. After, we stopped into The Coalition and I bought a little desk paper holder. We parted and I bused home.

But back to town: While I was waiting for Stella, I fell into conversation with one of the guys who--on bikes--act as kind of police helpers or something on the closed-to-cars section of Main Street. As I've mentioned here before, there's an infuriating tendency of large numbers to ignore the posted ordinance to walk their bikes and carry their skateboards; they act as if it doesn't apply to them. Here's the sign and an example of a kid not just ignoring it, but doing tricks: 

I've posted before pics of the multitude of bike riders who also ignore the ordinance. The young man, who introduced himself as Dante, discussed this with me and I was surprised that, although he's certainly no more than thirty, he came across as very conservative. He mentioned the effect of social media on those who think they're privileged, and so on.  Anyway, we introduced himself--his name is Dante--and when I said I'll attend a Ventura Council meeting to urge further measures, he mentioned  a council person named Liz Compos, who is disabled. I'll look her up. 

 I wasn't very hungry for dinner, so I seasoned and roasted the wonderful big mushrooms I bought at The Market the other day. Just had them and more of the spaghetti squash--very satisfying.

I didn't do much else before or after my excursion except play two computer games. With grapefruit, I'm also addicted to them: Block Champ and Scramble. Of course, they're in addition to Wordle, Connections, and Blossoms, which I do every morning. Being the compulsive type, I actually keep track in a little booklet of 1.) at what level I solve Wordle; 2.) whether I get Connections or not; and 3.) my score with Blossoms. For some reason, I find this very satisfying. 

Medical--or something--note: For roughly thirty years, I've taken an OTC sleep aid (various knockoffs of Sominex), every single night. The recommended amount was two caplets, which I took. Some time ago, the doc mentioned it could contribute to balance problems, so (reluctantly) more a year ago, I halved the dosage. About six months ago, I used a pill splitter to halve that, so I was taking only a quarter. Yesterday, when I set up my night-time medications, I didn't include the sleep aid. To my surprise and satisfaction, I slept until 5:00, perfect for me, so goodbye, sleep aid!