Hellbender

 I met Rosemary for dinner at a restaurant near her place: Hellbender. The name comes from a giant aquatic salamander. The food they serve is Mexican in inspiration but very imaginative. We had a tomato salad that had a vinaigrette with toasted garlic and chili--it was delicious. I had a lamb shank with two kinds of beans and pickled red onions. Rosemary had a scallop dish with papaya so I couldn't eat it. Her main was artic char with a corn puree. The cuatro leches cake for dessert was the best thing we had (a tres leches cake with coconut milk). Her little neighborhood in Ridgewood has lots of great restaurants!

 

 Sad news today: Arun's father died. He had been very ill for some time now so it wasn't a surprise but it happened really fast. As a result of the funeral being this coming weekend, Blas and Loren decided to postpone the party until the following weekend so that Rosemary could go to the funeral. I was able to change my flights for the following week. I had to cancel the flights and pay for the new ones but I found a $200 credit and I will be able to use the balance for future travel. The good thing is that I will no longer have to leave at 3AM to get there in time for an early morning flight. 

I should text my condolences to Arun and Radika. 

Business

 I had a brain MRI and got the report back right way: all clear. I will see the neurooncologist Monday so he can take my hand and tell me all is well! Then I will see Dr Clinton. I need to get her to authorize the Hep B booster and get a flu shot.  I s should also get my blood work done in preparation for my call with the liver doctor.

Yesterday I mailed the form to the law firm that is handling the property ownership dispute in the Nitti family. We first heard about it when someone contacted mom about who was in the family. I'm still not clear on how the three of us are related to it but I  printed and signed the from appointing one of mom's cousins as the representative of the group of us so that ownership can be established and the property can be sold. Apparently there has been a squatter. 

Today I mailed in the jury duty questionnaire that I got yesterday, just establishing that I'm a citizen who speaks English and lives in Brooklyn. I wonder if I'll get called up. I also went to the new taco cafe Peral which just opened next to the restaurant Olmo. I'm going to meet Maria there for dinner on Wednesday but I thought I'd check out the daytime service: horchata latte and breakfast burrito (smallish but yummy). I really like the blend of horchata and coffee. The place is still rough around the edges but pleasant with lots of seating and light. I like Covert's interior better though. I went after I got up at 12:30. I got in bed at around ten and then slept until morning but got up to pee about three times. I weighed myself after a BM and was just under 170--broke the barrier! 

The bathroom sink has been repaired. I thought it was just a hair clog but it turned out that the whole pipe had been installed improperly and had to be replaced. It took Miguel and Alex a few days to trouble shoot but they got it fixed and saved Jason and Karin $700. Now I can brush my teeth in the bathroom and the sink drains properly.  

Yesterday I also got a statement from one of my retirement accounts showing that it has gained in value. I also got the disbursement from my annual acount as well my quarterly deposit so I have a lot of cash as well as the money sitting in the CD. I need to decide how to transfer funds from my Berkeley Credit Union to my Brooklyn Credit Union.

The weather is warm but pleasant, not too hot. I also went grocery shopping and got apples and mango, cherry tomatoes and avocados. No blackberries though. Got in my daily walk.  

Dentist visit

 Today I had my 10AM Diabetes Management Program class, in which I was reminded that I need to exercise. Sigh. I had my Salad Don salmon rice and veggie bowl and then walked back to the clinic for my six-month cleaning. Dr Vu told me that she wants to replace the filling she put in because there is a shadow underneath and she wants to get it right. She also said she would do something about the little nick I have in one of my front teeth. Then she cleaned my teeth and sent me on my way. 

My bathroom sink has been clogged and Miguel is trying to fix it but he needs a different piece. Alex is going to come by the day after tomorrow to finish the job. I will be having my brain MRI that day at midday but Alex said he'd be coming by in the afternoon. I hope he can fix it! He said that a plumber quoted him $700 for the job. Scandalous!

 

Cancer free for one more year!

 The day before yesterday I had my yearly breast check-up: mammogram and ultrasound and meeting with breast surgeon who ordered an ultrasound of my right armpit because there was some swelling. All came out clean! I had moderate scan anxiety but it was mostly just tedious waiting around at each stage of the visit. I had noodles with cumin lamb after as a treat--spicy! A little celebration that I am cancer free for another year.

Today I bought a ticket to Minneapolis for a long weekend for Loren's 80th birthday party. It's not really his birthday but it's going to be a chance for people to gather to celebrate him. He's nervous about it because it's out of his hands; Blas and Rosemary are taking charge of all the planning. Carrie's band is going to play, there will be a big paella. Arun and I are getting on a 6AM flight. I could have flown out later in the day but I would rather travel with him, and also save $200. We'll have to leave the house at 3:30 to get there at 4AM so I may not get any sleep. I'll set my alarm and go to bed early but I may be too nervous to sleep so I'll just lie there and rest. I used my Delta AmEx card so I get a free bag check and we are getting a really good price for going that early. I'll figure out how to do a Lyft with him so we can share the ride. It's September so I got two retirement fund deposits so I'm flush with cash now. I need to move some money to my Brooklyn account. I have a big To Do list of stuff to do before the trip. If I tackle it one day at a time, I should get through it.

To DO

recycling out;

compost out;

cleaned maggots out of compost pail. gross!

toilet cleaned;

grocery shopping; Rao's is $2 more expensive but I like it.

Alanon meeting;

called about Wellcare plan change. If I understand correctly, I don't need to do anything because Mt Sinai is out-of-network already. But it makes me nervous that I had to recycle six copies of the notice that Mount Sinai would no longer have Wellcare in its network. 

Walked to my favorite cafe for my favorite avocado BLT. I hate that I feel so sluggish on such a short walk. Will do it again tomorrow but maybe I'll go to September insteadl 

 

TO DO list

break down cardboard boxes in entryway and recycle them with paper

clear off table

deposit two checks

recycle new yorker mags

laundry

change sheets

tidy up wooden shelf and coffee table

dust surfaces in bedroom 

shake out rugs in bedroom

throw out old clothes

wash microwave plate and interior

recycle file pile