Lunch, A Book, And An Earthquake

Jim came at his usual 12:30 and was in a lighter mood than he had been, so that was good. We sat on the couch for fifteen or so while I showed him my passport picture and we talked about renewing. After a bit more conversation, we went to the table and I served the garlic chicken, homemade applesauce, and whole wheat, along with his usual cabernet and my Modelo. I had taken the last of the birthday cake out of the freezer and served it for dessert. After, we again chatted on the couch. I walked him out at 4:00 after a pleasant afternoon.

Cleaned up, then went over to Von's for the free dozen eggs and soda my Von's app had said I would be awarded. I chose regular Coke, as I sometimes have guests who don't drink diet. I put the things in the fridge, then sat down and--see the "Alert" below.  

I'm reading the following, which I would recommend to anyone. Background: My older son, Patrick, grew up with P.J. Steward and they went all through school together. (Incidentally, I'm the only one who still calls him P.J. He goes by his given name of Paul now, but to me, he'll always be P.J.; he gets a kick out of that.)  Bryan, 26, is P.J.'s son, and he the book. He suffers from Becker Muscular Dystrophy, yet actually made the 500 mile "pilgrimage" from France across Spain, although he falls frequently and is often in pain. I bought the book from Amazon simply because I know and like P.J. and we're still in touch. Didn't expect much, but started it and was surprised at how well it's written. I'm about at the middle and am really enjoying it. P.J. has asked for my assessment and I'm delighted that I can tell him it's actually a very absorbing account of a real triumph for a young man named Bryan.  

ALERT: Ho, boy: Just as I started this entry (5:45 pm on Saturday), I felt a jolt that moved my chair, then several  bumps.  For an instant, I thought someone had slammed the upstairs apartment door, but that has never happened. Yes, it was an earthquake. I went next door to ask Suzanne if she had felt it and she had. I fervently hope that's the end of it. Son Mike facetimed me from Singapore and, coincidentally, they had had a minor earthquake about a week ago, which seemed to originate in Sumatra. While I was "with" him, both Jim and Suzanne texted me with news about the quake. It was deemed only a 4.0 and no damage or injuries were reported. I called Ellen and she hadn't even felt it.