We went to another doctor’s appointment today, this one in Bennington, Vt., I am sick of doctors – even nice ones – and their forms and their precautions, and I have good doctors and am grateful for them. But I am also sick of me and my recovery, it seems like it has been going on forever. It is time for something else to get into my head.

I can carry my camera now and it is going with me to New York. I need to see the carriages horses and the drivers – the mayor hopes to ban them shortly – and to walk in the park, eat Thai food, see a movie or two, go to a museum with Maria. We both love to do this together, we are planning a lot of walking, a lot of people-watching.

So tomorrow Maria and I are heading to New York City for two days – my birthday is Friday. We decided to break out a bit and get some vanilla custard at a true American summer ice cream stand in Bennington, one with hundreds of options, flavors, stickers and signs. We considered it the beginning of our little breakout. I had a kid’s cup, it was about the size of my thumb. New York will clear my head.