Friday, October 23rd
Another Friday and I am busy writing this to avoid writing that which I am supposed to be writing, an interactive case study on urinary incontinence for medical students. How I let myself get roped into that one, I'll never know. I consider such things penance for all of my faults, real or imagined.
The HVAC people were supposed to come today to replace our lower unit. We have been without heat since April. This has not been a problem until the recent cold snap. However, it chose to rain (again) today and the installers were reticent about bringing 1500 pounds of machinery down a muddy 30 degree slope. I can't say that I blame them. We will continue to wear sweaters and hope for drier times next week.
The only major thing on the docket this weekend is an opera rehearsal for 'Aida' (Note to self: must learn Italian by New Years...) so I better get on the stick about finishing up the basement clean out. We're down to the last parts - I'm hoping to have everything either in a box or be a large piece of furniture by the end of the weekend. Then all we have to do is figure out where to stash everything for a couple of months while they dig around down there. Why wasn't I born into a family with a couple of domestics? I'm really not cut out for this sort of thing.
Still holding my place in the top 100 world wide at http://www.whatthemovie.com - I really need to stop wasting so much time there. Someone from Germany asked me why there were so few Americans on the site? I think it's because, as a game, you cannot win and there is no end in sight and this troubles the American psyche which like to dispatch of tasks, even in their game playing, and then move on to the next game/level/whatever.
Friday, October 16th
I need to take a page from Frank, inspired by 'Julie and Julia' and promise to write daily, but that project will have to wait until I recover from some of the shell shock of the last year or so at work. Things seem to be finally starting to calm down a little bit and maybe, by the first of the year, I can let some of the administrative hair pulling that I have to go through at the moment lapse back to its usual dull roar. I am not overly hopeful, however, unless the economy comes roaring back. While the Dow may be over 10,000, I have not noticed a whole lot of trickle down locally.
A cousin of mine died this week. We weren't close. I think we had maybe a half dozen conversations as adults over the last thirty years but it still pulls you up a bit short, especially as he was only two years older than I. Given my profession, I'm pretty used to dealing with death in general but death in people who have lived long full lives is different than people dying in middle age. As I head into my elder years, I may find it more and more difficult to deal with my patients as I become more their peer. We shall see. I may have to find a way to fund early retirement.
The last few weeks have continued to be soggy. There's a moistness in the air all the time that makes you feel like growing moss, at least on your north side. I'm pretty sure that moss is growing in the garage on various boxes. I'll have to check when I'm down there finishing the clean out the next few weeks.
Rehearsals for 'Aida' have started and I am beginning to learn my music. At least I have three months to get the Italian down rather than the three weeks for 'Turandot' last year. The other theatrical project has been writing a murder mystery for Magic City Actors Theatre for their fundraiser this Saturday. As the theme is roaring 20s Chicago, I did a riff on 'Chicago', the show and Velma and Veronica Kelly and Charlie, Velma's husband all make appearances. Should be fun.
