Friday Nov. 14
I finished out Friday with dinner at the apartment -- a jambalaya made with a Zataran's rice mix, smoked sausage and shrimp. Fresh pineapple chunks for desserts. Simple but delicious, and enjoyed on my new dining room table and chairs! Abby and I watched a little TV sitting on the new sofa, and then to bed.
Saturday Nov. 15
Banana/strawberry smoothie for breakfast. I need some exercise, but it's too nice to do a workout inside at the gym, so I went back to Lakes Park (where the farmer's market is held) and walked the trails for an hour in the beautiful sunshine and warmth. I was hungry for pizza after that, so I consulted Yelp and came up with Grimaldi's Pizza at the Bell Tower Mall. They do a Neapolitan style ... thin crust and baked in an ultra-hot coal fired oven. I did Italian sausage, pepperoni, and mushroom, with a Dr. Pepper, and ate in the outside dining area. I would rate the pizza good, but not great, and at $16 for a 12-inch pie -- all the toppings are priced ala carte -- kind of expensive.
I got curious about the different styles of pizza, so Googled it while waiting for the pie, and found one epicurean source who has identified 24 different styles of pizza. Did you know that there were that many? There's Neapolitan (or NY) style of course. And Chicago (deep dish), and California (unusual toppings). How about Ohio-Valley style? (Square pan, square pieces, stewed tomatoes more than a sauce). Or Old Forge style from Pennsylvania? (Medium-thin dough, the pan oiled with peanut oil, so the dough sort of gets a fried consistency like pan pizza from Pizza Hut. Meat toppings on top of the cheese, which is a mix of Mozzarella and white cheddar). If you interested further, check it out here.
Got a call from brother Curt this evening with the unwelcome news that he has been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, or afib as it's referred to in the vernacular. I've certainly heard of it, but didn't know too much about it, so I went to Webmd and the Mayo clinic website to get an overview. About 2 million or so Americans live with it, depending on which set of statistics you want to believe. For those not familiar at all, it's a fluttering/rapid beating of the heart caused by the electrical impulses controlling the "in" and "out" valves of the heart getting all screwed up. It's seldom, if ever, fatal on its own, but puts you at increased risk for blood clots and thus stroke if the clots escape the heart and get lodged in the body's circulatory system. And it's damned scary when the episodes themselves take place and you can feel your heart race at rates of upwards of 200 beats per minute. The main medication is that damnable coumadin/warafrin that thins your blood and makes you bruise easily and can cause internal bleeding, and so forth. And then there are the frequent blood tests to make sure you're getting the right dosage. Damn. Damn. Damn.
So once again, I am reminded of my own mortality and what I want to spend my "life energy" on given what I am fairly certain is going to be a limited amount of remaining time of this earth. To the extent possible, I want to live in the moment, do the things I want to now versus later, learn to say "no" once in a while, stop worrying about shit I can't control, and enjoy a slice of pie every so often. Curt, if you are reading this, my most ardent wish for you is that you live your life to the fullest. Do not allow this condition to limit your choices, your passions, your activities. Take stock and figure out what it is you want to do with your time, and do it. None of us Shawkeys knows when our genetically inferior hearts will stop beating, but I for one hope that when that time arrives for me, that I'll be doing something I enjoy.
Bruce
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