March 5, 2002-Looking Back
We spent the afternoon in Cleveland today. Yes, there’s a town of that name between the Gold Coast & Brisbane. It’s nothing special, but we did find a cute restaurant overlooking the water.
We were watching the news on TV last night & they were reporting on CHOGM (Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting). All of the countries that participated sent English-speaking representatives. We were surprised to see that the delegates were all listening to translations through earpieces. We finally understood when one of the reporters interviewed one of the attendees. There were no subtitles & we could hardly understand her. A lot of these countries have an indigenous language & the English speakers are heavily accented to the point of being unintelligible. That’s probably what we’ll be faced with in India & Africa. David & I have spent many a tour translating some guide’s English to each other.
David was such a good boy & a great secret keeper. He had to go to the plastic surgeon’s office to pick up an ointment for me after surgery last week. The lab results hadn’t come back yet & the doctor reminded him that there’s a 97.3% success rate in getting out all of the cancer the first time. If not, he would have to operate again as soon as possible. . David was very worried, but spared me. He never told me of that possibility for which I’m grateful.
It’s exactly a month less a day before we leave the Gold Coast. It will be the end of making do with four plates, four forks, four knives, four spoons, four glasses, etc. It will be the end of sleeping in a bed so hard that David is in real pain every morning & I can feel my bones when I roll over. My back will no longer give me twinges no matter where I sit in the apartment. It will be the last time I’ll have to curl up with a book in bed because it’s too cold & drafty from the A/C that blows into the living area.
It will also be the end of seven months of eating outdoors whenever we go to a restaurant. We’ll no longer live in a pint-sized apartment that was minimalist yet totally adequate & supremely functional. We won’t get to walk to shopping, cafes, library, & cinemas in blazing sunlight with the mountains as a backdrop. We won’t be walking through the park to the ice-cream shop in the evening & then casually strolling home by way of the beach to pay homage to the Pacific. We will no longer be able to subtract half from the cost of living. We’ll seriously go into withdrawal when Wednesdays roll around & we won’t be meeting the Bruces for dinner at the Thai restaurant.
Neither one of us will miss being professionally involved with a congregation. Our phone rang at 8:45 this morning. It was a mother wanting to set up a meeting with David for her daughter’s bat mitzvah. Early calls have been a problem here. I’m looking forward to doing the “want to’s” of life instead of the “have to’s.”
We are very anxious to be on our way home. There has been an undercurrent of unease on my part since we left. I felt it as we left Akron in August, 2001. But after 9/11, the incredible distance created a dimension of helplessness.
But, I guess the airlines are really going to let us come home. We went to the Brisbane airport to get our Around the World open tickets changed to the dates we’ll actually be flying. We got as far as getting stickers put on our tickets from Sydney to India on Cathay Pacific & now have to see the Northwest/KLM people when we get to Sydney. We really don’t have to have the changes physically made on the tickets since we’re in the airlines’ computers, but we’ll feel better if we do. Anyway, David needs something to do while I’m climbing the bridge besides going to the casino.
March 6, 2002-Reasons To Leave
I would like to start today’s email with a sea theme. A friend from Akron who gets this email, got an article from her mother. It had some interesting information about the Great Barrier Reef. The one factoid that stood out among all the rest was that “some reef fish species change sex with age (!?!)” Those are Nancy’s punctuation marks. My response to her was,” As for the sex-changing fish, maybe what mothers tell their sons is true. It does fall off. Are the fish also blind & do they have hairy fins?”
To complement that information, there was another box jellyfish stinging in the greater Cairns area. A little girl aged 3-4 was stung & went into cardiac arrest. She seems to be ok now & is home with her family. She was a local child & was swimming in an area that was unprotected by barrier nets.
There was an article in the paper today along with an unnecessary photo. The item said that a sea snake had been seen on the beach where the delegates to CHOGM (Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting) swam. Sea snakes are extremely poisonous if not deadly. The photo showed the security guard lifting it with a stick & throwing it back into the ocean. He said it was the most dangerous thing he had to do during the meetings. I beg your pardon! What kind of security is that? If a venomous reptile gives itself up to protect the dignitaries who are swimming in its habitat, I think it would only be fitting that a security guard take the snake’s offer as an act of selfless suicide & let it go about its business of sacrifice. What could the repercussion be if this selfsame sea snake bit a CHOGM-ite? Would there be a lawsuit? Could the repatriation of the snake to the sea be seen as a terrorist act against the country whose delegate gets bitten? If the attack results in the death of the representative, could it lead to war? The security officer was placed on the beach to safeguard the CHOGM-goers. Perhaps the sea snake was placed on the beach by an unfriendly power that counted on the over-weaning eco-sentimentality of an Aussie to do just what the guard did.
Now, I’d like to take you out of the ocean & into the bordello. Once again, the newspaper has given a glimpse of the sordid side of Australia. It seems that the widow of a radiologist now runs a brothel in New South Wales. Her husband was gunned down in May of 2000 in front of their brothel. I’m in favor of legalized & regulated prostitution. I won’t go into the reasons now, but I found it disconcerting that a physician would own a brothel. I have no problem with doctors caring for the sex workers in the brothels. In fact, I see that as a positive of regulated prostitution. It just gives me the creeps that a doctor would be involved in that kind of business venture. Whatever happened to doctors owning nursing homes?
David read the weather more closely today & found out that there are more categories than “fine & mostly fine.” There’s also “mainly fine, thundery, & late change.” I like the “late change” category. It covers all contingencies for error on the part of the meteorologists.
An odd thing happened last night. I woke up at about 2AM worrying about my nose. I thought that it should look better than it did & was worried about the bump from where the flap was laid over the excision. I started to do some of the relaxation & focusing breathing that I learned when I took Tai Chi. It’s called Chi Gung (sp) & is used to circulate or to focus the chi, or energy. This time I focused on my nose. It started to tingle & throb as if it had a pulse of its own. I kept up the breathing pattern for several minutes then fell asleep. When I woke up in the morning, I wanted to see if I could do it again or if my nose tingled on its own last night. Even though I wasn’t as focused this time, I was able to re-create the sensation, although it wasn’t as strong. When David looked at my nose he noted a vast improvement.
We tried to call our kids today. Wendy was out. We spoke to Daniel, Vikki, & Alex. All is well. They sound very busy. Vikki is finally starting to feel human again now that she is 16-17 weeks along in the pregnancy.
Toby
Monday, August 9, 2010
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Mundane
March 1, 2002-Same
When we go grocery shopping, it has become David’s job to go to the deli counter for cold cuts while I start my rounds of the aisles. Today, he walked up to the counter & asked for sliced turkey. The kid behind the counter said, “I didn’t think you’d be wanting ham with that shirt you have on.” David was wearing his Temple Israel shirt that has Hebrew on it. Then the kid asked him if he spoke Hebrew & they chatted for a while. It turns out that the young man was born in Israel, but grew up here. His parents speak Hebrew at home. You never know when you’ll run into a surprise here.
Whilst looking at the selection of Diet Coke, Diet Pepsi, Pepsi Max, Diet Coke Ice, etc. David noticed that the bottle he selected had an expiration date of August 3, 2032 at 6:46 AM. Could they be any more specific? I hate buying foodstuff that has a longer expiration date than I do.
At services tonight the secretary of the temple, read the announcements as she usually does. This time, when she read the upcoming events, she mentioned that on March 17th, they would farewell the rabbi. She started choking up & tears welled in her eyes. What have we done? We gave these good people a taste of what it can be like to have a real religious leader & now we’re taking it away. Who knows when they’ll get another rabbi?
March 2, 2002-Same Old
David is miffed. It seems that India was invited to CHOGM (Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting). The United States was not. Why is India still considered part of the Commonwealth? I thought they attained their independence, as did we. Perhaps it’s because they’re more recent revolutionaries than we are. Of course, their head of government is not attending CHOGM. He’s staying at home to deal with Hindu terrorists who are blowing up trains & burning shanty villages.
March 3, 2002-Yawn
Looking back on what I’ve written in the last few days, it seems as if life has taken a turn for the mundane. Mundane can be good. Just to spice things up, I went online to look at the Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb site. I’m now booked to climb the bridge on April 10 (Australian date) at 3:25pm. I have my e-ticket & am really excited. For those of you who know me well, I love to climb. This is the ultimate jungle gym. I have to keep in shape for that grand babe.
March 4, 2002-Good News, Bad News
I just got the stitches out at the doctor. I haven’t looked at it yet, but I would imagine that it’s gnarly. He said that the bump where they did the bi-fold flap will flatten out soon & the scarring will disappear in a year. The good news was that it wasn’t cancer. The bad news was that I went through surgery & it wasn’t cancer. How can I be upset that it wasn’t cancer? If they had done the procedure they use in the States, they would have known after the first biopsy during the surgery that it wasn’t cancer. They may not have needed to make such a production of it. The fact of the matter is that it was a fibroblast. That’s a bunch of cells that keep growing so it would have continued to get bigger anyway. After I first noticed it, it had gotten much larger. At some point I would have wanted it gone & the bigger it got, the larger the incision would have to be, etc. etc. This fibroblast looks just like basal cell carcinoma until you do the lab work. I had a lump removed from my back a long time ago. A lump is a lump & it was scary until the lab work said that it was a fatty tumor. I’m glad its over. It would have worried me all the way home. Now we’re trying to get the insurance to pay. We had to have the doctor stipulate that it wasn’t pre-existing. He signed the paperwork today & the insurance office faxed it into corporate. The doctor here will send the reports to my doctor in Akron whom I see every three months anyway.
And now for an addition to the great Aussie Cuisine Caper. We ate lunch at a pizza place that had been recommended by a Canadian. They said it’s the best pizza they’ve had here. They were right. Although they didn’t have any traditional pizza with a lot of tomato sauce like we’re used to, they did have a smashingly scrumptious satay chicken pizza. But, as we were walking out of the restaurant, David noticed the specials board. The featured pizza was an Eggatarian. It makes my throat close up just to write the description to you. It had a cream cheese base, crushed black pepper, eggs, sliced tomatoes, onions, & avocadoes, shredded mozzarella, & was topped with shredded lettuce & mayo. David says, Yum!”
We went to the Post & shipped the first duffel bag & a carton of books to the Temple in Akron. We're on our way! There will be more to come. We'll probably ship that last box the day we leave here, April 4th.
I just peeked at my nose. Actually, it looks better than I thought it would. Without the stitches, it’s not as ominous.
Toby
When we go grocery shopping, it has become David’s job to go to the deli counter for cold cuts while I start my rounds of the aisles. Today, he walked up to the counter & asked for sliced turkey. The kid behind the counter said, “I didn’t think you’d be wanting ham with that shirt you have on.” David was wearing his Temple Israel shirt that has Hebrew on it. Then the kid asked him if he spoke Hebrew & they chatted for a while. It turns out that the young man was born in Israel, but grew up here. His parents speak Hebrew at home. You never know when you’ll run into a surprise here.
Whilst looking at the selection of Diet Coke, Diet Pepsi, Pepsi Max, Diet Coke Ice, etc. David noticed that the bottle he selected had an expiration date of August 3, 2032 at 6:46 AM. Could they be any more specific? I hate buying foodstuff that has a longer expiration date than I do.
At services tonight the secretary of the temple, read the announcements as she usually does. This time, when she read the upcoming events, she mentioned that on March 17th, they would farewell the rabbi. She started choking up & tears welled in her eyes. What have we done? We gave these good people a taste of what it can be like to have a real religious leader & now we’re taking it away. Who knows when they’ll get another rabbi?
March 2, 2002-Same Old
David is miffed. It seems that India was invited to CHOGM (Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting). The United States was not. Why is India still considered part of the Commonwealth? I thought they attained their independence, as did we. Perhaps it’s because they’re more recent revolutionaries than we are. Of course, their head of government is not attending CHOGM. He’s staying at home to deal with Hindu terrorists who are blowing up trains & burning shanty villages.
March 3, 2002-Yawn
Looking back on what I’ve written in the last few days, it seems as if life has taken a turn for the mundane. Mundane can be good. Just to spice things up, I went online to look at the Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb site. I’m now booked to climb the bridge on April 10 (Australian date) at 3:25pm. I have my e-ticket & am really excited. For those of you who know me well, I love to climb. This is the ultimate jungle gym. I have to keep in shape for that grand babe.
March 4, 2002-Good News, Bad News
I just got the stitches out at the doctor. I haven’t looked at it yet, but I would imagine that it’s gnarly. He said that the bump where they did the bi-fold flap will flatten out soon & the scarring will disappear in a year. The good news was that it wasn’t cancer. The bad news was that I went through surgery & it wasn’t cancer. How can I be upset that it wasn’t cancer? If they had done the procedure they use in the States, they would have known after the first biopsy during the surgery that it wasn’t cancer. They may not have needed to make such a production of it. The fact of the matter is that it was a fibroblast. That’s a bunch of cells that keep growing so it would have continued to get bigger anyway. After I first noticed it, it had gotten much larger. At some point I would have wanted it gone & the bigger it got, the larger the incision would have to be, etc. etc. This fibroblast looks just like basal cell carcinoma until you do the lab work. I had a lump removed from my back a long time ago. A lump is a lump & it was scary until the lab work said that it was a fatty tumor. I’m glad its over. It would have worried me all the way home. Now we’re trying to get the insurance to pay. We had to have the doctor stipulate that it wasn’t pre-existing. He signed the paperwork today & the insurance office faxed it into corporate. The doctor here will send the reports to my doctor in Akron whom I see every three months anyway.
And now for an addition to the great Aussie Cuisine Caper. We ate lunch at a pizza place that had been recommended by a Canadian. They said it’s the best pizza they’ve had here. They were right. Although they didn’t have any traditional pizza with a lot of tomato sauce like we’re used to, they did have a smashingly scrumptious satay chicken pizza. But, as we were walking out of the restaurant, David noticed the specials board. The featured pizza was an Eggatarian. It makes my throat close up just to write the description to you. It had a cream cheese base, crushed black pepper, eggs, sliced tomatoes, onions, & avocadoes, shredded mozzarella, & was topped with shredded lettuce & mayo. David says, Yum!”
We went to the Post & shipped the first duffel bag & a carton of books to the Temple in Akron. We're on our way! There will be more to come. We'll probably ship that last box the day we leave here, April 4th.
I just peeked at my nose. Actually, it looks better than I thought it would. Without the stitches, it’s not as ominous.
Toby
Saturday, August 7, 2010
I Kid You Not
February 28, 2002-Kangaroo What?
I just found out what business Murray Martin is in. His wife, Evelyn just called to see how I’m doing. She also invited us to lunch next week & to a movie this weekend. People are beginning to realize we’re leaving soon. Anyway, back to business. She mentioned that Murray’s website was down & they were looking for someone who could help them with it. I asked what the site was & she told me that it was for his business. He sells gift items made from kangaroo scrotums. What do they make from kangaroo scrotums? They make key rings, change purses, etc. She said the skin is very soft. I bet it is. All along I thought that he was retired. I wonder if David could do something interesting like that when we get home. It beats real estate. You have to love a place where they make tourist trinkets from the scrotum of their national symbol. How could I make this up?
Speaking of scrotums, the Governor General of Australia, The Reverend Dr. Hollingsworth, is in the midst of a major Anglican Church scandal. He used to be head of the Church & now, in the prime of his political career, is embroiled in child molestation cases. He wasn’t a molester, but had knowledge of the incidents that occurred years ago when he was head of the Church. His comment to the complainant at the time of the molestations was that he couldn’t deal with that as he was overworked & needed to go on holiday. He never addressed the issue. The children grew up & are now pointing fingers. The press is screaming for his resignation & Prime Minister, John Howard, is being called upon to fire him. Neither has happened. Enter stage right, Queen Elizabeth II. She is here for CHOGM (Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting). Guess who got to meet her plane? G.G. Hollingsworth was there with bells on. There was speculation that she would sack him right there on the tarmac, but she played the queenly part graciously. The G.G., however, made a fatal error. He touched her. This was front & center in all the media. We have seen the “touching” from all angles. It’s probably been given more footage & replay than the film taken at the grassy knoll in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963. It seemed innocent, but “gasp," he put his hand on her back as she walked to her car. It wasn’t a mauling or a grope. It was only his fingertips that barely connected with the fabric of her jacket. I would guess she didn’t even feel it. But he touched the Queen! We’ve now been subjected to endless rules of etiquette regarding royal touching & queenly comfort zones. The rule is simple. Never touch the monarch unless that monarch initiates it. Evidently Prime Minister Keating touched the Queen in 1992. I know this because a picture of the incident has been on the front page of the paper. Imagine what our presidents would do without back slapping, hugging, pecking on cheeks, & various forms of stroking, ego & otherwise.
I managed to cover my nose well enough so I didn’t create havoc when we met the Bruces for dinner last night. They were kind & didn’t make any Porky Pig jokes. I’m laying low today. I want to keep it uncovered for the day. I’ll have to put a bandage over it tomorrow for services & Sunday for adult education & the movies. It’s all prickly looking with the ends of the stitches sticking up. It looks like stubble & feels like peach fuzz on steroids. I would guess there are 10-15 stitches. It’s swollen on the side where the spot was removed & they put the flap over to cover it. I’m hoping that shrinks. There’s also a raw spot on the bridge of the nose. I hope it isn’t from a popped stitch. I’ll find out more on Monday when the stitches are removed.
March 1, 2002-Marching On
I can’t believe it’s March already. We packed the first box to go home last night. It’s really exciting to see it sitting in the hall ready to go to the Post.
There was a radio interview relating to the Gay/Lesbian Mardi Gras in Sydney. It takes place this weekend. The parade will be televised on Wed. Ian Roberts was interviewed. He’s a former rugby icon who stands 6’4” & weighs about 225 lbs. He came out while playing rugby & is now serving on the sports judiciary. Mark Tewskbury who’s also helping to launch the Mardi Gras joined him for the interview. Tewksbury was an Olympic swimmer for Canada. He’s here to promote the Gay Games that will be in Sydney in the fall. That will be a $100 million event for the city. The interviewer was perceptive & gave each man a chance to tell his own story. It was also a great promotion for the events.
I just got back from the grocery store. I thought I’d take my bandaged nose on its first daylight public outing. There’s a small area on the tip that I can’t quite get covered. It was really funny. A little girl was trying to get her mother’s attention & staring at me. Before the mother could be embarrassed, I jumped right in & asked the little girl if she was wondering what had happened to my nose. She quickly nodded her head. I told her I had a sore nose because I didn’t wear sunscreen or a hat when I was in the sun. Her mother & I reminded her of how she has to take care of herself when she’s in the sun. I bet that’s one littlie who never goes out without a slip, a slap, & a slop. Nothing like an object lesson.
Toby
I just found out what business Murray Martin is in. His wife, Evelyn just called to see how I’m doing. She also invited us to lunch next week & to a movie this weekend. People are beginning to realize we’re leaving soon. Anyway, back to business. She mentioned that Murray’s website was down & they were looking for someone who could help them with it. I asked what the site was & she told me that it was for his business. He sells gift items made from kangaroo scrotums. What do they make from kangaroo scrotums? They make key rings, change purses, etc. She said the skin is very soft. I bet it is. All along I thought that he was retired. I wonder if David could do something interesting like that when we get home. It beats real estate. You have to love a place where they make tourist trinkets from the scrotum of their national symbol. How could I make this up?
Speaking of scrotums, the Governor General of Australia, The Reverend Dr. Hollingsworth, is in the midst of a major Anglican Church scandal. He used to be head of the Church & now, in the prime of his political career, is embroiled in child molestation cases. He wasn’t a molester, but had knowledge of the incidents that occurred years ago when he was head of the Church. His comment to the complainant at the time of the molestations was that he couldn’t deal with that as he was overworked & needed to go on holiday. He never addressed the issue. The children grew up & are now pointing fingers. The press is screaming for his resignation & Prime Minister, John Howard, is being called upon to fire him. Neither has happened. Enter stage right, Queen Elizabeth II. She is here for CHOGM (Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting). Guess who got to meet her plane? G.G. Hollingsworth was there with bells on. There was speculation that she would sack him right there on the tarmac, but she played the queenly part graciously. The G.G., however, made a fatal error. He touched her. This was front & center in all the media. We have seen the “touching” from all angles. It’s probably been given more footage & replay than the film taken at the grassy knoll in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963. It seemed innocent, but “gasp," he put his hand on her back as she walked to her car. It wasn’t a mauling or a grope. It was only his fingertips that barely connected with the fabric of her jacket. I would guess she didn’t even feel it. But he touched the Queen! We’ve now been subjected to endless rules of etiquette regarding royal touching & queenly comfort zones. The rule is simple. Never touch the monarch unless that monarch initiates it. Evidently Prime Minister Keating touched the Queen in 1992. I know this because a picture of the incident has been on the front page of the paper. Imagine what our presidents would do without back slapping, hugging, pecking on cheeks, & various forms of stroking, ego & otherwise.
I managed to cover my nose well enough so I didn’t create havoc when we met the Bruces for dinner last night. They were kind & didn’t make any Porky Pig jokes. I’m laying low today. I want to keep it uncovered for the day. I’ll have to put a bandage over it tomorrow for services & Sunday for adult education & the movies. It’s all prickly looking with the ends of the stitches sticking up. It looks like stubble & feels like peach fuzz on steroids. I would guess there are 10-15 stitches. It’s swollen on the side where the spot was removed & they put the flap over to cover it. I’m hoping that shrinks. There’s also a raw spot on the bridge of the nose. I hope it isn’t from a popped stitch. I’ll find out more on Monday when the stitches are removed.
March 1, 2002-Marching On
I can’t believe it’s March already. We packed the first box to go home last night. It’s really exciting to see it sitting in the hall ready to go to the Post.
There was a radio interview relating to the Gay/Lesbian Mardi Gras in Sydney. It takes place this weekend. The parade will be televised on Wed. Ian Roberts was interviewed. He’s a former rugby icon who stands 6’4” & weighs about 225 lbs. He came out while playing rugby & is now serving on the sports judiciary. Mark Tewskbury who’s also helping to launch the Mardi Gras joined him for the interview. Tewksbury was an Olympic swimmer for Canada. He’s here to promote the Gay Games that will be in Sydney in the fall. That will be a $100 million event for the city. The interviewer was perceptive & gave each man a chance to tell his own story. It was also a great promotion for the events.
I just got back from the grocery store. I thought I’d take my bandaged nose on its first daylight public outing. There’s a small area on the tip that I can’t quite get covered. It was really funny. A little girl was trying to get her mother’s attention & staring at me. Before the mother could be embarrassed, I jumped right in & asked the little girl if she was wondering what had happened to my nose. She quickly nodded her head. I told her I had a sore nose because I didn’t wear sunscreen or a hat when I was in the sun. Her mother & I reminded her of how she has to take care of herself when she’s in the sun. I bet that’s one littlie who never goes out without a slip, a slap, & a slop. Nothing like an object lesson.
Toby
Friday, August 6, 2010
The Nose!
February 27, 2002-After Effects
I caught a quick glimpse of myself in the mirror this morning. I’d hoped to have that Hannibal Lector look, but now I can report I look more like Emmett Kelly, the clown, after he was on the losing end of a run-in with a barbed wire fence. The stitches are stunning. I’m usually not into silver. Gold is more my look, but I may have to change my ensembles until the stitches are removed on Monday.
There’s no dressing or bandage, so it’s all hanging out there. I really don’t think I’ll be going out of the house for the week. I wouldn’t want to subject anyone to that sight. I’m using a topical ointment three times/day, which adds a luster to it all. The ointment is Chlorsig (chloramphenicol, 10mg), for those of you to whom it may mean something. It’s actually for use in the eye, but they’re using it topically here. I think I’m part of a study. They don’t have any informed consent or disclosure forms here, but I have a questionnaire for the doctor to fill out after the stitches are removed. They also are a bit more casual about patient release. I’ve had outpatient procedures done at home & they don’t let your feet touch the ground until you’re out of their care. Here, the sister (nurse) walked me to the door of the building as David pulled the car around. Then she turned me loose to make my own way through the doors & into the car. David didn’t even have time to get out & help before I was on my way. A thought did occur to me. Can a male nurse be a sister too?
The one custom I fell in love with had the British touch. Since I had to fast for six hours & surgery was at 1PM, I hadn’t eaten since the night before. I was ravenous! As I was rolled into the recovery area, the sister asked, “Would you like a cuppa?” How civilized! Not only was I offered tea, but I also had juice & sandwiches. I must be the only one whose appetite increases in the hospital. When Wendy was born, I had a spinal bloc & wasn’t allowed to sit up for twenty-four hours afterwards. The threat for breaking that rule was a relentless headache. I was starving after the delivery. When they brought my dinner of soup & spaghetti, it didn’t take me long to come up with a strategy. I turned on my side & slurped the soup through a straw. Then I tackled the spaghetti. I just lay there &, strand-by-strand, I sucked it in. Yum! Yesterday, I didn’t disappoint. I downed 1-½ sandwiches.
They use a pain relief medicine here called Panadol. The generic is Paracetamol. It’s a non-aspirin tablet like Tylenol. I asked if Tylenol would be ok to use & was told that it’s stronger than Panadol. I wondered what use a weak Tylenol-type drug would be good for. I found out. The discomfort I had was like the very beginning of a sinus headache. My nose bones & upper front teeth were achy. I imagine that Bugs Bunny would feel like that if he tried to chomp down on a decorative wooden carrot. So, I tried just one tablet. You can take up to two every four hours. It worked.
David just went to the doctor’s office to get more ointment. The doctor told him that the ointment is for lubrication. It’s basically a fancy Vaseline. He said I could cover my nose when I go out so I may be able to walk the streets again without fear of being arrested for child endangering or celebrating Halloween out of season.
We called to wish Daniel a happy birthday this morning. It was last night in Akron at the time & was the evening of his birthday. We checked the weather with them & I’m happy to report that the record holds. It has been 32 years that the weekend closest to Feb. 26th, & that date itself, had weather that was decent, if not balmy. By decent, I mean that we’ve never had to cancel his birthday celebration due to bad weather. Having a February birthday can be unfortunate if you’re a young child & worrying about whether or not the kiddies will be able to make it for cake & ice cream. More importantly, could they make it to the party with the presents? Well, as you recall, the weekend was in the 50’s & yesterday was “decent” if cold.
Alex was on her way to dance class. We got to speak to her a bit & I asked if she was talking to the baby yet. She said she sort of was. The example she used was that if Vikki said, ”I ate a whole banana,” Alex would say,” No, you only had half.”
We got our photos back from the New Zealand trip. I think I’ll work on putting them into the album this afternoon. I will work very slowly. If I’m going to be cooped up all week, I’ll need things to do. Either that, or the apartment will be cleaner than it ever has been. I’ll end up doing the public areas. If I run out of ways to keep busy, I might need more than Panadol. Valium might start to look good.
It’s 6PM & I couldn’t stand it any longer. I called the Bruces to see if they were going for Thai food. They are & we are. I’ll put a band-aid on & hope for the best.
Toby
I caught a quick glimpse of myself in the mirror this morning. I’d hoped to have that Hannibal Lector look, but now I can report I look more like Emmett Kelly, the clown, after he was on the losing end of a run-in with a barbed wire fence. The stitches are stunning. I’m usually not into silver. Gold is more my look, but I may have to change my ensembles until the stitches are removed on Monday.
There’s no dressing or bandage, so it’s all hanging out there. I really don’t think I’ll be going out of the house for the week. I wouldn’t want to subject anyone to that sight. I’m using a topical ointment three times/day, which adds a luster to it all. The ointment is Chlorsig (chloramphenicol, 10mg), for those of you to whom it may mean something. It’s actually for use in the eye, but they’re using it topically here. I think I’m part of a study. They don’t have any informed consent or disclosure forms here, but I have a questionnaire for the doctor to fill out after the stitches are removed. They also are a bit more casual about patient release. I’ve had outpatient procedures done at home & they don’t let your feet touch the ground until you’re out of their care. Here, the sister (nurse) walked me to the door of the building as David pulled the car around. Then she turned me loose to make my own way through the doors & into the car. David didn’t even have time to get out & help before I was on my way. A thought did occur to me. Can a male nurse be a sister too?
The one custom I fell in love with had the British touch. Since I had to fast for six hours & surgery was at 1PM, I hadn’t eaten since the night before. I was ravenous! As I was rolled into the recovery area, the sister asked, “Would you like a cuppa?” How civilized! Not only was I offered tea, but I also had juice & sandwiches. I must be the only one whose appetite increases in the hospital. When Wendy was born, I had a spinal bloc & wasn’t allowed to sit up for twenty-four hours afterwards. The threat for breaking that rule was a relentless headache. I was starving after the delivery. When they brought my dinner of soup & spaghetti, it didn’t take me long to come up with a strategy. I turned on my side & slurped the soup through a straw. Then I tackled the spaghetti. I just lay there &, strand-by-strand, I sucked it in. Yum! Yesterday, I didn’t disappoint. I downed 1-½ sandwiches.
They use a pain relief medicine here called Panadol. The generic is Paracetamol. It’s a non-aspirin tablet like Tylenol. I asked if Tylenol would be ok to use & was told that it’s stronger than Panadol. I wondered what use a weak Tylenol-type drug would be good for. I found out. The discomfort I had was like the very beginning of a sinus headache. My nose bones & upper front teeth were achy. I imagine that Bugs Bunny would feel like that if he tried to chomp down on a decorative wooden carrot. So, I tried just one tablet. You can take up to two every four hours. It worked.
David just went to the doctor’s office to get more ointment. The doctor told him that the ointment is for lubrication. It’s basically a fancy Vaseline. He said I could cover my nose when I go out so I may be able to walk the streets again without fear of being arrested for child endangering or celebrating Halloween out of season.
We called to wish Daniel a happy birthday this morning. It was last night in Akron at the time & was the evening of his birthday. We checked the weather with them & I’m happy to report that the record holds. It has been 32 years that the weekend closest to Feb. 26th, & that date itself, had weather that was decent, if not balmy. By decent, I mean that we’ve never had to cancel his birthday celebration due to bad weather. Having a February birthday can be unfortunate if you’re a young child & worrying about whether or not the kiddies will be able to make it for cake & ice cream. More importantly, could they make it to the party with the presents? Well, as you recall, the weekend was in the 50’s & yesterday was “decent” if cold.
Alex was on her way to dance class. We got to speak to her a bit & I asked if she was talking to the baby yet. She said she sort of was. The example she used was that if Vikki said, ”I ate a whole banana,” Alex would say,” No, you only had half.”
We got our photos back from the New Zealand trip. I think I’ll work on putting them into the album this afternoon. I will work very slowly. If I’m going to be cooped up all week, I’ll need things to do. Either that, or the apartment will be cleaner than it ever has been. I’ll end up doing the public areas. If I run out of ways to keep busy, I might need more than Panadol. Valium might start to look good.
It’s 6PM & I couldn’t stand it any longer. I called the Bruces to see if they were going for Thai food. They are & we are. I’ll put a band-aid on & hope for the best.
Toby
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Fun & Sun
February 25, 2002-Costume Parties
Tonight was Purim here. David thought last year was his last Purim. It was a cruel joke that he would have a repeat of his least favorite holiday. The story of Purim is that of the infamous Megillah. It’s the tale of a Jewish courtesan who charms the King of Persia into canceling his decree to murder the Jews. The story (Megillah) is read & the congregation boos when the name of the villain, Haman, is mentioned. Costumes are worn & the tradition is that you should get so drunk you don’t know the difference between the names of the hero & the villain. David did it up in style. Each year he wears a different funny hat as his “costume.” This year he wore a crocodile cap he bought in Cairns. I wore the FDNY (Fire Dept. New York) cap Karen and Ron brought from Akron. David had everyone cheering & leering as he worked them into a frenzy. They’ll never see another Purim like this one.
We’re now watching re-runs of the Olympic closing ceremonies. What’s with the dinosaurs? Have we been gone so long we don’t get American humor? One of the congregants saw the ceremonies live & gave me a rundown. She told me that if the Native Americans dancing to the rock music in the opening ceremonies bothered me, the closing festivities should as well. I felt a bit better when she told me that the aborigines also gyrated to rock music at the Sydney Olympics. She said that KISS performed in Utah. I asked if they were from Utah. She told me that the lead singer of KISS was an Israeli. We then played Jewish geography of music. I told her that Phish used Hebrew material in their performances & that some of them were Jewish. She told me that Red Hot Chili Peppers also had Jewish performers. Ah, it is all coming together. The Osmonds, Donny & Marie, just took the stage. Now I’m watching a guy tap dancing to music played by the Harry Connick, Jr. (sp) orchestra. On the ice is a Russian skater. Is there a theme that I’m not seeing? David said he could find no thread to hold the show together & that it was just a variety show. The camera work is abysmal, but that could be Australian TV. The announcer we’re hearing is an Aussie. I think I’ll declare it to be bedtime.
February 26, 2002-Wishes
Be careful what you wish for. You may get it. Since I was a teen I wanted to get a nose job. Well, I just did, sort of. I had noticed a spot on the tip of my nose & went to the GP here. She said it was a basal cell carcinoma, the friendly kind, but should be removed. She referred me to a plastic surgeon. I quickly emailed my dermatologist in Akron. He verified that this was a very slow growing & curable cancer. I’ve had stuff like it removed before. He also said that the Aussies are the best at doing this type of surgery since they deal with it the most. Since it’s in a conspicuous place, he concurred that a plastic surgeon should be seen. The moral of the story is that I didn’t really get a new nose, just a new scar that will fade. The stitches come out in a week. The real moral is that when you play in the sun Slip, Slop, Slap. Slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen, & slap on a hat. And stay away from tanning beds of all kinds. I never used them, but they’re as bad as the real thing. The spots I’m getting now are from sun damage that was done 20-25 years ago.
The procedure was outpatient & is done a bit differently than in the U.S. Evidently, a local anesthetic to the nose is extremely painful. That’s what they use in the U.S. Here, they give you a light general & then do the local when you’re asleep. When the general wears off, you’re already numb. In the U.S., they take a small area, do a frozen section to see if they got it all, & take more if they need to. Each time the patient has to wait for the biopsy to be read &, if they need to excise more tissue, another painful numbing shot is needed. It could take hours by the time they finish with the biopsies & excisions. Here, it took about thirty minutes. They knock out the patient, take a chunk, & repair it. He said that there’s only a 2.7% chance they won’t get it all. Right now I look like what would have happened if Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer tried to make it with Frosty the Snowman. The end of my nose is red from the stitching, & white from the local anesthetic. It’s also greasy from an ointment that has to be put on three times a day. I think I’ll lay low for the next few days unless I get an urge to scare some of the littlies at the pool.
There’s a totally up side to all this. We were scheduled to go to dinner at the home of a couple with whom we don’t want to spend any more time. We had to cancel.
Today is Daniel’s (our son’s) birthday. Well, if he lived here, it would be his birthday. Since he doesn’t, we’ll call him tomorrow when it’s his birthday where he is. He’s much to old to have such young parents. Happy Birthday Daniel!
Toby
Tonight was Purim here. David thought last year was his last Purim. It was a cruel joke that he would have a repeat of his least favorite holiday. The story of Purim is that of the infamous Megillah. It’s the tale of a Jewish courtesan who charms the King of Persia into canceling his decree to murder the Jews. The story (Megillah) is read & the congregation boos when the name of the villain, Haman, is mentioned. Costumes are worn & the tradition is that you should get so drunk you don’t know the difference between the names of the hero & the villain. David did it up in style. Each year he wears a different funny hat as his “costume.” This year he wore a crocodile cap he bought in Cairns. I wore the FDNY (Fire Dept. New York) cap Karen and Ron brought from Akron. David had everyone cheering & leering as he worked them into a frenzy. They’ll never see another Purim like this one.
We’re now watching re-runs of the Olympic closing ceremonies. What’s with the dinosaurs? Have we been gone so long we don’t get American humor? One of the congregants saw the ceremonies live & gave me a rundown. She told me that if the Native Americans dancing to the rock music in the opening ceremonies bothered me, the closing festivities should as well. I felt a bit better when she told me that the aborigines also gyrated to rock music at the Sydney Olympics. She said that KISS performed in Utah. I asked if they were from Utah. She told me that the lead singer of KISS was an Israeli. We then played Jewish geography of music. I told her that Phish used Hebrew material in their performances & that some of them were Jewish. She told me that Red Hot Chili Peppers also had Jewish performers. Ah, it is all coming together. The Osmonds, Donny & Marie, just took the stage. Now I’m watching a guy tap dancing to music played by the Harry Connick, Jr. (sp) orchestra. On the ice is a Russian skater. Is there a theme that I’m not seeing? David said he could find no thread to hold the show together & that it was just a variety show. The camera work is abysmal, but that could be Australian TV. The announcer we’re hearing is an Aussie. I think I’ll declare it to be bedtime.
February 26, 2002-Wishes
Be careful what you wish for. You may get it. Since I was a teen I wanted to get a nose job. Well, I just did, sort of. I had noticed a spot on the tip of my nose & went to the GP here. She said it was a basal cell carcinoma, the friendly kind, but should be removed. She referred me to a plastic surgeon. I quickly emailed my dermatologist in Akron. He verified that this was a very slow growing & curable cancer. I’ve had stuff like it removed before. He also said that the Aussies are the best at doing this type of surgery since they deal with it the most. Since it’s in a conspicuous place, he concurred that a plastic surgeon should be seen. The moral of the story is that I didn’t really get a new nose, just a new scar that will fade. The stitches come out in a week. The real moral is that when you play in the sun Slip, Slop, Slap. Slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen, & slap on a hat. And stay away from tanning beds of all kinds. I never used them, but they’re as bad as the real thing. The spots I’m getting now are from sun damage that was done 20-25 years ago.
The procedure was outpatient & is done a bit differently than in the U.S. Evidently, a local anesthetic to the nose is extremely painful. That’s what they use in the U.S. Here, they give you a light general & then do the local when you’re asleep. When the general wears off, you’re already numb. In the U.S., they take a small area, do a frozen section to see if they got it all, & take more if they need to. Each time the patient has to wait for the biopsy to be read &, if they need to excise more tissue, another painful numbing shot is needed. It could take hours by the time they finish with the biopsies & excisions. Here, it took about thirty minutes. They knock out the patient, take a chunk, & repair it. He said that there’s only a 2.7% chance they won’t get it all. Right now I look like what would have happened if Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer tried to make it with Frosty the Snowman. The end of my nose is red from the stitching, & white from the local anesthetic. It’s also greasy from an ointment that has to be put on three times a day. I think I’ll lay low for the next few days unless I get an urge to scare some of the littlies at the pool.
There’s a totally up side to all this. We were scheduled to go to dinner at the home of a couple with whom we don’t want to spend any more time. We had to cancel.
Today is Daniel’s (our son’s) birthday. Well, if he lived here, it would be his birthday. Since he doesn’t, we’ll call him tomorrow when it’s his birthday where he is. He’s much to old to have such young parents. Happy Birthday Daniel!
Toby
Monday, August 2, 2010
Reconnecting
February 22, 2002-Farewelling Christchurch
(photos: Town Crier,
Christchurch)
Home at last! There was a message on the answering machine from Syd & Janet Bruce telling us they would be at the Thai restaurant for dinner tonight. We got to the apartment at 6PM & decided to join them there. We caught up on the last eleven days & the 3-hour time difference caught up to me. I began to fade at 9PM.
We had woken up in Christchurch & had a few hours to tour before our plane left. We went to the Arts Center & to the market at Cathedral Square to shop & to people watch. There’s an official town crier at the Square. He’s appointed each year & dresses in the traditional British red coat, wig, & ruffles. Sure enough at noon he belted out his news. We thought Christchurch was charming & compact for touring. All the historic buildings are along the tramline. If you follow the tracks on foot, it’s possible to do a walking tour of the city. One curious thing struck me as we left town. The map shows that the city is on the water, but we didn’t see a developed harbor-front. Maybe it’s all industrial. It wasn’t mentioned in the tour book either.
We drove through the newer suburbs on the way to the airport. There were pleasant homes with cheerful gardens lining the road. We had a few hours to kill before the plane, so we grabbed some lunch. By my calculations, we had four meals that day. We had eaten breakfast, had lunch at the airport, got a meager lunch on the plane, & had dinner with the Bruces. We noticed a man in the uniform of the U.S. Air Force & struck up a conversation. He was in the reserves & was mobilized after 9/11. He ended up in Christchurch with the U.S. support personnel who were helping the NZ workers in Antarctica move back to NZ for the winter. He said there were 800 of them who had just descended on the area. He had a week’s leave coming up & there were no rental cars to be had. In civilian life he was a computer programmer who was setting up a system for Baptist Hospital in Knoxville, Tenn. He found military life to be less stressful than his old job & was thinking of extending his tour. Of course, he was in NZ & not Afghanistan.
Our plane was Polynesian Air-Samoa, but the crew & coding was Qantas. We were surprised, but it got us back to Brisbane. We got to watch Hearts in Atlantis again. Never to miss an opportunity to promote a stereotype, there were sheep in a pasture next to the runway as the plane took off.
Our shuttle driver who met us in Brisbane may have summed it up well when he mentioned that he thought Kiwis were more serious than Aussies. He’s from the Netherlands & has lived here for twenty-five years, so he isn’t really biased. He said Kiwis don’t have much of a sense of humor. We did find that when we tried to joke with servers or hotel personnel they frequently just didn’t get it. Australians we’ve come into contact with in the same capacities here are quick to join in with the bantering. Maybe it’s the Maori influence.
I was happy to hear that not only has this email gone international with Ursula & Sven from Switzerland now receiving it, but it’s now being used by a 4th grade teacher in Akron. She’s using it in her classroom as an example of descriptive writing. The pressure is on now. I must keep coming up with those adjectives. I really miss my Thesaurus.
We got our final itinerary from home & will be back the evening of May 12th, Mother’s Day. How appropriate!
February 23, 2002-Long Gone
We watched the video of a play that Vikki & Alex were in last August. Karen & Ron brought it with them. It was about Jewish women who were heroic role models for today. It was quite an undertaking. Women from all three congregations were involved & only women were allowed to attend. Vikki & Alex were great. We enjoyed seeing them even though they weren't playing themselves. They both seemed very comfortable onstage. Vikki really nailed the line of Hebrew she had to say. We were really surprised at how many people we didn't recognize & how many we recognized but couldn't name. I think we've been away too long. A production like that couldn't happen in Australia. The orthodox & progressive movements wouldn’t cooperate long enough to get it done. The orthodox rabbi here was invited to do a program with David about the differences between orthodoxy & progressive Judaism. He refused because the organization of orthodox rabbis in Australia, New Zealand, & Asia has ruled that their members may not engage in an event of that nature.
We spoke to our family yesterday & everyone seems to be fine. Alex was filling us in on the Olympics. She’s a real fan. She gave us the rundown on the speed skating controversy & the play by play of the U.S. women’s hockey loss to Canada. Vikki sounded as if she was taking on the world with all her projects in the community & Daniel sounded content with work. Wendy & her paratner in Minneapolis were very upbeat about our visit Memorial Day weekend. Daniel, Vikki, & Alex may join us which will make it a total family affair. We’d really love that. Wendy & her partner are still busy working on their house & now are feeling the pressure of our visit. While on the phone with us, Wendy asked if the dog, Willie, had been fed that day. He hadn’t. I pointed out that they’d better feed him before he started eating the cats of which there are three. They have a real menagerie. I guess when you combine households there are multiples of many things.
February 24, 2002-Master Strokes
Our star-crossed lives continue. We were on our way to the Gold Coast Arts Centre to meet friends. We planned to eat dinner at the Centre & see the play, Master Class, about Maria Callas. About three blocks from the Centre, I saw smoke coming from under the hood of the car & the temperature gauge started to rise. We called RACQ (AAA) & they told us it wasn’t a hose that burst but a rusted pipe that had given way. The Goldzeigs offered to take us home after the play. David decided to leave the car in the lot for the night, take a bus to the temple in the morning, arrange for a rental car, & let the president deal with the wreck at the Centre. What actually happened was that Syd Bruce went to get the car, put water in the radiator, & it held. He drove the car around & it doesn’t seem to be leaking. Now they’re guessing it’s the water pump. David will have it checked tomorrow. So, we still have the old car.
Dinner before the play was somewhat of a washout since we got a late start. It was a fixed menu that offered David the choice of beef with mango (he’s allergic to mango) as an entrée (appetizer), & either salmon or chicken with bacon dressing as a main. Since he won’t eat salmon, we worked around the mango & bacon. The play, however, is one that I would recommend. We know nothing about opera, but thoroughly enjoyed the clever presentation of an infamous personality, her craft, & her inner feelings.
Toby
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Unlikely Finds
February 20, 2002-Stylishly Kosher
(photos:Olveston House,
Railway station,
Downtown Dunedin,
Christchurch fashionista)
New Zealand is such a country of improbabilities. When Capt. Cook sailed past the glacier formed on what was later named Mt. Cook it extended clear down to the Tasman Sea. So, we shouldn’t have been surprised to find that the best bagels in Australia are in Dunedin, New Zealand. The Bronx Bagel Company is only seven months old. The etched glass windows bear the skyline of New York including the Twin Towers. They have a variety of crusty bagels in tantalizing flavors, but this is another example of “same, same…but different.” They don’t have any onion or garlic bagels, but make up for this lack in the variety of sandwiches they offer. David had a Reuben, which bears little resemblance to that time honored sandwich creation of the Stage Deli in New York. This one had corned beef (the best he’s had since we left home), mustard, sauerkraut, red onion, tomato, mozzarella, & jam. The Brooklyn had corned beef, American mustard (the plain yellow kind), gherkins, tomato, mozzarella, & beetroot. They did go one step further in their departure from anything vaguely Jewish in offering not only bacon on the bagels, but also vegemite.
As I’ve mentioned before, it’s sometimes difficult to get an adequate supply of serviettes (napkins) in casual restaurants here. One reason may be that they think they’re supplying them when the food is served. It’s more common than not to have the napkin either under the sandwich or wrapped around the cutlery & placed on the plate with the food. The result is obvious. A Find We started our day as we do most every day while traveling. We got lost. This was fortuitous because it gave us time to see the old residential neighborhoods of Dunedin. The town is extremely hilly & boasts the steepest street in the world. It was recently calibrated & the town was surprised at the result. It has a very San Francisco look as everything runs down to the lovely bay & harbor.
We finally found Olveston House built in 1906 & named for a small hamlet near Bristol, England. David Benjamin came from that area, but when he arrived in Melbourne, married Marie Mikchaelis, & moved to NZ, he changed his last name to Theomin. They were a Jewish family as many of the artifacts showed, but it doesn’t seem he changed his name to hide his religion. There was a sizeable Jewish community & synagogue back then. There’s a newer synagogue now & a cemetery. The Theomins had two children. The son married but died at age 43 with no children. The daughter, Dorothy, never married but led a vigorous life of trekking & traveling on her own which was unusual for a woman in that day. She was educated in England & came home with a “good friend,” Miss Wilson. The friend stayed on as a secretary to Mrs. Theomin. From what information was given & from family photos, we think the daughter was “family” in the GLBT sense.
The house itself was of the Jacobean style. There were many advanced features built into the house such as central heating, electricity, & intercoms. The kitchen area was particularly interesting. It was a kosher kitchen & state of the art for its day. They had ceramic jars lining the walls. They were custom made with the ingredients painted on each. If we didn’t know it before, the jars would have made us wonder if the family was Jewish. There was one for raisins, almonds, & macaroons. The table was set for Shabbat dinner in the dining room & a havdallah set in the sitting room. Since the docent made several references to the fact that they were a Jewish family, I was pleased to hear her point out the details that made the lives of the servants (all seven of them) easier & to mention that their quarters were especially pleasant. . Several of the items in the house came from America. It was amusing to see a grandfather clock from 1770. I realized that the clock was made before the Europeans settled in New Zealand. There was a Hamilton Beach Mixmaster, a Fridgedaire refrigerator made in Dayton, Ohio, & early American chairs made in Indianapolis. The safe made by Ratners of London was like a touch of home too. Ratners is now the jewelry company that owns Sterling Co., based in Akron. The only thing missing from the house was a mezuzah. That’s the small case affixed to the doorframe containing the parchment on which is written the schema (Deuteronomy 6:4 & following).
The Theomins were avid travelers & collectors. He started with nothing & built his import business from the ground up. Everything they ever purchased was still in the house when Dorothy died at age 77. Since she was still living in the house at the time, it was pretty well cared for. The people of Dunedin were quite surprised she’d willed it to them.
We went on to have a look at the railroad station. We aren’t train aficionados, but this building was a sight to behold. It’s an elaborate stone structure & still a working station. It’s a conglomeration of gingerbread, stained glass, friezes of cherubs, & wrought iron work rolled into Renaissance style architecture. We were amused to find the Cleveland Living Arts Exhibit on the second floor. It had a display of the different architectural styles of old Dunedin & today. The old won hands down as far as I am concerned.
In case you have trouble reading what was written above, I just want to tell you that I finally did some writing in the car. Ursula was my inspiration to try again. It was a boring drive to Christchurch & clouds prevailed so sun glare was minimal. The bouncing of the car & the jouncing of the road will take the blame for any “typos.” The following mistakes are due to the fact that I’m a cheap drunk. My cold is now a cough so I took Robitussin-D “non-drowsy” cough medicine. I didn’t have a way to measure 150ml nor did I have a spoon. I guess I overdosed. As I started getting high I read the ingredients. Non-drowsy doesn’t mean non-alcoholic.
Comparisons
During todays 4-½ hour drive, David & I had a chance to compare NZ with Tasmania. Tassie came out slightly ahead. NZ has some more spectacular natural wonders, but they’re spread far & wide. We used up a lot of time driving through pastureland & rolling hills to get to beautiful. By the time you factor in flying time, getting to airports, & scarcity of internal flights, driving is still the way to go. We needed about four more days here to have made it a calmer trip. In Tasmania it there was an ocean view around every bend & a more frequent “wow” factor. But, we gave it to NZ hands down over Australia in the food department. The food here actually has flavor.
We also discussed the remnants of the pre-metric days. As we passed 7 Mile Rd, we agreed that 11.2 Km Road didn’t sound as nice. Since it was such a long drive, we got on the subject of how little clothing we actually needed for the trip. We really pared down this time. I’m proud to say I will have worn my jeans for ten consecutive days & my white shirt for six. It sounds disgusting, but it’s been so cool that the leaves on the trees are starting to change (this is their August). We really haven’t perspired.
We thought of Ron & Karen as we passed a pasture that had only black sheep in it. We reminisced about Ron’s comment when we saw cows grazing in a field that was being irrigated. He said they seem to water their cows down here. Well, Ron, you will be happy to know they also water their sheep. Speaking of which, we passed many trucks hauling the little lambie-pies to market. Their fluffy white & pink ears were sticking out between the rails. That didn’t stop David from ordering lamb filets for dinner.
Christchurch
We talked about how confusing the NZ accent is. I was directed to the rest room & told to, “Go to the lift.” If you know Kiwi-speak, you don’t need to find an elevator. I needed to turn “left.” As our tram driver prepared to get off for the day, he said, “I live here.” No, he didn’t live there; he was going to “leave” us there. We found the Heritage Hotel on Cathedral Square with no trouble & got an upgrade to a bi-level suite. Well, after all the downgrades we’ve had to endure on this trip, we deserved this.
Christchurch was a Church of England settlement, but its conservative roots are challenged by what seems to be a trendy bent. Arts & artisans are flourishing here. We’re centrally located & decided to take a tram tour to get oriented in the city. There are several colleges here we would call boarding schools at the high school level. The uniforms must carry a lot of tradition or else the boys wouldn’t be caught dead in them. One involved a kilt & the other was Bermuda length shorts with a black blazer that had wide white vertical stripes.
We hopped off the tram at our hotel & walked across the street to Christ Church Cathedral. This Anglican church is known for its timbered ceiling & dome, but those were the only majestic features we could discern today. The Festival of Flowers was on & the interior & exterior were festooned with garish, tacky, & tawdry displays of dying, fading, wilting, & clashing arrangements. Due to all the flowers, the inside of the church had a cloyingly funereal stench. The centerpiece was a carpet of flowers down the middle aisle. Let me just say it involved colored pebbles, orange slices, moss, & every color God created & some she forgot. On the altar were two five- foot tall vases spray-painted royal blue. In them were primary hued fabric flowers that were three-feet in diameter. The elegant stone columns of this dignified church were wrapped ¼ of the way up in gold foil. Shall I stop? No, I must describe the female mannequin dressed in a plum colored, slit skirted dress. In keeping with the theme, she had flowering tree branches coming out of her head & blossoms trailing across her bodice, down to her feet, & onto the floor. Lest you think that this was lovely, I must add that the butter dish sized pink & yellow flowers were plastic.
Toby
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