Tried to sing bass at the family gathering and came in sounding like a screen door. I had been talking through most of the afternoon after a full week on the phones, so my throat apparently had nothing left for the entertainment portion. Nobody stopped singing, which was kind of them, though my sister looked directly at me. I drank water and sat out a verse. The funny thing was how good it felt to breathe without preparing to speak over the next person, just taking in air while everybody else carried on. Came back in lower and quieter. Still not a singer, but no longer a household repair.

My daughter brought dinner instead of letting me make it, and I spent the first five minutes telling her she should have saved her money. She finally said she wanted to feed her dad, not apply for reimbursement. That got me. I was touched, but also embarrassed because I'd made a nice thing sound like bad judgment on her part. We ate at the folding table while my grandson explained why his portion could not touch the sauce. I wanted to thank her again without turning dinner into a speech. Ended up asking where she got it, then heard myself say it was good three separate times.

On my remote day I finish a call, take off the headset, and I'm already in the room where I'm supposed to have an evening. I keep thinking I'll appreciate the time saved, but sometimes I just sit there replaying somebody's account problem. The bus ride used to put other people's conversations in between. I'm considering walking down to the corner after I sign out, even when I don't need anything. It sounds foolish to invent a commute after getting rid of one. Still, the barber downstairs can talk about a ball game for ten minutes without once asking me to verify a billing address, which might be enough.