Looking Out My Back Door

Ripping this off from Aunt Slappy's blog, sorta

Things I Did In 2004:
1. Visited a dying friend in Massachusetts. I learned a lot from that weekend: strength, kindness, and the true power of love. My friend (who was technically one of my late mother's best friends, but I adored her) spent the last days of her life with dignity and joy, surrounded by her loving and devoted children (who conducted themselves with enviable grace and strength throughout), and enjoying last visits with other loved ones. Frankly, I was terrified to pay what I knew would be my last visit, because I didn't know what to expect. I came away from the experience filled with awe and love, and so thankful that I had made the journey. For the next few weeks, I remained in constant contact, relaying the message "I love you" through whomever answered the phone when she was too weak to talk. My last call was made ten minutes before she passed, and her daughter called me immediately afterward. Two days later, in the Jewish tradition, we buried one of the most wonderful people I've ever known, Ruth Bleier Harris. She left behind three children, four grandchildren, many dear friends, and a legacy of love.

2. Went to Bette Midler's "Kiss My Brass" show at the Continental Arena in New Jersey. What a performance! Midler was in peak performance shape, with a voice that was as strong at the end as in the beginning. And I don't think she skipped any of her fans' favorite tunes.

3. Met George Taft, a long-time friend of both my mother and Ruthie, dating back to elementary school. He's now an architect in Atlanta and has been on the design teams responsible for many of that city's landmark projects, including the Olympic facilities, Turner Field, and much more. It's wonderful to tour a city with one of its architects; you learn far more interesting details than you would otherwise. We had a great time, and it was easy to see why that friendship endured for so long. I was in Atlanta for a trade show, but left early because...

4. I went to the hospital at the end of March, quite unexpectedly! After flying up from Atlanta, where I had started losing blood, I went to the doctor, who said, "Your blood count is so low, I'm sending you to the E.R., not the G.I." I checked into North Shore Hospital via the E.R. and was asked when was the last time I'd been admitted. "Well, I guess about 40 years ago, when I was born here!" They looked up my records and gave me the same patient number I had then (it was a pretty low number)! After several hours waiting for a bed to be freed up, and many frantic calls to friends and neighbors, alternately asking them to feed my cats and "break me outta here," I was settled into a room, where I remained for about two days. Unhappily, because I felt fine, other than the fact that I kept losing blood. If my cousin Lynn hadn't come by with some books the day after I was admitted, I would have lost my mind. (As it happened, I had passed a Barnes & Noble on the way to the hospital and went in to get some reading material, something most people being sent directly to the E.R. would not do, but, hey, I get bored.) They finally sprang me Saturday, around noon-time (I'd been captive since Thursday afternoon), and I snuck out to my car, drove home (yeah, I know, you're supposed to be picked up, but I'd had enough of their rules), filled my scrips, and was happily reunited with Moochie and Scraps. (Spunky Bastard was not yet on the scene.)

5. Learned that it's really not a good idea to take Advil Cold & Sinus twice a day, every day, for a couple of years. That's what landed me in the hospital, caused the bleeding, made me endure a couple of rather invasive tests, and determined that I had diverticulosis. Yikes. Those OTC medicines can really mess you up when you ignore their warning. Be afraid.

6. Had another fun girls' weekend in fabulous Bethany Beach, Delaware. Great place, even off-season. And fantastic, no-tax outlet shopping in nearby Rehobeth Beach. Good thing we took a minivan.

7. Saw "Hairspray," during the last two weeks of Harvey Fierstein and Kathy Brier's performances. Loved it, loved them. Sent a nice note, a program, and a stamped, self-addressed envelope to Mr. Fierstein, and he sent back a lovely autographed program. I'm having it framed. He is sublime. Naturally, I bought the CD, which I listened to constantly, and determined that I preferred Kathy Brier's singing to the original actress'. You can catch Kathy Brier on "One Life to Live," but I don't think she does any singing. Too bad.

8. Traveled to Fort Worth for a convention. Ugh. Constant rain, making a trip to see the Kennedy Assassination Tour in Dallas impossible. Therefore, no reason to be in Fort Worth. I'm sure there are lovely parts of the city, but all I saw was rain, a wet Convention Center, a hotel, and a few good restaurants.

9. Had my tiny backyard relandscaped and the shed replaced. What a job. Fortunately, all I had to do was pay for it.

10. Learned how to make red wine shallot reduction, perfect with grilled steaks (preferably hanger steaks or filet mignon). Served it several times over the summer and did not get sick of it once. The only drag is prepping the shallots. Otherwise, it's surprisingly easy.

11. Joined the gym! In July I started the first of many workouts to come with Personal Trainer Extroidinaire Ivy. She kicks my butt, but she'll eventually have less of that to kick.

12. Went to my first country concert, Wynnona, at Planting Fields Arboretum in Oyster Bay. I had seen her on "Oprah" and was blown away by the power and beauty of her voice. When I learned she would be at Planting Fields, I immediately got tickets. What's cool is that for $20 or so, you can get lawn seating and can bring a picnic supper and wine. People were actually competing for the title of best supper. Now I know what to do next time (was planning to go to Peter Frampton the next month, but it was raining heavily). Wynnona was terrific. What a voice. I'll see her again.

13. Adopted Spunky Bastard (see previous posts from December 2004).

14. Marked the first year without my mother. Sad. I wallowed for a day (the anniversary date). We Irish tend to do that. Okay, I'm only part Irish, but I wallowed anyway.

15. Traveled to Paris with my aunts Patricia and Judy and cousin Lynn. Had a blast. This was the first time I hadn't been there on business, the fifth visit overall, and it was fantastic. We stayed in a part of the city that was new to me, and it was perfectly situated (The Latin Quarter) and convenient to much of what we wanted to do. I proudly showed off my skill with the Metro system and we went all over the place (although most of the time we walked). On our last night, we had a magnificent dinner at La Tour d'Argent, whose owner, Claude Terrail, came over to speak to us. He probably noticed the bottle of Chateau Talbot 1970 that was at our table. We'll be back!

16. Started this blog, one of the best things I've done for myself. A week later, I was invited to become a contributing columnist to "Eye On Soaps," one of the best websites on the 'Net. I'm having a great time with it, and love being part of the EOS team. You can check out the site under the Links section of the sidebar on this page. If you like ABC soaps, this is truly the place to be. And I'm really psyched that several of the EOS staff will be attending the GH Fan Club Weekend in Studio City, CA this coming July. I've packed my bag, I'm ready to go (OK, quick, name the song I just quoted...)

17. Survived the holidays.

18. Chaperoned a college-age New Year's Party. The party kept going until 5am (or later). I'm too old for this shit.

posted by Hopster @ 8:07 AM