Yes, I could have gone to a masquerade party. But I had neither the time nor the money (nor the skill) to fashion or acquire something suitable. And, you know,  I just don't want to be the guy anymore who's wandering around in regular clothes, surrounded by full participants in life's rich pageant of pretend.

There are guys who are that guy, of course. They're supposed to be outsiders. But I wanna play all the games.

I'm not saying I haven't enjoyed things from that perspective in the past. I've liked being surrounded by imagery even when unable to be a part of the surrounding motif. I might even have been that guy this time but for a sense of physical fragility that required coddling and care.

No telling what the effect of socializing would have been.

I could have helped. But it might have hindered.

So, I slept.

I didn't even walk to the local sukkah.