Road Trippin'

I went to see Frank A yesterday. On some level Frank’s content. He gets to see life through his prism and no one really argues with him. Frank says there’s occasional harassment from the cops but otherwise he goes about his business as we all do.

Of course the big glitch is his unfulfilled desire to see Jon. In the years that Frank underwent the big change I remember asking him about job options and there were certain things that he would consider and others that he would not. His choices were guided by one over riding consideration and that was that he needed to spend as much time as possible with Jonathan. It’s a sad irony that that obsessive behavior has cost him the relationship.

When I left Epiphany House I drove south through Baltimore and the neighborhoods that I used to know. It’s changed. There are contemporary buildings among the row houses but the place still has the same feel. If I had to live in a city that wasn’t New York it would be Baltimore.

I got to Martha N’s around 5:00 and got the grand tour. She lives in beautiful place that’s two apartments combined. It’s a big space and she’s left so much of it open. You don’t feel like the “stuff” is going to take over like you do at my house. And the place is immaculate.

We drove to downtown Bethesda and decided to see Pursuit Of Happyness so we bought tickets and had a quick dinner next door. After the movie there was ice cream, a walk through town with a stop at a book store. The night just... continued. I am always game for the next thing and often my friends want to stop before me but last night I wasn’t pushing the agenda, she was. What a blast. Hope we can do it again soon.

Old Friends

Richard T started with Pfizer CIG on Monday. He had worked with Vladimir on the CCP project back in the days of Thirst. Richard is a friendly cerebral type. We had lunch once or twice before. Funny that he, Vladimir, and myself would go our separate ways only to re-converge a year or two later. It is a small world.

Had dinner with Randy F on Tuesday. We met at a restaurant called Taboon not far from Roosevelt Hospital. We sat at the bar for an hour but when we decided to eat there were no tables available so we moved on. I would like to try the food sometime - Mediterranean cuisine.
We ate at a new age burger joint and Randy told me that there is a new love named Elizabeth. It was great to hear positive forward looking talk of their relationship. The talk of Eileen was always so futile and frustrating for him.

It was back to the dentist on Wednesday. Unfortunately my mouth had not self adjusted to the protruding crown so he ground off some of the tooth above. I said that I hadn’t expected him to grind real tooth and he assured me that it was only filling but I’m still not OK with the idea. In the end, my mouth feels fine and everything works as expected.

Dr. Patlut ended the appointment by exploring for more work with probes and x-rays. He found a molar that was mostly amalgam and suggested that it be capped. I’m not ready for that and when more work becomes necessary will look for another dentist.

That afternoon Fred K took the Relational Concepts consultants to a holiday lunch at The Rio Grande. A very nice time and a box of chocolates!

A Sunrise Christmas

Gave C the iMac and the morning was consumed with reformatting the HD and getting the network connected.

It was very nice to be invited to the Sunrise Systems Christmas party. The whole family was invited not just consultants. I would guess there were 400 people there. Good food and even a gift for Christopher. Much more than I expected.

I spent most of the evening talking to my co-worker Naresh. I was glad he was there and it was nice to meet his family.

K’s Concert

I enjoyed the music at The GVS concert. Music that I’m familiar with has provided a place to plant a flag but age allows me to relax enough to really appreciate the music.

Back to the Dentist

Back to the doctor for another fitting and this time the crown meets with his approval. It feels just like a real tooth.

I'm anxious to get out of the chair and leave. Even though the crown protrudes enough to touch the tooth above I tell him that it's fine hoping that my mouth will self adjust.

The Nutcracker

Went to see The Nutcracker at Lincoln Center. This was the Balanchine production and it was very different than the ballet that we’ve seen at The Wang Center. It doesn’t open with the street scene and it features dancing with hoola hoops. None of this was bad per se, just different.

It was Christopher’s first time and I was surprised at how long it took before the “I’m bored” announcement. He made it through 75% of the show!

Bolton Resigns

Of course I thought the recess appointment of John Bolton to UN Ambassador was an example of George Bush’s failure to play nicely with others. It was bound to end in disgrace but The President must have thought that he could cope with bad press on the back end. The “go it alone” decisions have not had good outcomes but that doesn’t stop him from making the next one.

So, Mr. Bolton made enemies at the UN. I don’t think that surprised anyone familiar with his record. But, if his agenda was so close to the hearts and minds of conservatives, why couldn’t he be confirmed by a Republican controlled congress? Could it be that even his friends didn’t see the sense in appointing someone who thinks the entire organization should be dismantled?

Physical Labor for the Sedentary

Disappointed on Wednesday with 2 more hours at the dentist only to be told that the crown needs to be adjusted and that I must come back again in a couple of weeks! I’ll be so glad when this is over.

Kevie does much of the yard work. Mostly raking this time of year and she tells me about aches and shows blisters from where she man handled the leaf blower. I developed empathy this weekend after cutting and stacking some of the trees that have fallen in the backyard.

After reading an article in Nutrition Action I’ve started to take 1200 IU/day Vitamin D. According to this article the advantages are myriad. It builds bone and muscle mass, fights periodontal disease and, reduces cancer risk. I’ll let you know if any of these benefits become apparent. Admittedly vitamin regimens have gone by the wayside due to lack of resolve. Could this be different?