Day 1474

Saturday, January 28, 2017

Chinese New Year!  The year of the rooster.  We were all going to Alice's cousin Elaine's for lunch, but Elaine's mother Vicki fell and was taken to the hospital, so lunch was canceled.  Alice's parents, sister Karen, Kenny and two nieces Sharon and Katie came over for lunch at Alice's.  There was a lot of delicious food and dessert.  It was a nice visit, but everyone was concerned about Vicki.  Elaine and Bill were at the hospital.  Toward the end of lunch, we heard Vicki was going to SF General for neck surgery tomorrow.  Elaine and Bill are staying the night at the hospital.  Alice is worried.  I hope she'll recover from this.  Falling is one of the biggest fears of growing older.  Gravity is unforgiving for the elderly.  I need to remember that when I'm rushing in and out of hallways and staircases later in life. 

In the afternoon, Alice and I relaxed.  We watched two episodes of Bill Maher.  It's weekly therapy for the daily nightmare. 

We watched Royal documentaries in the evening, but I fell asleep around 8 and didn't wake up until 1.  Wow, I must have been sleep-deprived.

Day 1473

Friday, January 27, 2017

Quiet day at work, which I enjoyed, allowing me to read more WW1 stuff.  Still plowing through The Guns of August and really enjoying this book.  As for my current era, I'm so appalled with what I'm seeing, so shocked at the circus our leader has created, that I don't watch any of it.  It's too maddening, too embarrassing.  He's an awful person, truly awful.  I have no patience for his drama and chaos.  Unfortunately, he will do a lot of damage.

Day 1472

Thursday, January 26, 2017

Caught up on everything at work and read most of the evening.  Had a heating issue that Jim came to fix but couldn't, so PG&E came over to assess the problem.  Heating guy will come Tuesday afternoon to repair whatever's not working with the heater.

Slept soundly.

Day 1471

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Jury duty today at Washington Street in Oakland.  A boring sounding case involving food and beverage permits.  Everyone was part of the jury pool and luckily I wasn't called up.  We broke for lunch, allowing me time to meet Murry at Wendel for an hour or so.  It was great catching up in downtown Oakland.  We ate at Pacific Coast Brewing, which was so good.  I had a yummy Shep's Pie and Murry had a salad.

Wendel's remodeling their offices and they look great.  It was great seeing a couple of folks who were there.  Saw Louise but missed Karen.  Maybe next time.

The jury came back at 2 and I was free to leave an hour or so later.  Nice!  I spotted at The Bookmark bookstore and bought a middle grade book that looked interesting.

Took Bus 26 home and tidied up a bit before dinner, then bed.

Day 1470

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Up at 5:50, ready for work, took N Judah at 7, then another full day of busy busy stuff.  Jury duty tomorrow.  Home to tidy up and clean and get things under control.

Day 1469

Monday, January 23, 2017

Up at 3:30, flew home, the took BART and arrived at work at 8:45.  Not bad.  Had a very large PowerPoint project to assemble, which took most of the day.  Spent the night with Alice, who is still hurting from her surgery.  I was asleep by 9. 

Day 1468

Sunday, January 22, 2017

Had breakfast with Dad at 9 and lunch with Karen, Janet and Uncle Steve at 1.  The memorial was at 4.  It was very nice and very well attended.

A few people spoke about Craig.  There are lots of great photographs.  It was very special for mom and all his friends.  The celebration lasted until 7.  Afterward, I drove back to Seattle and went to bed early in preparation for my 6 a.m. flight back to Oakland and work in the a.m.

Day 1467

Saturday, January 21, 2017

Flew into Seattle bright and early...had a quick lunch with Sue, Mugs, Mary and their two kids Charlotte and Emerson.

Left at 3 and drove to Oxford Suites in Bellingham.  Went to Peggy and Gus's with Jill and Tom.  Kim and Chris Jr. and Auntie Karen and Janet also drove.  We met Leo & Louanne and Chris & Elizabeth there at the house.  It's a beautiful house with cedar throughout.  It's huge and overlooking the lake.  Really nice!

Meanwhile, in D.C., the Hough family was attending Matthew's engagement party.

 
Afterward, we hung out at the Oxford Suites lounge for a late-night glass of wine.  I missed Alice, who stayed home tending to her hip. I went to bed around 11.

Day 1466

Friday, January 20, 2017

It seems only fitting that today I was the mark in an elaborate attempted scam that was very strange, very real, but also clearly bogus.  I was walking back to work from the post office when a driver in a white Infiniti vehicle asked for directions to SFO.  I told him and pulled out my phone to make sure my directions were correct.  He was appreciative and asked if I liked Armani.  I said sure.  He said he was a buyer who had just been to a show.  He had all these coats from the event but was only allowed to take half of them.  He offered me two of them for free with his card.  He was from Milano, Italy.  I mentioned I'd been to Rome and Milan this past summer. He was very chatty and engaging.  He gave a big talk about world connections and the bonds we all have with each other.  Then he asked if I could do him a favor.  He had an issue with his Visa card and needed to buy an iphone 7 for his daughter.  He wanted to know if I could give him a couple of hundred dollars in exchange for the Armani coats.  I said no, I could not do that.  We went from directions to SFO to Armani coats to iPhone 7s and that's when everything just seemed weird to me, so I said I'd send him an email and not take the coats and have a nice day.  He got angry and asked for his card back, so I gave it to him and walked back to work.  I looked up scams clothing Armani iPhone and came up with this site:

Armani Scam

I was happy my instincts kicked in and I didn't take the bait, but it felt so real, so authentic.  The scammer was good and looked the part of a big designer buyer.  But the moment he asked for cash, it just made no sense.

Sort of like today and the fact that we now have a racist fascist in the Oval office.  It makes no sense.  Dark dark dark times ahead.  I wish it weren't so, but it's inevitable.  Brace yourself.

Day 1465

Thursday, January 19, 2017

Left Alice's in the a.m. taking N Judah to work, arriving at 8.  Work was fine the until 2 when everyone and needed stuff from me.  Mario's out all week so it's just me.  Busy!  Came home at 6 and spoke with mom and then Alice.  Alice had her post-surgery checkup with Dr. Chen and was told she couldn't fly this weekend to Seattle, so it's just me again to Bellingham.  It's too bad because the family will be there for Craig's memorial.  I guess FaceTime is better than nothing.  I called Southwest and Alaska Airlines to cancel Alice's flights.  Southwest gave me a travel credit and Alaska Airlines gave me the finger.  Here's the comment I sent Alaska Airlines:

"Alaska Airlines, your cancellation policy is absolutely ATROCIOUS when compared with Southwest Airlines.  I recently bought one-way tickets for me & Alice to Seattle using Southwest Airlines and one-way tickets back to Oakland using Alaska Airlines.  Alice now can't fly for medical reasons, so I canceled her tickets.  With Southwest, I was issued a travel credit good for 12 months. With Alaska, I was told I could only change/cancel a ticket 60 days before the flight by paying a $125 change fee (the ticket cost less than $125).  That's about as customer friendly as a mugging.  It's a total slap in the face and utterly hypocritical to your seemingly sweet, good-natured "customer friendly" image that you project to the world.  What a shock to discover you're just another greedy corporate company solely focused on the bottom line without any concern for your loyal customers who rarely if ever change or cancel flights.  Lesson learned.  I'm so surprised and disappointed in you, Alaska Airlines.  Your cancellation policy is pathetic.  Your image belies your true nature.  Shame on the executive genius who thought this policy was a good idea.  It’s not.  It’s actually a deal breaker."

I'm sure they'll do absolutely nothing, so I'll also send this on Facebook, Yelp, and other sites as needed.  I'm so done with corporate greed and policies that screw people.  FU AA!

Meanwhile, Southwest Airlines continues to soar in my books.  

Anyway, my travel arrangements for the weekend are made.  Time for bed and still so much to do.  Ugh! 

So, tomorrow begins the Insanity Empire and the collapse of American values and good taste.  Thanks a lot, swing states.  I hope you're so proud of your newly elected orange birther buffoon.  Way to undermine all sense of reason.  You own that mess and no whining from any of you who voted for that disgraceful headcase.  He's all yours. As for me, I want none of the endless drama freak show we're all about to endure.  None of it.  I'm so disgusted.  Like the insane Iraq War that was such an obvious unforced error well before 2003, I'll never get over his presence in that office.  Never.  The office is so lowered because of him, because of that outcome, because of those insane swing states thinking their lives will improve.  Ha!  Good luck with that.

Day 1464

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Racquetball in the a.m., the crazy times at work, then home to Alice on the N Judah and a rain storm that dumped water all over me from the horizontal drops that blew in my face from Judah to Alice's home just two blocks away.  I was drenched by the time I walked inside.  An hour later, the wind blasted even harder with sheets of rain hitting the street.  Same thing at 3 a.m.  Insane weather, global warming at its finest. 

We watched a documentary on Apple TV, but by 9:15 I was out.

Day 1463

Tuesday, January 17, 2017

First day back at work since last Tuesday, and holy cow was it busy with Mario gone and lots of folks needing my assistance.  I was able to get most of my work done today, but have a few tasks left for tomorrow. Got a last-minute call to sub for a doubles player at Mariner Square, and since I'm dropping off the demo racquets to Alex M, it seemed a good night to get in an extra workout.  I did get up early to practice this morning and hit the weights, so I'll see what kind of endurance I have.

Spoke with Alice twice today and she's still hurting in her hip, which is normal.  Other than that, she's enjoying her time off work.

Day 1462

Monday, January 16, 2017

I think it may be time to buy a new laptop at Alice's house.  The Toshiba is slow and now performing well at all.  And now it's not working.  With laptops so cheap, it's a good time to upgrade.  Only problem is I have no time to do that.  I have a lot going on right now and it's only getting busier.  Next weekend is gone with my flight to Bellingham for Craig's memorial.  I haven't been home in days and my place is a bit scattered.

Spoke with Kevin today and he and Mike are visiting the Bay Area March 16-20.  Kristi, let's put together an East Bay action plan Saturday or Sunday!  That'll be a fun weekend.  I haven't met Mike yet.  I'm sure we'll get along as well as Kevin and Alice get along.  Alice and I will practice our cribbage.

We watched the new Victoria last night, and it's not nearly as good as Downton Abbey or The Crown.  The pacing is weird and I don't care for the lead, but perhaps the series will grown on me.  I actually fell asleep the final fifteen minutes (of course, it didn't help that the premiere was two hours, ending at 11 and I'm usually out by 9:45).  I'm such an old fuddy.

Arrived home at 9, unpacked, and went right to sleep.

Day 1461

Sunday, January 15, 2017

Another day in SF taking care of Alice. 

Day 1460

Saturday, January 14, 2017

Read all day and watched the Seahawks play poorly and lose to the Falcons.  Painful.

Day 1459

Friday, January 13, 2017

I spent another day with Alice while she recovers from her arthroscopic hip procedure.  Now that the anesthesia has worn off, she's feeling more pain today.  She spent most of the day in bed watching YouTube programs on food through Apple TV.  I read, made meals, and Austin came home for a few hours, so we went to San Tung for chicken wings that Alice was craving. 

In the evening we watched an action film on HBO, Batman vs. Superman, with good graphics and production values, some interesting story telling, but wow, so much violence and fighting.  It was certainly the emphasis of the movie, all those fight sequences.  Films like this say a lot about our culture and what it values.  I found most of this film interesting to watch, but uncomfortable in what it says about us. 

Day 1458

Thursday, January 12, 2017

Up early, around 7, then off to Safeway for some supplies.  Alice stayed in bed all day.  I made a big pot of beef stew in the Instant Pot, and bread in the bread machine.  I read my books and cleaned up while Alice watched TV and rested.  As expected, it was hard for her to stay in bed.  She hobbled around on her crutches every few hours.  In the evening we watched two films, the first half of Cafe Society, which Alice found boring, so we stopped it and watched Genius, about Thomas Wolfe, which was interesting and well done.  To be around 10:30.

Day 1457

Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Alice's hip surgery was this morning at 9:45 a.m.  We arrived at the medical facility around 8, checked in, and Alice was prepped and ready to go.  I hung out with her in the staging area until 9:45 when a nurse escorted her to her anesthesiologist.  I spent the next three hours on California and Divisidero and Fillmore, eating at cafes, wandering through bookstores, hanging out at Starbuck's.  I bought a Reading Financial Reports for Dummies book (3rd edition) and reading another chapter from The Guns of August.  At 1:30, Dr. Chan called and said Alice's procedure went well.  There was a small piece of loose cartilage inside the hip area that was unexpected, so it was removed along with filing down the bony area where the lathram tear was.  Alice was very groggy when I saw her again.  I drove her home and put her to bed.  We had rack of lamb, corn and rice for dinner.  She went to sleep around 10.  It will take a good two weeks for her to recover.  She's getting used to her crutches.  It will be hard for her to stay in bed for an extended period of time.

Day 1456

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

After work, I went home with Alice, who has her hip surgery tomorrow.  I'll be with her until Monday.  I'm lucky that I get a few days off to be with her.  I'm sure her surgery will go well. 

Day 1455

Monday, January 9, 2017

Up at 3, back to Sea-Tac to return the rental car, then home to Oakland, BART to work, and at my desk at 9:15. Not bad.

Once I was home, I was tired.  I tried to unpack but was unsuccessful.  I had dinner and veged the rest of the evening until bed.

Day 1454

Sunday, January 8, 2017

It was another enjoyable day in Monroe.  Mathew, Nicole and I had long conversations about their mom, my sister, whose epic decline has been a shock for everyone.  It's difficult to process and accept.  I'm not sure if she's suffered some mental damage due to all the pain killers she's taken in life or if this is just how addicts think and behave.  Her behavior is off-the-charts crazy.  Inconsistent.  Whiny.  An endless victim who can't own her life.  It's really quite sad. 

After talking about all the family drama, we played 7 Wonders, which is a really fun board game that I enjoyed a lot.

I fly back to Oakland really early tomorrow, so I was in bed by 10.

Day 1453

Saturday, January 7, 2017

Flew into Seattle at 8:15, picked up a rental car and drove to Nicole and Mike's in Monroe.  Got to hold my grand niece for the first time and that was special!

Mathew was with us, too.  He's getting ready for his wedding to Rathna in August. 

Hanging out with Nicole was wonderful.  We watched the Seahawks play and played games all afternoon.

My visit's really short (only today and tomorrow), but it's so worth it spending time with sweet Nicole!

Day 1452

Friday, January 6, 2017

I leave for Seattle tomorrow, so after work I packed and did what I could to come home to a tidy place.  Not too successful.

Day 1451

Thursday, January 5, 2017

I made banana bread after work.  It was good!

Day 1450

Wednesday, January 4, 2017

Trying to get organized after work.  I have all these piles of things and no time to go through them.  Meanwhile, I need to update my finances.  Ugh!

Day 1449

Tuesday, January 3, 2017

First day back at work.  It's nice to be back, especially after such an eventful, emotional break.  Back to my routine.  This month will be filled with travel, Alice's surgery, and a couple other things going on, so I won't be able to establish my new writing routine until the end of the month.

Day 1448

Monday, January 2, 2017

A very relaxing, easy day at Alice's.  I continued reading short stories and went through an Algebra book I checked out from the library.  I need to keep my mind alert with math so I don't forget everything I ever learned.  We had catfish for dinner.  I made banana bread in the afternoon, which turned out well.  I stayed over tonight because it was raining and I just wanted to be with Alice.

Day 1447

Sunday, January 1, 2017

A quiet day, mostly reading this book:

 I was in the mood for short stories this weekend, so I check it out of the library.  So good!  The first one by Sherman Alexie is the best so far.  I read the first five or so and will read more tomorrow. 

We went shopping at Hillsdale Shopping Center at noon with Austin and had lunch at California Pizza Kitchen.  It was a very enjoyable afternoon. 

For dinner, we had Alice's excellent ribs.  So good!
 

Day 1446

Saturday, December 31, 2016

Alice wrapped up her work projects by 2:30, but until then I spent a few hours with Margaret.  I had a coupon at Chipotle, so we had lunch there, then went to Starbuck's for coffee.  It was a great visit.  I headed to SF in the afternoon.  Alice bought live crab at Irving and we had it for dinner with Austin.  So delicious!  But messy.  After dinner, we watched the final three episodes of The Crown.  What a great series.  I'm so impressed with it.  The notes rang so right for me and the cast is slpendid.  It will do well come awards season.

I missed most of the build-up to the new year.  I fell asleep around 11, but woke up with five minutes to go.  Alice and I kissed, then I took a shower and went right to bed.  I'm so old!  I'm looking forward to 2017.  I'll never forgive those swing states over what they did to this country in 2016.  Never.

Day 1445

Friday, December 30, 2016

A busy day at work, made pleasant enough by the office shutting down a few hours early.  Oh, and pizza for lunch...that was nice! I came home, did laundry, tidied up a bit, and will head over to Alice's tomorrow.

Day 1444

Thursday, December 29, 2016

Work was fine...had dinner with Bason.  Ah, Bason.  Still taking the bait with crazy women.  He's too old for that nonsense, but doesn't see his role in things.  Either he'll eventually get it, or he won't.  Ever.  Get it.  I'm not sure the odds are good for him (he's awfully stubborn), but there's always hope.  We went to Lin Jia.  Marcia said it was so busy Christmas Day that the wait for both take-out and sit-down was over an hour.  Wow!

Day 1443

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Back in the real world...Alice and I had a short lunch.  She's working so hard entering all the receipts for year-end.  I came home and unpacked a little, but after dinner I went right to sleep. 

Day 1442

Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Mom and I flew out in the afternoon.  We stopped for lunch beforehand with Jill.  It was an absolutely perfect few days away from reality.  Mom was so happy.  Our flight to Phoenix was fine.  We played cribbage and read.  My flight to Oakland was delayed 30 minutes, so I didn't get home until 12:30 a.m.  I went right to sleep without unpacking.  Tomorrow I go back to work.  It'll be nice getting back to my routine.  I've been out of my own life for ten days now.  It's nice to get back to it.

Day 1441

Monday, December 26, 2016

The kids left to be with their dad sometime after 3.  It was a quiet, restful day.  Mom and I fly back home tomorrow.  I read, napped, ate more food.  Hayden and I took a walk with his wireless truck; then Alex and I walked around the neighborhood.  Jill's kids are growing up so quickly! 

Day 1440

Sunday, December 25, 2016

Alex and Hayden were up at 3:15 a.m. and couldn't fall back asleep.  I told them to watch a movie on TV, which they did.  Then at 6 they played Mariokart.  I showered at 6:30 and was ready for the day by 7.  Everyone else was up at 7:30. 

It was a wonderful day.  We opened presents, had a fabulous egg dish and cinnamon rolls for breakfast, played a game or two, and had an amazing Christmas dinner that was so good.  I was out after eating two slices of pie.

Day 1439

Saturday, December 24, 2016

We spent the morning visiting Jill and Tom's new house they'll move into next month. 

It's in a town call Whispering Pines and it's a very nice house in a very nice neighborhood.  The house has five big bedrooms, a giant family room and lots of yard space. 

We played games and ate the rest of the afternoon.  Tom made his delicious stew.  Unfortunately, Jill was feeling a little under the weather, as was Alex.  Hayden and Alex went to bed around 10 in the large room upstairs.  I fell asleep around midnight.

Day 1438

Friday, December 23, 2016

We spent the day playing games, hanging out with the kids, wrapping gifts, eating great food, and enjoying our time together.  It was a very nice, relaxing day!

Day 1437

Thursday, December 22, 2016

I woke up early, around 4, and had my Lyft driver pick me up at 5:05.  It was an easy drive to the airport.  I boarded my plane at 7 and met mom at the Phoenix airport at 9:30.  Our flight to Raleigh was slightly delayed, so we hung out at Starbuck's. 

Mom was in good spirits.  Once we were in the air, we played several games of cribbage (both of us had huge hands throughout the trip).  Jill met us in Raleigh.  A Christmas fantasy land awaited us in Vass, NC. 

We had delicious spaghetti Tom made for us and played games with Alex and Hayden until it was time for bed.  It's so nice being here at Jill's.

Day 1436

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

I had to fly back to Oakland in order to return to Phoenix and then the Raleigh, so I left mom's around 9:30, dropped off my rental car, then flew home, arriving in Oakland around 2:30.  I came home, unpacked, then packed again.  I also went to Emery Bay to buy some last-minute gifts for the trip tomorrow.  I got everything ready and went to bed around midnight.

Day 1435

Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Today it was just me and mom at her house for the day.  The Hayes siblings were gone by the time I woke up at 8:30 a.m.  Mom and I had the day to ourselves.  We took phone calls, relaxed at her house, and watched a very good movie she owned with Helen Mirren, Woman in Gold.

We went out only once to the bank where mom used an ATM to deposit a check for the first time.  We both went to bed around 11 or so.  Neighbors came over with kind thoughts for mom.  Once we're at Jill's on Thursday, mom will be in her element.  It'll be good to get away from the house for a few days.

Day 1434

Monday, December 19, 2016

We left in the morning for the viewing.  Mom wanted to go and say goodbye.  I had no desire but went with mom anyway.  It was a truly intense experience, a moment I will never forget.  Christy, Craig Jr., Calvin, Elisabeth, mom and I went to the viewing.  Craig's body was on a table in the small chapel of the funeral home.  There was music playing, quiet and appropriate.  Mom really broke down.  Waves of emotion passed through her.  It was emotional for everyone.  We were there for about ten minutes.  They had done a very good job making Craig look lifelike.  He looked as if he were asleep.  He'll be cremated next week.  There will be a memorial for him in Bellingham sometime in January.

We came home and I was tasked with writing Craig's obituary.  No one else wanted to do it, so I stuck myself in a room and banged out 650 words of text.  It took six hours to write.  It felt like ten minutes.  By the time I was finished, Cari and her daughter Jasmine had arrived.  Cami and Marty arrived a little later.  All five of Craig's kids were at mom's.  I thought that was special.

I let them all read the obituary I wrote and they gave me edits, changes, etc.  I'm glad that's behind me.  They'll print it in the Bellingham Herald next week.

We all stayed up late.  I finally went to bed around midnight.  This was an especially difficult day.

Day 1433

Sunday, December 18, 2016

I spent the day with mom at her house in Maricopa.  Three of Craig's kids (Craig, Jr., Calvin and Christy) were there, along with Sara and Elizabeth, Craig and Calvin's wives.  We ate food and talked.  Mom and good moments and tough moments.  It was all very raw and emotional.  It was good being next to mom, holding her and allowing her to get through the day.  She didn't eat much.  It's still very surreal, realizing he is gone.

We met Jamie and Gene at the grocery store, who were with mom and Craig Friday night.  They were also in a daze.  It was hard to comprehend it all.  The day passed slowly. 

Day 1432

Saturday, December 17, 2016

Most flights to Phoenix were sold out, so the earliest flight I could take was from SFO at 3:30 p.m.  The flight was delayed 45 minutes, so I didn't arrive at mom's until 9 or so.  Craig Jr., Calvin, and their wives Sara and Elizabeth were there.  Mom was happy to see me but still in a state of shock and emotionally gone, understandably.  I helped get her ready for bed and situation the sleeping arrangements in her house.  Christy was arriving tomorrow and Cari and Cami were arriving on Monday.  It'll be a tough couple of days.

The story of last night was that mom, Craig, and their friends Jamie and Gene went out to dinner at a local restaurant.  Craig felt really good and ordered a big steak, along with a beef-eater martini.  The night was festive and jovial.  When they came home, Craig didn't feel well a few minutes after walking in the door, and suddenly collapsed on the floor in his computer room.  Mom tried to get him to breath, then called 911.  The medics arrived a few minutes later.  Mom's friends came over about 15 minutes later, but by then Craig was already pronounced dead.  It all happened very quickly.

Day 1431

Friday, December 16, 2016

Alice had her pre-hip surgery appointment this morning at 9, so we went to Starbuck's beforehand and hung out for an hour.  Her appointment was quick and easy, and we caught the bus downtown.  I was in by 10 and worked for 2 1/2 hours before attending our company Christmas party at Mezzanine between 5th and 6th Street.  It was a very enjoyable party with great food and a funny skit that the first year associates put together.  I left the city around 4, catching the early AC Transit bus, and came home to get ready for an evening and full day of Christmas wrapping, chores, etc.

Well, I only got to do a few hours of chores and Christmas wrapping.  At 9:15 p.m., Jill called informing me that mom's husband Craig had had a heart attack and died.  His health had deteriorated dramatically this year, but I certainly thought he had a few more years of life left.  Apparently not.  I spoke with mom a few minutes later, who was so upset and beside herself.  I needed to fly down the next day, so I called Southwest Airlines to see if I could change my Oakland-to-Raleigh flight that had a layover in Phoenix.  There was nothing they could do about the Phoenix-to-Raleigh connection because it was sold out and was unavailable to me, even though I had a seat on the flight that originated in Oakland.  So I bought a one-way ticket from American to Phoenix the next day.  I went to bed around 1.  My thoughts are with Craig and mom.  I was wondering when this day would come.  It's come tonight.  Damn!

Day 1430

Thursday, December 15, 2016

Another very busy day.  Tomorrow is our firm party, so that should keep things quiet after noon.  I came home with Alice tonight.  She had a pre-surgery appointment  tomorrow morning that I will attend with her.  We watched episode 7 of The Crown and I was extremely impressed with it.  The episode focused on Queen Elizabeth's individual preferences as queen versus her duties to the crown.  There was a wonderful lesson that was explained by way of who Elizabeth would choose as her private secretary.  There was also a devastating setup and wonderful payoff that came with Elizabeth's early education and the surprising effectiveness of her schooling in one of the final scenes when she gives Churchill et al. their due.  A really terrific episode.  I've really come to admire this series.

Day 1429

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

It was very busy and a bit stressful at work today.  I don't do well when I have two big jobs that need to be done at the same time.  What's worse, one of the documents had issues throughout that required I reformat the entire file.  I don't like finding myself in that space.  I came home and relaxed, looking over my list of things to do before flying out next week.

Day 1428

Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Busy at work, luncheon in-house, chatting with Nicole and Neil Basin in the evening.  Bed early.  Tired.

Day 1427

Monday, December 12, 2016

Another week, two weeks before Christmas...still shopping online for gifts to take to North Carolina. 

Day 1426

Sunday, December 11, 2016

The rain continued off and on in the morning. We went to Costco to fill up Alice's car with gas and got a few things when the store opened.  I had a few hours afterward to shop online.  I have a few gifts left to buy.  We left SF at 3 and went to my racquetball holiday party at Glenn and Amy's.  It was a nice turnout.  We were there until 8:30 or so.  We came back to my place, watched an episode of The Crown, then called it a night.

Day 1425

Saturday, December 10, 2016

Got my haircut this morning, then went to Chestnut Street in SF while Alice finished her bookkeeping duties with Michael and David.  I met them all for lunch at noon.  We stayed two hours, then left in the pouring rain for Alice's.  We stayed put the rest of the day, reading, watching food shows, and having a delicious salmon dinner Alice made.  A quiet, peaceful day.