T.O.P.S. And So On

T.O.P.S.: I was pretty sure I had lost a bit in the five weeks since I was weighed last, but was surprised to see it was over three pounds. Since my scale and the "official" one weigh slightly differently, it was either 3.4 or 3.2 pounds. That brings me to 125.6 or 125.2; hey, I'll take either. We're still meeting here and everybody expressed that they were glad to see me again. I did the same.

The dermatologist called and said I need the M.O.H.S. procedure for the basal cell cancer next to my nose. I remember that from when my husband had so many. I'll see if I can have it done (in the office) in early December, maybe.

My neighbor, Olivia, knocked on my door and presented me with two nice avocados. She stood about twelve feet away and we chatted for fifteen or so. It's a little hard to understand her sometimes, as she wears not one, but two masks at all times. Fear, of course.

I called Betty to tell her I'd be over to see her on Wednesday. Also called my niece, Francine, to ask about my brother, Frank. It seems he's now with his son, Patrick, a head and neck surgeon in Ohio. I got phone numbers for him and his wife, Susan, and called and left a message with her.

Looked and looked for a picture of Carolyn as a kid on the beach, but no luck. Still can't find my mother's wedding pic, either. Decided to send my great-niece, the one who's getting married, a smaller copy of my mother's wedding picture, instead.

Restless, I left about 2:30 and took the 21 bus to Oxnard transit center; got off and boarded the 6 back to Ventura. I just needed to get out.

Ellen called after dinner and we had a good chat. She's very busy right now with report cards coming up, preparing for which should take her all weekend. 

One bright spot for me in this rather dull period is that I've been sleeping well. True, I get up too early (DSL, of course), now about 6:15, but I can live with that when I get up feeling rested.

Thursday

 After breakfast, I took my cart and walked to the Hill Street branch of the library to finally return the book, The Talented Mister Ripley. This took me over the footpath bridge that crosses Route 126, then another half mile. From there, I walked to Ralph's for grapes, then bused home, so I guess I got in about four miles. 

I spent a lot of time looking--or looking again--for my mother's wedding picture, but no luck. I do have a smaller copy, so maybe I'll copy the copy and use that along with the marriage certificate.

Ran over to Von's for romaine, had lunch, then set off to the mall, searching for blueberries. Happily, I found them at Target and bought two. (I must have blueberries to snack on in the evening.)

Got home about 4:30 and Carolyn called. We discussed a good time for me to see Betty and decided on Wednesday. I'll try to take her down the street to the Natural Cafe for lunch, as they have outdoor areas.

Lunch With Jim And Felicity Huffman

I finally got around to putting in the wash the clothes I had shipped home from NM; they weren't dirty, just wrinkled. I then spent a long time looking through albums, files, and drawers, trying to find my mother's wedding picture. I thought it would be nice to send my great-niece a copy, since I won't be going to her wedding in Jacksonville. I simply couldn't find it--I know it's here somewhere. I did find my parents' marriage certificate and will copy that, too, but it's no good without the pic.

Later, I made lunch and packed it into my insulated carrier along with a can of beer, and met Jim near the pool at 1:00. We ate and, as ever, talked and talked, this time about dentistry, religion, Marx and communism, Herbert Marcuse and his take on life, and similar topics. It was a good session, as ever, and I was glad to see Jim again.

He left about 4:30 and I walked over to Von's for lettuce. When I settled in for my daily hour of TV watching, I put in the Transamerica DVD.  I had heard it was good and boy, is it--I didn't know Felicity Huffman had it in her.  

Tuesday

I got a text from my tenant, telling me the house should probably be power washed. She sent pictures of the siding, and yes, I guess so. I texted my guy, Bill, and asked him to take a look and give me an estimate.

Got a lot more done, including paying bills, calling the dermatologist office (he and I will consult on the phone on Friday). Also dealt to an extent with Blue Shield; they did get my application for dental insurance, so I'm in, I guess. That doesn't mean my extensive upcoming procedure will be completely covered--far from it--but it will chip off some of the cost. Also cleaned up the patio a bit, trimmed the daisy and so on, but must do more.

Called my brother to tell him--reluctantly--that I wouldn't be going to his granddaughter's wedding on the twenty-first.  I just can't face getting on another plane, for one thing. Besides, with their huge family (there are about thirty people in the wedding party alone), I don't think I'll be missed. Larry and I had a good talk, though.  

Took off for WinCo after breakfast. I walked to Telephone Road, intending to take a bus the rest of the way, but none came, so I continued on. This totaled roughly three and a half miles, which was fine by me. I did take a bus back to the transit center, then another home.

Back to de-packing from the trip: I still haven't finished, but finally opened the three large packages of clothes I had sent from NM. I had washed them first, but they came out all wrinkled, of course, so I'll put them n the wash again. 

What remains is 1. going over the presents I bought and deciding what goes where--most will be Christmas presents; 2.) putting in various designated suitcases and bags, the various smaller bags (jewelry case, etc.) I took; and 3. most prominently, calling Lisa of Johnson Family Dental to make an appointment and nail down the cost. At the same time, I'm going to do my darndest to negotiate a lower cost. (My policy is, "Everything's Negotiable" and it surprises me how so few people take that to heart.) 

I'm looking forward to seeing Jim here for lunch today.

 

Getting Settled And Gandhi

 I'm still digging out from under. Did a load of wash and a lot of food prep: chunked the huge cauliflower I had bought, seasoned, and put it in the slow cooker; scrubbed and cut two pounds of carrots and roasted in the oven; chopped two large onions and stowed them in the freezer. In the meantime, Betty called and we talked, plus I spoke to the Discover card people because of a bizarre happening. I got a letter from them saying an amount was overdue. How much? $3.00; with fees added, $4.50. After calling and being transferred to no fewer than five people, I got it straightened out, I hope. I'm most concerned that my credit rating, which is above 800, may go down. Will call the rating people today. Called Nancy and we had a long, good talk. She still is experiencing shortness of breath, although her hemoglobin and iron test okay. Her knee has improved with the shots.

After lunch, I bused to town. Stopped in a few shops and enjoyed being there; bought a DVD and a beer stein that can be put in the freezer; I needed it like a hole in the head, of course. According to "My Tracks," I did just three miles, but no prob, I was pretty active otherwise.

Home and I discovered there were still problems with the time. My laptop was somehow showing the time three hours later than it actually was. It was still on New Mexico time and, I guess, DST was involved. Luckily, I was able to fix it. Unfortunately, the "antique" battery clock in the kitchen seems to have given up the ghost. Must buy new batteries to test. But on the happier note: All three of the packages of clothes I had sent ahead arrived yesterday.

Sharon R. called. She's still having a problem with both her vision and her edema and hasn't been to T.O.P.S. in months. She also asked me to call Luisa, as yesterday was  her birthday.  Shortly after I got home, Suzanne rang my bell and we sat outside for a bit, catching up on each others' recent trips. She had gone to her niece's wedding in Idaho, just before I went to NM. Enjoyed chatting with her, as ever.

Family Medical, or whoever they are, called. I know I need to catch up with Dr. T. about the skin cancer on my nose, but when I called back, I was on hold for so long, I gave up. Will call again today.

Started watching the DVD Bugsy last night. It's okay, or would be if Warren Beatty wasn't such a ham. I'm intrigued and amused though, by Ben Kingsley playing a Bronx-accent gangster. He can't escape Gandhi, I guess.

   

Sunday

Busy day yesterday, natch, but morning included my favorite Sunday activity (no, it sure as hell isn't church). I'm referring to the big crossword puzzle, which was very satisfying to do again after a hiatus of more than a month. 

After, I took my little cart and walked to the market and back (three miles total) for cauliflower, carrots, lettuce, tomatoes, and onions. Combined the last two and baked with garlic and seasonings for the usual addition to my salad lunch. Because of the time change, I was late with everything--still am--so didn't eat until after 2:00.

I thought I'd bus into town after that, but got waylaid by going through, categorizing, and otherwise dealing with the gigantic pile of mail sent while I was gone. That generated a list of the things I still have to do, plus I haven't completely unpacked and want to wash some things, but will do that today.  

On my way to the market and around the complex, I ran into Don, who used to live here and we chatted for a bit. Within the complex, I also saw Gordon and later, Chuck, who do live here. More significantly, as I was coming in the gate, David was going out on his bike. We talked and he pointed out that the utilities bill for November contains a seventy-nine percent increase in the water charge. So what gives, we want to know, and will pursue this. Speaking of guys, I want to call Jim today and see if he can come over for outdoor lunch this week. Will also call Betty, as I want to visit her.

I still haven't been able to figure out how to change the time on my phone, which tells me it's two hours earlier than it actually is. I'll look it up.    

 

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety, Jig

(Initial note: Boy, it's interesting when you travel over time zones while Daylight Savings Time ends. I slept like a stone, but awoke to see my phone telling me it was 5:36. Got up to turn on the coffee and saw the battery-run clock in the kitchen read 6:36. This laptop? 7:36! Okay, I'm going to trust my computer now, at 8:11--I think.)

As for yesterday: I was up at 6:30 and left for Albuquerque at 8:00. Boarded the plane for Phoenix, landed and rushed about a mile (it seemed like) to the plane headed for LAX. Because of the one-hour time change (California is earlier), I got there about 2:45. Airporter came at 3:30 and took me to Five Points where Ellen picked me up. She had gotten Thai takeout--spring rolls (so-so) and glass noodles with chicken (delish).  She also--sweet girl--brought me a Blue Moon and I had that with dinner.

She left, I unpacked about twenty percent of the mountain of things I had brought back (and the three large packages I had sent from NM are on the way), then jumped in the shower. Settled down to watch part of a DVD tribology of James Dean's three major movies. It started with a twenty-year-gone "remembrance" of him by a number of big Hollywood stars, including Natalie Wood, Sammy Davis, Jr., Rock Hudson, and many, many others. This was eerie because it's forty-five years later and every single one of them has now died.  Unfortunately, it was also pretty boring, maybe because Dean's over the top style of acting is now as dead as he is. I turned it off and enjoyed more Marie Kondo's "Tidying Up."