Category: The DayBook

Fifty three weeks ago, Carlton put in his final COA. Three weeks ago I moved into the Old Bat Cave. In two weeks I am going to Hawai’i. And ten years ago, I started my lucrative career at Virginia Hospital Center.

Much to my surprise – my office had a party for me this evening. Complete with cake and presents. (Also beer, steak and crab cakes) And I was picked up and delivered and returned home.

Walked my tax stuff up to the CPA afterwork. Then hiked to the nearest stripmall and waited for my big red ride home.

And while I was waiting, I realized that for the first time in over a year – I have NOTHING that needs doing. I handed the last death duty/move task over to the tax guy. I felt a little lost. What now? And, here at the asylum Bingo is cancelled tonight. What now?

Well, I can always upgrade The Airness to El Capitan and the iPad to iOS9. The phone is patiently waiting for the arrival of Marshmallow.

Change is good, right?

My purse – a case study in excess. 4 bus schedules. 3 tomatoes. 2 socks. 1 plastic spoon. Don’t need any of those in my purse. I had a purse intervention this afternoon.

Halibut for dinner again tonight. Hey halibut are big fish. It might be up to me to eat the whole thing. I might be called upon to eat halibut again tomorrow. The “regular” prix fixe menu selections are $14. The “special” prix fixe menu selection is 2 bucks more. I’ll gladly spend an extra 2 bucks for a big chunk of halibut.

Columbus Day, or whatever happens is what you planned. Gotta be suspicious of a holiday celebrating a man who was F-ing-A lost.  Being a guy, he didn’t ask for directions.

Not a holiday for me however. Hard to get to work today – buses are on “holiday” schedule. Fortunately, I figured that out yesterday when I was going ride-about. Walked home.

Spent some time this afternoon getting numbers together for the accountant. I am adding an accountant to my “team”. I want to assemble (and test) this team while my brain still works. I have a lawyer and an investment guy. The cpa should just about complete my team.

Halibut for dinner tonight.

Checking out the #16 bus line today. Rode the 16G bus to Pentagon City – where I went to Costco – I don’t have a Costco card – I don’t need one – but I like going in and generally gawking at all the stuff – and – of course – there are always the samples. I called them “lunch”. Then walkabout Pentagon City and on the 16P bus back home.

Did a little laundry, a little paperwork, actually – I didn’t do much today. It is a little strange not have “chores” today.

I just went down and checked out the crowd at dinner. It seemed more than I wanted to deal with – but – it will clear out at about 7PM when all head off to watch 60 minutes. That is when I’ll head down. Or I’ll just nuke dinner right here in the OBC.

Took some snaps through the OBC window of the major “sights”. Hand held 400mm Leica lens.

Didn’t do much today. Yoga. Took some stuff down to my storage cage. Next October 1 – I’ll get rid of everything in the cage. (I might not wait that long.) And, I bussed some stuff to the Goodwill. Went for a swim.

Grilled shrimp for dinner. Then I went to the Saturday Nite Movie. I lasted 45 minutes. There didn’t seem to be any point to the movie so I bailed. (Cameron Crowe’s Aloha).

Nothing on tap for tomorrow. Will figure out tomorrow tomorrow.

 

Nice day. Three weeks from now – let’s see – it will be almost noon in Kona and – travel goddess willing – I’ll be less than three hours away.

Got my maid service started this week. Every Friday – Elizabeth will be in the OBC. Doing my cleaning. Putting clean sheets on my bed. Stocking my bathroom with fluffy white towels and toilet paper.

Got a one year sympathy type card from Georgetown Medical School. Guess they still have Mr C.

Started my day off off right with a healthy wholesome breakfast. Yeah right. Hey, it has fruit on it. And I didn’t eat all of it. (Yet)

And…

I have been here 2 weeks today – but this is the first time I have seen the sunrise. Most days, I go to work at O-Dark-Hundred… and on the weekends it has been rainy.

I took today off for no apparent reason. I really am all settled in. I bought as big a mirror as I could carry home – about 3 blocks. Don’t know if I like it now that I have it here. Well, if I don’t like it – off it goes to the “What Not Shop” – The Asylum’s Thrift Shop.

This afternoon, I realized that all of these 500 plus/minus inmate here at The Asylum are a shock to my system. I am just not used to interacting with that many people. I am not used to people trying to get me to join the “Green Team” or to come to “Line Dancing”. (It is a little like a Club Med vacation in the 1980s.) I am not used to having dinner a big tables where I am supposed to be sociable. For 30+ years, I ate dinner across from a man who I really didn’t have to talk to. He didn’t like to talk while he was eating. So, after lunch, I locked myself in my room. Took a nice long nap. Made my own dinner here in the OBC.

AND – GOT TICKETS TO KONA. Friday Oct 30. One way – as usual. DCA-PHX-KOA

Now about VW – Excuse me – but I really don’t believe that 3 rogue computer programmers decided to rig the emissions test all by themselves. Oh, they could have thought it up. They might even have tested the code… But, to install it and leave it in the production model just for giggles… Not happening. Don’t toss the programmers under the bus.

 

Came home with a nice long mental “MUST DO” list. I decided to do the most important thing first. And, what was the most important thing? “Acquire toilet paper”. After that, everything else just sort of happened – Then I took the camera on a mini-walkabout around the grounds.

Tonight’s activity – A discussion on The Pope’s Environmental Encyclical – I am not so sure that I will be going.

So, what did I wear that got me in? Cowboy Boots. Levi’s 5 pocket jeans skirt. Scruffy black shirt. As I said the same food as in the “Not Formal” dining room. But it is quieter and more relaxing. Not sure I want to wear cowboy boots every night.

Work yoga walk home “newcomers” meeting dinner… And now I am tired.

 

The sun came out today. And, I decided to walk home – 3.2 miles. “OK Google walk home… ” I followed Google’s directions. Gotta say – Google knew a way better way. Including this sweet little stretch thru “the woods”. I didn’t even know the path existed.

Lunch was in the apartment – this afternoon I went to a lecture about “Final Transition” – that is Asylum Speak for “Dead”. An entire year of lectures about “Final Transition” is on tap.

Speaking of “Final Transition” – my collection of iPods has transitions to the Therapeutic Recreation Department.

The formal dining room – Round 1. I put on my good skinny jeans and a jacket and ask for a table. The first response is “Yes” I’ll get you a table. Then guess what? There is no table. I can not see in – so I don’t know if there were really no tables – but I am suspicious.

Score Round 1 for the house. (That outfit would get me into every restaurant in DC – but, not into most Country Club dining rooms.)

I went over to the “informal dining room” and had a darn fine chunk of halibut.

Took my camera out anyhow today.

The Woman Who Doesn’t Fit In… That would be me. Don’t worry about be not fitting in. I have always been one of those (Wo)Men Who Don’t FIt In – for those of you who never worked in Alaska – A little Robert Service, please:

Theirs is the curse of the gypsy blood,
And they don’t know how to rest.
If they just went straight they might go far;
They are strong and brave and true;
But they’re always tired of the things that are,
And they want the strange and new.

I have never fit in – anywhere, I am cool with that.

And, in that vane – Next week I am going to try an assault on the dress code in the “Formal Dining Room”. Just because it is there… And be cause they have a dress code. For dining in the Jefferson Dining Room we ask that residents and their guest dress appropriately — no jeans, shorts or T-shirts. NOTICE – It says NOTHING about yoga pants. Heck 99.9% of the women here wear elastic waisted knit pants – will they even notice yoga pants? Stay turned.

And whilst on the subject of not fitting in. This is one of the events next week: