I didn’t go to the Fox theater to see the show I mentioned in my last post. I thought the gig was on Saturday, but it was Friday and I was still too hiiiiiiiigh from being under general anesthetic to get behind the wheel of a car and drive. Or talk to anyone. Or do anything that has consequences. HA! 

I’m not sure how it happened, but when I was in recovery, I managed to get to my phone, which is weird, because I couldn’t manage to get it out of my wallet prior to being given propofol (the zipper was jammed!). So even with an I.V. in (which is the worst!), I was able to get it out (I don’t remember) and I sent photos of myself to co workers, friends and my parents. Now, if you know me, you know I RARELY send good photos of myself to anyone, let alone pics of me with a surgical cap, breathing apparatus and NO MAKE UP on!!! My mom sent me a text back that said “I’m SO saving this for blackmail”. 😳

I have a follow-up drs appointment tomorrow, wish me luck! I have Squeeze/ Daryl Hall and John Oates on Friday and I don’t want to miss it! A friend who has cancer (lost a kidney) and is going through chemo also has tickets and we’re gonna catch-up in-between bands. I haven’t seen him in years! He is a concert LEGEND, has a spreadsheet on all the shows he’s been to and I guarantee he’s been to every show you have been to and all the shows you have ever wanted to go to (in the US and UK). I’m glad the Bowl season has started and he feels safe enough to finally get back to concerts, chemo and all. I don’t want my friends to be unhappy and I could tell from our scant few texts that he was.

Fingers-crossed I can go!!!  I’ll let you guys know if my doctor clears me!

Ricky Gervais just cancelled the re-scheduled show from last year (a birthday gift from my oldest and dearest friend). I’m disappointed, but understand. 

Let’s be smart, safe and stay healthy!

Okay, I know it’s been months since my last post. Sorry. 2021 has been a challenging time, especially the past few months and, to be honest, with everything else going on in the world, I just didn't want to post about anything.  All my bullshit seems so small compared to the big picture, know what I mean?

I thought I should post something so y'all didn't think I got Covid or was in an accident or anything. I'm getting through all my work and health nonsense and trying to keep a smile (what else can you do, right?).  Maybe I'll post about it another time.   

I DID go to my first concert since a few days before lockdown started last March 2020 (Keane at the Kodak...amazing gig, front row!).  Saw Squeeze out in Riverside at the Fox Theatre this past Saturday (wore my mask!). Such a great show.  They played a couple of songs I haven't heard them do live since the late 80's and early 90's.  Looking forward to seeing them at the Hollywood Bowl with Darryl Hall and John Oates.  Just gotta figure out the shuttle situation as they don't have the ticket link up on the Bowl website yet.  

If I'm able to do it, I may head back out to Riverside and see a show Saturday.  It's 50/50 though, so I haven't bought a ticket yet.  I don't think it's sold-out, so I'm not worried about getting in if I do end-up making the drive. 

Anyway, I'm alive and fairly well, so... YAY!

Needless to say, things are getting better each day.  

I hope everyone out there is safe, healthy, well and happy.  

Take care!

 Busy week! After 15 months of not being able to see them, I went to visit my parents!  I tried to surprise my mom for Mother’s Day, but my dad blabbed. It’s okay though, she did a decent job trying to pretend she didn’t know.

It’s interesting, I struggled not being able to spend time with them, but by the start of the 2nd day, my mom and I were sniping at each other, lol! Family dynamics are static, even during a pandemic!

After 6 months of dealing with my arm/shoulder, I had my first physical therapy session this past Wednesday. She evaluated the situation and thinks everything probably started with a nerve issue in December and then grew to all the other stuff. It was a little scary to hear it was going to get worse before it got better…then she went to work.  When she started probing the muscle and the large tendon, I just about kneed the poor girl in the side of the head, it hurt so bad! (I was on a table while she was over me digging into my arm and shoulder, causing my knee to inadvertently come up) It probably lasted about 40 mins  and I have the bruises to prove it, HA! After she was done, I got wrapped-up in this weird refrigeration thing that flooded my arm, shoulder and neck in super cold “something”. 

She was right, it’s currently a lot worse than it was, but I’m hopeful it will get better!!! 

Work has been really busy, but should slow down a little after the upcoming IRS deadline, thank goodness!

Here’s to a tranquil weekend… I should probably get my travel junk off the floor, unpack and put stuff away, after all, I’ve been home for 5 days now! I’m so lazy!!!

I'm pretty happy to report that this week was, well, boring!  On both the home and work fronts.  For the first time in a very long while, I didn't have any appointments outside of work, there weren't any crises to deal with at the office and for the most part, folks were in a good mood.  

On a whim last weekend, while I was out on a walk window shopping the stores in my neighborhood, I called my old gym to see if they were open.  Turns out they are, at a limited capacity (along with masks, etc.), so I even managed to go to the gym three times this week (my pandemic weight gain is way out of hand).  As most of my friends know, I can't work both arms, but I've been able to do everything else.  I'm not going to lie, I hate everything about the gym and I don't enjoy a single second of being there.  I count down the minutes until I can leave.  I look for reasons not to go, even after I have my workout clothes and sneakers on and I'm walking up to the stupid place I think of ways to get out of going.  I won't even lie and say that I stopped going because of the pandemic.  I stopped going regularly WAY before Covid-19 showed up!  I think the guy I spoke to on the phone last Saturday probably thought I was lying when, after I asked what time they opened the next day, I said I would be there the next morning when they opened at 5am because he was really surprised when I showed-up at 4:55am... on a Sunday. HAHAHAH!  For about 15 minutes I had the entire place to myself, too bad the lights were set to motion detectors, so it was mostly dark.  I stayed for about 75 minutes and when I left, I think there were 8 people in different areas.  It used to be really crowded there starting at 6am, so I was kind of surprised.  Maybe most members are like me and didn't know they were back open?  I dunno!  What I do know id I can barely walk!  Since I can't use the arm machines, I've been focusing on legs, glutes and abs and it SUCKS.  I know it will get better.  I just hope the thunder thighs, man calves and flabby abs get a little bit smaller.  Fingers-crossed!

Spending so much time at home, I've kind of gotten into replacing things in my kitchen that are cheap or no longer doing what I need them to do with things that might be more expensive, but should last a long time and do a better job.  Don't get me wrong, I'm going out wildly spending money, I'm being really choosy and waiting for sales and stuff.  

It's amazing how dumb stuff can make you happy.  I found a 15-piece set of J.A. Henckels knives on DEEP sale.  These knives are so bad ass!  The blades are crazy sharp and the block they are stored in is pretty neat too.  I don't think there is anything I can't slice, dice or chop.  My old set of knives was okay, but it was 23 years-old and was really not one of those types of sets that you expect to last this long.  I've taken good care of it, but it had gotten to the point where even sharpening the blades wasn't making much difference.

I also found a Le Creuset 11-inch enameled cast iron skillet (the kind that's off-white on the inside) in clearance sale too.  I should be able to get rid of a lot of my pans and free up some space in the kitchen.  Surprisingly, it looks pretty nice next to the shiny black Staub cocotte my friend gave me for Christmas a couple of years ago (I love that thing!!!).  Being that they are different brands, I didn't think they would look good together!  Not that it's important, but it makes me happy.  I'm excited to use my new kitchen toys!  

Just a side note: enameled cast iron weighs A LOT more than regular pans, LOL! 

I just now watched the final episode of Season One of the Falcon and the Winter Soldier.  I don't want to give anything away, but I have to say, this series is the best thing I've seen on TV in a very, very long time (even though I guessed who the Power Broker was the second I saw them on screen).  Is it bad to admit I cried more than a few times during a few episodes?  I can't wait to watch it over again.

A new Thrilling Adventure Hour is tomorrow.  The Work Juice Players' shows and reunions have been bright spots for me over the last year and I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to catch the gigs.  They were early adopters of the Zoom performances for charity thing and have done a lot of good things.  My friends and I haven't missed a single show.  If you read this beforehand, try and get a ticket.  The money always goes to a good cause.

Not sure what I'm doing the rest of the afternoon and evening, but I'm sure it will be low key and involve me not doing my chores.

I might check-in later, not sure.

I was going to proofread this post, but I don't feel like it.  Enjoy all the typos and stream of consciousness grammatical errors everyone.  I promise I'm not this stupid, but I am this lazy!

Have a good weekend!  

 Well, I'm relieved to report I had a VERY good day this past Friday (which was also a day off work).  YAY!!!

I had a follow-up doctors' appointment and found that not only don't I have to have two procedures my doctor scared the shit out of me with, but, in three weeks, the issue has almost totally reversed itself and I don't need to go back until my next appointment in a year.  You have no idea how relieved I am.  It was weird!  I saw it on the screen, clear as day with my own two eyes.  One month,- scary, next month - almost gone.  I'm so thankful to be healthy!  I mean, I'm still broken down and old, but biologically, I am super-healthy!

Speaking of being broken down and old, because of my advanced age, I'm fully vaccinated!  In two weeks, I'll be official.  I'm so thankful to have received the "one and done" Janssen shot.  I know a lot of folks think it's not as effective as the other two, but as it was trialed later in the onset of the pandemic, it was tested against the more contagious SA Variant, where the others weren't.  It's also a different type of vaccine.  I should have 85% protection against serious illness and 100% protection against death.  I'm good with both of those!  It's been a couple of days and no side effects yet.  I'm a little tired, but that's pretty normal for me.

Science is awesome!!!!

Happy Birthday CBLMW. I know the next year will be filled with love, joy, good fortune and happiness. You deserve the very best life has to offer. You have always been a force for change and helping those who need it, I hope you realize people see this and appreciate all you do. Enjoy your special day! Sending you good wishes.....

Well, I have to say-- all things considered, this was as good a day as I've had for the past year.  

Didn't get much sleep last night (as usual), but woke up easily.  Made early Sunday breakfast at 5am and got started with the Sunday chores.  You know, strip the bed and put fresh linens on it, clean the kitchen, fridge, freezer and  put stuff down I might need, clean the cat box, take out the trash.  Normal things.  The weather was so great today, blue skies, slight breezes and about 73F, so I threw as many windows open as I could to air the place out. I love doing that!

I wanted to make scones, but forgot to get dried fruit (craisins, golden raisins, cherries, etc.), so I walked to Target to pick up a few things.  It was so nice out!

One of my plans for the day was to make beans, so I'd put some on to soak overnight, I got started on them as soon at I made it back home,  Bacon, onion, spices in the pot first.... my house smelled so good!  Rinse the beans a zillion times before adding them to the pot with a bunch of water.  Turn the heat way down and cover.  Add more spices along the way with diced jalapenos and chilis and viola!  Delicious!  I put a pork roast in a couple hours ago, so I'll have them with that and some vegetables.  Tomorrow it will be a bean and cheese burrito for dinner.

So my house smells like scones, pork roast, beans and vegetables.  Heaven!

I did my Sunday afternoon routine of setting out clothes for work tomorrow, getting lunch together, soaking in the tub, washing my hair and all that stuff early today and my goodness, when I looked up and out the window, the gently moving palm trees looked like they had the glittery filter people use, you know the one that sparkles?  It was amazing!  Now, I don't really drink wine any more as is gives me headaches, but I made an exception, took some preventative pills and got a glass of Chardonnay.  I love Sundays like this!

I just checked and the roast is about 10 degrees from being able to come out of the oven and rest and I'm just about ready to relax into Sunday evening.

I hope you all enjoyed your day as much as I did mine.  It might seem like a boring day to most folks.....but for me, accomplishing normal, drudge type chores in beautiful weather felt exceptional today and I am grateful.  This year has been so challenging, I treasure times like this.

I hope this bodes well for the week ahead..........

(not checking for typos this time, it is what it is!)

This is going to be a post about this and that.  Nothing exciting.

So, as you know, I accepted the challenge by my friend to watch all the Marvel movies on Disney+.  I've watched all of them at least twice and most three times.  My first pass through was over a long weekend where, I think, I got three hours of sleep, lol!

The movies are much better than I expected!  The only titles I didn't watch three times were Ant Man (great movie, but I just couldn't with the scenes of ants swarming over things....I'm almost phobic about ants. Oddly, I was okay with Ant Man and the Wasp!), Doctor Strange (again, great movie, but I just didn't feel the need to see it again), Black Panther (I really LOVED this movie, but it broke my heart to watch it), Iron Man 2 (I just didn't care for this one) and Thor: Dark World (I love Chris Eccleston, but Natalie Portman didn't seem like she was interested in being in the movie, so she was really distracting and it took away from the movie).

The titles I've watched the most?  Thor: Ragnarok, Captain America, Iron Man (the only one I'd seen before the challenge and I think I have on DVD somewhere), The Avengers and Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

I was surprised at the two Guardians of the Galaxy movies.  First time I watched them I didn't really care much.  They were "meh".  Second time, I really liked them!  I think one of my favorite sounds in the world is the sound of Drax laughing.  It's such a big, hearty laugh.  I wish I knew someone who laughed like that!

Another surprise hit for me was Captain Marvel.  I first watched it late in the list (it was in phase 4), and it seemed out of place.  Watching it after Captain America, it made more sense.  Probably best that I didn't have any expectations going in to it.  I knew next to nothing about the character and really only watched it so it would advance the storyline of the overall story arc.  Such a good movie!

My final takeaway - Nick Fury is a complex and very interesting badass and I should have seen more Halloween costumes of him over the past how many years since these movies have been released.

On other topics, with the new strains of the virus, the insurrection, the subsequent shameful actions of the GOP and all the legends we have lost this year, so far 2021 has been really crummy.  People I know still believe the election was stolen, so I have to hear comments about that, which sucks.  One of my co-workers transferred to a different office this week and the main guy on his team is a nightmare and, until the replacement starts and learns our systems, everyone else has fill the void.  That guy makes mistakes and blames everyone else, so I'm not thrilled to have to deal with that. I miss my work friend and have to deal with his shitty team member.  BAH!

Trying to look to the future though and I'm sure it's going to get better.  POTUS Biden has been doing great things (in just one week!), the vaccine has begun rolling out and we don't have to hear about Trumps tweets every two minutes.  Such a relief!  I don't feel as tense as I have been for the past four years.

I took my handsome Gotham to the vet for his annual check-up for his hypertension and renal issues and, thankfully, the vet said everything is great.  Bloodwork and physical exam were better than I expected (his weight is good too, 13lbs!).  He said "whatever you're doing, keep it up!".  That means lucky Gotham gets to be spoiled for another year.  He's turning 15 this summer, so I'm prone to getting anxious about his health.  

Reading a really good book by T.J. English called "The Westies: Inside New York's Irish Mob". Very interesting look at Irish organized crime in NYC (specifically Hell's Kitchen) from the late 1960's through to the 1980's.  I'd read about and watched documentaries that mention them in relation to Italian groups (the DeMeo crew of the Gambino's in Canarsie), but I'd never read anything from the point of view of the Westies.  The main individuals are still alive too.  Micky Featherstone and Billy Beattie are in Witness Protection and the rest are or until recently have been in prison (Jimmy Coonan).  I was surprised to learn there weren't hundreds of people in the gang, but really only a few dozen!  So if you are interested in New York Organized Crime Non-Fiction, give it a read.  

I also just finished "The President Street Boys: Growing Up Mafia" by Frank DiMatteo.  This book focuses on the Gallo faction of the Colombo Family (formerly the Profaci Family).  If you can get past the grammar, language  and formatting issues, it's a good read as well.  Normally, you only hear about the Gallo's as a footnote to "Crazy Joe" Gallo's life and you really only hear about Joe Gallo as a footnote to the murder of Joe Colombo.  You never read stories about the crew itself.  I've always been interested in learning about Larry Gallo (Joe's older brother) and Albert "Kid Blast" Gallo (Joe's younger brother).  This book was written by the son of a close associate, who himself was also involved with the family.  If you're looking to read about the lion they kept, Carmine Persico or Joe Colombo, there are better books (two written by the same author).  They are small entries here.  There should be more books about these folks.  That being said, I haven't been able to bring myself to read "The Mad Ones" by Tom Folsom.  I saw a show he was on and just couldn't bring myself to buy or read it (yet), but hey, I might change my mind in the future.  Frank DiMatteo actually lived this stuff,  Plus, he has one of the best book titles ever (I just had to buy it) "Brooklyn Gangsters: 70 Square Miles of Blood and Balls". HAHAHA, that title is so great!

I don't read about organized crime and true crime exclusively, even though I know it looks that way!  To be honest, apart from "A Promised Land" (Obama), there haven't been many new books I've wanted to read.  Besides, watching 20 Marvel movies multiple times takes up a lot of time and limits what I could be spending reading. :-) 

Well, I guess I should do some chores.  The kitchen isn't going to clean itself....