parting gift from my nutritionist

When I went in to the Savannah VA Center for the meeting with Elizabeth Carley, I had been expecting the news would not be good.

I knew my weight would be up.

Between the inguinal hernia pain and cold weather, I had not been moving as much and had been eating more comfort foods.

I had no idea that she was leaving.

She has a more exciting job working with a new company in New York.

In true form, she had made plans for switching me to a new specialist, but wanted to discuss the options with me first.

Such a professional with a heart she is!

But she did one thing that my new PCP, Tiffiny Duchene, should have: she followed up on the Community Care I was supposed to have received in December.

Elizabeth found out I was to have started that on December 23, 2025.

Instead, I had not yet heard from the local surgeon who was to repair the inguinal hernia that's been paining me since mid-August.

Elizabeth wrote down all the information: the phone number, name, and address of the clinic as well as the Community Care Authorization number issued by the Ralph Johnson VA Hospital in Charleston.

I called the Surgical and Bariatric Care clinic at Memorial Hospital as soon as I got home that day.

They didn't have the paperwork from Charleston, but would call them.

I immediately went into VA Health's website and sent messages to the Community Care in Charleston and also to PCP Duchene.

That was on a Thursday.

I waited until Tuesday, February 17th, and called the clinic again.

Yes, they had the VA CCN!!!

The first available appointment was March 3rd.

Later than I'd hoped, but it was still more progress than I'd had!

Today, I was at the office of Dr. Oliver Whipple thirty minutes ahead of time.

I'd spent forty minutes on Sunday night filling in all the paperwork for the online check-in, plus I'd filled in the eight pages sent to me two weeks ago. 

I gave him the disk with my CT scan - from November 18th - as well as all that paperwork, then we talked.

Mostly, we talked about my previous surgeries over the years, but in particular about the cardiac ablations I've had.

After a talk with Marsha, the one in charge of surgery scheduling, I walked out with pre-surgery paperwork, though a date for that hernia repair has not yet been set.

First, they have to get clearance from my heart doc, but that should not be an issue after the results from the heart monitor study.

Dr. Whipple liked that Dr. Cobb was down to seeing me every 6 months; that's a very good thing!

However, the biggest hurdle to a surgery date is Dr. Whipple's upcoming two-week vacation coming up... after next week.

Timing is everything.

So, now, it looks like I won't have the hernia repair until late April.

Then, there will be about three weeks of recovery, they say.

Dr. Whipple told me he will be using a robot-assisted laparoscopic technique to remove all the scar tissues in my abdomen, starting from the ribcage down to the right groin, then insert a mesh pocket to hold the abdominal contents in place.

I'm hoping that will all go as planned.

He was surprised when he heard about the scar from my tubal ligation, then surprised again when I told him about my Polar Express from the hysterectomy.

I just wanted him to be forewarned about all that scar tissue, and the adhesions from three abdominal surgeries, waiting inside.

I'm not looking forward to the surgery, but I can't wait to be rid of the pain I've had for more than six months. 

None of this would even be in progress without the aid of my nutritionist, Elizabeth, taking action on my behalf.

My gratitude to her.

I sure am going to miss her.

another 6 of 7

As I'd mentioned, I already had a play lined up for tomorrow.

So, that's one.

I hadn't known of the student-directed One-Act Festival at Savannah Arts Academy until almost 5 PM on Friday!

I'd checked their website to see what was upcoming... and there it was!

I immediately bought tickets for both Friday and Saturday, of course.

 

Last night, there were four plays performed over a two-hour span.

Here are the four student directors, the student producer, and David Poole, who made sure all received flower bouquets for their work. 

From left to right, and in the order their plays were performed, that's Latricia Jones-Brown, Gavin Rivera, Sarina Mullady, and Shaylee Smith, as well as Alyssa Nascimento, the producer, and the always-hat-clad David, the faculty advisor.

(Nice nod to his defunct Collective Face Theatre Ensemble in the credits! I certainly had some memorable experiences at those plays.)

 

Tonight, there were only two plays, but each was about 40 minutes long.

This time, the two student directors were Emily Cooke and Desmond Chaney, but his play was performed first. 

All six plays performed over the two days all had dark themes.

I wonder why the directors chose these works?

The ones Friday night were all modern pieces from this century.

 

Director: Latricia Jones-Brown 

"The Door" concerned a grandmother waiting for her grandson to come home.

He's in the room with her, trying to get her to open the door to whoever is knocking so late at night, trying to get her to acknowledge that he is gay.

It came with a supplemental program with a list of young people who had been killed for being gay or lesbian or trans.

Very serious stuff.

Director: Gavin Rivera 

Next was "Don't Hang Up", directed by the only male director on Friday.

This featured a 15-year-old girl on the line with the 'Drain Right' help desk clerk, with the question: "How much of this do I drink to die?"

Very sobering look at the types of calls that get fielded.

Director: Sarina Mullady

"Three Tables" had a cast of seven, with three couples in various stages of being in a relationship: a 5-year anniversary dinner; a last meal to sign divorce papers; a first outing of an internet date.

Then there's the waitress to handle them all as they eavesdrop on each other's conversations at the adjoining tables.

(Of the four plays on Friday, I enjoyed this one the most.)

 

Director: Shaylee Smith

"The Waves" concerned the suicidal beach-walker (the only one in jeans in the photo) as he fought the voices in his head.

This one actually got a bit scary at times, and loud.

(The performance by a different troupe is available on youTube.)

Now, on to the ones seen tonight.

Director: Desmond Chaney

"The Chairs", an absurdist farce from 1952, was my least favorite.

Yes, that's true, even though it had Trey Wilner.

He was one of the two old people rushing around gathering chairs to the stage as they prattled on about a message of great importance.

Given the play's length, it really got quite tedious. 

Then, the message was whispered in the ear of a deaf-mute (the plaid pants), so it ended up all garbled, rendering their suicides null.

Just what was written on the placard?

"Absent food" or some such.

See what I mean?

Director: Emily Cooke

"Trifles" was exactly what I needed as the last play of this festival!

A murder mystery from 1916, it showed the difference between the way the men were handling the situation (looking for 'what') and the way the women did (in search of 'why').

A wife had been taken into custody for the death of her husband.

The sheriff (in the white coat) was speaking with the two couples who'd lived on nearby farms, gathering information with the men, leaving the women to gather items to take to the woman in jail.

I'm not going to spoil the ending, but I will say this: I'd see it again.

 

And so ends my tale of the six plays I've seen this weekend, of the seven I will be seeing total. 

Kudos to all of the directors for bringing these plays to the audience!

Kudos to all of the actors for bringing these stories to life!

Kudos to SavArtsAcad for sharing with the community!

6 of 7

"Are you referring to the Borg from "Star Trek" with that designation?"

Um, no. That would be Seven of Nine, and she/he/it was a Borg drone, who was in several episodes of "Star Trek: Voyager", one of the spinoff series. I'm simply stating the number of movies in the NCG Rom-Com Film Festival that Carolyn and I saw together. Including the one from today, that would be six of the seven! This last one was "My Best Friend's Wedding", which was a perfect end, just as the Elvis film was perfect as the first one for us. Lots of music and talk of friendship!

 

"I thought you owned that Julia Roberts movie."

 

Yes, Comcast did reward me with that one. And, yes, I did see it quite recently. However, I watched Cameron Diaz in her debut movie last weekend and it was good to see her again. Good for her for accepting her lack of singing ability and being brave enough to let it be used for humor! That's really her singing "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself" in the karaoke scene. And her 24-year-old self is so charming that the initial boos turn to loud applause as she croaks her way through it!

 

"But she was so good singing in the nightclub in "The Mask"!!!"

 

No, dear, she just looked good doing that. She lip-synced "Hey, Baby, Ain't I Good To You", but it was Susan Boyd who sang for 'Tina Carlyle'. 

 

"Oh! Wow. I guess they must have really wanted Cameron for her looks."

 

Perhaps so. She was just 21 years old then. But for this movie, Julia Roberts picked her to be in it. Amazing, right? She recognized her comedic talent.

 

"That's great! What a nice little tidbit of trivia!"

 

Carolyn is just full of stuff like that. We talked about the movie from last week, "How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days", too, which we'd had to see separately, due to schedule conflicts.  

 

"Yes, I recall you saying that. Did y'all die at Chili's?"

 

We did! When she asked where I wanted to go, that's what I said, so that's where we went. I was wanting some chips and salsa, as well as that Cajum Shrimp Alfredo Pasta. As I told our waitress, Lexi, I am hooked on that dish! I ate all the shrimp, and the bread, but took most of the pasta home for another meal. I took home most of the chips, too, as well as a fresh serving of salsa that Lexi brought me! This is the third time I've had her there.

 

"Very nice to have leftovers!"

 

Most def! And when I arrived home, the Universe had one last thing for me.

 

"Let me guess! A cool odometer reading!"

 

You betcha!

I almost missed it, too, but a flicker of light drew my eye.

Mileage: 245030.

A nice round number...

must be from Mama. 

Right place, right time...

watching a movie about friendship...

spending time with a friend!

(smile!)

my left foot

No, that isn't a reference to the 1989 movie with Daniel Day-Lewis.

I can't even believe that sprang to mind, as long ago as it was.

Perhaps my mental jukebox keeps track of movie stuff, too, to cue up for me when a stray phrase drops a quarter.

At any rate, I'm literally talking about my left lower appendage.

Kindly ignore for the moment that it's wearing a sandal in February.

Notice the toenails, please.

See how nicely trimmed and neat-looking they are?

Now, take a gander at my right foot, also sandal-clad.

Again, focus on the toenails.

These are all different lengths and not nearly as nice as the ones on the other foot.

That's because I can easily bend down and take care of my left foot.

Not so for the right side, as the inguinal hernia prevents that flexibility.

I did manage to contort enough to catch that middle toe, though, by standing with my heel down and my toes all straining upward to the clippers.

However, when I tried to get to the toe between that one and the little toe, the clippers only succeeded in nicking the toe and making it bleed.

That's why I was so grateful for a warm day so I could wear sandals.

Yesterday had not quite been as warm, nor will tomorrow be.

But the weather song had predicted the low 70's and it's actually been better than that for this Thursday.

Most excellent!

That allowed me to go wash clothes in shorts and sandals, again.

I had known it must be time... I was almost out of panties!

Remember: I have a drawer just for them!

Now, all of those will be clean, as well as all the long pants and my favorite sweaters, as well as a few socks.

Well, the ones for the left foot, at least.

I'm so looking forward to seeing the surgeon about that hernia!

The appointment is on Tuesday and I am so ready for it!

ggbd, revisited

Part of me misses this grand day of silliness.

Goth Girl Blog Day... just saying the words seems silly. 

Part of me, though, still observes it in remembrance of Sam Johnson.

It's thanks to him that I went to my very first Dragon*Con.

Had he not convinced my Mom's BFF to take us there in 2008, how would my life be different?

Would I have gone those other times to show off my cosplay designs?

Would I?

My little girls are not yet of an age to share that event, but, soon.

I am realizing that time passes just a bit faster these days.

Perhaps that's akin to parallax error?

Watching my children grow certainly seems to speed up time.

Nice to have this day to help me mark it.

pan pizza, et alia

thanks, papa john's and aarp!

I've rediscovered a new favorite: pan pizza!

The moment I picked up the pizza box, I knew there was something inside - such delicious mass!

Why did it draw me out on a cold day?

I had ten bucks from AARP Reward points, $2 in Papa Dough, and the special knocked off another 4 dollars.

I paid $2.56 for pepperoni and banana peppers on a pie that's been lunch and dinner, plus breakfast tomorrow.

My favorite food for three meals - life is good!

(smile!)  

thanks, SBHF37 and City of Savannah!

The Savannah Black Heritage Festival isn't over just yet, but I won't be making it to any other events by Saturday.

I should have been paying more attention as February began.

As it was, I caught three of the events: the one about literature at The Learning Center of Senior Citizens, Inc.; the one about history at our HBC, Savannah State University; and the one about music held at the Savannah Jewish Educational Alliance.

Every event of the SBHF37 was free and open to the public, courtesy of the City and various sponsors.

Most of the events were held midtown Savannah, making sure locals were present and the parking was abundant.

I'll pay more attention to scheduling next year!

(smile!) 

thanks, comcast!

Because Comcast includes ME TV, Antenna TV, and seven PBS/GPB/SCE channels in my Basic TV subscription, I had a wealth of recorded shows to watch on this cold day.

The second of those channels provided me with "Just Shoot Me!", a show at takes place at "Blush" Magazone.

David Spade is the assistant to George Segal, who also has his daughter, Laura San Giacomo, on the staff, as he tries to make up for being an absentee father in her childhood and marrying her best friend.

Mostly, though, I like the spice added by Enrico Colantoni and Wendie Malick, and all the puns on the magazine cover!

Puns!!!

I get a lot of puns from "Toon In With Me", too, which is from that first free channel.

This time, Bill is pondering getting a part-time job, so he considers milkman (my Daddy did that!), pin boy at bowling alley, costermonger, knocker-upper, gong farmer, town crier, and even pony express!   

He even premiered two cartoons that were new to his show: "Ten Pin Terrors" and "Saddle Silly", both 7-minute oldies!

Toonie reminded him that his job as 'classic cartoon curator" takes all his time. (smile!)

Then, there's that plethora of educational channels to keep me informed and stimulated. 

The "Dream Of Italy" series must have been timed to prime folks for the Winter Olympics.

I just watched, "Andrea Bocelli's Tuscany", s3e1, which brought memories of vineyards in Livorno in 2002, as well as time in Siena and Florence and Pompeii on the trip with future nurses in 2012.

Here's the funny part, though.

I'd just recently seen similar footage, including inside the home of the Italian tenor, in a movie, "Solo Mio"!!!

Timing truly is everything!

Right time, right place! 

(smile!) 

memories of warm days, to you and you and...

This went to my first niece yesterday.

Her two tiny musicians are Girl Scouts now.

The photo on my phone is from C J's 13th birthday party in 2022.

That meant July, with warmth in the air!

"Wow," was her reply.

The next photo went to her mom.

That's from Chloe's 5th in October 2023.

My outlaw Melinda replied almost instantly, "Miyah bday. Cool."

I get it - Miyah's 5th had been at the same place the year before.

I said, "Near some lake. Really nice warm day!"

"Yes it is."

Yes, it is!

The third photo went to my eldest niece.

This is the most recent photo I have of her, her mom, and her daughter.

They were at the Jenkin's BYOP in 2023.

"Love the blast from the past," Christy replied.

I told her, "Love the three generations!"

That was a sunny, warm day, too.

The fourth photo through the ether went to the hostess of that party.

This one, though, was her and a group at a party that she didn't host.

It was taken a month before the other photo, when Harry was doing well.

Robin loved the image.

"Happy, warm time," I texted back.

All the way to Augusta went photo 5, to my oldest paternal cousin!

That's her in the middle, doing karaoke!

This is a little earlier, but the same year as the last three.

Bev texted, "So much fun!"

"Sure was! Hoping to see y'all for Easter."

Now, I need to find out when that holiday will be this year!

What a fun way to spend some time with others this has been: sharing photos and memories!

Makes me warmer already!