Well, dear readers, as I sit here writing these here notes like so much fish, I am feeling very Viennesey thanks to Mr. Ormandy playing a potpourri of well-known and loved waltzes by Mr. Strauss, not Richard. My eyeballs are finally focusing again, after being pummeled with dilation and bright lights and looking and figuring out which eye is doing what and what can be done about it. Apparently, like most people of an age, I do have cataracts, but they are not bad, and nothing need be done about them at this time. I do have a very slight astigmatism in my left eye, but nothing need to done about it at this time. The very nice lady doctor asked if I’d had a fall recently or been very sick – I said, while Jews of an age do fall regularly, I wasn’t one of them, thankfully, and that I’d had a mild case of maybe Covid. She was trying to ascertain whether something of that nature was causing my double vision. I told her I’d been reading up on the causes and that I’d read that double vision could be fixed with a prism lens for the eye that’s problematic. And sure enough, that’s how she fixed it. BUT, and it’s a big BUT – she doesn’t want to make glasses yet because she’s more concerned about the why of it – why did it happen out of the blue. It could be something very simple, like the muscle in my right eye simply weakening, or it could be something neurological. So, she gave me the card of another doctor who deals with neurological eye problems. I don’t think it’s that – I think it’s the simple thing. I’ll have it checked out, but I may ask her to make the glasses anyway, so that I can drive safely. We shall see (pun intended). The exam took about ninety minutes. Well, you know the famous Shakespearean line: Beware the Eyes of March. Prior to the eyeball exam I got about six hours of sleep, was up at eight and out the door by eight-thirty. I went to Hugo’s, just because it’s the closest jernt that I like for breakfast and it’s on the way to the mail place. I had pasta papa – can’t remember the last time I was there, actually. It was very good, but perhaps a bit too much garlic this time and that’s causing some tummy upset still, even at this late hour. I went to the mail place and picked up nothing. I went to Gelson’s and got some low-cal hot dogs and buns and a couple of other items, then came home, answered e-mails and then at one I moseyed on over to Encino for the eyeball exam, which is just west of the Encino Gelson’s, which is THE worst part of Ventura Blvd. and parking. I finally parked in the Gelson’s lot and walked the half-block to the eyeball place. The interesting thing whilst writing these here notes like so much fish is that double vision thing isn’t happening. She did recommend me going to CVS and getting a slightly stronger set of reading glasses, so I’ll go try some out – she suggested a “2” rather than the “1.2” that I apparently got. I had no idea there were different strengths.
I came right home. I couldn’t do much of anything because my dilated eyeballs weren’t focusing enough to read or watch. So, I loaded more CDs (only twelve to go), and listened to music. First, more Vivaldi, beautifully done, the Rachmaninov’s Symphonic Dances. The know-it-all Mr. Hurwitz doesn’t like the performance, but I do – Mr. Ormandy premiered it and it was written for his orchestra. It is said that Ormandy didn’t care for it, but I don’t know if I believe that stuff because I cannot find anything online that says that, including the long Wikipedia article on the piece – it’s a very fine performance and wonderfully played. Then it was another album showing off the Philadelphia strings with Barber, Vaughan Williams, Grieg, Tchaikovsky, Borodin, Schubert, and MacDowell – very lovely stuff. And now playing, the music of Richard Yardumian – Ormandy was a champion of his and the music is very American in sound and I’m enjoying it.
I finally did watch, through blurry eyeballs, some Hitchcock interviews, including an almost hour-long one with Tom Snyder, who I don’t think had seen many Hitchcock films. A very odd interview, but Hitchcock, even at his age, is clearly having fun. Few of the questions are about his actual films, which is the odd part. And here we are, eyes finally not blurry and working almost properly.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ve already ordered food – just not wanting to drive until I get the prism lens glasses or, even better, if this starts going away on its own. I’ll do whatever needs doing, I’ll eat the food when it arrives (penne pasta in pink sauce with one meat ball for protein), then I’ll watch, listen, and relax.
The rest of the week is light – meetings and meals and, if David Wechter finishes his sequence, I’ll begin the sequence that follows it.
Let’s all put on our pointy party hats and our colored tights and pantaloons, let’s all break out the ham chunks and the cheese slices, let’s all dance the Hora or the Hokey-Pokey, for today is the birthday of our very own Rodzinski. So, let’s give a big haineshisway.com birthday cheer to our very own Rodzinski. On the count of three: One, two, three – A BIG HAINESHISWAY.COM BIRTHDAY CHEER TO OUR VERY OWN RODZINSKI!!!
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up when I’m up, do whatever needs doing, eat, and then watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Ask BK Day, the day in which you get to ask me or any dear reader any old question you like and we get to give any old answer we like. So, let’s have loads of lovely questions and loads of lovely answers and loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have had the eyeballs examined and hoping we DON’T have to beware the Eyes of March.