Regarding the car, the news couldn't be any better. Not only will the body shop (Magnussen Carwest for those in the area - they're wonderful) be able to fix my car, they are also removing the expired yellow commuter lane stickers, fixing the remaining damage from the raw eggs that had been thrown at her in February, and, in addition to replacing the 3 damaged tires and rims with new ones, they're throwing in a 4th tire and rim for free. I'm essentially going to end up with a brand new car. And the icing on the cake is that the insurance company is waiving the $500 deductible. The repair estimate is $9,000, which says a lot about how much a Prius retains its value - the year is 2006. I should have her back by the end of the month. In the meantime, I'm tooling around town in a fire engine red Toyota Corolla Matrix Hatchback - not bad.
The next bit of good news concerns the MRIs I had done last month. The scan of the brain showed no change from last year. The scan of the spine also showed no new lesions, although some of them MIGHT be a slight bit larger and others MIGHT be a slight bit smaller. It was hard to tell. What was obvious though is that there is a lot of activity along the spinal cord. My doctor said that based on all that activity (in other words, a lot of lesions), they feel strongly that I should be on some kind of drug. Now here's the really good news. They will be coming out with a new disease modifying drug (that means it slows the progression) hopefully by the end of the year and it's an oral drug, not an injectable. And the best part is that it has a higher success rate (over 50% compared to just 33%), fewer side effects and a higher safety record. For the first time, I am open to taking one of these drugs. It's called Biogen B-12 if anyone wants to read up on it.
Now for the really exciting part - my new business card is ready! I've enclosed an image of it at the top. It is at the printer's as we speak and I should have it next week. I am already starting to book appointments. The next step is to design a business card for my bookkeeping business (this one will be much simpler). Once I get that one, I will start calling on small businesses and medical offices in the area. And then Ed, my graphic artist friend, will design me a brochure. My job with the non-profit in Milpitas ends as of October 31, so it is incumbent on me to get these new businesses going promptly! I welcome any and all referrals.
The mini reunions and discovery of lost high school classmates continue to occur at a faster and faster pace. I am in charge of creating and maintaining a database - one general one with everyone's information and another one just for the classmates who have still not been found. It's pretty time consuming but fun and exciting too. We just heard from someone I'd been extremely friendly with and fond of in HS and I am so happy to be back in touch with him.
Life continues to be fun. This weekend 6 of the women from the cancer class Carla and I took at the YMCA back in 2008 are spending the weekend at the country home of one of us up in Sonoma, the wine country. We're bringing sleeping bags and pillows and everyone is taking care of one meal. Carla and I are handling a breakfast and a lunch, we're all bringing wine plus I'm bringing vodka and my apple and pomegranate martini mixers, as well as my iPod and iPod speakers. We're calling it a retreat, but I'm not sure that's the right word for it - I do know there will be lots of laughter and good times.
And finally, I think summer is finally here. The temperature has been averaging in the high 50s to low 60s, but we finally were at mid 80s yesterday. I haven't even unpacked my chaise lounge on my deck yet - usually I'm out there every day after work, but it's been too cold. I was even beginning to regret having put away my heaters and brought out my fans. Hopefully it will stay nice until the Fall.
That's it, folks!
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Ongoing Saga of the Trials and Tribulations of LSD
Well, as you can see, my poor Prius has once again been violated - this time without me being at the wheel or even in the car. She was innocently parked on the street right in front of the carriage house when suddenly there was this loud noise followed by a car alarm. Carla and I went running out of the house (well, Carla did, I was kind of limping along, being still in my pajamas and socks) and sure enough, this young woman had rammed right into the left rear of my car, pushing her up on the curb and causing the tire and axle to be all twisted. Her car continued along the street and then careened into the curb where her tire immediately exploded.
To cut a long and painful story short, she was led away in handcuffs (drugs-involved DUI) and my car was towed away to a tow yard. Today I spoke to the auto body shop that had done such a miraculous job 3 years ago after the stop sign/squad car incident and they have her now where they will inspect her and then let me know whether she is salvageable. Oy. Boy do I love that car. I am getting a rental from Hertz tomorrow (covered by my insurance) but what will I do without my GPS? My insurance company, CSAA, has been great, as always. This is my 3rd claim now - the accident with the stop sign (over $13,000 to repair), the stolen iPhone (over $800), and now this. The miracle is that my rates have never gone up, since none of these were my fault. I won't even have to pay the deductible this time since the car was parked in front of my house.
I will post the finale to this sad story once I find out whether the car can be fixed or whether I need to purchase a new one.
Now on to the good news. I finally went to New York and had a WONDERFUL time. I was lucky with the weather - except for the first day, which was hot and humid and in the 90s, the weather was cool and overcast, and even rained with thunderstorms a couple of days. My friend Ed picked me up at the airport and we immediately drove to Great Neck, my hometown. I not only got to see my old house, I was also given a tour by the current owner. The house was built in 1856 and is an historical landmark. You can tell she respected and revered its origins. She explained the changes she'd made (all of which I approved) and I described how it had been in my day. She'd purchased it in 1996 and we had sold it in 1963. Trish had visited it at some point, I think in the 1980s, and had also been given a tour by the owners at that time, so we knew there had been several owners since the Druces.
I think the most surprising tidbit about my stay on Long Island is that you CANNOT find a good place to have an espresso or caffe latte, except for the occasional Starbucks. Note that word OCCASIONAL. Every time I would ask for a cappucino, they would nod their head up and down giddily, saying yes yes we have capuccinos, and then point me towards this machine that had the word CAPPUCINO written on it, and which dispensed this gooey sugary concoction that reminded me of coffee you get in the vending machines in train stations. Yuck. It wasn't until I was in Manhattan that I was back in civilization with coffee houses every few feet like here in the Bay Area.
I got to see all my wonderful NY friends. I stayed 3 nights with Cynthia who lives in what I think is considered the West Village. We were occupied every single second I was with her - dinner in local Italian restaurant, Cooper Hewitt museum for a wonderful exhibit of Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry (the museum itself was a jewel, being the former residence of Andrew Carnegie), a dinner a la Sex In The City with the original foursome (Cynthia, Joan, Karin and myself for those in the know) in a Spanish restaurant where we dined Tom Jones style on gambas al ajllo and lobster washed down with martinis, followed the next day by a wonderful lunch with Marv and Chie where we were also joined by Joan's husband Richard. That evening Cynthia and I went to a local production of music by Cy Coleman which was delightful. In between all these activities were nonstop talking and sharing sessions in which we tried to catch up on the last 10+ years. I also managed to squeeze in some hours of techno-tutoring, teaching her how to use iTunes and giving her music I'd brought on my portable hard drive.
By Friday I was exhausted albeit exhilarated and was happy to accompany Karin home to her peaceful oasis in Bayonne, New Jersey where I spent the next 3 lovely and restful days. Not to say there wasn't excitement. We had two glorious dinners sitting outside overlooking the water. We also spent lots of time catching each other up on the years since my last visit. Karin, Cynthia and I go way back, to the years I lived in Paris. We have a lot of shared memories, adventures and experiences. It was wonderful to be with them both, especially unencumbered by a spouse! My only regret is that I did not get to spend much time with Joan. I hope to rectify that on my next visit.
By Monday morning I was refreshed and ready to once more take on New York City. Again, my wonderful and generous friend Ed came and picked me up in New Jersey. Otherwise I do not know how I would have managed all the moving around that I did. We went back to Long Island, this time to Lynbrook where I had spent my first 10 years before moving to Great Neck, for the first of many mini reunions of my 1963 high school graduating class. There were about 25 of us, each and every one looking terrific and much younger than our years, and we all had an amazingly great time. I don't quite know how to put into words what is happening with our class. It turns out a lot of us had either troubled childhoods or insecurities in HS, feeling left out of cliques or the "popular crowd", etc., but enough years combined with life experiences have wiped all that away and we are coming together as people eager and excited to rediscover each other and to pick up where we left off. We are forging new friendships instead of going back and reminiscing about the past. There are minireunions and dinners and lunches taking place all over the country now with people who hadn't seen each other for almost 50 years and who for the most part hadn't even known each other back then. We are also assiduously working on putting together an official 50th reunion. L.A. had a get together on Sunday (while my car was being wrecked - how rude), I am helping to plan one up here, and Florida is having one in November.
My last 3 nights were spent in a loft in Soho. I was in 7th heaven. I've never stayed in that area of the city. I spent 3 solid days wandering around Soho, Little Italy, Chinatown - as much as my legs would permit me anyway. It was glorious.
I returned home Friday June 24th to find a vase of flowers on the stairs with a note Welcome Home from Carla. This really is my home now and I love it. I received the results of the two MRIs I'd had done before I left (brain and spine) and have an appointment this Thursday to go over them with my doctor. I'll wait until after that to say anything about them. Everyone keeps asking about my new business. Well, I should have my new business card soon, which I will post - it's at the printer's being printed as we speak - and I already have several clients lined up. My official last day at work is end of October so I know I have to hustle to get this business up and running and supporting me.
Well, that's enough news for now. To be continued - can the not-so-poor orphan girl from a small affluent town on the fashionable North Shore of Long Island find health, wealth, love and happiness in the City By The Bay?
To cut a long and painful story short, she was led away in handcuffs (drugs-involved DUI) and my car was towed away to a tow yard. Today I spoke to the auto body shop that had done such a miraculous job 3 years ago after the stop sign/squad car incident and they have her now where they will inspect her and then let me know whether she is salvageable. Oy. Boy do I love that car. I am getting a rental from Hertz tomorrow (covered by my insurance) but what will I do without my GPS? My insurance company, CSAA, has been great, as always. This is my 3rd claim now - the accident with the stop sign (over $13,000 to repair), the stolen iPhone (over $800), and now this. The miracle is that my rates have never gone up, since none of these were my fault. I won't even have to pay the deductible this time since the car was parked in front of my house.
I will post the finale to this sad story once I find out whether the car can be fixed or whether I need to purchase a new one.
Now on to the good news. I finally went to New York and had a WONDERFUL time. I was lucky with the weather - except for the first day, which was hot and humid and in the 90s, the weather was cool and overcast, and even rained with thunderstorms a couple of days. My friend Ed picked me up at the airport and we immediately drove to Great Neck, my hometown. I not only got to see my old house, I was also given a tour by the current owner. The house was built in 1856 and is an historical landmark. You can tell she respected and revered its origins. She explained the changes she'd made (all of which I approved) and I described how it had been in my day. She'd purchased it in 1996 and we had sold it in 1963. Trish had visited it at some point, I think in the 1980s, and had also been given a tour by the owners at that time, so we knew there had been several owners since the Druces.
I think the most surprising tidbit about my stay on Long Island is that you CANNOT find a good place to have an espresso or caffe latte, except for the occasional Starbucks. Note that word OCCASIONAL. Every time I would ask for a cappucino, they would nod their head up and down giddily, saying yes yes we have capuccinos, and then point me towards this machine that had the word CAPPUCINO written on it, and which dispensed this gooey sugary concoction that reminded me of coffee you get in the vending machines in train stations. Yuck. It wasn't until I was in Manhattan that I was back in civilization with coffee houses every few feet like here in the Bay Area.
I got to see all my wonderful NY friends. I stayed 3 nights with Cynthia who lives in what I think is considered the West Village. We were occupied every single second I was with her - dinner in local Italian restaurant, Cooper Hewitt museum for a wonderful exhibit of Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry (the museum itself was a jewel, being the former residence of Andrew Carnegie), a dinner a la Sex In The City with the original foursome (Cynthia, Joan, Karin and myself for those in the know) in a Spanish restaurant where we dined Tom Jones style on gambas al ajllo and lobster washed down with martinis, followed the next day by a wonderful lunch with Marv and Chie where we were also joined by Joan's husband Richard. That evening Cynthia and I went to a local production of music by Cy Coleman which was delightful. In between all these activities were nonstop talking and sharing sessions in which we tried to catch up on the last 10+ years. I also managed to squeeze in some hours of techno-tutoring, teaching her how to use iTunes and giving her music I'd brought on my portable hard drive.
By Friday I was exhausted albeit exhilarated and was happy to accompany Karin home to her peaceful oasis in Bayonne, New Jersey where I spent the next 3 lovely and restful days. Not to say there wasn't excitement. We had two glorious dinners sitting outside overlooking the water. We also spent lots of time catching each other up on the years since my last visit. Karin, Cynthia and I go way back, to the years I lived in Paris. We have a lot of shared memories, adventures and experiences. It was wonderful to be with them both, especially unencumbered by a spouse! My only regret is that I did not get to spend much time with Joan. I hope to rectify that on my next visit.
By Monday morning I was refreshed and ready to once more take on New York City. Again, my wonderful and generous friend Ed came and picked me up in New Jersey. Otherwise I do not know how I would have managed all the moving around that I did. We went back to Long Island, this time to Lynbrook where I had spent my first 10 years before moving to Great Neck, for the first of many mini reunions of my 1963 high school graduating class. There were about 25 of us, each and every one looking terrific and much younger than our years, and we all had an amazingly great time. I don't quite know how to put into words what is happening with our class. It turns out a lot of us had either troubled childhoods or insecurities in HS, feeling left out of cliques or the "popular crowd", etc., but enough years combined with life experiences have wiped all that away and we are coming together as people eager and excited to rediscover each other and to pick up where we left off. We are forging new friendships instead of going back and reminiscing about the past. There are minireunions and dinners and lunches taking place all over the country now with people who hadn't seen each other for almost 50 years and who for the most part hadn't even known each other back then. We are also assiduously working on putting together an official 50th reunion. L.A. had a get together on Sunday (while my car was being wrecked - how rude), I am helping to plan one up here, and Florida is having one in November.
My last 3 nights were spent in a loft in Soho. I was in 7th heaven. I've never stayed in that area of the city. I spent 3 solid days wandering around Soho, Little Italy, Chinatown - as much as my legs would permit me anyway. It was glorious.
I returned home Friday June 24th to find a vase of flowers on the stairs with a note Welcome Home from Carla. This really is my home now and I love it. I received the results of the two MRIs I'd had done before I left (brain and spine) and have an appointment this Thursday to go over them with my doctor. I'll wait until after that to say anything about them. Everyone keeps asking about my new business. Well, I should have my new business card soon, which I will post - it's at the printer's being printed as we speak - and I already have several clients lined up. My official last day at work is end of October so I know I have to hustle to get this business up and running and supporting me.
Well, that's enough news for now. To be continued - can the not-so-poor orphan girl from a small affluent town on the fashionable North Shore of Long Island find health, wealth, love and happiness in the City By The Bay?
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