Well, dear readers, let’s just cut to the proverbial chase, shall we? Why dilly-dally or shilly-shally when there is a lot to write about in these here notes? Why a long preamble or even a postamble or even an amble. Let’s just get to the meat of the notes, shall we? Or, for our vegetarian dear readers, the Impossible of the notes. Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start. I woke up at seven and was out the door by eight. So far, the pace of these here notes is exhilarating. I let Google Maps guide me. The on-ramp I was planning on using must have been really backed up because it had me go south on Sepulveda to the on-ramp a half-mile from there. That was fine. What was not fine was the huge WIDE LOAD truck next to me that veered into my lane and ripped a big ol’ gash that ran from the bumper almost to the front door. I couldn’t believe it. I honked at him, but I was stuck where I was and he quickly turned left onto some side street – a nice hit and run job and I hope he gets every ounce of the karma he deserves. Anyway, I had no idea what the damage was until I actually got to the doctor’s office. I allowed two HOURS for the drive because you just never know about the horrible traffic on the 405 even though they spent like a billion dollars widening it. It didn’t help. I think had I left even thirty minutes later, which was my original plan, it would have been a whole different story, traffic-wise, and not in a good way. The on-ramp wasn’t too crowded and once on the freeway it was very slow going to Getty Circle, but once past that it wasn’t bad at all – just a couple of slow pockets along the way. I was very nervous that if I took the suggested off-ramp that I’d get confused, but I just followed directions and it was actually pretty easy. It’s just confusing if you’re looking at it on a map. So, I got there about 8:50. I played on the iPhone, had a telephonic conversation on the iPhone, looked at mail on the iPhone, played a game on the iPhone, and basically an hour went by VERY quickly. Best of all, I got a great parking space above ground and right near the exit gate. By the time I got to the office it was just before 10:00. I used the ool, filled out a little paperwork, and was taken right in.
The doctor was very nice and laid back. He talked to me for a bit, asking a lot of questions, then did a VERY thorought examination that lasted almost an hour. No dilation of anything like that, just a lot of tests. He wants me to do one more blood draw for some eye thing – it would be rare if I had what he mentioned but better safe than sorry. I also have to have the MRI, and I’m waiting to hear when and how that will happen. He’ll arrange with my PCP for the blood draw. We made another appointment for six weeks from now, so hopefully they can do the open MRI in that time frame. Getting back on the freeway was a breeze and the drive back to the Valley was pretty quick.
I then did my banking – both banks were understaffed, so it took longer than usual, about fifteen minutes per bank. Then I went to Chin Chin, the weird but still trendy Chinese jernt near my bank and I got peanut noodles and a Chinese chicken salad to go. Then I came home. I ate less than half the noodles, which were pretty filing, and then only a little bit of the Chinese chicken salad, saving the rest for later. I answered a lot of e-mails, did some work on the computer, had a long telephonic conversation, and then around four I plopped into bed and fell asleep immediately for two hours. Once back up, I had more of the Chinese chicken salad, which had grown a little soggy in the refrigerator. I probably ate two-thirds of it. I tried a bite of the peanut noodles, but they didn’t age well so I threw them out. That was it for food. Then I sat on my couch like so much fish and streamed a new movie entitled Millers In Marriage, written, directed, and co-starring Edward Burns, a filmmaker I cannot stand because all he ever does is try to emulate his obsession, Woody Allen. For me, he doesn’t do it well. It’s just endless talk with characters I didn’t give a flying Wallenda about, in unhappy marriages, whining, complaining, and, of course, drinking bottles and bottles of wine, which is all these people EVER seem to do. It’s laughable, especially when one of the gals is married to a drunk. She seems to drink more than he does.
The cast is fine, although I think Mr. Burns is a terrible actor – but I like Gretchen Mol, Campbell Scott, and Burns does love his Broadway actors, so we get Brian d’Arcy James and Leslie Kritzer and Patrick Wilson. The score for solo piano sounds like a ten-year-old doing piano exercises. And this thing goes on for just under two hours. Cannot recommend it and don’t.
After that, I took part in our topic about candy bars, which turned out to be quite popular with the populace.
Today, I’ll be up by eleven, I’ll do whatever needs doing, go to the mail place to pick up Christmas cards, I’m not sure if I’ll eat before or after our rehearsal, which begins at 3:30 and goes to about 5:50 and which I’m very much looking forward to. I may not be able to wait to eat until six, so perhaps I’ll eat around 1:00. After rehearsal, I’ll watch, listen, and relax.
Tomorrow and Thursday are busy with lots of things, including visits to the mail place, starting to send out Christmas cards, and doing whatever needs doing. Friday is our second rehearsal, Saturday is our stumble-through and I’ll be getting photos from the Arboretum so I see that the set-up is being done correctly. The stumble-through is later in the afternoon but we should be done by six after notes and running whatever we need to. Then Sunday is our show at two, and then some kind of birthday dinner afterwards, if that even happens. I’m hoping it will because it would be nice to unwind, have a nice meal, and be with friends.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up by eleven, do whatever needs doing, go to the mail place to pick up my Christmas cards, eat, have a rehearsal, and then watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: Since candy bars was so much fun, let’s do ice cream bars – what was the first ice cream bar you ever had? Which were your favorites, and then moving on to cones, which were your favorite flavors as Baskin-Robins? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, not happy at all about the WIDE LOAD hit and run, but happy to have had the eyeballs thoroughly looked at by an expert.