I should have known better than to cut it close at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine this morning, after getting locked out of the Christmas Eve service in December. But, the MTA gods weren't with me this morning, and I just missed getting in, even though I planned ahead and got a reserved seat ticket. At least they're letting me wait in the lobby, in the dim hope that they'll let more folks in after the bishop's sermon. Which I'd much rather be listening to right now than this middle-aged, mink-coat princess talking about her three cats and daily facial-rub.

An usher explained that the Cathedral is at limited capacity due to ongoing restorations from the 2001 fire. The restoration - including the re-installation of the 8,000 pipe Skinner organ - is scheduled to be complete by November, in time for next Christmas. Thank God.