Why, yes, I am trying to catch up.

1. When Was the Last Time You Did Something That Scared or Challenged You? I was really nervous about my cataract surgeries in June and July.

2. Do You Ever Talk About Issues of Race and Class With Your Friends? I talk about those issues with some of my friends, but not others. I also talk about antisemitism ( Read more... )

I also did some things in July. I will spare you details about home repairs and household paperwork.

Fourth of July: Aside from dealing with condo woes, described in a locked entry, I went to a friend’s house for holiday socializing. That incl I uded dinner - and the inevitable smoke alarm going off as the steaks were grilled - and lots of good ( Read more... )

Um, I fell behind on this.

Celebrity Death Watch - April/May 2024: Duane Eddy was a rockabilly guitarist. Richard Tandy played keyboards for Electric Light Orchestra. Susan Buckner was an actress, best known for playing Patty in the movie version of Grease. Frank Shrontz was the CEO of Boeing from 1986-1996. Frank Stella was a painter, ( Read more... )

I've just been: a)stressed and overwhelmed, b)out of town, c) back to overwhelmed, though coping better.

I have lots of catching up to do.

Errata: I made a correction to my last entry, to add in a movie I had forgotten to include. Short version is that I liked Next Goal Wins, Taika Waititi’s movie about the American Samoa football (.e.) soccer ( Read more... )

Books: I only made it through 9 books this quarter. Sigh.

1. Delia Owens, Where the Crawdads Sing. I had seen the movie, but hadn’t read the book before. The story has to do with a girl who is basically left on her own to grow up in a shack deep in a North Carolina marsh and spends her time exploring the marsh animals and plants. She meets a boy ( Read more... )

1 MAY: Beltane: What are your favorite spring flowers? I’m rather partial to irises.

2 MAY: International Harry Potter Day: What’s your favorite Harry Potter character? I’m not really a Harry Potter fan. I suppose I’d go with Hermione.

3 MAY: Paranormal Day: Do you believe in the paranormal or supernatural? Ever had any experience with it? ( Read more... )

1. What Words or Phrases Do You Think Are Overused? Baby boomer, living your best life

2. What Family Traditions Do You Want to Carry On When You Get Older? Most things I can think of are irrelevant, since I don’t have children. For example, we always got our age in dollars for a birthday present. I do still do the post-Thanksgiving dinner ( Read more... )

My post-Portugal life has been busy and a bit stressful.

Bionic Miriam, Phase 1: I had cataract surgery on my right eye about two weeks after I got home. My friend, Kathleen, drove me to and from the ambulatory surgery center. I had a bit of a wait while they asked me a lot of questions, often more than once (by different people). I know I ( Read more... )

In the morning, it was time to fly off to Ponta Delgada, on the island of San Miguel in the Azures. If you can remember back to the first post in this series, that was where the Travelers’ Century Club conference was being held. I survived the bleakness of Terminal 2 at Lisbon, which the low cost airlines fly out of, and the cramped quarters of ( Read more... )

The train trip from Porto to Lisbon was crowded, but seats are preassigned so it was fine. Overall, it takes a little over 3 hours and cost EUR 33 in second class. You can get off at either of two stations - Oriente or Santa Apolonia I chose the latter since it let me get to my hotel without having to change metro lines. Note, however, that ( Read more... )