Day 1658

Saturday, July 29, 2017

Alice and I drove to Oakland to meet up with Neal, Karen and Ryan for breakfast.  We went to Rolling Dunes.  They enjoyed hanging out in the neighborhood the past few days and got some quality visits from Eric's family.  We stayed until noon, then took off for SF while Neal & Co. packed up for their afternoon flight out of SFO.  Traffic was bad, so we went on 880 to the onramp on the left side of the toll plaza.  Once we crossed the bridge we were fine.  The rest of the day we hung out at the house.  Alice's hip is still bothering her, so we didn't do much.  Just relaxed.

Day 1657

Friday, July 28, 2017

Slept on the Youngs couch with one of the cats, who made itself quite comfortable on my legs.

I woke up at 4:15 and was at my place waiting for Steve at 4:50, only to learn he had hit the snooze one too many times.  He didn't swing by until 5:15. The down time gave me a chance to read all the NY Times stories.  Because I was taking BART to work, I was able to play until 7.  We got in some great games.  At work, things were busy busy busy...7 separate statements in one afternoon.  I took N Judah home and managed a 10-minute power nap before our guests came over, Patrick, Amy, Peaches and Patrick, Jr., for a nice dinner.  Alice made poke again.  She's really good at it.  They stayed until 9:30 or so, after which I went straight to bed.  

Day 1656

Thursday, July 27, 2017

Neal & Karin spent the evening at Kara's boyfriend's family's house, so after work, I had dinner with Miles at Lin Jia. 

It was a treat hanging out with this amazing, inquisitive kid.  Miles mentioned a book to me that I have to get: Quadrivium, The Four Classical Liberal Arts of Number, Geometry, Music & Cosmology.  So interesting.

We walked to La Parisienne for mochas and dessert, then met Richard at the house around 7:30.  He flew in from LA.  We chatted while Richard ate the Lin Jia leftovers.  At 9 we fired up our "Guys Night" film, From Dusk Till Dawn, a wild over-the-top camp film that is all spectacle and pain.  It's uneven, relentless, and extremely watchable.  I'd say a successful guys night at the movies.

Day 1655

Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Racquetball with the regulars, then work, then home to Neal, Karin, Ryan and Kara, who arrived at my place this afternoon. We went to Star Pizza.  Sophie and Miles joined us (Richard and Lisa are out of town the next few days). It was special having such a large group for dinner.  The evening flew by and suddenly it was over.  Alice and I drove back to SF for the night while the Fowler-Duvals settled in.

Day 1654

Tuesday, July 25, 2017

Up at 6:15, work, then home at 5:45 and cleaning non-stop until 11:10.  It's nice to have a clean apt. ready for guests.

Neal, Karin, Ryan and Kara arrive tomorrow after work.  We'll go to Star Pizza, yum!

Day 1653

Monday, July 24, 2017

Racquetball in the a.m. (even though I played last night, I've learned that the best way to not be sore is to just play through the soreness), work and work and work, then home for about 3 hours of cleaning before Richard, Lisa, Miles and Sophie came over at 8:30 to watch...

Miles and Soph had never seen it.  I've seen it five or six times, but each time I watch it I enjoy this masterpiece more and more.  Every scene, every details, serves a purpose.  Great stuff.  Timeless.  We didn't finish until 11:45.  M & S liked it.  We'll watch Godfather II in two weeks.

At work, I sure get a lot of compliments on my Dustbowl Revival poster.  I have to admit, it's pretty cool.

 

Day 1652

Sunday, July 23, 2017

Woke up early, around 5:15, and left Alice's for Oakland to begin what would end up being three days of deep cleaning.  I seem to do this every year or so, eliminating clutter, catching all the dust in all the corners of such a tiny little apartment.  No wonder I can't live in anything larger than 1,000 sq. ft.  Too much cleaning.  I'm amazing at how much time it takes to deep clean this place.

Neal, Karin, Ryan and Kara are heading to the Bay Area tomorrow, traveling along the coast, then spending a few days here in Oakland.  They're crashing at my place while I stay with Alice.  Should be fun!

I hit the cleaning hard from 6:30-3, then got ready for a doubles racquetball tournament in Walnut Creek.  I played with Ron and we went undefeated and took our A division.  We ended around 8, in time for me to make it for episode 2 of Game of Thrones.

Yolanda and little Rory showed up in the Finals, so it was a foregone conclusion who was going to take the trophy home.  We took it 11-6, 11-8.

Here's the trophy (Stained glass American flag, in honor of the Patriots Fundraiser that was happening during the tournament):

GOT did not disappoint.  I was anticipating some fireworks, and it delivered.

Home at 11.  Late for me.

Day 1651

Saturday, July 22, 2017

Helped Alice clean the house and prepare for her dinner party with Way, Jimmy and Tammie coming over around 4:30.  Dinner was delicious as always and we all had a very enjoyable evening.  The guests left around 9 and we cleaned up for an hour before bed.

I checked out a few books at the library, including Thomas Friedman's "Thank You For Being Late," which has been on my list for a while now.  He's so good!  I'd always seen 2007 as a pivotal year as well, mainly because of the iPhone.

Day 1650

Friday, July 21, 2017

No one at racquetball today, so I practiced for an hour by myself.  I play with Ron Sunday in a double tournament in Walnut Creek.  It should be fun, but we'll be playing a lot time, past 9 in all likelihood.  Work was really busy today, as I expect.  I took Kym out to lunch at Town Hall, which was great.  She's leaving for Davis next month and moving on from HB after 13 years.  I'll miss her organizational skills.  IPD docs won't be the same without her. 

I came home, had dinner, cleaned up, then headed to Alice's around 9.  Went to be right away.  Always so tired.

Day 1649

Thursday, July 20, 2017

Was hoping to wake up early, around 5, but instead didn't get up until 6:30.  Work was busy all day long, so I wasn't able to get through a few things.  Came home, had dinner, talked with Chris for 50 minutes, then Alice, then bed at 9:45.

Day 1648

Wednesday, July 19, 2017

Just me and Steve at racquetball this morning.  We played three games to 15 and one doubles when Tiger and Jamal showed up.  Work was fine but again I was tired by the afternoon.  I caught my second wind at dinner when I took Lillian and her mom to La Cheval for a yummy meal.  I'd always wanted to meet one of Lillian's family member.  We had a great time telling a few stories and talking about the complexities of life.  After dinner on my way home, I ran into Rhonda and Biff, who were walking around the neighborhood.  Once at home, I took care of a few things, then shut things down for the night.

Day 1647

Tuesday, July 18, 2017

Up at 6:52.  Forgot to set the alarm and because I was up so late last night I slept the morning away.  Took bus B to work and traffic was fine.  Work was slow, giving me time to do a little writing and financial adjusting.  Home to chores, to-do lists, cleaning, and bed at 9.

Day 1646

Monday, July 17, 2017

Up at 4:35, racquetball this morning with Dorian, Steve and Cliff.  I was so sore and stiff this morning and sluggish the rest of the day.  Took bus B to SF through heavy traffic and arrived a little late, but little going on so it didn't matter much.  After organizing a pile of papers over the weekend, I found a whole bunch of ideas that had never materialized.  At least I wrote them down.  What I'd like to do is focus on each idea, then move on to the next one.  I know what I want to do with my La Stravaganza novel and like the album title (and concept) VivAri. 

Texted two of Gwen's friends, Debbie & Debbie, about Gwen's improved state.  It's so nice to have her back.  She has her bad days but nothing like six months ago when she wasn't herself at all. 

On Netflix there's this interesting documentary I'm halfway through:

It's really the story of billionaires gaming our judicial system at the expense of first amendment rights.  I wonder when regular people will one day wake up and realize billionaires own them?  Maybe never in this country.

Watching one of my favorite films of all time with Lisa and Sophie tonight:

Day 1645

Sunday, July 16, 2017

Up early, chores at Alice's, shopping on Irving, delivering boxes to Goodwill, then after dinner, headed home because...

Winter is Coming!

Finally...

Lisa, Trey, and Sophie came over watch Season 7, Episode 1 of GOT.  I was not disappointed with the episode. 

Day 1644

Saturday, July 15, 2017

Up at 6 and off to Brown Sugar restaurant with Alice at 6:30.  We met Neil and Rossana at 7:15 and had an enjoyable breakfast, catching up and talking about all things going on in our lives.  I was surprised to learn that Rossana and her new boyfriend David are no longer together.  I guess it just fizzled out, which is too bad because I know Rossana really liked him.  Neil is still with Karin, but I'm not sure how much longer it will last.  She has three young kids and sounds like a real handful.  Hmm.  Some stories never change, unfortunately.  Afterward, we picked up Jarilyn from her Arts camp at Oakland College for the Arts, then I was dropped out in Oakland for a few hours of chores, bills, organizing and stuff like that.  At 5, I gathered my things and headed off to SF for Bill and Vicky's annual family dinner at Crystal Jade.  It was a delicious meal as always.  By the end I was stuffed.  Good food and a great time.

Day 1643

Friday, July 14, 2017

Racquetball in the a.m., then work until 2, then off with Alice to her doctor appointment (hip specialist) for a consultation about possible hip replacement surgery.  The doctor suggested a cortisone shot, but Alice hasn't had a good deal of success with those.  She'll wait another few weeks before getting one.  The doc said Alice's hip still had a layer of cartilage, which is good.  Her hip is clearly in pain and not happy, but waiting another 3-6 months to see if the pain diminishes might be the best thing instead of rushing into another surgery. 

We were done by 3 and went to Japan town for lunch, followed by Diesel, one of Alice's favorite stores.  We arrived home at 5:30 and spent the rest of the evening relaxing.  I went to sleep early.

Day 1642

Thursday, July 13, 2017

The Trump lies continue.  These guys are too much.  Don Jr. must be thinking to himself how unfair it is that he's being portrayed as such an amoral snake.  Poor Don.  Must be tough living life without a moral compass. 

 After work, two loads of laundry, one white, one dark, and a little tidying up before bed. 

Day 1641

Wednesday, July 12, 2017

Home at 4, then racquetball for only an hour.  Left early because I had so much to take care of at work, including giving a Lunch & Learn presentation for staff.  It was fine and by late afternoon I was caught up with everything.  Home, dinner, relax, sleep.

Day 1640

Tuesday, July 11, 2017

After a full night's sleep, I was still a little tired today.  I came home to Alice's after work, where she had an interview before dinner that took approximately two hours.  It was part of her disability insurance to make sure she was actually disabled.  Gene, the investigator from Unum, was nice enough and he plowed through his questions.  Alice answered them all and then Gene was off.  She has more paperwork to fill out this week.  We see the hip specialist on Thursday.

Day 1639

Monday, July 10, 2017

Woke up way early -- 3:05 a.m. -- at Nicole's, already dressed on the couch.  I collected my things and left the house in darkness.  Winding through the back streets of Snowhomish, it took about 20 minutes or so to arrive at Highway 9.

Luckily, I was connected to Siri the entire time; otherwise, I might have taken a wrong turn.  From Highway 9, I took 520, then I-405 to Sea-Tac.  Pre-Check was a breeze and my first class seat on Alaska was a good decision on my part.  The flight back to Oakland was comfortable.

I arrived at work a little before 9.  The day wasn't too busy and I was sleepy.  I got a mocha in the afternoon to keep my eyes open.  I came home at 6, unpacked, took care of a few things, then drove to Alice's.  Tomorrow, she's being interviewed by an insurance agent connected to her disability and she'd like me to be there for that.  I crashed around 10:15 p.m.

Dayt 1636

Sunday, July 9, 2017

Up at 7, went to breakfast at 8:15 and hung out until 11 as the family came down to breakfast.  It was a very enjoyable morning chatting with Matt, Rob, Steve, Meredith.

Afterward, mom and I drove to Nicole and Mike's in Snowhomish.  We took a few back roads to get there, but when we finally arrived we were struck by the size and awesomeness of the compound.  Along with the big house, there's an in-law unit about the garage and another big building that will be converted into a living space.

We hung out the rest of the afternoon, had a wonderful dinner, and watched a movie, Money, before bed.

Day 1635

Saturday, July 8, 2017

Up early at 7:15, even though I went to bed at 2:15 a.m. the night before.  The Oxford Suites is very comfortable.  It's the best place to stay in Bellingham.  The morning breakfast is reasonable.  I saw Janet up in the morning and joined her for 30 minutes or so until Heather and Karen came down.  We hung out for an hour, then got ready to take a walk across the street to Bellis Fair Mall.  I had a speech to prepare for Judy's memorial, so I wasn't sure if I could join, but took about ten minutes to jot down some notes and figured I could wing the speech since I'd kicked around enough ideas on the drive over.

After jotting a few ideas down, I walked with my aunts and Janet to Bellis Fair, got a Starbuck's mocha, came back, changed, and then drove with mom to the church for the memorial.  It was about half-full with friends from Bellingham. The triplets and their families were there, as well as Dad and Sue.  The service was very nice and heartfelt.  I spoke for about 12 minutes or so.  It was fine.  Afterward, we went back to Oxford Suites and hung out in their conference room, where there was food and an open bar.  It was nice seeing so many Hagans in a room.  I always think of Grandpa when I'm with so many Hagan family members.  It was a poignant day, full of memories, sadness, and special memories for Auntie Judy.

After the party, we hung out at Karen and Janet's room until about 11:30 or so.  Then off to bed.  Everyone was really tired.

Day 1634

Friday, July 7, 2017

Racquetball, pack, work, BART (which is so horrible...blah!), flight to Seattle, rental car, arrive in B'ham at Oxford Suites around 11:30 p.m.  Met Mom and Karen in Karen's room and stayed up until 2:30 a.m. talking.  It was so much fun hanging with those two!  Should be a memorable gathering tomorrow for Judy's memorial.

Day 1633

Thursday, July 6, 2017

Lots of things to finish before preparing for my weekend trip to B'ham tomorrow.  Laundry, work stuff.  Neverending busy ness. 

Day 1632

Wednesday, July 5, 2017

Up at 4, home to change, racquetball, work, dinner, reading, rest.

Day 1631

Tuesday, July 4, 2017

Stayed with Alice today, taking it easy and watching a movie on Apple TV:

Michael Keaton was really good.  I enjoyed this movie.  Well done, and I enjoyed listening to a few minutes of The Power of Positive Thinking.  There's some truth in that.

The fireworks were loud this year, and long.  I heard fireworks past 1 a.m.

Day 1630

Monday July 3, 2017

Racquetball, crazy traffic, work was fine, coming home was also crazy, dinner, relax, sleep.

Day 1629

Sunday, July 2, 2017

A day of rest.

Day 1628

Saturday, July 1, 2017

A good relaxing day in the Sunset.  Started off with a jog, then shopping with Alice, taking care of a few chores downstairs (like cleaning out the in-law unit), laundry, and reading. 

Day 1627

Friday, June 30, 2017

Hard to believe June is over so quickly.  Work was busy busy busy today.  I'll be playing in the Oakland Civic Orchestra next fall, so I'll need to find time to practice and work my fingers back into shape again.  Off to Alice's tonight.