Well, there's good news and bad news. I guess we had best go in order...
I left you guys on February 9; on February 10, I gassed up the car, threw a few things at a suitcase, and headed for Las Vegas, a place where I haven't been for some 30 years. Friend Hank was turning 65, and it is his custom to meet his stepfather Ed in Las Vegas for the big ones, since the age of 50 (his stepfather is also turning 65 - don't ask!) I thought, as I was so close, and I knew where they were having their birthday dinner, I would just surprise them. And surprise them I did. It is an easy (boring) four hour drive, but I still had my I-Pod then (see below), and the time flew by listening to the end of Amy Chan's Valley of Amazement.
Ed and Hank, and Ed's wife Dorrie (Hank's mother died many years ago) were staying at the Golden Nugget, so I got a room there as well (at an only-in-Las-Vegas price of $49.00!). After resting up and freshening up for a few hours, I went across the street to Binion's Steak House, went up to their table and asked if I could join them. Either Hank is a better actor than I take him for or he really was surprised, and pleased too, I think. It is a big birthday, after all, and I think he was pleased that I had made the effort to try to make it special!
Binion's Steak House is said to be a Las Vegas classic, around for a million years. It was indeed a lovely meal, great wine, great food, great service, and a tasteful, free, birthday cake, with no singing waiters! After dinner, Ed, Dorrie, Hank and I took advantage of the casino's $1.00 margaritas, finding a quiet spot (not easy to do in Vegas!) to keep the conversation going. After Ed and Dorrie went off to bed, Hank and I kept talking, just talking, reminiscing, catching up. All in all, a lovely evening. I even won at the slots! I put in $1.00 and came away with $1.22! That's me, last of the big time gamblers!
We met up again at Binion's coffee shop for breakfast the next morning, and I was on my way by 11:00 A.M. for the uneventful ride home.
Wednesday started off well. Colleague Deb spends part of the winter in Phoenix with her already retired husband, and they were passing through Palm Springs. She had never eaten at Sherman's Deli, so I picked her up from her hotel, which was close by, and we had a quick lunch and catch up, to be continued the next time she is in town, March, I think.
Unfortunately, I had to rush off, as I was meeting friend Robin for bridge. It was worth the effort too, as we came in first overall at the club! Then, still rushing, I dashed off to meet Ken for dinner, guess where, at Sherman's, as it was convenient for the next stop, which was seeing Russalka, the Dvorak opera being put on by the Met. Poor Ken was too tired to see it through, and left after the first act. I stuck it out, perhaps stupidly (see below), but it so seldom played, and the music is glorious, and this may be Renee Fleming's swan song as the water nymph (so to speak). I am delighted to have seen it.
And here is where things began to go seriously sideways. Sidebar, here. As I have been living basically out of my car, between Mariah's place and my own, my purse was starting to get seriously heavy. I took out a small bag with my California ID, my Canadian Driver's Licence, a credit card, a debit card, my cash, my phone and the camera, and locked my larger purse in the trunk. The top was up, the car was locked, I was parked right next to the theater in a brightly lit spot. Well, you know what's coming. Someone broke into my car and stole the purse.
I only discovered it when I got home, and could not believe it. I know it is banal to say that one feels violated, but there really is no other word for it. Both passports were gone, both Canadian and American checkbooks, a variety of credit and debit cards, calendar and address book (I know, I am the last living human that has a paper address book and calendar), I-Pod, and all sorts of information useful to no one but me. I was surprising calm and organized, made a list of everything I could remember to do (including stopping direct debits from accounts that I knew had to be closed), filed a police report on line, stopped credit and debit cards and froze checking accounts and got friend Leslie to send original documents so I could apply for new passports, etc.
Sleep, however, was out of the question. I can't say I was depressed; too much to do to be depressed. I just felt...I don't know, in a fog, maybe.
Thursday, Art and I had planned to go to Phoenix for the bridge sectional. There really wasn't any reason not to go - I had done all I could do to mitigate the damage, and Art was driving so I wasn't even a menace on the roads. We decided to go anyway, and had an un-eventful (4 hour, again) trip to Phoenix. arriving in time for dinner and to fall into bed.
(Dinner was at the Waffle House, a funky diner with sweet little old lady waitresses, open 24/7 and serving breakfast all day. Just what the doctor ordered!)
So play bridge we did, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Art, god bless him, was very patient with me - as you can imagine, my bridge was not terrific. I always have a good time playing bridge, though, and it did keep my mind off other things, as it always does. We didn't leave totally without points, had some good (and cheap) meals at the Arizona State Campus where the tournament was held, and made it back safely to Palm Springs on Sunday night.
The week just past did have some good points. Played lots of bridge, with both Robin and Art, and enjoyed a nice dinner with some new Canadian acquaintances who live in a nearby complex. However, to complete my "bad things come in threes" cycle, my car broke down and my WiFi went out, just adding to the things that needed to get done! Argh!
I was supposed to meet friends Craig and Joanne at the Blue Coyote downtown, but had to call to say I was without wheels and needed to be picked up.. Truly, I am not usually so high maintenance, but I couldn't be helped. They gladly picked me up, but we went to Trilusa instead, an Italian restaurant closer to home.
These are people I know from Salt Spring who spend a few months here every winter. We reconnected a few years ago, and it is good to keep the connection going.
After bridge on Thursday, Art and partner Wally went out to old favourite Billy Reed's for comfort food (you know the stuff, meat load, mac and cheese, fried chicken, etc.) and some good laughs. Finally, friend Laurel came by on Friday to be my passport guarantor, and help me get the Canadian passport application out....
For which she was rewarded with a lovely lunch at the Encina Golf Club. Later that afternoon, my WiFi was restored, my car was back from the mechanic, once again whole, and I treated myself to a manicure and pedicure (or "paws and claws" as neighbor Michael puts it!) to make myself feel better.
To top it off, the renos are coming along, and it looks like phase I will be done by this coming Wednesday, just in time for my guests from Vancouver who are coming next Thursday! I spent Saturday and today putting the kitchen back together, getting the stuff into new cabinets.
I couldn't have done it without a lot of mindless reading (Fay Weldon's Long Live the Kind, a book called Beautiful Fools, about the last days of Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald, Rowland's new book called Shogun's Daughter, and three (yes three) mysteries by Robert Crais.) Perhaps I would be in less of a fog if I stopped reading and went to bed!).
And, of course, I couldn't have gotten through it all without the support of all those friends, who pick me up and deliver me and take me out to dinner and cheer me up and do everything else needed to help me out. You know who you are; thank you.
Well, let's end this on a positive note. In the middle of all of this, I had lots of medical appointments previously scheduled. No, nothing is wrong, just routine maintenance and testing. The good news? Apparently my heart and lungs and circulation and blood pressure and eyes are all pretty good for an old broad. Apparently, I will be around to annoy you all for a while yet,
Pictures of the renos next time. And thanks for bearing with my take of woe.
I left you guys on February 9; on February 10, I gassed up the car, threw a few things at a suitcase, and headed for Las Vegas, a place where I haven't been for some 30 years. Friend Hank was turning 65, and it is his custom to meet his stepfather Ed in Las Vegas for the big ones, since the age of 50 (his stepfather is also turning 65 - don't ask!) I thought, as I was so close, and I knew where they were having their birthday dinner, I would just surprise them. And surprise them I did. It is an easy (boring) four hour drive, but I still had my I-Pod then (see below), and the time flew by listening to the end of Amy Chan's Valley of Amazement.
Ed and Hank, and Ed's wife Dorrie (Hank's mother died many years ago) were staying at the Golden Nugget, so I got a room there as well (at an only-in-Las-Vegas price of $49.00!). After resting up and freshening up for a few hours, I went across the street to Binion's Steak House, went up to their table and asked if I could join them. Either Hank is a better actor than I take him for or he really was surprised, and pleased too, I think. It is a big birthday, after all, and I think he was pleased that I had made the effort to try to make it special!
Binion's Steak House is said to be a Las Vegas classic, around for a million years. It was indeed a lovely meal, great wine, great food, great service, and a tasteful, free, birthday cake, with no singing waiters! After dinner, Ed, Dorrie, Hank and I took advantage of the casino's $1.00 margaritas, finding a quiet spot (not easy to do in Vegas!) to keep the conversation going. After Ed and Dorrie went off to bed, Hank and I kept talking, just talking, reminiscing, catching up. All in all, a lovely evening. I even won at the slots! I put in $1.00 and came away with $1.22! That's me, last of the big time gamblers!
We met up again at Binion's coffee shop for breakfast the next morning, and I was on my way by 11:00 A.M. for the uneventful ride home.
Wednesday started off well. Colleague Deb spends part of the winter in Phoenix with her already retired husband, and they were passing through Palm Springs. She had never eaten at Sherman's Deli, so I picked her up from her hotel, which was close by, and we had a quick lunch and catch up, to be continued the next time she is in town, March, I think.
Unfortunately, I had to rush off, as I was meeting friend Robin for bridge. It was worth the effort too, as we came in first overall at the club! Then, still rushing, I dashed off to meet Ken for dinner, guess where, at Sherman's, as it was convenient for the next stop, which was seeing Russalka, the Dvorak opera being put on by the Met. Poor Ken was too tired to see it through, and left after the first act. I stuck it out, perhaps stupidly (see below), but it so seldom played, and the music is glorious, and this may be Renee Fleming's swan song as the water nymph (so to speak). I am delighted to have seen it.
And here is where things began to go seriously sideways. Sidebar, here. As I have been living basically out of my car, between Mariah's place and my own, my purse was starting to get seriously heavy. I took out a small bag with my California ID, my Canadian Driver's Licence, a credit card, a debit card, my cash, my phone and the camera, and locked my larger purse in the trunk. The top was up, the car was locked, I was parked right next to the theater in a brightly lit spot. Well, you know what's coming. Someone broke into my car and stole the purse.
I only discovered it when I got home, and could not believe it. I know it is banal to say that one feels violated, but there really is no other word for it. Both passports were gone, both Canadian and American checkbooks, a variety of credit and debit cards, calendar and address book (I know, I am the last living human that has a paper address book and calendar), I-Pod, and all sorts of information useful to no one but me. I was surprising calm and organized, made a list of everything I could remember to do (including stopping direct debits from accounts that I knew had to be closed), filed a police report on line, stopped credit and debit cards and froze checking accounts and got friend Leslie to send original documents so I could apply for new passports, etc.
Sleep, however, was out of the question. I can't say I was depressed; too much to do to be depressed. I just felt...I don't know, in a fog, maybe.
Thursday, Art and I had planned to go to Phoenix for the bridge sectional. There really wasn't any reason not to go - I had done all I could do to mitigate the damage, and Art was driving so I wasn't even a menace on the roads. We decided to go anyway, and had an un-eventful (4 hour, again) trip to Phoenix. arriving in time for dinner and to fall into bed.
(Dinner was at the Waffle House, a funky diner with sweet little old lady waitresses, open 24/7 and serving breakfast all day. Just what the doctor ordered!)
So play bridge we did, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Art, god bless him, was very patient with me - as you can imagine, my bridge was not terrific. I always have a good time playing bridge, though, and it did keep my mind off other things, as it always does. We didn't leave totally without points, had some good (and cheap) meals at the Arizona State Campus where the tournament was held, and made it back safely to Palm Springs on Sunday night.
The week just past did have some good points. Played lots of bridge, with both Robin and Art, and enjoyed a nice dinner with some new Canadian acquaintances who live in a nearby complex. However, to complete my "bad things come in threes" cycle, my car broke down and my WiFi went out, just adding to the things that needed to get done! Argh!
I was supposed to meet friends Craig and Joanne at the Blue Coyote downtown, but had to call to say I was without wheels and needed to be picked up.. Truly, I am not usually so high maintenance, but I couldn't be helped. They gladly picked me up, but we went to Trilusa instead, an Italian restaurant closer to home.
These are people I know from Salt Spring who spend a few months here every winter. We reconnected a few years ago, and it is good to keep the connection going.
After bridge on Thursday, Art and partner Wally went out to old favourite Billy Reed's for comfort food (you know the stuff, meat load, mac and cheese, fried chicken, etc.) and some good laughs. Finally, friend Laurel came by on Friday to be my passport guarantor, and help me get the Canadian passport application out....
For which she was rewarded with a lovely lunch at the Encina Golf Club. Later that afternoon, my WiFi was restored, my car was back from the mechanic, once again whole, and I treated myself to a manicure and pedicure (or "paws and claws" as neighbor Michael puts it!) to make myself feel better.
To top it off, the renos are coming along, and it looks like phase I will be done by this coming Wednesday, just in time for my guests from Vancouver who are coming next Thursday! I spent Saturday and today putting the kitchen back together, getting the stuff into new cabinets.
I couldn't have done it without a lot of mindless reading (Fay Weldon's Long Live the Kind, a book called Beautiful Fools, about the last days of Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald, Rowland's new book called Shogun's Daughter, and three (yes three) mysteries by Robert Crais.) Perhaps I would be in less of a fog if I stopped reading and went to bed!).
And, of course, I couldn't have gotten through it all without the support of all those friends, who pick me up and deliver me and take me out to dinner and cheer me up and do everything else needed to help me out. You know who you are; thank you.
Well, let's end this on a positive note. In the middle of all of this, I had lots of medical appointments previously scheduled. No, nothing is wrong, just routine maintenance and testing. The good news? Apparently my heart and lungs and circulation and blood pressure and eyes are all pretty good for an old broad. Apparently, I will be around to annoy you all for a while yet,
Pictures of the renos next time. And thanks for bearing with my take of woe.
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