OK, I have been absent.  Well, absent here.  On this blog.  Things had gotten pretty distracting.  First, I went down to Palm Springs, packed up enough stuff for the summer, and got David and me in the car and we drove to Livermore.  We spent one glorious week in the cottage, and then moved into The Pickle House.  We hit the ground running, of course.  We drove into Livermore on Tuesday night, went to Rotary lunch at the very muddy rodeo grounds and Valley Study Group on Wednesday, a cultivation event for LVPAC (Livermore Valley Performing Arts Center) on Thursday, Hot Club of Cowtown at the Bankhead on Friday and the Livermore Rodeo Parade on Saturday.  We didn’t see the parade, but rode on the back of a 1944 firetruck.  David was game, but I assure you, not happy.

We have been squatting for a week in the Pickle House, because getting the closing done has been a trial.  Maybe ordeal is better.  We are closing either on Friday or Monday.  David was able to see for the first time, the poor schmuck who has to wear the Mr. Pickle costume across the street and dance and wave and generally amuse the passing traffic.  There is a lot of honking when Mr. Pickle is outside.  The Mr. Pickle sandwich shop is across the street, and I can see the darkened building as I type this.  Dark and nothing much going on, but during the day, it is the lunch mecca of Livermore.  I am sure there are others who would protest, but the lines often snake out the back door.  Think about it.  We went from saying “We are in the building across the street from the Empire State Building!” to ” We live across the street from Mr Pickle.  No, not the big white house, the green one across 4th Street!”  I will tell you that the Mr Pickle geographic reference is maybe more effective than the Empire State!

So, as you can see from the picture above, we celebrated our anniversary.  You can see that if you can read through the smeared chocolate on the plate.  We went to Jardinière in The City.  I say “The City” more to impress than inform. I am picking up the Livermore lingo.  It is often hard to remember that here the city means San Francisco and not New York.  Both great cities – don’t send me any hate mail.  When we got across the bridge, I think David almost transformed.  He actually commented that the people look different in the City.  Beautiful restaurant and David was very pleased.

It was a great meal, and we both agreed that neither of us regret the events of three years ago.  Well, the July “event” we do both regret.  At one point during dinner (I think it was between the Foie gras pasta and the wagyu beef) David said, “I’m sorry”.  He was apologizing for the stroke and the past three years.  I suddenly thought (and said) “no, I should be the one who is sorry.  You shouldn’t be sorry”.  This was one of those moments when I thought, life is so complicated.  There has got to be a Norwegian word for this”.  I’m sorry, but I am not sorry.  I’m sorry I couldn’t make it different.  I’m sorry I needed to get back to work (but I’m not really sorry)  I’m sorry to desert you (but, I’m not really.  Well, sort of).  I’m sorry I forget to put things on the schedule (Joy will understand that one).  I’m sorry our lives aren’t perfect.  Life is messy.

On the drive home we were listening to John Waters on NPR.  I think John Waters would like Livermore.  I think he would find a new charm city.  While listening to him, I did think, we have to get him to the Theater.  He could stay in the Pickle House, circa 1952.  Did I tell you that the original wall oven – a stainless steel thermador – keeps almost perfect temperature?  Wouldn’t that be fun.  We saw him in Palm Desert and I think his was the best show I have ever seen there!

Sorry, I’m rambling and that isn’t polite.  You will begin wishing I were more absent!

Well, I was chastised over the weekend for not writing for such a long time.  Still not in the Pickle House, but hopefully by mid June.  I met with the painter and have the floor work scheduled.  David is anxious to get up to Livermore.  Yes, I said David is anxious to get up to Livermore.  I think that he will like it.  Things are busy, but I have still been going to Palm Springs every other week.  Was down last week and we had a nice time.

David has been a little tired, but I think it is because Blade has been pushing him.  He appreciates it though.  He has graduated from the cane to a walking stick and is now spending two days completely on his own.  He gets up, makes breakfast, showers, makes lunch and light dinner and watches TV.  He also has been sitting out in the sun on his own as well.  It really is amazing that six months ago this autonomy seemed so far away.  David has been great, and as always, very positive!

Things are going great here at the theater.  I am posting a recent article that was in the regional paper.  I thought he did a good job and got the sense of what I am trying to do.  In a few weeks we have our season launch and members party.  It should be fun.  I am hoping that the community comes along and enjoys the artists that we have booked next season.  We have a couple big names – Pink Martini – and some more unusual performance – DhakhaBrakha.  I expect comments on both.  We are also hosting LA Theatre Works production of Dracula.  I will fill you in on the rest of the 40+ performances we are presenting after the 27th.

A year after it was threatened with foreclosure, Livermore’s Bankhead Theater is making a comeback

Source: Livermore: Bankhead Theater recovering well in second act after near-closure – ContraCostaTimes.com

I just read that Richard Glatzer, the co-writer of Still Alice passed away, and was saddened by the news.  David, Donovan and I went to see the the film when they were visiting last month.  There were many moments in the film that David and I related to, and I heard an interview with Wash Westmoreland and his Husband, Richard on NPRwhile I was driving back from San Francisco.  There was something inspiring and hopeful about the way they continued working even while fight Richard’s ALS.

I wrote this over a week ago, but never finished or posted it.  Since then, I have been back to Palm Springs, and David and I performed at the SongShine performance of Carousel.  Did I ever mention on here that I have a new found respect for Leslie Uggams and her going up on the lyrics of “June is busting out all over”.  What a song!  Here is a clip from the performance.   David will kill me when he sees that this has been posted.  Or I think he will, perfectionist that he is.  The sad part is that I taped this from my lap and all you can really hear is my voice.  I was a sort of ringer.

Things are going well here in Livermore.  I am really (no, really) on the road to buying the Pickle House.  I think that I will be in by around the first or second week of May.  I am looking forward to having a real closet.  Simple joys.  We are also working on a Film Festival at the Bankhead and I may be producing some sort of play next spring.  That will be fun/terrifying!

A livermore story:  I was walking to the theatre tonight to see Ukrainian pianist, Stanislav Khristenko at the theatre, and as I turned the corner, there was a crowd of cowboys raising money for the Livermore Rodeo.  Did I ever tell you that the Livermore Rodeo is the fastest rodeo in the world.  We also have the longest burning light bulb in the world.  I get the light bulb, but I am not sure what the fastest rodeo even means.  Hopefully someone explains it to me.  I think I want to rewrite the lyrics to “The Farmer and the Cowman should be friends” from Oklahoma! to  “The Physicist and the Cowman should be Friends”.  There was also a half marathon today in town, and there were crowds and crowds of people.  I might add, that  by the look of many of them, they weren’t running a half marathon or even for that matter a quarter marathon.

Tonight at the theatre, there was a lot of talk about the Steinway and the work that I had approved to make it ready for this concert.  Stanislav gave the piano quite a workout! I can say that the work was a success, but still a work in progress.  I thought the concert was wonderful.

It has been too long, I know.  I have been busy with the new job, which is going great.  Don’t want to rub it in to east coast friends, but the weather is sunny and warm most days.  We are in the middle of planning next season, which will be very exciting, I think.  It is a bit of a tightrope to walk – balancing while still trying to push the boundaries.  Just have to keep from falling.

David and I went to Ashland Oregon for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, which was lots of

fun.  Saw four plays in three days – Much Ado About Nothing, Pericles, Guys and Dolls and Fingersmith.  All were really interesting, but all around, and this may not come as a surprise to everyone, Guys and Dolls was my favorite.  Not my favorite musical, but in the hands of Mary Zimmerman, it was pretty delightful.  I highly recommend a trip to Ashland, and we may even go back over the summer for another chunk of their season.  It was opening weekend, so there were lots of events, and Joan and Lynn were terrific hosts and kept us busy.  I was worried that David would get overdone, but he was very willing and able to keep up.

Before we headed to Ashland, we had a great visit from Alex, Claire and Theo.  It was a great time and Theo loved the pool.  We got haircuts, ate (maybe too much) and just had a terrific visit.  David and I are beginning to figure out when our next visit to Paris will be.  I think sometime in the fall.  I have been making regular visits to Palm Springs and David has been up to Livermore twice now.  He still hasn’t warmed up to the town, but I think when I get into a new house (I am in the process of buying a house in Livermore) he will feel more comfortable.  The lovely cottage that I live in now just doesn’t do if for him.  Mostly, it is the adjustable bed that he misses.  Hopefully soon, I will be in the new house.

The house was built in 1952, and it is perfectly located (I can see the roof of the theater

from the dining room) and it is in very good shape, but still retains a lot of that 50’s charm.  The Thermador oven and stove top are a trip.  Still trying to figure out if I want to keep them or redo the kitchen.  David and I had fun picking out colors on my last visit to Palm Springs while Joy was there.  I can’t believe that I didn’t take any pictures during that visit, but it was pretty short for me – only a day and a half really.

Well, I will publish this now, and will try to keep to at least a weekly schedule of postings.  I have missed our moments together!

Alright, it was ten, but not bad.  Yesterday it was quite foggy in Livermore and a bit chilly, but at ten in the morning, the sun broke through and burned the fog off.  Once the fog had gone, I picked up my car, went to work for a while and then hopped in the car and drove to Palm Springs.  It was pretty foggy all the way through the central valley, but cleared up as I came across the pass into Los Angeles.  A bit of traffic, but I made OK time and it was so nice to see David!  We both went to sleep pretty early and got up early this morning.  He is doing much better and shooed me away when I tried to help when he was ready to shower.  To think that a month and a half ago he wouldn’t have thought of trying to shower by himself.  I have to say, I was a bit surprised when he came walking down the hall all dressed.  The only thing that he couldn’t do was tie his shoes.  I know, I know, velcro.  I will see if he will go for them.

We had his workout session with Bill at noon, and he really put him through the wringer.  I was worried because we had Occupation Therapy right after Bill was done.  David was fine though.  He laid down for about ten minutes and then we were off to OT.  There was an intern working with him today, and she played cards with David.  It was really pretty good to do.  He had to say the suits that he was playing and had to hold the cards in his left hand.  I now have the cards out and we will start to play more.

Sorry it has been a while.  Work has been great.  Lots to do and most of it is really great.  I have to say, it is nice to be back in my element!  David and Donovan come up to Livermore for a visit the first week of February, which will be lots of fun.

Merry Ramachanakwanzmas!  It has been quite a while, I am sorry about that.  The new job is great, and I am really enjoying the town and the folks who are there, but it has been quite busy.  I was there for a few days at the beginning of the month, and then back in Palm Springs for a week, then back for another four days, here for Christmas now, but heading back up north on Saturday and will be there for a while.  Not back in Palm Springs until mid January.

I will start with today, and pick up any interesting stories that have happened since last I wrote.  We got up this morning and David and I exchanged gifts.  David got me a beautiful scarf because he expects me to be cold in Livermore.  It will come in handy.  I picked up a few things in LA when we went to see a concert last week.  His favorite was the clarinet pin, which I thought was very nice too.  I added to that a violin pin and coasters to match some place mats that David bought last year from MOMA.  Then, we went to see Into the Woods at noon with Donovan.  I thought it was delightful.  Perfect casting and I particularly liked James Cordon as the baker and Emily Blunt as his wife.  Both very charming.  The princes were pretty funny too, but the cast, all around, was terrific I thought.  As with the original Broadway production, I loved Red Riding Hood.  I am a sucker for sassy little girls.

This evening we splurged and went to a new restaurant at the Ritz Carlton called The Edge.  Called this because it sits on the edge of a hill and overlooks the valley.  We had a delightful evening.  While we didn’t have a view of the valley, we were seated right in front of the kitchen.  That was a little dangerous because when David saw the lobster, he asked the waiter to change his order for lamb shank to lobster, which the waiter was pleased to do.  Great staff and a beautiful evening.

I was in Livermore for a couple of days earlier this week and made my first curtain speech before the Chanticleer concert on Tuesday night.  I had hesitated about doing it, but then thought, why not just do it and get it over with.  I walked out on stage and the audience started applauding, and quite enthusiastically I thought.  I started by saying that I hadn’t done anything yet and then introduced myself.  Even more enthusiastic applause and I said, “I reiterate, I haven’t done anything yet!”  I felt like I was home again.  The rest of the evening was great.

The odd thing was, last week I flew from San Francisco to Burbank (yes, beautiful downtown Burbank) and met Donovan and David at the Walt Disney Concert Hall to see Chanticleer.  What a spectacular building that was!  And the acoustics there are almost as good as the Bankhead in Livermore.  But the seats are better at the Bankhead!  On Saturday we participated in the Santa Paws 5K – I ran and David biked.  We were together on our way up the hill, but once we started back down, he left me in the dust.  David finished in 35 minutes, and I came in at 38 minutes.  I can’t lie, I didn’t run the whole way, I took a few walking breaks, but It was good.

I don’t want to make excuses for not writing, but I have been feeling pretty bad with a pinched nerve in my neck.  I finally went to a chiropractor in Livermore on Monday, and saw him twice that day and again on Tuesday.  I go back on Monday as well.  It gets a bit better with each visit, but is still very tender and sore.  Heat and cold and stretching and glad to have written this.

Merry Christmas and I will write before the New Year arrives!

Yesterday we went to Indian Wells Tennis Garden and David played tennis.  Now David has a regular tennis outing every Monday with a group called Incight.  He also started riding a bike with a group on Saturdays and will join them on Sundays too.  Angie, who we know from the Stroke Recovery Center got David involved in this group.  On the 20th, we will be participating in the Santa Paws 5K for Guide Dogs of the Desert.  I will run (or maybe walk) and David will ride with his group.  I wasn’t there for the riding, but Donovan took him and by all accounts he had a great time.  Tennis was also fun, and while the video doesn’t show it, I was pushing

him for a lot of the time.  The pushers are volunteers from the Palm Desert tennis team.  There were also some wheelchair players there, and I think it might be a fun thing to get involved in.

I was in Livermore last week, and met lots of folks.  It is still feeling very exciting and lots of challenges, but with such rewards it is all worth it.  I am here in Palm Springs this week, but head back up north on Monday.  Also doing a lot of work from here – calls and responding to emails and setting up meetings.

Well, I promised some news, and some folks know this already, but yesterday at 4:30am, I got in the beetle and moved some of my stuff up to Livermore, CA to begin work as Executive Director of the Livermore Valley Performing Arts Center.  I would have to say that they made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.  Well, to be honest, the place was so intriguing to me that, while I don’t think I would have paid them to do the job, it would have been pretty hard to pass up at any price!

I am now sitting typing this in a delightful little cottage, a five minute walk from downtown Livermore, while David is watching Peter Pan LIVE! in Palm Springs.  I am only slightly jealous and look forward to watching it with him next week when I am back in PS.  David is going to stay in Palm Springs and while very nervous about this major change in our lives, has been very encouraging and supportive.  So, I arrived yesterday at about noon, took a look at this little studio cottage that is perfectly located and, while small, is really nicely appointed.  It also has the benefit of only being slightly less expensive than a NYC studio apartment.  The good part is that for this price, it isn’t up five flights of stairs!!  Once I get settled into the job and get a better sense of the town, I will start to look for something a little larger.

As I said, David has been great, and in some ways, my not being there, or the prospect of my not being there, has made him more independent and I think his speech is much better.  We have been going to Occupational Therapy, and Carla has taken him to his appointments while I have been here.  I will be working half time in December, but begin full time in January, so we have the benefit of a little bit of ramping up.  Next week when I am back in Palm Springs, we will finalize arrangements for David’s caregivers.  We interviewed an agency and some individuals and Donovan has been great about filling in and spending time with David.

The night before I left, we went to the McCallum Theatre to see A John Waters Christmas.  It was pretty funny, and even though the theatre seats about 2,000+, it felt like you were at a cocktail party with John Waters and he was just sharing Christmas memories and thoughts.  I will say, if you were thinking about it, don’t send John an email Christmas Card.  He doesn’t like them.  He would prefer that you bought cards at Goodwill and drew rude pictures on them!  I was disappointed that there was only one Divine tribute drag queen in the audience, but was happy that the audience, while mostly gay, was not completely gay.

Anyway, wish us both luck on this new adventure!  Yes, yet another new adventure!

It has been a while, and next week you will understand why it has been a while.  Until then, you will just have to trust me that the reasons are good.  You might be able to guess what it is.

We had a great Thanksgiving and hope that everyone else did too.  Even with the snow in the east.  It was 84° today in Palm Springs.  Donovan joined us for dinner, and we had, in my opinion, a great Indian feast.  Lamb Rogan Josh, Turkey and Sweet Potato Korma, Daal, Papadum, naan and yogurt sauce with mint and raisins.  I make the Lamb, Turkey and Papadum, and Donovan brought the rest.  We also had some champagne and a lovely riesling that we bought last summer in Napa.  And for dessert, Donovan made a pumpkin pie with cinnamon curry whipped cream.  Delicious!

We went to our SongShine rehearsal on Monday, and have been working on the music from Carousel.  At a certain point, the director was handing out parts, and he said, “David, you can sing this line” and David looked at me with such panic and desperation, I actually had to laugh.  I reassured him that he shouldn’t worry and I would sing with him.  His line is the title of this posting.

We had a great pre-Thanksgiving visit with Jonathan and Sheryl.  We caught up and then went to one of our favorite restaurants in the valley, Catalan.  Dinner was very good.  We have Lynn, Randy and Julie coming on Saturday, which will be fun.  Nice relax by the pool and a great dinner.

We also had our wall unit installed on Tuesday and Wednesday and it looks great.  I have to have the TV mount moved on the wall, and once that is done, I will share a picture.  Anyway, I won’t keep myself up for too much longer, so Good Night!

90 years.  We had a birthday celebration in the speech group we go to every other Thursday.  It was Henri’s and Betty’s birthdays this week.  Both 90 years old.  Henri has been with his partner (now husband) Peter since 1984 and Betty’s was married to her husband for 63 years when he passed away.  Both of them are such lovely people, and Arlene had gotten photos of each of them when they were younger – Henri at 17, handsome in his uniform when he joined the Navy in the UK and Betty at 18 when she graduated from High School.  David and I argued about who Betty looked like.  I say Dinah Shore and David says Loretta Young.  One of us is very wrong!

We also had tennis today, and David does really well.  He and Bill had some nice rallies.  It is all very good.  We also started back with OT yesterday, which was great.  She gave David some more exercises to do.  One of the things that she is stressing that he look at his right hand and arm when he is doing something, even if it is being moved by his left hand.  She also did some tests on how much he neglects things that are on the right side.  One of them was a sheet of paper with various shapes on it, and he had to circle all the bells.  He got all (or most) of the bells on the left side of the paper, but missed lots on the right.  She has suggested that he also start doing word search puzzles to help with his scanning and get better at reading.  That was a first as well, and it makes perfect sense.

Otherwise, things are great here in the desert.  Nights are cool, or almost downright cold, but the days are mild and the sun is bright and warm.   Such a great time of year here, aside from the birds that keep flying into the windows.  No other news to report, yet.

Since I have been making these trips out of town, there has been a change in David.  He has been much more self reliant and his speech has improved quite a bit.  I actually think that because he has been forced to deal with different people, he has had to communicate more.  We have a sort of non-verbal shorthand that is easier, but probably not helpful.  The real improvement is that he is able to string more words together and his reading is better.  Don’t get me wrong, there is still a long way to go, but so great to see such progress.  Needless to say, part of this is his trying to make the prospect of my moving a bit easier for me.  I don’t really care what the motivation is, as long as the progress continues!

We are hoping to begin another round of Occupational Therapy soon.  Our PT and Speech sessions have been exhausted, but as I said, Medicare lumps Speech and Physical together, for some strange reason, but they put Occupational Therapy in a different category.  It seems pretty odd to me, but this is the system that we are dealing with.  He has also been getting more and more strength in his arm, so I think the OT is just right for now.  If nothing else, they will teach him some techniques to make everyday tasks easier.

Had softball practice last night, which went well.  It is getting colder at night, and we have practice now from 8pm to 10pm.  Hopefully we will win one or both of our games tomorrow.  In any case, I am enjoying playing, and loving playing first base.  I find it much easier and much more engaging – the outfield is full of anxiety and boredom, all at the same time!

Got back this evening from the East Bay.  The third and, I think, final interview/visit/horse show happened.  It was a wonderful visit, and I met lots of folks.  Met with some more Board Members, staff and the city manager.  Then, today, I gave a presentation to the search committee about my findings and answering specific questions that they had given me.  I have a good feeling, but don’t know what the outcome will be.  All I can say is that I was very pleased with what I said and pleased with their reaction.  The headhunter told me over lunch that she thought I had struck the perfect note on many of the key issues.

One of my impressions from speaking with the staff was that the Board was too involved in the day to day.  Now, that is completely understandable because they have been leaderless for a while, and the Board has had to step in.  l had the same positive feeling about the facility and the town after this visit, which was good.  I had to stay a bit longer because the Board President wanted to have one last unscheduled meeting with me, which I thought was a good sign.

Their timeline, while they asked repeatedly, “when could you start?”, seems to be not so rushed, and I think they are looking for someone to start after the first of the year.  That would be perfect timing for us.  Giving me enough time to get support in place for David.  Anyway, I didn’t sleep well for the past two nights, and am about to pass out, so I will sign off now.

OK, I know, it has been too long.  Sorry.  I leave tomorrow for the East Bay for two nights and have been preparing and worrying.  David has been attempting to be more independent as a way of making me feel better about the prospect of this job.  That is, of course, if it is offered to me.  I am hopeful, but not confident.  A good place to be, I think.  I perform better under a little pressure.  I have two days to woo them.  The first day is meeting with various staff members, Board Member and a representative from the city and the day ends with a reception.  Then, on the second morning, I have to make a presentation to members of the Board.  The one thing that I do find reassuring is that the questions that asked me to cover are almost all things that I talked about at my first interview.  I have been busy structuring the presentation, but I know that it will morph once I meet more of the folks there.

So, what else has been going on?  We lost two more softball games last Sunday, and yesterday, we didn’t have any games on account of the Greater Palms Springs Pride Parade.  David and I walked in the parade with the softball league, and you might have seen Donovan’s picture of us on Facebook and there are some more.  On last Monday and again today, we have been rehearsing with SongShine for the performance of Carousel in March.  SongShine is this program that works with folks who have Parkinson’s or stroke to help with speech through singing.  David enjoys it, but we sang June is Bustin’ Out All Over, and I have to say, that is one heck of a song!!  I am not sure if you have seen it, but on Youtube there is a video of Leslie Uggams singing if for some Independence Day concert, or something like that, and she just begins making up words.  Well, the words are so crazy, I have a newfound understanding of why she went up on the lyrics.

On Tuesday, we had Allen and Marc over for dinner.  Allen is in David’s speech and reading group at the stroke center, and Marc is his partner.  Both of them are very nice, and we had a lovely evening.  I think dinner was good, but I cooked, so of course I thought it was good. Then, on Thursday we went to see a performance in Palm Desert of Ballet Boyz, a dance troupe from London.  They were boyz, but there wasn’t really much ballet.  Mostly modern dance, which we like, but David was not impressed.  I thought they were fine, but also, wasn’t bowled over.  On Saturday, we went to see the Choreography Festival at the same theatre (The MacCallum) which was much better.  All the performances were pretty good. We only disagreed on one of them, and they were the winner of the competition.  I thought that they were try too hard to push the envelope.  There was an awkward pause before their performance, and one of the female dancers had what looked like black duct tape over her breasts instead of a costume.  I found it kind of distracting because I kept thinking, won’t it fall off when she starts to sweat?  I told David that I thought that she had forgotten her costume (all the other performers had shirts on) and they insisted she wear something, and only had black gaffers tape handy.  Thus the slight delay.  I am sure it was intentional.

Anyway, I leave tomorrow evening and come back to Palm Springs on Thursday evening.  Wish me luck.

We went to see Cheyenne Jackson tonight in Palm Desert.  A nice crowd, but I was sad to see that there were empty seats.  He is good, I thought, but not the best selection of songs.   The two things that bothered me, really, were the sound and the lights.  I think the sound operator had his hearing aids off, because it was so loud!  I hate over amplification, and it was way over the top.  Also, the light board operator seemed to be having too much fun.  During relatively quiet moments during songs, there were quick color changes and movements that distracted you from the performer.  It was just him and four musicians, so, some subtle light changes would have been perfect.

I got word today that I will be going back up for what I think will be the final interview for this job in the East Bay area.  As I said before, I have a very good feeling about this job, and feel like this might be the place for me to rejoin the workforce.  David has been getting a little worried about what will happen to him here in Palm Springs, but I keep telling him, we will make it all work.  I will start asking around at the stroke center and find out how folks find their full time caregivers.  He has also been trying to do more and more on his own – getting his own pills out, getting water, getting up on his own.

There are moments when I feel like I am deserting David, but then he reminds me that I need to do what is best for me, which, I think, in turn, is best for him.  And it isn’t like I will be on the other side of the world.  Just a little over an hour away by plane.  Plus an hour drive.  And then, there is the line at the TSA at the airport.  Still very excited and terrified.

Got back this evening from my visit to the San Francisco Bay area for the second interview for this job that I am up for.  It wasn’t until this morning that I turned on the news and found out that the SF Giants had won the World Series last night!  And there I was, just across the bay.  That might have been a good thing, being across the bay.  When I got home, Donovan had made a Bœuf Bourguignon for dinner that was delicious.  We had some Prosecco, toasted to my success and enjoyed a nice dinner.  I also recounted all the details of my trip and the interview.

I won’t write too much, because I am pretty beat.  It was a great visit.  I flew up yesterday and arrived at about 2pm.  I drove around town, got my hair cut and had a bite to eat.  Then checked into the hotel and headed back out to see the town close up.  I told David that it reminded me a little of River City from The Music Man.  It just seemed to have that vibe.  Of course, the difference is the restaurants wouldn’t be found in Iowa!  Two Afghan, two Thai, two Indian, Pizza, an Italian and barbecue, among many others.  Seems to be a pretty vibrant and interesting town.

In the evening, I met with the woman who was hired to conduct the search to chat.  Nice dinner at at Thai place near the hotel.  Not one of the two downtown.  She also gave me a big stack of stuff to look through and prepare for the interview in the morning.  I read, and prepared what I wanted to say and put together questions that I had about their center and the organization.  In the morning, I did a little exercise and then we were off to the Performing Arts Center.  First a tour, and it is a beautiful facility.  Very similar to the Lang Theatre at the Atlas, but about twice the size.  Great acoustics and the way the hall is set up, there isn’t a bad seat in the house.  It was a great tour with Denise from the board and Julio who is on the staff.  I then had 30 minutes to wander around town again, and I walked over to see the Arts Center, which is part of the operation.  It wasn’t open, but I was able to look in and see the studio spaces there.

Then back to the center for a sit down with folks from the Board, and the woman who is running the search.  I had a great time, and felt very engaged and, in a way, like I was home.  I got a great feeling for the place and think it could be a very good fit.  Needless to say, it is kind of like auditioning, and you often think you did really well and they liked you, but you really don’t know what the machinations going on behind the scenes are.  What are they really looking for?  Did I talk too much?  Too little?  Did I say something really stupid?  Was I too funny?  Too serious?  Too blond?  Not blond enough?  I can’t believe you have read this far.

Afterwards, I went to lunch with two board members, and it became clear to me that in many ways, they are the force behind the project.  Very passionate and dedicated, and their enthusiasm was infectious.  I drove out of town in a very positive mood and, dare I say, almost high.  Our terrific Real Estate agent in DC used to tell us when we were looking for a house, and making bids and losing them that when the right one comes along, it will all just fall into place.  I am telling myself this about this job process.  It all feels good, and if it is meant to be, it will just happen.  I think David will like the town too, which makes is all sweeter.

Did I say I was pretty beat earlier?  Good-night.

Yesterday morning, I was up early, and there was a lot of bird activity outside over the pool.  As you all may, or may not know, I have severe Ornithophobia, and I am glad to say that when I looked that up on Wikipedia, I share the same irrational fear of birds with Ingmar Bergman and Scarlett Johansson.  Also an Irish singer, who I don’t know, so won’t list here.  Anyway, back to the story.  I was sitting, minding my own business, when a bird flew into the window and was laying near the sliding door, just near one of the plants in the yard.  It looked like it was down for the count, and I thought I was going to have to put David to work, but thought I would wait.  They have in the past recovered, but this one hit pretty hard.  I went out for a run, and the whole way, I was just hoping that when I got home, the bird would have flown away.

I got home, and, alas, the bird was still there.  It seemed to be alive, which was reassuring and frightening all at the same time.  I mentioned to David that I thought that him might have to act as mortician to another dead bird, and he seemed resigned.  I then got up and walked to the door.  As I was about to slide it open, the bird hopped up, shook its head and took off.  It was a little shaky, but it made it up onto the roof, and hopefully finished recuperating there.  Resilience is a marvelous thing, no?

Last night we also went to what is becoming one of our favorite restaurants in the valley, Catalan.  Very nice space and the food is excellent.  We ordered a variety of small plates, and had a very nice time.  On the drive home the sliver of the moon was spectacular.  After eating so well, this morning I decided to start making curry pastes to keep me entertained and occupied.  I went out and got a mortar and pestle and the spices I need.  The kitchen, and well the whole house, smells lovely!

We had two games today.  We came very close to having to forfeit due to lack of players.  As I said, they have been dropping like flies, but Stu, our coach, pulled some players in from other teams.  It is one of the odd things about this league.  You can use players from other teams if you come up short.  One of our players in our first game, was on the team that we beat in the second game.  Yes, I did say beat.  I know, it is a short and harsh word, but we won!  We lost the first game, and I felt sorry for Vicky to be on two losing teams in one day, but she seemed pretty chipper at the end of the day.

Before going into too much detail on today’s events, let me fill in a few stories from the past couple of days.  We took a drive out to Whitewater, which is an area neat the foot of the mountains where Big Bear Lake is.  Very nice preserve, and we had a nice, but short visit.  We will plan more trips out to this area.  It is a lovely respite from the desert.  We went for Pho afterwards in town.

On Thursday, we went to see a movie – Pride – with Donovan.  It was about a group of Gay and Lesbian activists in London in the 80’s who wanted to support the striking coal miners in Wales.  It was a bit formulaic, but very enjoyable.  The movie was good, but buying tickets was a bit shocking and depressing for me.  When I went up the counter, I asked for two seniors and and adult.  Donovan pointed at the sign that said “Seniors 55+” and said, three seniors.  First, I have over three months before I reach that threshold and second, she didn’t even question it, and there we were, three seniors going to see the matinee in Palm Springs.  It all begins.

So, today, David wanted to come to the games.  I told him that since Donovan wasn’t coming, he would be stuck there for the duration, and he was game.  We drove over, and were at a different field than we have been before.  The place was packed with soccer games, birthday parties, bar-b-cues and various other activities, like softball.  The field was a hike from where the car was parked, and I had to push the wheelchair over some rough terrain, but we made it.  I settled David in just outside the dugout, and we started the game.

I was a little worried because Stu asked if I would play first base, and I thought, why not?  I think I will play first base all the time.  I didn’t have one “Charlie Brown moment”, and was actually pretty good.  There was a moment during the first game when a batter on the other team hit a foul ball that landed about 2 feet from David, and after that inning, I moved him into the dugout.  Much safer.  So, that first game, we lost pretty badly, sad to say, but the second game we won 11-8, and at one point the score was 8-2.  Things just gelled, and we were all playing pretty good.  I was getting folks out at first, left and right.  I give most of the credit to the folks who were throwing the ball to me really beautifully.  David said we won because the other team was just worse than we were, and he thinks we stink.

Softball. I don’t think I updated you all on here. We lost two games on Sunday and won one. Well, the other team forfeited, and we will take that. We only have two games this Sunday, which is a lot less daunting. We do keep on losing players though. Mostly through personal reasons – they don’t want to be on a losing team – but one with an injury. An injury he got while filling in on another team. That might be a clue that he was probably our best player. Ah, softball!

I mentioned last week that I had the phone interview for this job in the San Francisco Bay area, and next week I am flying up to meet with some folks and take a look around. David and I have been talking about it, and we both think that it would be a good step. Whatever hurdles that we find, we will be able to get over them, I think. The idea is that David would stay here in Palm Springs, and I would be traveling a lot between SFO and Palm Springs. I actually think it may be good for David to have to be more self reliant. We would make sure he had caregivers when I am not here, and we would make adjustments to living as needed.

We had Physical Therapy yesterday, and found out that it was our last visit covered by Medicare. The supplemental insurance doesn’t cover PT either. We do have a handful of Occupational Therapy visits that I am going to ask the Doctor to write an order for. That will take us through the end of this year, and we will have another round of PT and Speech starting January first. I do have to say it is strange that they lump PT and Speech in the same category. I could almost understand PT and OT, but Speech seems like it should be its own category.

On top of everything, our phone and internet went out they day before yesterday, so having to write this on the iPad. I know, I know, there are worse things that could happen. You just don’t realize how much you miss technology until it is gone. They are supposed to come and fix it tomorrow between 8am and 5pm. Gotta love Verizon! Well, actually, you don’t.

Tomorrow is the big game.  Well, three games.  We had practice on Friday night, and all I can say is – we will have fun!  And, after all, isn’t that what Derek Jeter said before each game?  “As long as we have fun, we have won!”  There are three games, and who knows, we may win one.

I had a phone interview on Thursday for a job, and got a call that I am a finalist.  Will not go into too much detail, but it is not in Palm Springs, but is in California.  I will fly up the week after next to tour the facility and meet the search committee.  It seems very similar to the Atlas in many ways.  A little larger, but they are a community based performing arts center, and I think I am a good fit.  David and I talked a bit more about it today, and we both think it is a good idea, and can deal with the logistics when we get to that bridge.

We had a terrific visit from Geralyn and Marty from DC.  We went to dinner with them to Citron at the Viceroy Hotel.  I liked the food, and the table near the pool was very nice.  The evening was beautiful too.  So nice now that the weather is moderating.  We met the for a typical Palm Springs breakfast at Manhattan in the Desert.  David and Marty opted for the lox and bagel, and Geralyn and I did omelets.

David is getting more strength in his right leg, and doing more exercise.  We have been seeing a different Physical Therapist, and he has different tricks up his sleeve.  I really do think that switching things up once in a while is very good.  We also had the speech group this week, and David read a bit better too.  He just needed a little prompt at the beginning of most of the words.  All in all, a good week!  Will let you know about the games tomorrow.