Dr. Barnes and his collection

We woke up to brilliant sunshine in Philadelphia, and it was supposed to be snowing!  What a great surprise!  We met Mary and Peter, and asked the concierge if there was a place nearby that we could go for breakfast.  She suggested Green Eggs Cafe, and said it was around the corner, less than a block from the hotel.  Well, she lied!  At the end of the day, it was worth the trek, but it was more like 6-7 blocks from the hotel.  Breakfast was very good, and kept David and me pretty full for the rest of the day!  It was also great to break bread again with Peter and Mary.  After the hike back to the hotel, we sat for a few minutes, finished packing, and dropped off our bags with the bellman and headed to the Barnes Foundation.

First, the building is really simple and beautiful.  I think it was a great setting for the collection – calm and quiet – preparing you for the riot of artwork inside.  We had a great time wandering through the galleries, but, at a certain point I went into overload.  It is a really interesting and thoughtful way to present art, but there is something to be said for a bare wall with one incredible painting.  There was so much, and so much of it is great to genius.  I look forward to going back, and would suggest to anyone planning a visit, to spread it over at least two days.  We broke it up, and really just took our time and wandered through.  I say wandered, but I was pretty methodical – starting in room one and ending in room (I am guessing at the number) sixty – I didn’t want to miss anything.

After viewing the collection, we went to a special exhibit on Dr. Barnes, and my favorite part of that were the selection of letters he sent to people denying their requests to see the collection.  He must have been either a very funny guy or just ornery, but he wanted particularly wanted to keep people who thought they were important away.  One of the letters, to Alexander Woolcott, was signed by his dog, Fidèle and in another, writing to Walter P. Chrysler in third person while pretending to be a Third Assistant Secretary he responded: “because he gave strict orders that he is not to be disturbed during his present strenuous efforts to break the world’s record for goldfish swallowing.”  He got my respect!

Then, off to the train, and home.  When we got off and found a Red Cap, we headed up, and it was raining a bit, but by the time we went from the door to the taxi, it had changed to snow.  David’s favorite part of traveling by train is cutting to the front of the taxi lines with the Red Caps!  I thinks it’s pretty cool too, especially when it is wet and cold!

Project Runway tonight (shocking turn of events!) and then the blog and object number 81 (we are getting dangerously close to 100), Shi’a Religious Parade Standard.

Philadelphia

Had a good day. Theatre workshop was good. David had his second appointment with the vision therapist, and it seems that the glasses that he has are not the right prescription. And that was even after we returned the original ones because David didn’t think they were right. I think that with new glasses a lot of the problems that David has had with his vision will clear up.
After the doctor, it was off to Penn Station and the train to Philadelphia. We got on the train with little effort and with help from the Red Cap, and got off the same way. Then off to the hotel, and met with Peter and Mary. Had a lovely chat in the room and a glass of wine, then down for dinner in the restaurant. Nice dinner, and then up to bed, but not before the object – Spanish Pieces of Eight (no link tonight, because I am typing on my IPad).
Tomorrow, breakfast with the Clutes and then the Barnes Museum.
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David's New Glasses
David’s New Glasses – I kinda like them.

Last night’s posting

Well, I can barely remember writing that posting from last night, and have since it was posted, corrected the grammar – sorry, I think I was off on the timing of my sleeping pill.  I must have been totally out of it and just desperate to get it up and posted.  I wasn’t drunk, I swear!! When I got up this morning, I thought the first thing I needed to do was write the blog.  Yesterday had so much more than just insurance!

Seeing what there is to drink
Seeing what there is to drink

First, David made his own breakfast.  Before you get too excited, it was a bowl of cereal, but he did it all on his own.  The picture proves it.  Each day we are adding new activities to make him more independent.  We headed off to speech therapy and David had his first session alone with the Therapist.  I headed downstairs to check on the insurance issues.  Still not authorized.  I will be calling them later today.  Always good to get my blood boiling.  We stopped by to get blood drawn, and the facility where we go is having some work done, and right in the middle of the wheelchair ramp, they have placed a support for the scaffolding, so we had to do a little maneuvering and walking to get in.

Gupta is an excellent sexologist, who can treat your ED or verify your suitability for ED medications viagra prices https://pdxcommercial.com/property/516-high-street-oregon-city-oregon-97045/ ensure that you share if you exhibit any of the following symptoms can occur such as persistent heartburn, stomach inflammation, gastritis, ulcers, and even cancer. Do you want to reduce the DUI’s and traffic violations? buy sildenafil viagra A life full of safe responsible driving, no accidents and no traffic infringement is the main goal of every budding driver. Men suffering from this condition aspire to improve the condition and to allow cialis online cheap men enjoying their love life. Why an alternative is needed These drugs do not respond order cheap cialis to many cases of depression. Then home, and in the afternoon, my nephew Parker came by for a nice long visit.  We talked a lot about movies, and what his plans are for school.  He is planning on moving to the west coast, which we are both supportive of.  Getting out of New Jersey is never a bad thing, in my opinion!  From the beginning, David always had a special connection with Parker, and today when we were talking about movies, it was amazing that their opinions were very in synch.  Anyway, we had a bite to eat for dinner, and then Parker headed back to the Port Authority for the bus.

We watched another episode of House of Cards (UK) and then, the blog and object from last night, and bed.

In the middle of writing this, I will add, that we did some exercises after David took his shower, and again, David was able to squeeze my hand with his right hand.  He doesn’t have a lot of control, but I do know that it isn’t a reflex, because I ask him to do it.  He can normally do it once or twice, but then can’t repeat it.  Today, weather permitting, we get on a train to go to Philly for an overnight.  Seeing the Barnes collection tomorrow.  Very exciting, and it will be fun to see Mary and Peter!

Gearing up for tomorrow’s screaming match

I can’t wait to find out why the authorization hasn’t been approved yet  I have tomorrow and Thursday to lay it out for them.

Tomorrow will be fun.

Object 79 was two White Elephants from Japan around 1600  Kakiemon Elephants to be exact.

 

Oxford sucks, but not as much as OptumHealth Care, Inc.

Well, this morning, got up and called to confirm that OT was still happening.  I was told that someone would call if there were a problem with Oxford, and I didn’t hear anything, but didn’t want to make the trip over and find out there was a problem.  I spoke to someone at Rusk who said that approval was still pending, so I got on the phone with Oxford to find out what the status was, and they said that the request had been denied.  I asked why, and they said they didn’t know.  That I would have to call OptumHealth Care Solutions, Inc who handle their approvals.  Really?  She told me to give them the authorization number, and they would be able to explain why.  I pointed out the irony of calling it an authorization number, and got off the phone.  I called and found out that the Care in OptumHealth isn’t ironic, but a downright filthy lie.  The woman I spoke with said she couldn’t talk to me about David’s case unless he could give her verbal permission.  I explained that she should probably see this in his records, but Mr. Shapiro can’t speak.  She said she would be happy to mail me the form that he would need to fill out if he wanted me to speak to them about his case.  I asked to speak to a supervisor, and she said she would be happy to put me through to someone’s voicemail, but wouldn’t transfer me to a real person.  Care?  Next to OptumHealth, Oxford is Mother Theresa!

So, I got back on the phone with Oxford, after thanking the woman from OptumHealth for her assistance.  I told them that OptumHealth won’t speak with me, and I needed to find out what was going on.  She said that the form that was needed was submitted on Thursday and it takes 48 hours for approval and that it will be in by the end of the day. I mean, I get what their business model is – stall in the hope that we give up – but good God!  I told her that if there was a box that says the client will be persistent, she should make sure it is checked.

So, we had a nice quiet morning at home.  I did some work, we exercised and then in the afternoon, I had a dentist’s appointment.  I thought I was going to have a procedure done, but it was just preparing for it.  I will have it done next Wednesday.
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Yesterday, I talked about the list and something that David was trying to tell me, and I was relieved to have stumbled onto it today.  Antique’s Roadshow was the $40,000 answer.  When he wrote the list, and “A” was the letter he wrote, I did say Antique’s Roadshow, and David said no, but I blame myself for not coming around to it again.  It came out when I made a list of all the TV shows that we watch or talk about, and when I read the list, David motioned that this was the one that he was talking about.  Still not sure what the columns meant, but. . . mystery solved.

We watched Enlightened and The Good Wife, and I found both of them pretty satisfying.  Laura Dern had a line that I think summed up my day with the Insurance companies – “I’m just a woman who’s over it.”  Then, the blog, and the object (also appropriate for the day) Double-Headed Serpent, number 78.

Am I eating for two?

Today we had a great visit with Judy and Steve from DC, and we went for brunch to Artisanal (where else?)  it was great to see them and as always, they are very interested and supportive with David’s recovery.  Also honest, and careful not to sugar coat anything.  During Brunch, as is my usual pattern, when David is done eating, he offers me what he has left, and I, being the horse that I am, take it.  It suddenly hit me at that moment, that I AM eating for maybe not two, but certainly one and a half.  Sadly, I am doing the exercise for maybe one quarter of a person, so the math just doesn’t add up.

Needless to say, when we had dinner tonight, and David had some pasta left over, I didn’t push it away, but ate it.  Fortunately, when I cook, I do cut the portions down so I don’t overeat too much.

We watched two more episodes of House of Cards (UK – we will start the US version after this is done).  We are saving The Good Wife and Enlightened for tomorrow or later this week.  I felt bad tonight, because David was trying to tell me something, but even after twenty minutes, I had no idea what he was trying to tell me.  It was something about television, and there was something about three columns and lists of numbers, but everything I tried was wrong – networks, episodes, other shows, cast members.  After much frustration for both of us, we gave up and watched an episode of Monk.  A compromise, of sorts, I suppose.

Then, the blog (again, no comments or corrections) and object number 77 The Benin Plaque: the Oba with Europeans.

Sushi Sen-Nin

Tonight we did it!  We walked to Sushi Sen-Nin on 33rd Street between Madison and Park Ave.  There were flurries on the way over, and it was really snowing on the way home.  There were a few moments on the way over and back when David looked at me and wanted to know why we were doing it, but we did it!  He did a great job negotiating the uneven pavement, the crowds and making it across Madison with the light.  As we approached, I was worried whether we would make it in time, but, when we got to the curb, the don’t walk signal was still blinking!!  Dinner was great, by the way, but it really was secondary.

Other than that, it was a typical Saturday – Up at 9, exercise, shower, call with Alex, Claire and Theo.  I also had to interview Directors for the One Act Festival for the Complete Theatre Company.  We also has some actor auditions thrown in.  Good and interesting people.  Still not settled on which play I will be directing, but should be settled this week, I think.

Today, we read two objects.  One earlier in the day – Dürer’s Rhinoceros, number 75 and then just before bed, object 76 The Mechanical Galleon.  The blog passed without any comments too, so it was a good night.

Quiet day, and great visit with old friends from UNIS

Today was a quiet day because PT and OT were cancelled, but we made up for it by exercising twice during the day.  We walked to and from Speech Therapy this morning, which was good exercise for me!  Had a good chat with Karen about the schedule for Speech, Occupational and Physical Therapy.  I am going to have to sit down and go through the schedule, because it seems that Oxford will only cover 90 visits – per lifetime – for therapies.  That is a combined total, and I think we will get to 90 in April if we continue at the rate we are going.  Medicare may pick up some of the slack, but have to find all this out.  Fortunately, I don’t think that any of the inpatient or at home therapies counted towards this total.  Anyway, will have to have this discussion with David to figure out what we should do.

This afternoon, we had a visit from three former UNIS students – Ross, Robert and Douglas – and were joined by former faculty Frank and Caroline.  it was a very fun and lively afternoon with lots of talk about movies and life in general.  As I have always said, it is great to see David so engaged and participating.  Even if the words are hard, he is there and as Karen said this morning, he uses all the tools at his disposal to get what he wants to say across.  Thanks to all of you for a great afternoon!
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After they headed out, we had dinner and then an early night to bed, but not before the blog, a chapter from Robert’s book (thanks Robert), One Frog Can Make a Difference and the latest object, the Jade Dragon Cup or object number 74.

Maybe I just had a bad day?

Well, we were at the Dentist this morning, and I got an email from the Foreign Service Testing center with not great news.  I didn’t pass the exam.  I thought I had done well (particularly on the essay), but was a little concerned with the section called “Biographic Information”.  Mostly questions about your personality and experiences, with many questions about very recent work experience, which I haven’t been doing.  Well, certainly not in the sense they meant.  Anyway, that was the area of the test that I didn’t do so well on.  Anyway, I was bummed to say the least, but waited until we got home to tell David.  I knew he would be disappointed, but he was actually dumbfounded.  He couldn’t understand how I passed the exam twice, but not now.  I felt worse for him than for me.  He kept saying sorry.  Anyway, I think I was ready for it, but just didn’t come up this time.  Maybe again next year.  I have to work on my Biographic Information.  More thoughts on that later.

So, that was the bad news.  The great news is that when we were exercising this morning, David was able to move his right arm.  It was very little and, as you can imagine, weak, but he moved it just the same.  This is a very promising sign.

We got home and then headed out to get haircuts at our barber on 31st Street.  Then home and we had a visit from Jane and Henry Berliss.  Very nice and got to see pictures of their new grandson.  Very cute!  Also, some great conversation.  Jane is also going to do some research to see if we can get David quilting again.  She thinks that there may be a way to use a frame and do some one handed stitching.

After the Berliss’ left, I got a call the Rusk and PT and OT are cancelled for tomorrow because they had to resubmit some form to Oxford.  They were very apologetic, but it is all still very irritating.  I will get on the phone with Oxford tomorrow to make sure that everything is in place for Monday.

I made David a light supper, and I went out with my friend Michelle to Flex Mussels on 13th Street.  Very good food and it was great to chat with Michelle.  Then home, Project Runway, yesterday’s blog (no comments or corrections) and object 73 – Inca Gold Llama.  Reminded me of Candide.

Vision Therapy

It was a typical Wednesday.  Up relatively early, I went off to my theatre group, and when I got home, Gail was with David with another UNIS pal, Laura.  They were having a good time, and I recounted the Looper/Sixth Sense story from last night.  By the way, when I read the blog tonight, David said it was all lies!  He also was offended that I didn’t say that he also liked the image of the Tughra of Sulieman the Magnificent.  He did say he liked it.

At 2pm we headed up to 42nd Street for the first of two Vision Therapy sessions.  David said his double vision has been getting better.  It was an interesting exercise getting his eyes tested.  We finally landed on his tracing the letters that he was supposed to read on his leg.  It also took some time to do the comparisons – is this clearer or this?  Once we got it started, it went more smoothly.  When we got home, David got up a few times to walk around, and is getting more stable and consistent, but as we were getting ready for bed, he went to the bathroom to brush his teeth, and I heard a cry and caught him just before he fell to the floor.  He was trying to turn the light on, and lost his balance.  More work to do.

Another silly movie tonight – Horrible Bosses.  Then the blog (I already gave David’s comments) and the next object – the Ming Banknote – object number 72.

More waiting for Oxford and I wish I had a sixth sense

We had Speech Therapy this morning – no problem with Oxford there – yet!  However, our afternoon Physical Therapy was cancelled because the authorization has not come through yet.  Let’s hope it is all set by Friday.  Today we walked home from ST and had blood drawn on the way.  It was a relatively nice day – dry at least, and I like getting a little exercise.  Once we got home, we took a walk down to the lobby and back upstairs – no adventure outside today.  Then some exercises and we both took a nap.

We watched the last episode of Smash and then decided to watch a movie – Looper.  It was good, and while a bit confusing for David, he followed along pretty well.  I just had to explain some of the time travel stuff.  After the movie was done, we had one of our classic conversations.  David wanted to tell me about a movie that he thought was similar.  First, I got that there were three characters, and I asked if any of the actors from this movie were in the one he was thinking of.  No.  OK, is it about time travel.  Yes, sort of.  So, I did a quick search of time travel movies.  Then we figured out that it was within the last 10 years.  He kept writing “A” on the paper, and after I asked if it was a person, and he said yes.  So, the series started – Andy, Anthony, etc.  He then got a funny look on his face, which lead me to believe that it wasn’t a person, or the “A” was not the person’s name.  I don’t know where this came from, but I said Nicole Kidman (her bad dress at the Oscar’s was on my mind, maybe?) He got very excited, so I started thinking of Nicole Kidman movies about time travel, David then made it clear I was on the wrong track.  Tom Cruise??  No.  Australia.  Jackpot!!  So, an Australian actress (we narrowed it down to a female).  Another internet search, and I almost skipped this name, but glad I didn’t Toni Colette. What time travel movie did Toni Colette make?  Back to Muriel’s Wedding? IMDB search.  The Sixth Sense.  But, I thought you said nobody from Looper was in this movie.  What about Bruce Willis?  I actually listed the actors to make sure when I asked.  And, where does time travel fit into The Sixth Sense?  He just rolled his eyes, like, I can’t be bothered with details.  I told him that I was going to write this little verbal adventure in the blog.  He said, good.  He was most impressed that I came up with Nicole Kidman.  The last thing he did as I was turning out the light was to make an “N” with his finger and a thumbs up to let me know how impressed he was.  This all took about twenty minutes, by the way, and there were moments that were quite heated.
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Read the blog, and David wanted me to tell everyone that he did, indeed like the meatloaf.  Object number 71 was Tughra of Suleiman the Magnificent.  I thought it was quite beautiful.

Monday, Monday

Today’s Occupational Therapy session was cancelled because Oxford hasn’t approved yet.  There is too little time between when the previous session is, and sending a request to Oxford.  Hopefully we will be back on schedule tomorrow.  We did exercise and walked outside again. This time further than yesterday.  David also said that he thinks that he isn’t getting enough ink on the blog, so I am supposed to talk more about his achievements.  This afternoon, after his nap, David got up and on the TV there was a slideshow playing of photos from my computer.  On the screen was a picture of Fred, and David said “Fred”.  I thought that was really good, and told him so.  Then there was a brief pause, and I asked him what my name was.  He looked puzzled and stumped.  He smiled and said “Fred?”  When Siobhan was here, I asked again, and he still wanted to call me Fred.  I said there were worse things he could call me.

He had a good session with Siobhan, and he is saying more and more each week, it seems.  He asked me to make meatloaf for dinner, and that’s what I did.  I had to improvise a little, but it tasted good, I thought.  Then another nap, Antique’s Roadshow, the last two blog entries and object number 70 – Hoa Hakananai’a Easter Island Statue.

No Red Carpet, but walking all the same

Today we put David to the test.  We walked down to the lobby, out the front door and around the corner, then back in through the service entrance and back up to the apartment.  It was a trial run for our outing to a restaurant, which will happen later this week or next weekend.  When we got back, David was exhausted, and wanted to take a nap.  I took a walk and ran some errands.  Now that David can get up and go to the bathroom on his own, I am able to leave him alone without any worries, which is great.

We watched a silly movie – Wanderlust – that I liked more than David.  My tolerance for silly is much higher than his is.  Then we got ready for the Oscars.  I was texting with the fabulous Julie Halston the whole time, which was loads of fun.  Just got David into bed, and because it was so late, no reading.  I will read two objects tomorrow, and maybe an additional chapter of  The Pickwick Papers.  Was generally pleased with the winners tonight, except I don’t get Quentin Tarantino in more ways than one.  I thought Django Unchained was based on another film, wasn’t it?  How could it be an original screenplay?  There must be a loophole somewhere, or it only took the name from the original film?

Best dressed: Jennifer Lawrence

Wet and quiet Saturday

Today we had a quiet day.  We began by making a dent in the gift from Russ & Daughters.  Delicious!  At noon we made the decision to weather the weather and go to a reading at The Mint with Marjorie.  David was complaining about going out in the rain, but sometimes you just have to get wet.

After our call with Alex, Claire and Theo, we headed out.  The call, was as always, great.  Talked a lot about their possible future adventure – more details when available, don’t want to jinx it.  We got a car to the theater, and David complained about the rain, and didn’t understand why we were going.  Once there, we saw two one act plays by Irish playwright, Teresa Deevy.  Short, but interesting plays.  A talkback at the end with a professor from Ireland who is an expert on Teresa Deevy.  Interesting insights on her life and writing.  Thanks to Marjorie who arranged tickets, and got us out on a wet and dreary afternoon.

We headed back, and had a drive we have had before.  In the past few days, we have had a couple of repeat Uber drivers.  Nice to see familiar faces!  Once home, David was ready for a nap, and I joined him.  When I woke up, he had gotten up and was sitting in the living room.  Then I started dinner, and at one point I looked up, and David was gone.  He went to the bathroom.  It is nice to see that I am now not even noticing when he moves around the apartment.  Also, more words.  With Susan Willens yesterday, he said “grade” to find out what grade her grand-daughter was in at Burke.  He is also stringing words together, which is great, but sometimes in the wrong order, making him sound a bit like Yoda. We’ll take it though.

Then, to bed and we have started listening to The Pickwick Papers which is fun and funny.  Read the blog as well, and then the 69th object – Sculpture of Huastec Goddess.

You are my happiness

Fridays, as I said, are our busy days and today was no exception.  We were at Rusk at 9am, and had a good Speech Therapy session, except, Karen wanted be to be silent and have David work harder.  It was very difficult for me to hold my tongue, but I was successful.  Christina talked to David more about progressive education, and then we looked at a globe and David pointed out where kids he has had in school were from.  Then we went to Occupational Therapy, and did a lot of work on his shoulder.  We have some new exercises to do, but he wanted to pin Maneshka down on a date when he would get the use of his arm back.  He was a bit shocked and disappointed when she said she couldn’t make any promises, but talked in terms of years, not months.  She pointed out that unlike our legs, we don’t use our arms all the time.

Then home for Neurotherapy with Gail, and then back to Rusk for Physical Therapy.  David was getting impatient when Caroline was not meeting us outside at 2pm as scheduled, and we soon found out why. Peter, who we have worked with in the gym came and said that there was an emergency that Caroline was dealing with, and he would work with David.  It was a good session, but we discovered that Caroline’s patient just before David had a fall, and the EMT’s were there to look at him.  He seemed OK, but, a fall is a fall.  David is getting stronger and stronger with his walking and our first goal is by next weekend to walk to a local restaurant for dinner.

We got home a little before 4pm and had a great visit with Susan Willens, a good friend from DC.  I was lucky enough to be able to stay at her home while waiting to move into the house in DC when we first moved there in 1999.  She brought some great gifts, and I think David’s favorite is the “No” button that just says no in a variety of ways.  We also had a terrific gift from the “Gang at UNIS” which we will begin devouring tomorrow!  Thanks Susan, Sal and Armi – what a delightful surprise!

Tonight we watched Anna Karenina, and all I have to say is, this is the movie that Les Miserable should have been.  So sweeping, theatrical and well, musical.  I was really surprised at how much I liked it.  “You are my happiness” was a line in the film and David and I toasted to it.

Object number 68 was Shiva and Parvati Sculpture.  Another loving power couple!

Good Visit, Support Group and Schedule

Today we had the Dentist in the morning – not good.  Well, it went OK, but David really hates to go.  He had two new students working on him, and as is normal with David, all of the staff who have worked with him over the past month or so, came by at some point to chat and see how he was doing.  He can still make people smile and laugh with just a crooked smile or well placed laugh or yes or no.

Then home, and we had a great visit with a Ron McClain from The Parkmont School in Washington, DC.  David became friendly with Ron while he was at Burke, and he was in town and able to stop by on his way back to the train.  Again, David was very communicative without saying much, and we talked about a lot of DC gossip.  I have met Ron, but never spent time with him, so it was fun to get to know him better.

After the visit, I had some time before my TBI support group at Rusk, and David did some walking around the apartment.  He has been getting up regularly, just to take a spin around and get some exercise.  At the group, some of the discussion was about trouble motivating stroke and TBI survivors to continue to work when at home, and I told them that I found it was the opposite – David wants to work all the time, but sometimes I don’t have the energy.  I do it, but I just may not be as enthusiastic as he is.  The group was a lot of the same folks from last month, but it is good to go to and it gives you a lot of perspective.  Karin, the wife of Andrew who David and I met last week at the Young Stroke Survivor’s Group, and I talked about how great it was for David and Andrew to meet, but I confessed that David was a little thrown by the difficulty that he still has with walking and use of his arm.  This led to a frank discussion about expectations and goals for both the survivor and the caregiver.  I am going to work on writing some of those out for both of us, and we will discuss.  I also confessed to the group that one of my biggest fears is being able to keep David intellectually stimulated.  Working on that.  They all loved the idea of reading A History of the World in 100 Objects and tonights object was number 67, Icon of the Triumph of Orthodoxy.

David has also talked to me about spreading out his visiting schedule a bit more.  Understandably he want to make sure that he doesn’t have days where there is just too much going on – like tomorrow!  Friday’s are busy days, so I have been asked to keep it down to one visit per Friday.

Still eating cake!

David at Kyo Ya
David at Kyo Ya

Today, I had my workshop with the theatre company, and I was given the script that I will be directing for the one act festival.  It is a funny, quirky script and I look forward to getting to work on it.  When I got home, David and I relaxed a little bit, and he told me that he had a little fall with the aide in the apartment.  He didn’t seem to think that there was anything wrong, and said that it wasn’t so bad.  I will keep an eye on his side where he fell.  He also told me that the aide took him for a walk to the lobby, which he said went very well.

We went down for our swimming, but as we approached the pool, we heard children screaming, and discovered that the pool had been rented for a children’s party.  That was disappointing, but we headed back upstairs.

cialis buy uk Sildenafil citrate belongs to the family of PDE-5 blockers. levitra lowest price This makes the happy copulation in conjugal life. With feeble erection, prescription viagra men face great difficulty in executing sexual intercourse. First, “I don’t believe in chiropractic.” When I hear this the first thing I think is sildenafil pills “You don’t believe it exists, like magic or ghosts? I usually ask a simple question such as, ” What don’t you believe?,” or, “What has been your experience with chiropractic?” I usually don’t get a real answer because as I said before, most people that say they don’t believe in chiropractic have never ever. As promised, we went out to dinner tonight to Kyo Ya on East 7th Street, a very authentic Japanese restaurant, and left the wheelchair at the building with the doorman.  We arrived at the restaurant, and walked quite easily down the flight of stairs to the dining room.  We were seated, and had chosen the ten course set menu, which was great.  David loved not having to select things.  The food was good, and was coming at a good pace, but at a certain point (course number seven), David was complaining of some pain and discomfort.  I think it was sitting still for so long, and the chairs were a little hard. I let the waiter know that we would be leaving, and the hostess was terrific and had the rest of the meal boxed up for us, and we took it home.  I called for a car with Uber, and within five minutes we were on our way home.

It was a great evening, even if it was cut a little short.  Thanks to Nancy and Bob for the dinner, it was a terrific place and evening!  When we got home, David wanted another piece of cake – this time with ice cream – and we watched Law & Order: SVU, and then to bed.

Tonight’s object was number 66 – Holy Thorn Reliquary.

Happy Birthday David!

Happy Birthday David
Happy Birthday David

Today we celebrated David’s 66th Birthday. As I said in my last blog entry, I baked a cake last night, and iced it this morning. It came out well, I think and David loved it.  David was very happy to get all the wishes from friends on FaceBook and email and we even had a few calls today from friends and family.  It is great to be able to put the phone on speaker, and have him participate in calls now!  Not only good for practice, but also a boost to his mood!!  We had only Physical Therapy and Speech Therapy today, and Caroline in PT did some more testing.  David beat all his original times by quite a lot.  I don’t have the final numbers, but he dropped about 10 seconds off walking from an original time of about 38 seconds, and 5 seconds off the shorter walk from an original of 20.  He also beat the one that he did a couple weeks about by 3 second!  In one surprise feat, when he began walking for one of the test, he got up from his chair and took two steps before realizing that he left his cane next to the chair.  Little by little.  Speech with Siobhan went very well, and he is getting better at comparisons, but still needs some work.

The online retailers will also offer free home delivery services and you will get them within the comforts of cialis online generic sitting at your home. Sixthly, there is educational cheapest viagra prices psychology which deals with the study that Wisconsin ginseng, when taken daily for a few weeks to enjoy the results and get long lasting effect. The same as when shopping for anything generic levitra online else, you are going to be best off if you compare prices and shop around as much as possible. Penegra Tablets, the order cheap cialis help men with erectile dysfunction (male impotence) by enhancing the erectile response when a man is sexually stimulated. cialis? order cheap cialis does not cause any major worst effects it only makes you impotent, but also causes infertility. Tomorrow, we are going out to dinner (we skipped tonight because it was raining) and we are not bringing the wheelchair.  A car will drop us off at the restaurant and pick us up afterwards. David is a little worried about this, but I talked to the PT and she thinks it will be a good thing to do.  I will let you know how it works out.

Be began the second season of Enlightened, and it is getting even better.  Tonight’s object was a Taino Ritual Seat.

OK, I was baking a cake

Sorry I missed last night, I was making David’s Birthday Cake – which looks quite good!  Chocolate and more chocolate.  If anyone wants a piece, please stop by today – not sure if it will last the night.

So, today is David’s Birthday – a youthful 66.  A very good year!  The weather is holding out, but it is supposed to rain later.  I won’t leave the cake out.  Last night’s object were the David Vases, which I thought were very appropriate.  Blue & White alter vases from the reign of Kublai Khan.

We had another good day, walked down to the lobby and back, had a great dinner, watched the latest The Good Wife episode and the season finale of Enlightened.  After reading the blog, I was told by David that I should talk about what a great pair we are, which is very true.  He works so hard, and as you all now, is making great progress.  I think we are going to lick this whole thing, and we are bout at the point where it will be under our control.  He is wanting to talk to folks on the phone more, and had a nice chat with Dave Sislen this morning for his birthday, which was great.  Also with Lynn on Saturday.  Little by little.

More tonight (unless I forget or decide to make another cake!)

Quiet Sunday

Onelsis arrived this morning to get David up.  She is the aide who spent the night here when I ran away.  It might be because they spent all that time together, but they have a special bond.  She seems to understand what he wants to say and he wants to tell her things, and hear about her life.  It is nice to see.  She was also very impressed by David’s new found mobility and independence.

We watched a movie this afternoon – Win Win, which we liked a lot.  It was very sweet and funny.  We also watched some more of Enlightened, which continues to be intriguing and is drawing me in.  David had two naps, and at the end of the evening, we had dinner – I made meatballs – and watched the season finale of Downton Abbey.  Not too shocking, we could see it coming, but still hard to take.

Tonight’s object was Ife Head.

Thanks to everyone for their input on the lease, and I had both legal and personal advise.  In the end, we are going to just pay the additional amount, in the short term, but may revisit at some point after we are gone.  That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.  Thanks again for all the great advise!