Skiing Powder in Lake Louise

Christmas in Edmonton

Not so Cold in Edmonton

New YOrk City, Maya's Birthday Party, Meeting Tara, Getting REady for Christmas!

Weekend in DC, The Nutcracker at the Kennedy Center, Third Advent Party

Cirque de la Symphonie! Iggies!

Snowing! The Lion King!

Home, Christmas Tree Lighting, Messiah, Advent.

Ziplining Hiking 14000 feet, Back to Quito

Cotopaxi 10 000 feet

Back to Ecuador!

West Baltimore Pro Bono Work

Bikram Yoga

Bikram Yoga

Eric is a Star

Montreal is Wonderful

Montreal Weekend

Montreal

Halloween Ghoul

h

Snow and Sunshine

pro Bono work

Biking on NCR trail Benichoux Weekend

Maya Visits Farm and Hershey Factory

Inlaws to Visit!

Washington DC Fall Colours Kennedy Center

Another Recovery!

New Car Fun!

Crashed my Car, Bought a NEw One!

Very Fat Cats

Recovering

To MOntreal and Back in 30 Hours

Happy New Year

Still Recovering

Three Days in Hospital, no Fun!

Family Troubles

Missing Ecuador

What do I want?

Home a MOnth, Where to NEXT????

Zumba, Core Conditioning, yoga, pilates, ballet

Rain Rain Rain

Grand Prix Weekend

Missed Hurricane, Home again.

Going Again

Where to Next?

Yoga, Back to School Shopping, Sailing, Making Dinner, Running Running Running

Whew...Home for a Week, where to Next?

Back on Track

Adjusting

Home Again

Byzantine Monastery, Cape Sounion, Temple to Poseidon

Delphi

Beach Day, to Methoni, Voidokilia and Kakovatos

All day in Olympia, then the Beach at Katakolo...down the Western side of the Peloponnese to the Palace of Nestor

Nauplion to Megalopolis to Karitena, Andritsena and finally Olympia

Mycenae, Tiryns, Midea, Epidaurus, back to Nauplion

Corinth, Nauplion, Epidaurus

Museums and Monateries

Wandering Through Athens

Akropolis, New Museum, No Riots

Athens, Syntagma Square

Up and Down Etna, to Cefalu and then back to Palermo

Siracusa to Taormina

Modica, Noto to Siracusa

Agrigento, Piazza Armerina, getting lost on small country roads

Selinunte, Beach at Eracle Minoa, Agrigento

Erice churches, Mozia, Marsala, Mazzaro del Valle, Selinunte

Scopello, Zingaro, Erice

Palermo, Monreale, Segesta, Castellamare del Golfo

Birthday, New York, Rome, Palermo. Whew!

Time Flies

Sailing Through

S

Preparing to Go Again

Catching up and REady to Go

Coming HOme

Boston

Boston

Laugh til I Burst

Cape Cod for July 4th!

Dinner out Every Night

Cape Cod Weekend and Home to Baltimore

Party Animal

Ambassador

Home AGain

Cape Cod

Midnight in Paris

Fort Edmonton, Zoo, Emergency Room

Back to Edmonton

Off Again

Office Chairs

Two Hundred Cookies

3D Movie

3

Wake up

National Ballet of Cuba

Moving is Done

Moving Nightmare

I HATE Moving!

Not accomplishing anything

Bad Movie

Moving Day!

Party Time!

In a Better World

Moving

Back on Track

Home

Too Far From Home

Newport Beach is so Lovely

Running out of time

May 19

A whole fee day with hours ahead of me! I got moving early and spent a couple of hours catching up at the office and checking my email and having my coffee and smoothie, my morning indulgence. When I arrived at the beach, early I thought, all the umbrellas were taken and I found a beach chair far at the end without shade. I decided to be happy with what I had, and spent hours in the water, reading my book, spraying myself with sunscreen and trying to decide whether to go surfing or not. The day simply unfolded and before I knew it, the beach boys were removing umbrellas and chairs and the sun was disappearing behind the huge concrete towers. I think that is a problem with the beach; the huge hotels built near the sand hide the sun too early. Of course I had more then enough sun and decided to take a walk along the shore. I watched boogie boarders and surfers and children playing in the water and drank in the the view and the sun and the water and the sand.

I gave in and booked a massage for 8 PM and grabbed a bite before spending time in the steam room and the jacuzzi. I had a massage outside and was distracted by the drone of the air conditioners for the hotel. I was not very focussed on the massage and before I knew it, it was over. I have been spoiled by my friend Deborah, who used to massage me regularly and was so good any other massage is never quite as wonderful as hers. Ah well. It was horrifically expensive and I had to work to simply appreciate the lavender smell and the fact that I do feel very relaxed.

I miss home and my family, but am off to Newport Beach to see my friend Susan, whom I have not seen since the last APA I went to in San Diego three years ago. I took the train up from the conference to spend a day with her and Noel. I look forward to spending time with her, but am just as eager to get home and see Maya perform in her concert and her ballet. I really messed up the timing, but when I tried to change my tickets, the price was too high. I am again simply appreciating the place I am in, which is gorgeous.

I cannot fit everything in my bag to go home. I am afraid it will pop open tomorrow when I travel, it is so very full of stuff, I am not sure what, or perhaps I have not packed it well, it is overflowing. I have more to squeeze in tomorrow, I am not sure how.

May 18

Today was the last day of the conference and I could not decide whether to return for a few hours to the convention center, or to just enjoy the sunshine and relax for the day. Unfortunately my sense of responsibility prevailed and after checking the office number and calling patients (I prefer to get everything done each day rather than leave everything to pile up for me when I return), I pulled myself together for my walk to 'work'. I focused on ADHD and genomics, and after a few hours took a very long walk back, and found my way onto the beach early in the afternoon.

Within minutes of finally finding a place to bask with a gorgeous view of Diamond Head on Waikiki beach, the sky turned dark and it began to rain furiously. I had missed so much sun this week! I found shelter while I called Eric and Maya and caught up on their lives so very far away from this incredible place. I sat under cloudy skies for the rest of the afternoon trying to read my iphone after discovering that my kindle was broken. My third kindle to be broken! I called Amazon for a replacement and then squinted my way through a book I want very much to be over. Somehow reading a few lines on the iphone at a time is just not satisfying. I truly prefer a book and the kindle sort of looks like a book, but the iphone is not quite right. Eric is excited to have bought an iPad for me, which is waiting at home; apparently it works just fine as a kindle too.

I enjoyed Hawaiian dancing and music in the evening, a group of dancers and musicians much more professional than the ones I had seen on the beach. Hula dancing originally was a male pursuit (I did not know that) and only later did women participate. Two men and a women wore lovely costumes and danced with bamboo sticks, rattles, gourds, tea leaf skirts and leis. It was colorful and entertaining and I was engrossed until it was dark. It did rain for part of the show, but no one left, we just sat under the raindrops and appreciated.

I went shopping for a bit, looking for something for Maya. There are amazing shops here, and people spend a lot of time and money at Ralph Lauren and Lanvin and Hermes and Ferragamo and every other designer representative you can think of. I wanted something uniquely Hawaiian and not horribly expensive and found some thing perfect. Eric made me promise not to buy anything for him. He said he would wear a hawaiian shirt, but did not really like them. If I had found something right for him, I would have bought it.

I have one more day to enjoy this gorgeous place. I am not sure I know how to make my last day make up for a week inside.

Time to enjoy Paradise

I had another intense day. Bipolar and Tourettes and Akira Kurosawa's film 'Ikiru' (To Live). I cried all morning and felt numb for the rest of the day. I guess I most enjoy the 'media' section of the conference. I feel a little guilty about getting credit for going to films, but whereas I feel restless at most lectures and seminars, and find it difficult to stay for any length of time, I have no trouble staying at the edge of my seat for the two to two and a half hours of a good movie. I guess I should forget psychiatry and just watch films.

Lorraine Bracco was interviewed about her experience with depression and her treatment with Zoloft. I thought she was amazing as Dr. Melfi on the Sopranos, but I had no idea she had been depressed and in treatment too.

I rushed to get back to my hotel room and change into my bathing suit for the last rays of sun. The beach is in shadow by 5, so I think I got thirty minutes, which is more than enough. I felt lonely and missed my family and resolved to try to get home earlier. I had talked to Maya and Eric earlier in the day and both sounded fine, and clearly doing just fine without me, but I wanted them to be with me on the beach. I took my long beach walk as the sun set, and the further left I walked the more sun I got. My hotel is only a few stories high and is dwarfed by huge skyscrapers all around it, which put it in shadow part of the day.

There was music and dancing at Kuhio Beach, but the singing was shockingly awful, so I found it impossible to stay. I wandered in the opposite direction where the sun was setting, and took my time getting back to my hotel room.

I spent an inordinate amount of time trying to get through to the airline to change my ticket. Unfortunately it turned out that I flew out on United and return on Continental and although the two airlines have merged, trying to change through United is not possible. I stayed on the line for 25 minutes with Continental before I gave up and accepted that it is unlikely that I can return home earlier without paying far too much extra.

I will try to enjoy my time here in paradise for another couple of days and not miss Eric and Maya and Tara too much.

Monday in Paradiso

I never did leave the conference today. I did not plan to stay all day, and I am not sure quite how it happened. Sunshine woke me up and got me moving early. I am doing my best to get as many hours as possible into my day so the I can accumulate as many CME hours as I can. I arrived at the convention center after a visit to Starbucks for a doppio espresso and a smoothie. I chose talks about ADD and bipolar disorder and addictions. I wondered if I was flitting about too much and ought to have stuck to one topic or one theme, but I always feel overwhelmed and confused when I come to this meeting. I am desperate to learn something I do not know, and get impatient when everything sounds familiar.

I decided to stay to listen to Archbishop Desmond Tutu after the regular program ended. He talked about the 'Truth and Reconciliation' process after the end of Apartheid. I found myself in tears and moved and impressed. He kept insisting that humans are essentially good and that forgiveness was the only choice there was. I found myself missing Eric and Maya and Tara and wondering what i was doing so far away from my family and those that I love.

I walked back along Kalakua to my pink hotel and took a detour to the Sheraton Waikiki for an 'Industry Supported Symposium'. In the past these meetings would have daily breakfast, lunch and dinner events sponsored by drug companies, so much so that I never had to buy a meal. New restrictions on what drug companies can and cannot do have limited these meals. I could not find any on the schedule this year except for this one, which was about Schizophrenia, which I do not treat anyway. I wanted to check it out, and was lured in by a yummy meal and an excellent initial lecture by Steve Stahl, who was a professor at San Diego when I attended for a fellowship in 1988. I found myself interested in the entire program and staying all night.

Inside and Out

I am not sure it is a good thing to have a conference in such a beautiful spot. Waking up to gorgeous sunshine and blue sky and wonderful warmth is lovely, and walking early in the morning to the conference center was lovely, but then the rest of the day was spent inside away from all the beauty outside. I wanted to leave all day, but I am also obliged to rack up as many educational hours as possible over the next four days, so that I can maintain my license to practice medicine. I find myself getting interested in the topics I choose, but hours later, as I am walking back to my hotel, I wonder why I am not playing hooky instead.

These conferences used to be wild affairs. Pharmaceutical companies would wine and dine us and entertain us in all sorts of inventive ways, but with new rules limiting the largesse of the drug companies, there are limited events, at least none that I have been invited to. So that we have an opportunity to enjoy the beach a little, the lectures begin at 7 and end early at 3. I was on the beach by 4, and took a long long walk along the shore admiring the surfers and body surfers and volleyball players and families with small children. There was another performance with delightful native women and girls and more traditional chanting as well as more modern singing with guitars and ukelele. It was dark when I found my way back to my hotel.

Maya had a violin recital today. Somehow one of the pianists tripped and stepped on her bow and destroyed it. Maya seemed nonplussed while I am horrified at the $500 loss, but then again it could have been worse, with either Maya or the violin damaged. I ought to be relieved. She was quite happy to have acquired a new fish for her tank, having lost one to her crayfish early on, and the escape and demise of her blue colored crayfish last week. She was to have an eventful week with daily ballet rehearsals, but left her practice a half hour early Saturday to attend her violin masterclass, which upset her ballet teachers, so she may be unable to perform in her ballet event at all. It all seems so complicated for an eleven year old.

Conference Inside

Waking up at 5 AM meant that I slept in, and somehow I managed to laze my way to the convention center to arrive past 8. The sessions start at 6:30 to 7 and end at 3, so to give us a few hours to enjoy the sunshine and the beach. I found a nearby Starbucks for internet and expresso, and walked the mile to the stunning glass walled meeting sight. The sun was shining and with a slight breeze, the mounting temperatures were very comfortable. I think it reached 82 degrees today.

The APA has arranged for buses to travel between hotels every 20 minutes from 6 until 3. The walk was delightful though, although I was confused when my iphone sent me astray. I wonder if the convention center has just been finished and I was sent to the older one.

I am always overwhelmed at these meetings and find it difficult to decide where to go and what to do. I focus on particular patients and challenges and therefore found myself at a series of lectures about dissociative disorder, a presentation of what it is like to be a child of a psychiatrist (turns out that children of psychiatrists are usually just fine---whew!), the psychiatric evaluation of patients who pursue bariatric surgery and most compelling was the presentation of a silent film about Joan of Arc from the 1920's, accompanied by an incredibly beautiful modern score based on lyrics and poems from the middle ages. Apparently a transcription of the trial leading to Joan of Arc's execution was found in the archives in Paris. Listening to Joan talking about hearing voices and having visions, I wondered what a psychiatrist would do today; most likely she would be on antipsychotics.

The mountains around Honolulu were drenched in mist and clouds. It was hotter when I walked back to the hotel. I changed into my bathing suit and found an umbrella on the beach in front of the hotel and watched the surfers on the water and the beach crowd running in and out of the water. Later I walked along the beach checking out the bodysurfers, regular surfers and paddle surfers. I saw a gathering of spectators and sat with the crowd until a group of musicians and dancers arrived to entertain us with folkloric dances and songs. The sun set and torches were lit, and the sinuous moves of the colorfully dressed women and chidden entranced us. The native language was delightful to listen to, and the music felt old fashioned and relaxing. Walking along the beach again to my pink hotel in the dark made for a perfect evening.

Paradise

Paradise is a very long way away. I stayed up late waiting for Eric to arrive home from his twelve hour drive from Mont St Hilaire, where he had spent the week with his electric fish colleagues at a conference. He left the area around midday, and drove all the way home, through Quebec and New York and New Jersey and Delaware to Maryland. He originally planned to arrive by 10, then called to amend his ETA to midnight. That was still a reasonable bedtime for me, so I waited to welcome him home with food and good wishes. I finally gave up at about 1:30 AM. He came home shortly after that, and slept on the floor in the dining room so as not to wake me. My phone rang at 3:30 to tell me my plane was on time, and I did not sleep after that. So with two hours of sleep, I woke up and got ready and hauled Eric out of a deep sleep. We made a bed for Maya in the backseat of the car and drove to the airport in the dark.

I left Eric and Maya with a three page list of instructions for the week that I am away, and I felt sad and lonely to leave the two for so long, especially with Maya's very intense schedule of ballet and violin performances. I do not want to miss her recitals, and would rather she was with me on vacation anyway. I will have to figure out how to simply enjoy my time alone.

I did not have coffee, and threw away most of the smoothie I had ordered, which was a horrible mistake, since I soon developed a coffee headache and United did not provide us with any food.. I was hoping for pretzels at least. The flight to San Francisco was long and painful and I tried to sleep and rest, but was not successful in my efforts. I felt better after an espresso and a muffin, but should have stocked up on more food. Several people pulled out wonderful meals they had brought onto the airplane, and I envied them their full stomachs and their foresight.

Thirteen hours later we landed in paradise. It was hot and humid and the clouds were low and the mountains covered in mist. I found a shuttle bus and joined the tourists on their way to the city. The traffic was intense. My hotel is a lovely old pink stucco anomaly amongst the high-rises abutting the ocean. My room is simple but comfortable and shockingly expensive. I was exhausted, but after unpacking and showering, I pushed myself to take a walk along the beach. I realized that I had no sunscreen, so I tried not to sit in the sand too long. I watched the surfers and the sailboats and appreciated the warmth. I hardly recognize Waikiki after 40 years, it is so built up. I walked through the endless shops and kiosks nearby. Tourists from all over the world were shopping shopping shopping. Groups of musicians were playing Hawaiian music at every corner. I found myself back on the beach to watch the sunset while I picnicked for dinner. The surfers were still out on the water, and it was warm enough to play in the water.

I am back in my hotel room ready for bed after almost 24 hours awake. I am so very far away from home.

Packing for Hawaii

Ambassador

New Office

Mother's Day

THe Cazbah and the Maryland Film Festival

Housework

So Tired

24 Hours in Transit

May Day

M

May Day

Schloss Nymphenburg April 30

I am suddenly rushed and trying to decide what to do in the last couple of days in Munich. The city is full of possibilities and the lovely spring weather encourages us to stay outside in the sunshine. I was up too early and decided to take the Ubahn to Schloss Nymphenburg after breakfast. Karen had at first decided to stay behind, but suddenly she was rushing out of the Pension to join Maya and I. Eric was to remain inside all day and finish preparing for his lecture and Friedrich was not up to the walking and wandering that the day promised. The subway system is so incredibly well organized. We caught a train to Sendlinger Tor and switched to another, alit at Gern and walked along a canal full of ducks and geese and swans (they love their waterfowl) to the palace, which was the summer residence for the rulers of Bavaria.

It felt like a mini Versailles, but more relaxed and intimate. The main palace was baroque and rococo style, but with a relaxed feel in the rooms, reflecting the holiday purpose of the place. Ludwig the First loved good looking women and had all his favorite women painted and hung side by side. He had a scandalous affair with a courtesan and she, along with his wife were part of his collection of beautiful women.

We did not spend too much time in the main palace, which was not extensive, but enjoyed the gardens and the fountains and the pavilions that dotted the grounds. There was a small palace for the king's wife, another pavilion for the king to rest with a large swimming pool and delightful rooms covered in Chinese style wallpaper and wall paintings, a church designed to look like a grotto or a hermitage, greenhouses and a nearby botanical garden,a museum with all the grand carriages of the kings and photos of all the favorite horses (like the beautiful women). It took the better part of the day to wander the grounds, to try desserts at a nearby bakery (Maya loved the 'spitzbuben', while Karen chose the poppyseed cake), energize on coffee, eat lunch outside in the sunshine, to visit all the palaces. Karen had to meet Friedrich and some friends at the Chinesiches Turm in the Englisher Garten, so Maya and I took a little more time to get back to the hotel.

Eric felt he had accomplished enough, so he monitored Maya while she practiced her violin. I wandered around a bit more. The Englisher Garten was full of soccer fans in red jerseys. There was a game at 6:30 at the stadium, and revelers were drinking and celebrating before the game. An 'Umpah band' was playing, and fans were loud and joyous. Later when Maya and Eric joined me the fans were off to the stadium (their team did in fact win) and it was quieter except for the band and groups of drinkers celebrating some more.

We met at a Syrian restaurant and had wonderful Middle Eastern food. Karen tried to engage the owner in discussion about what was happening in Syria, but he did not participate and seemed reticent and perhaps far removed from his home after living in Munich for ten years. He cooked everything from scratch and fresh and it was absolutely marvelous. Karen had brought Maya here after the ballet the night before and Maya was super enthused and insistent that we return to the same restaurant for the evening. It was a remarkably good meal and much appreciated.

We will meet with family tomorrow. I have not seen these people for over thirty years and at this point am wondering why I am making contact at all, but I am also interested in how they are doing. We will take the subway to meet them at 11:30.

May Day, The First of May

We had a remarkable family day.

Modern Art

I am sleeping in every morning, not because I want to or need to (perhaps I need to), but because I really cannot sleep at all (jetlag) and have been taking Ambien each night. Eric insists that it is not necessary to do so, but I cannot imagine sleeping without help and I do not want to ruin my time here by not sleeping. I am worried that I will be unable to sleep at all when I get home, but I usually do fine going west. I am booked for a whole day of work the morning after I arrive the evening before and the rest of the week, and I do not expect to rest until the weekend.

So days start late, since Maya and Eric also sleep in, and we are enjoying our breakfast spread. We ate all together and then walked to the Modern Art Museum. Actually, Friedrich and Karen took a cab to a small museum (Lenbach) which turned out to be closed for renovations (not to open until 2013). Eric and Maya and I walked and spent some time photographing Eric in a worshipful pose in front of a statue of 'Ohm' near the Technical University. It is significant that we are staying on Ohmstrasse, and that Eric studies electricity, which is what Ohm theorized about. Ohm is vitally important to the work that Eric does, and it is interesting that not only are we staying on Ohm Street, we also found his statue today. When we learned that the small collection Friedrich wanted to show us was closed, we debated about where to spend our day. We were close to several museums, two of which were devoted to Greece and Rome and antiquities, but in the end we chose the Modern Art museum near the Brandhorst, which Karen and I had seen the day before.

The building is massive and remarkable, with a huge central court with amazing light and huge spaces throughout. The twentieth century art collection was excellent, and I learned about all sorts of German expressionists I had never heard of. I recognized many names from my art course, which was a good start to appreciating what I saw, but I could not feel enthusiastic about Beuys at all (my teacher had been so impressed with him!). I think the best part of the museum was the architecture. A lot of the contemporary stuff was rather awful, but not as horrific as the Twombly of the Brandhorst, and after a delicious lunch in the cafe, Eric and Maya and Friedrich left for siestas and a bike ride (for Maya and Eric) and violin practice, and Karen and I continued with the rest of the collection (after we all had ice creams nearby---I had seen long lines at this ice cream shop, and decided we had to try it…interesting flavors, like lemon with basil, ginger chocolate, milk and mint).

When we had looked at every gallery in the museum, we recharged with coffee (there are coffee shops everywhere in Munich, at every corner) and walked to the other side of the Isar to look at a Jugentstil house (designed and owned by an artist name Stuck) which I liked a lot. It had all sorts of Greek and Roman reliefs. I wonder if they had been stolen from their original sites, or if the artist had bought them or copied them. There was little explanation of the pieces, so I never did figure it out. Italy and Greece influenced so many artists.

Karen had bought ballet tickets for Maya and her and Friedrich, so Eric and I found a dance performance at a dance festival and were exposed to super modern dance, which did not have a clear narrative (Eric thought it was about the internal dialogue of a man) but had interesting dancing and movement. We had beer and wurst and spargelsuppe in the downstairs of a 'bierstube' near Marienplatz. It was bizarre to see young partners in lederhosen and dirndls. This is very much a partying town, and the streets were full of people out on the town. We got home very late, and Maya was already asleep with Karen and Friedrich in their bed. We moved her without much difficulty and somehow I could not fall asleep. Eric had had a few 'Weissbier' and had no trouble at all…..I am still on East Coast time.

Bier and Wurst

Neuschwanstein

I have always wished to visit Neuschwanstein, and with Maya traveling with us, me even more so. It appeared that we would not make it today. Eric woke up early and I heard him clicking away on his computer, but Maya and I slept as long as we could before having a quiet meal in the breakfast room, very German, with cold cuts and cheese slices and 'quark' and good yoghurt with muesli. The coffee reminded me of our year in Bonn, although it is not exactly what I like; I remember that my mother always preferred the German rather than the Italian way of making coffee. Maya asked for tea, but did not appear to enjoy her herb variation. Breads of all kinds, including semmel and a very heavy thick slightly sweet loaf, along with crispbread and heavy dark grainy bread that my mother would make on her own from scratch when we were young. We were the only ones eating and it appeared that there were no other guests in our pension, but likely if there were, they woke up early and were out and about sightseeing. I wanted to catch the 8:51 train to Fussen, which is the train station nearest the castle, but I adjusted and planned for the 9:51 instead. Eric kept working on emails, and once we were out, I rushed us down a big thoroughfare to Marienplatz and to the right to the Hauptbahnhof. We missed our train, but learned that the ride was two hours!!! The tourist office tried to sell us a tour, but we decided to enjoy good espresso at Starbucks and shopped for a picnic of cheese and salami and tangerines and made it to the 10:51 and settled in for a pleasant cruise through the Bavarian countryside south to the Alps. The fields were spread out in all directions with small farmhouses here and there, and occasionally a small town along the way. The mountains suddenly appeared, grand and imposing and suddenly we were in Fussen, found our way to the bus and arrived in the tourist complex between two castles. We decided to try to visit the Hohenschwangau, the original and older castle, along with the fairytale Neuschwanstein, which was the fantastical creation of Ludwig the Second, who died at 40, mysteriously drowned with his doctor friend in the lake near Munich. He had grown up in a much older mideaval structure nearby, which had been renovated in a neoGothic style, each room with wall paintings depicting an earlier era of knights and maidens and legends.

I loved the Hohenschwangau castle, because it was lived in and warm and inviting, and I enjoyed the romantic pictures on the walls of knights performing honorable deeds, maidens loving swans and knights, kings being brave were entertaining. None of the paintings showed blood, even in the battle scenes. I imagined Ludwig growing up here, and could understand his desire to build an even more fantastical place nearby. He was removed from the throne because he spent too much money, and was declared insane, although apparently that was not true. His brother Otto was in fact totally crazy, but Ludwig is beloved because of his romantic nature and his optimism.

Neuschwanstein is entirely fantasy, each room covered with murals depicting the operatic stories of Wagner. Ludwig loved Wagner, and rejoiced in the legends. He even had a grotto created as one room (Tannhauser). The one thing I bought in the gift shop was a book about the original stories behind the operas, all of which were horribly complicated and confusing. While in the castle, I simply appreciated the romance of it all. Ludwig did not spend too much time in his dream castle, and it felt unlived in. In fact it became a museum soon after it his death, as a way to pay for the cost of building it.

It was lovely to walk around the castles and view the lakes and mountains nearby, ice and snow still covering the tops of the highest peaks. There was a lot of walking required, and unfortunately when Maya wanted to explore a lake on our way from one castle to the next, I managed to fall and twist my ankle, which swelled up massively, and left me in lots of pain, which I tried to ignore for the afternoon.

We explored as much as we could, and made it back to Fussen in time to look for dinner. The town looks very Tirolean to me, with painted stucco houses with wooden balconies and shutters, reminding me of Sterzing and my childhood. We snacked on yummy 'Doners' at a Turkish takeout and took the slow train to Munich, arriving late and not wanting to walk the 40 minutes to our pension, so had to figure out the UBahn to our place, which worked out fine. The streets near Pension Greiner were full of revelers, one bar with six huge screens displaying a soccer game, with screams of joy when the favored team scored. What a great day for us!

Munich and Castles

Negotiating a New Lease

Easter Celebration Two Days Early!

Whirlwind in New York City!

New York City in the Morning

Yahoo!!! Rome in July!

I can hardly contain my excitement!!!! I just bought my tickets to Rome for the summer. Maya and I will meet Tara in Rome and head to Sicily for two weeks!!!!!! I am not sure when we were last in Italy, probably during the year before we left for Ecuador, so it has been over two years since I have been in my most beloved country. I have never been to Sicily and am anticipating our visit with much enthusiasm. Eric and I are trying to plan to meet afterward to do something romantic for our 10th anniversary. I am stunned that we have been married ten years, through thick and thin and all sorts of challenges and we remain married. What a shock! so time to celebrate!

Running and Splat

I took the day off to spend with Maya for her Easter break, but instead became convinced during the night that I had a DVT and a pulmonary embolism ( spent all day Friday on the train from Baltimore to New York and back and Sunday from Baltimore to DC and back), so I decided to visit Patient First for a checkup (I called my OB and was told to call my internist who could not see me today and I could not face the ER) and was pleased with the speed and care I got. My EKG was fine, with a pulse of 52 and a BP of 100 over 48. The Doppler Ultrasound was benign, so the leg pain and chest pain and SOB I had at Yoga class yesterday were all manifestations of anxiety and despair.

I learned last Monday that the lease for our office space (I share with several therapists) was up in five weeks and I had to find a new office space immediately. I was horrified! But that meant that instead of spending the day with Maya for her holiday, looking for office space was most important. I left Maya home with Eric to 'chill' ( which she loves to do and never gets enough of). It turned out she had a great day fixing up her room and pursuing projects ( I bought a kit to design a house for her at MOMA and she is thrilled with it) and practiced violin and then went out with Eric to buy some fish and a tank, which she installed in the sunroom and was excited and happy to show me when I got home. She had expressed interest in going to the aquarium, but going to the fish store proved equally exciting, and it was delightful to see her so happy.

I looked at some office possibilities and then met with the other therapists in my office space to discuss options. It appears that we have a good possibility and there are further details to sort out among us, but I believe it will work out. Whew! So much stress. I want to sign the lease before we leave for Munich on Sunday. There is much renovation to do in the suite, and I want an address to give to my patients when I come back March 2.

I came home to a very happy child, who showed me each of her new fish and one blue crayfish and each had a name and a character. They are Amazon fish with an Australian crayfish, the most regal being the 'black ghost', one of the species that Eric has in his lab.

Maya did not want to go to yoga with me tonight. We had rushed home from our day in DC yesterday to participate in Sid's class in the evening and Maya was ver inspiring for the whole class, she truly is very good at yoga and puts me to shame. But it is an intense class and tough to do two days in a row. She fiddled with her fish while I sweated and stretched and once home we all had dinner together and discussed fish some more.

I realized that Maya really needed a relaxing day. I push and run all the time and drag her with me everywhere. Yesterday after her hour with her accompanist Jake, we picked up Belina and drove to DC to see the collection at the Hirschorn and the Dutch galleries at the National Gallery and the sculpture gardens, and although Maya was not too enthusiastic at first, she did appear to enjoy herself as the day progressed. But she was exhausted, especially after yoga, and wanted to do nothing for one day.

My friend Emily believes that I have some sort of odd genetics, because I sleep so little and do so much and have indefatigable energy all the time. Eric and Maya move so much more slowly, and I get frustrated with them, but perhaps they are equally frustrated with me.

The Deluge

It was raining when I awoke and rained incessantly all day long. I dread going down to the basement to watch the water pour in through the walls. Our roof was repaired in January, but the gutters are broken again and I keep reminding Eric to contact the roofers, but he forgets every day and a day like today gets me reminding him over and over again. Thankfully there is a drain in the middle of the room and it is still working, but water keeps coming. The rain lightens for a bit, then there is a sudden deluge. My raincoat was not effective, so I got quite wet each time I ventured outside. It never occurred to me to find an umbrella, perhaps hoping that if unprepared, the rain would stop.

My alarm went off far too early, after only a few hours of sleep. For Maya, her day began later than usual, so she could sleep in, which relieved me because Eric packed her into the car at midnight to pick me up at the airport last night. I had booked my mammogram appointment this morning, which is why I did not stay in New York for the night. In retrospect, how silly of me to choose such an inconvenient time. I was able to make it to my Spanish class at Hopkins, of course getting soaked on the way from the car to the classroom. I love my Spanish class; we read incredible Spanish literature and discuss what we read. Our teacher is from Argentina and one of the students just came back from three weeks in the country, so we had a slide show and Judith reminisced about Buenas Aires.

I had a few patients booked, but the rain appeared to keep them away, so I spent the time waiting going through 16000 emails and deleting whatever I could to reduce the number to 7000. I still have far more to go through, but I felt oddly satisfied with the exercise. I had promised Maya to pick up books at the downtown library (about the violin, her sixth grade project) and ran into the 'City Lit' festival, with booths in rows of local authors and their works. I got wet again when I ran back to the car in the rain. Maya was off to Emily's house for the afternoon, while I made it to a yoga class, during which I watched the rain pouring down outside.

It was the movies for the evening, 'Miral', a story about the Palestinian experience since 1947, sobering, realistic, sad. When we left the Charles Theatre, everyone was huddled at the entrance, waiting for the rain to stop, but Eric and I got soaked again on our way to the car, and from the car to Emily's to pick up Maya, and when we arrived home I checked the basement to assure myself that the rain was still seeping through the walls and collecting in the drain. Eric tells me that tomorrow no rain is predicted. It will take many days to feel dry again.

Pompeii, MOMA and Tavernier

A very long, wonderful day in New York to do anything I desired....I woke Eric up at 5:30 to catch the early train (where I caught up on sleep) and walked out of Penn station before 9 with thirteen hours of adventure ahead of me. Walking along Seventh Avenue with all the activity and energy was the perfect way to start the day. I stopped at Starbucks for espresso and the New York Times, where I heard Swedish and French and Italian and Spanish along with English. There were an extraordinary number of tourists in the city today.

I stopped at the Discovery Theatre to visit the 'Pompei exhibit', and found myself entirely absorbed, despite competing with dozens of high school students, who packed every room and seemed mildly interested. My phone did not work inside the building, so when I came out I had several messages to catch up with. Emily had called for advice about her family visit, but by the time I called her back, she was unavailable. My phone was almost dead, so called Eric to remind him of when I would arrive at the train station in Baltimore, and put it away in my pocket. It is odd not to have a phone, and there are were no payphones to be seen. I tried not to think of not having any form of communication, and enjoyed my solitude for the afternoon.

Times Square is the perfect place for people watching. There were far too many locals in shorts or bare legs, although the weather was not warm at all. New Yorkers are hardy sorts. l listened to Andean music, and checked TKTS for shows that began early enough so I could catch my train on time, it being the last train of the night. Unfortunately nothing started early, so Broadway would not be on the agenda for today. I stopped at Jamba Juice for an 'Orange Appeal' and stayed inside to drink my cold drink in an effort to warm up before venturing outside.

My purpose for the day was to get to MOMA to see the 'Abstract Expressionist' exhibit as a project of my Contemporary Art class. I enjoyed myself more than I expected, perhaps because I knew all the names of the artists and had been exposed to many of the artworks already. I took the Audioguide and listened carefully to all the comments. I am not sure that really helped me appreciate or understand what I saw, but familiarity does appear to make a difference. After several hours in the contemporary art section, I relaxed in the 19th and early 20th century, which was easy to appreciate.

The final treat at the MOMA was the design store, where I found gifts for Eric and Maya. It was still light after seven hours in the museum, so I walked to Central Park past Carnegie Hall and was entertained by the people walking and stopping and hailing cabs and bicycling and watching others in turn.

I decided I could watch a movie at the Lincoln Plaza cinema and saw the 'Princess of Montpensier', a story about a woman during the time of the religious wars in France between the Catholics and the Hugenots. It was mostly an antiwar movie, with the awakening of a young woman (slowly, painfully) along the way. I did manage to escape from the theatre in a rush, hail a cab and arrive at Penn Station in good time for my train with a Chai to warm me up. I did all my Spanish homework on the train and slept a bit, but not too much for fear of missing the Baltimore stop. Eric and Maya drove up as I walked out, Maya asleep on the back couch and Eric insisting that I had given him the wrong information about my arrival. I was feeling too good to let anything bother me.

I LOVE TO COOK!

Pilates Ballet Yoga Moving

New Camera

Saturday, Sunday, Monday

Charlotte Bronte and Jane Eyre

Cirque de Soleil

Yoga, Pilates, Art, Photography, Ballet.....

Never a Dull Moment

Red Eye to Baltimore Springtime

Camelback Mountain

I started my day early, but not too early, since I did not set an alarm and wok up when I felt like it, and it was 6:43 here, but 9:43 in Baltimore, so in fact I slept in. I walked toward Camelback mountain, which is the only elevation I could see after walking out of the hotel. I had no idea how to get to the trailhead, but kept the mountain in front of my nose, and encountered quail and rabbits on the way to the 'Cholla' trailhead. There were several hikers on the trail, and I climbed a bit, but turned around, since I had no water, nor had I told anyone where I was going, nor was I equipped with proper footwear or clothing.

It was a lovely morning, bright with sunshine and warm but hot sweltering, and it felt good to be out and get my requisite dose of Vitamin D. It was reassuring to see mountains all around, since even having walked around Scottsdale, I was overwhelmed with the flatness of everything, and missing any perception of elevation. There are in fact mountains in each direction.

I joined the meeting in my sweaty walking clothes for breakfast and a panel I paid little attention to. When I returned to my room I had to pack as well as shower and change, and I came to the talk late. I am frustrated by the lack of facts and useful information at the meeting. There are almost no physicians here, and I understand why. I questioned being here, but stayed for most of the day. When I finally could not sit any longer, I took another walk looking at the vegetation and more rabbits and quail (obviously doing well here) before another body treatment/massage (I could get used to this!).

I like the desert, but it is very very hot. I did not realize when I was walking yesterday that it was 100 degrees, so very extreme!!!! I can imagine it being oppressive and overwhelming after a while, but people here seem to like it and appreciate it. The hikers at Camelback this morning were all enthusiastic and energetic and all had ample water with them. I guess hiking at 7 AM makes perfect sense. The mall attracts most of the population. It is truly a gorgeous mall, as malls go, with great stores and nothing tacky or tasteless in it. Shopping is clearly a favourite pastime here, and evidently the locals are able to afford the best stores. There is no evidence of economic difficulties here. Scottsdale is clearly upscale, I am sure Phoenix is different. I like that everything looks so clean and crisp here, so different from Baltimore, and the East coast.

When I visit the west I am reminded that I am a westerner, and I have always been a stranger on the east coast. I wonder when I will move back, to Utah or California or British Columbia or anywhere west of the Rockies. I know I need mountains, or some sort of elevation, but I think that is the only requirement.

100 Degrees in the Shade

Our room was disappointing. I shared a kingsize bed with Sharon (we were to move to two double beds tomorrow) and she snored alot, so sleep was interrupted. Our toilet was broken and ran all night, but Sharon closed the door to the bathroom and that made it tolerable. A patient called me at 4:31, probably not realizing that I was in a timezone three hours later than Baltimore, so I lay in bed afterward without sleeping. Despite that both Sharon and I woke up late and dressed hurriedly, just in time for the conference to start.

The first few sessions were interesting, but the talks soon devolved into 'preaching to the choir', with many enthusiastic practitioners lamenting the ills of society and insurance companies and doctors. There is great need for education in eating disorders, and little convincing information or data, and I get frustrated when I hear so much not based in fact or research. I also found out when I got here that I would not get CME credits, which I had expected and I am not sure I would have gone if I had known. I guess that is why there are so few physicians here.

I finally decided to escape, and walked the length of Scottsdale, to the 'Fashion Square' mall, the 'Fifth Avenue' section and the 'Old Town'. Scottsdale is a long strip mall, with upscale shops of all sorts, the usual mall stores, but also many specialty shops and artisan malls. There is even a 'waterfront', a 'malecon' of sorts along a canal.

I did not realize how hot it was until I got back and checked out the news. It was the hottest day of the year, unseasonably hot and unexpectedly hot. I was comfortable, the walk was flat with no hills and did not take much effort. I can imagine it being oppressive, but I felt comfortable, and escaped for a breather when I could.

We were invited out for dinner with a group of clinicians involved with one of the treatment centres, and I tried a sort of Armenian pizza, which was delicious and satisfying, and visited a beautiful office complex, which made me wonder why my office is so drab and unattractive. Perhaps I will be motivated to make some changes in my office space.

In the Desert

I almost missed my flight. I fell asleep too late, perhaps around 1:30, then woke up at 4 and was out the door by 4:20. I could not find my keys, but they were in one of my bags, since the car did start. I made good time and got to the garage by 4:50. There was a problem with the bus, so it took too long to get to the terminal. The American Airlines queue was long and not moving, so I went outside to use a skycab, and chose to pay the $25 for checking a bag, which made it easier to get through security and to my gate, where the plane was almost completely boarded. I sat in a very tight seat beside a larger than normal man, and was surprised that I slept at all.

The sun was rising over Chicago as we landed, and the airport was relatively civilized. I was able to call Eric and Maya and wish them good morning; they were waiting for the school doors to open. I finished my Spanish homework on the way to Phoenix. The view from the plane was lovely, the sun shining fiercely and mountains everywhere.

Phoenix was already hot at 10 AM. I had never seen so many golfbags, clearly Phoenix is a golf destination. I took the shuttle to the Firesky Resort, a peaceful oasis with birds and flowers and pools and all sorts of conferences going. I found Sharon eating breakfast and she joined me for lunch. We both booked a massage, a bizarre combination of water jets while being massaged, which left me loose and relaxed. It is interesting that both Sharon and Renee are so devoted to body treatments; two weekends in a row at the spa is a record!

I dragged myself to the meeting and the reception afterward, to grab enough hors d'oeuvres for a tapas like dinner, meet and greet as many recognizable faces as possible (many had been at my home over the years) and find my way to my king size bed (Sharon and I were supposed to get a double, but are sharing the bed for tonight). There is a huge party in front of my room next to the pool, with a DJ and socializing people, probably an activity for another conference group, so sleep does not seem possible for now. It is almost 11 East Coast time, and I am ready for bed.

Phoenix

Back in the Bubble

Never Fly Through Toronto

I enjoyed my last night in my giant bed and down comforter, and was delighted to be woken up by rays of sunshine peeking through the curtains. These past four days have been so very sunny! The hotel is very pleasant, and I enjoyed my cappuccinos and croissants and fruit salad in the lobby. I decided to walk in the fresh air, at least for a bit, and when I could no longer tolerate the cold wind, I hailed a cab, the driver of which was horribly disappointed that I did not ask to go to the airport. I was wheeling my suitcase over the cobblestones and I imagine I looked as if I was a potentially better fare.

Tara called while I was walking and I suggested we meet at the Art Museum. She was not there when I arrived, and after waiting longer than I ought, I decided to visit the 'Terracotta Warrior' exhibit. Tara arrived later and did not want to see the exhibit, so I met her briefly at her favourite cafe (Myriade) on Mackay near her residence. Our discussion was not satisfying, but it was good to see her for a few minutes.

I convinced her to walk me to the 747 bus, where we had little time to say goodbye. I was disappointed that she did not want to accompany me to the airport, there never seems to be enough quality time for us.

Toronto airport is a nightmare. The immigration holding area is packed to the gills with passengers. We are all reassured that we will make it to our flight, but when we get through the line and then through security, my flight is long gone, and I am lucky to get on the last plane to Baltimore late in the evening. I am also relieved to encounter free internet and am able to skype my parents and talk to Eric and Maya and catch up on my reading (I am reading the same book on my iphone and my kindle and that somehow seems so remarkable).

More Pain

Renee had arranged a spa morning and picked me up early. Tara decided last minute to join us, and showed up at breakfast at the hotel. We drove across the Champlain bridge to Brossard, to a huge outdoor shopping complex. I was not sure how Montrealers feel about shopping outside in minus 40 degree weather. I was glad to be inside having a massage and a steam bath and a sauna and a hot tub. We met Maurice for lunch at a Quebecois restaurant, but Tara insisted on returning to McGill to see a colleague's play, so Renee drove her back and they both missed lunch. Maurice and I took our time, and talked about Eric and his work and drove back across the St Lawrence later. It was a another gorgeous sunny bluesky day, but cold again.

I met Tara for high tea at 'Le Maitre Chocolatier' on Sherbrooke. I had bought a 'Livingsocial' coupon for two servings of high tea. Somehow we found ourselves in another unpleasant discussion, and I needed a few hours to recover before I backtracked to the theatre to see her play. She did a great job of directing and I was impressed. She was off to celebrate with her friends, so after congratulating her, I walked very quickly in the cold and wind to my cozy hotel room, CNN and Saturday Night Live.

I feel so sad about my relationship with Tara, and I have no idea how to repair it, so I can only hope that perhaps one day, we will be closer and more connected.

Visiting my Daughter

Visiting Montreal is always a treat. I found a lovely hotel in the old town near the water. I read a review in the New York Times some months ago, but the 'Le Petit Hotel' was full each time I came to visit, until this time. There are only 24 rooms with big king size beds, funky furniture, a delicious breakfast each morning, and it is close to many wonderful restaurants, bars, galleries and 16th century buildings. It takes about 25 minutes to walk to McGill, mostly uphill in the freezing cold, but I enjoy the walk. I took a taxi last night, because I had my suitcase, and I really was not sure of my way, but after meeting Tara for breakfast, I took my time strolling through the old town snapping a few photos of the art deco buildings against the stark blue of the sky.

Tara visited me for breakfast at 'Le Petit Hotel' and we caught up after several months of separate lives. We walked through Old Montreal, but Tara had an appointment to get to and rushed off, while I took my time strolling along the cobblestone streets and up to the main shopping street, Ste Catherine. Renee picked me up on de Maisonneuve and McGill and drove us to 'Il Cortile' for Italian food which was not as good as expected. Somehow Italian food anywhere but in Italy doesn't taste quite right.

I thought that Tara's play was on tonight, but in fact there are thirteen plays by different directors over two weeks, and she had the night off. She suggested we go to the ballet and I admired her persistence in waiting at the entrance to the theatre at Place des Arts until the last moment for returns and we got tickets to the very last row of seats in the theatre. The Grands Ballets Canadiens are amazing, and the first dance was accompanied by the 'Four Seasons' by Vivaldi, the second by four women singing Neapolitan songs -- the effect was impressive and the dancing shocking; a combination of modern and ballet. There was a certain violence in the movements, and of course it appeared as if the dance was about the relationship between men and women, tender and violent.

I should have headed home after a good evening and a good day, but Tara wanted chocolate at 'Juliette et Chocolat', and I was remembering the amazing Italian chocolate that Maya and I had skiing, so I agreed to walk through the cold and the wind, to St Denis where we stood in line outside for over a half hour until we got a table and ordered chocolate delights. Unfortunately our conversation devolved into unpleasantness. I never know how to respond to Tara's perception of her life and my role in it and I end up defending myself and getting into worse and worse trouble. This was the sort of conversation I do my best to avoid and I wonder why I keep walking into the same script over and over again.

I arrived at my hotel frozen and agitated and could not sleep for hours.

Sunshine

It was so remarkably sunny when I got off the plane in Toronto. I flew in a small 20 seater from Baltimore, so we had to walk outside, down the stairs and across the tarmac to the terminal. I was not expecting to wear sunglasses, and closed my eyes to manage the brightness. I realize how grey and dreary it has been in Baltimore these past few days, with water pouring out of the sky and into my basement. We had been waiting for the roofers to come by and fix a gutter and some roof tiles. In the meantime, my basement is a mess. It feels good to be far away from my basement.

I felt I could breathe in the brightness, and felt relieved to be back in Canada. I found myself speaking differently, more like a Canadian, I could feel the lilt in my voice. I liked that immigration was easy and no one interrogated me. Of course I absolutely detest the airport, the worst airport in the entire world, where one is required to walk and walk and walk through miles of hallways cut off from the real world behind glass walls. I was so worried I would miss my flight, but when I finally got through security, my flight was delayed. Free internet! How civilized. I sat with a group of jabbering students, who reminded me of the Johns Hopkins groups, playing cards and being loud.

I called Sharon, who was to be picking Maya up from school. She was panicky and lost and an hour and a half late. I directed her street by street to find Maya, who did not appear too distressed. I had hoped Maya and Sharon would have a chance to see Hilary Hahn, who was giving a benefit concert for Japan, but Sharon was too discombobulated after getting lost ( I did not anticipate that Sharon would find it so difficult to manage Maya's schedule). I calmed down, reminding myself that what Maya and Sharon do is out of my control.

When I found my seat on the plane that was already an hour late taking off, there was a mechanical problem to be attended to, and we spent another hour on the tarmac until we were safe to go. I arrived in Montreal far too late to see Tara's play. I took the 747 bus to Mansfield and walked up the hill to McGill and waited for the play to finish. I recognized many of the faces in the audience when the play ended. Tara was happy and was complimented repeatedly. There was time for Indian food at the Taj, with a mango lassi for dessert, and off went Tara to party with her friends, and I found a Moroccan taxi driver to discuss the state of the Middle East with, and found 'Le Petit Hotel' in Old Montreal, with stone walls and modern minimalist furniture and free internet.

Maya left me several messages to tell me she was doing great. Sharon brought her cats with her and Maya is enjoying playing with Ellie and Bethany. Eric is in Minneapolis after a good talk in Lowell and more talks and dinners to participate in. The bed looks big and comfy and inviting.....

Off Again

Eric left Tuesday morning for Lowell, Massachusetts for a job talk and interview, and is off to Minneapolis Thursday for another set of lectures. So Maya and I had a few days together. I picked her up early from school yesterday for two hours of violin at Peabody, one with her accompanist and another with her teacher. After her contemporary dance class, I took her to my contemporary art lecture where she was not too interested. I found that I actually liked a modern artist, who in fact had my last name (?relation?)(Gerhard Richter).

Maya had a 'shadow' day at Roland Park today, a chance to go to a sixth grade class in the "Ingenuity Project', a public school program for gifted children that focuses on math and science. I am not sure what she ought to do next year. The Montessori program is flakey but fun, the Ingenuity Project is intense and focused; entirely opposite, and both suit Maya just fine. I wish I knew what was best for her. Eric believes she will do well whatever she chooses to do, I want her to be happy, but challenged too. Decisions, decisions. Eric usually picks Maya up on Wednesdays, has her practice her violin and drives her to ballet, so my schedule has to be dramatically altered to adjust, but all worked out well. Maya liked the program, but it was odd that she was separated from her best friend (someone had written in large block letters to keep them apart). Ava's mother and I called each other back and forth in an effort to find out who had made that recommendation, but got nowhere with our efforts.

Maya and I both had ballet classes, and there was little time to feed her or relax or discuss our lives. Once she was asleep, I was packing and cleaning house and catching up with billing and whatever else I could think of doing prior to my departure. Eric had a good day, a successful lecture and a good impression of the university he visited.

I was excited to see Tara and Montreal and get back on a plane three days from the last one.

Back Home

First Day of Spring

I Love Snow!

Tax Time!

Time Change

Surviving a Tsunami

The pictures are horrific. I did not see them until late tonight, and I could not stop watching. I wondered if the places I visited have survived, if the people I knew, the homes I stayed in, are still there. I was in Kyoto, Tokyo and a small town called Maizuru on the coast, where I learned how to waterski and ate sea urchins at the beach. I switched off the television when I found myself in tears, and Maya started reacting too. I am not sure I have ever seen anything so terrifying.

The day proved to be exhausting, and when I woke up I knew it was going to be challenging, so I enjoyed my time with Maya while driving her to school, and visited with Emily for breakfast at the Evergreen Cafe, avoiding any thought of what was to come. I did have a patient to see, but was preoccupied the whole hour with my impending visit to the police station. I have discovered yesterday that a longtime patient had been forging my prescriptions. In November, I had reported her to the police, but since she lived in the city and passed off her prescription at a pharmacy in the city, so the county police, whom I reported her to, were unable to go to the city to arrest her. This time she went to a pharmacy in the county, so the police reassured me that she would be charged and my concerns would be taken seriously. We shall see... I spent less time than expected at the police station, but the experience was distressing, and I felt relieved but depressed afterward.

My cleaning lady complained that the kitchen was so dirty she had to work on it for two hours. Eric had been baking bread nightly and there were crumbs everywhere. She complains every time she cleans, and I want to tell her it is her job to clean and that is what she is paid for. Eric had been urging me to fire her and find someone who is happier about cleaning, but I have been too lazy to search for someone new.

My mood was grey and the day was grey. Thankfully it was not raining and the basement was drier. We had Indian food for dinner and went to the Senator Theatre to see 'Rango', which was mildly entertaining and thankfully did not offend Maya. It is a challenge to find good films that suit her too.

Water Water Everywhere

Puzzle Mania

Puzzle Mania

Pop Art

Back in Baltimore

Venice and Tahiti

Home for the Weekend

And Today was a Day of Rest?

I felt silly when Julien asked me over dinner why I looked so relaxed today and I responded that of course today was my day of rest. I explained that I started with a 6:50 wake up call, but I was up before that. I showered, made breakfast and lunch for Maya and Belina (who slept over for the night), drove them to school, drove to Towson for a mat pilates class, then had an hour and a half facial, got my car washed, took an hour reformer pilates class, picked up Maya a half hour early from school, drove her home for a little violin practice, drove her to ballet class, saw three patients at my office, finished up paperwork and deposited the week's payments in the bank, went shopping for the week's groceries at Trader Joes, picked up Maya, droved her home to practice more violin, made salmon with scallops, cheese sauce and peas, and an apple crisp, drove to the Benichous for dinner and finally sat down and enjoyed the evening. This was no day of rest!!!!

I am not sure that I ever truly rest. There are too few hours in the day to get everything done, and I am running from the moment my day starts until I fall in to bed exhausted well after midnight. I sleep perhaps five hours a night. The rest of the 21 hours are jampacked with activity.

It felt good to see the Benichous for the evening. We have both been so busy it has not happened enough.

Pilates, Yoga, Ballet

Wednesday is a busy work day, but the day starts with a pilates class at Goucher college near my office, and ends with a ballet class downtown at Peabody, and today I had a cancelation at 5, so I was able to add a yoga class as well, which made the day quite perfect. I have always exercised regularly, but since my recent neck reinjury, I have modified my regime, no longer lifting weights or running. Instead, I am addicted to almost daily yoga, pilates two or three times a week, and ballet every Wednesday after Maya's class. I get to watch Maya and her friends being graceful and gorgeous, and then a group of middle-aged women in all shapes and sizes takes over. Tim, the teacher for both Maya's and my class, simply tolerates us. He focusses his energy on the young and impressionable in our group, and stays away from me. I believe I am past all hope in that class, but I keep going. I close my eyes in the early part, feeling the movements more intensely that way. I am sure he disapproves, but I don't pay him too much attention. I am not sure why I like the class, but I like the clarity and the discipline.

I realize that I am excessive about exercise. I actually practice what I preach to my patients; I spend at least an hour a day exercising, and feel out of sorts when I do not. Despite all the activity, I remain heavier than I want to be. Eric tells me that no amount of exercise will change my size, but I am not ready to starve myself. At least I remain healthy.

Between stretching and breathing, I had a steady stream of patients, and took care of several piles on my desk. I am not terribly busy at work but I make little effort to change that. I am not sure I want to be busier, but I get nervous when my bank account isn't as robust as I like it. I keep thinking about retirement and what I want to do with my life. I am not sure I expected to work steadily for 30 years! I feel lucky that I enjoy my patients and the profession, but there is so much more that I want to accomplish. It is amazing to me that my sisters and my mother had not worked steadily in their adult lives, that they have depended entirely on their husbands for income. I feel that I am 30 years behind!!!! Eight to ten hours daily have been devoted to patients and their problems. What would I have done with those hours if I had not been in the office? There are so many books I wish to read, places to see, hobbies to explore, so much of life that I have missed by being devoted to my practice. I wonder if it is simply time to retire and open new possibilities in my life. But that is not going to happen, since I support a husband and child, and I have nothing to live on if I am not working.

Red Shoes

March means spring, or at least the beginning of spring, so it is time to push my black salt stained boots to the back of the closet and pull out the red shoes. Spring is colour and lightness. The snow is gone and most likely will not be back until next year.

It was far too cold for red patent leather sling backs, and although I tried to walk outside without an overcoat, I did not last long, and decided that I would throw out my faded black leather jacket in a few more weeks. The sun was shining all day, and looking outside my office window convinced me even more that spring is near.

When I picked Maya up for her afternoon violin lesson, her teacher canceled at the last moment, so Maya and I had time to visit 'Cold Stone Creamery' for an ice cream, although I was not quite ready for a cold snack (Maya is ready anytime)...perhaps next month!

I returned to my 'Contemporary Art' class, where we sped through 'Abstract Expressionism'. I am hoping to appreciate modern art, and I am excited to return to the MOMA as soon as possible to revisit pieces I have never had much interest in. I wonder when I am going to have that 'ah hah' moment, when the meaning and beauty and depth of modern art will strike me. de Kooning is all about emotion and transformative art, but I am not there yet. Rothko isn't touching me yet either.....we move to pop art next week, so I am not sure I will 'get it', but I am excited about visiting several museums nearby for possible catharsis.

My daughter returned from Cuba yesterday, or perhaps the day before. I believe she had no internet or phone during her vacation, so I have not had any contact since she left, but I am excited to hear about her observations and adventures. I always thought we would visit Cuba together, but she chose to go with her school friends, which is understandable, but I am sad we did not share the experience together.

No Board Meeting

Mondays usually mean board meetings, which are relatively new to me and often challenging. I have missed a few, first while I was traveling in Ecuador, and since my return, somehow snowstorms and holiday Mondays have eclipsed scheduled meetings. The organization is becoming a nonprofit, and the members are all incredibly hardworking and focussed (except for me, I dibble and dabble). I was determined not to miss the meeting tonight and made sure to be available. I received a text and email an hour before to cancel the event, and so suddenly I had an hour and a half free. I moved my billing office to my home, so I could only file and organize in my office, so I went for a short shopping spree at Nordstrom's

I rarely shop. Usually I run in and out a discount store in less that an hour, pulling things off the shelves and relieved to be done and on my way. Browsing is painful to me, and the prices at Nordstrom's were shocking and painful. I descended deep into the basement and picked up a couple of shoes for the spring. Shoes are easy, and I can never have too many shoes. I bought red shoes for spring, and if the weather is right, I will wear them tomorrow.

We woke up with mist covering everything, and it took all morning for the mist to lift, and it felt wet all day. I noticed that the snow is gone, and winter is over in Baltimore.

Academy Awards....

I have seen almost every film nominated, which I do every year, and am always prepared with my favourites at this time of year. I wanted to watch the Academy Awards last year (DVD's are out on the streets the day of release in Quito, so I did in fact see EVERY movie last year too), but in Quito there was no way to find the show on television or computer, so I made sure that I was home and available today for the five hour marathon. The show started with the announcement that it would be only ninety minutes long, but with the three hours of 'red carpet' coverage, along with the four hour show, it was not over until midnight, and I watched it all. I had my billing materials from the office all over the bed in front of me to pour through and I did get work done too--- thankfully.

The presenters were horrible and the winners predictable, but it was exciting to watch the actors receiving their awards. I remember how distressed I was last year when I insisted that Eric find the live-stream on my computer in our apartment in Quito, and so disappointed when his efforts were futile. I learned the next morning who the winners were, and that was entirely satisfactory. I wonder why movies are so exciting to me, why I still enjoy them so much and watch almost every well reviewed movie there is. Tara is studying film at McGill, which makes perfect sense to me, having dragged her to hundreds of movies over the years.

I took Maya and her friends Belina and Emily to the mall to shop today. I found it tiresome, but the girls were excited. 'Justice' is the 'in' clothes store, we stopped at Godiva for chocolate samples, spent over an hour in the 'Build a Bear' store to find clothes for the bears we bought some weeks ago, and even more time in 'Bath and Body Works' for creams and potions for Maya's 'spa'. I so rarely shop, and only ever go to the mall with a purpose and a tight deadline, so this was a stretch for me. I was so relieved when the girls were too tired to go on, and was thankful to get home to read my 'New York Times' and finish the crossword puzzle in record time, and all ready for the awards show when it came on.

Romeo et Juliette

I signed up for an advanced Spanish conversation class, in an effort to get back on track with my Spanish. I am worried about forgetting all that I learned last year and wish to keep up. I could not bear grammar classes, so I thought this would be better for me. It turned out that most of the students were far ahead of me, and had studied many more years. I was worried that it was too challenging for me, but I stayed and I made an effort to participate, and when I asked the teacher whether I should stay she was very reassuring. The class runs every Saturday from 10 to noon, so I had more than enough time to get Maya up and over to Peabody for her 'Performance Academy' day, linger over a coffee, and look for my book at the Johns Hopkins bookstore. It turned out that I needed to order the book, and in class the professor anticipated this problem and had photocopied the chapter of the day. The reading was tough to understand, and I will have to work hard in the class, but it was exciting to be speaking Spanish again, and I look forward to next week.

One of the students in the class was an opera singer and invited me to see 'Romeo and Juliette' in a church in Bolton Hill, a neighbourhood near the art school downtown. Since the local opera company went bankrupt three years ago (I had seasons tickets and lost hundreds of dollars when the season was canceled) several small opera companies have started up. There are so many talented opera singers graduating from Peabody, and many want to stay in Baltimore and sing. The opera is gorgeous, and the singing was awesome. The church setting was appropriate, but the props and the sets were rather lame, and I preferred to close my eyes. Romeo was huge, in contrast to a sleek young Juliette. I loved the music. Poor Eric does not appreciate opera and sat painfullly through the three hour marathon. He was looking forward to dinner at "Teatro Tapas'. When we arrived at the restaurant, we were told the wait was 40 minutes, and we were trying unsuccessfully to find an alternate choice, a table became available and we enjoyed our favourite dishes with a jug of sangria. It is so rare that we have a night off from Maya (she slept over at Emily's house for the night), so it was crucial to take advantage of the evening.

Gnomio and Juliet

My day was not as relaxing as I like my Fridays to be. I scheduled several patients who had missed their appointments earlier in the week due to snow or other obstacles, but was still able to get to a 90 minute yoga class at the start of the day.

Eric met Maya and me at the movie theatre to watch 'Gnomio and Juliet', a British film about gnomes playing the roles of the Capulets and the Montagues. Eric hated the movie, but Maya was delighted, and I was not particularly offended. I was surprised at the good reviews on NPR. Most of the voices belonged to famous actors, which was interesting, because the movie was not all that impressive.

Fridays are yoga days and movie days. I am still trying to figure out how to organize my free days. I want there to be some order to them; I am afraid that if I do not plan anything, I will end up doing nothing and feel frustrated about missing the one relaxed day I have all week.

Planning and Organizing

I have been checking and checking flights day after day. Eric is giving a talk in Munich in May, and has asked Maya and me to accompany him for a week around Maya's spring break. He called his usual travel agent last week, but her prices were no better than those I had found, and she added a booking fee to the total, so I assured him I could do better. I checked prices when we arrived in New York, and they were remarkably good, but Eric and I were too tired to do anything, so I decided to check again when I arrived home. Of course the prices were hundreds of dollars more!!! I panicked and almost decided to forgo the trip altogether, but kept checking and checking. Suddenly a better price appeared, not as good as the price I found in New York, but definitely better than I had seen over the past few days. I was worried that I would lose it and bought a ticket for Maya and myself. Eric will have his trip paid for, so he could spend whatever on it....and did in fact get on the same flight to Munich (but is returning a few days later than Maya and I). Whew!!!!! I spend an inordinate amount of time looking up prices and hemming and hawing about which flight to take. It is such a relief to make a decision. Only after I purchased the ticket did I start looking at flights to Edmonton to see my parents, which were about the price of the flights to Munich, and to Hawaii for my annual psychiatry meeting, again the same price as Munich tickets. I realize that I did better than expected! The prices are getting higher and higher, probably because of the Mid East unrest and the threat to oil production and distribution.

Suddenly the next few months appear full of activity, which is fine because I like to be moving constantly and staying home for weeks on end gets me restless and ready to go. Maya and I go for a short ski trip to Salt Lake in three weeks (I used frequent flyer miles for the trip and the ski resort tickets are already paid for and I stay with friends so it is totally affordable) and then I fly to Montreal to see Tara's play (which she is directing). The next weekend is devoted to a meeting in Scottsdale (eating disorders). I want to fly to Edmonton to see my parents for my mother's birthday, but the cost is outrageous and I want to bring Maya with me. We fly to Munich at the end of April and my Hawaii trip is mid May. Eric is in Cape Cod in June/early July so we will be visiting him weekends for that, and I was hoping to travel to Italy in July, but the prices are again out of this world, so I will be searching and searching some more over the next few weeks.

These travel plans all make me very happy. The more I more, the more I see, the more adventure I have, the happier I am.....so this is all good, albeit the planning and organizing is often painful....

Contemporary Art

I do not appreciate modern art. I puzzle when I stop in front of a canvas painted past 1910, I try to see something significant and I fail every time. Eric is much more savvy, or at least more appreciative. When we visit the National Gallery, he much prefers the new wing, and would rather spend time there. I am pulled to the 15-19 centuries every time.

I decided to take a Contemporary art class at Johns Hopkins. The 'Oddysey Program offers non credit classes of all sorts. I have taken Spanish classes and history classes in the past. I was actually trying to sign up for a Digital Photography class Tuesday nights, but it was full, so Contemporary Art was a second choice, but I am excited about learning more about modern art.

Our professor is a retired Neurosurgeon, who writes poetry and has been involved with the board of the Contemporary Art Museum in Baltimore (which I have never had any interest in visiting). He has a great contemporary art collection in his home and is very enthusiastic about the topic. I arrived late for the class, perhaps only by eight minutes, but I had clearly missed a significant part of his lecture. He was reviewing the movements in art leading up to the end of the 19th century, so I arrived just as the 20th century began. The pace of his talk was relentless, and I can almost say that by the end of the two hours, I could find some tiny bit of wonder at some of the 'abstract expressionists', perhaps a small bit of understanding. Clearly these artists were well trained and had something to communicate. I am now very eager to return to the MOMA and the Whitney and see if this feeling holds. Back to New York as soon as the opportunity presents itself.

Snow Falling In Baltimore

Too much to do in New York City!

Annapolis Symphony

Biutiful

Parking Tickets

Inner and Outer Loops

Valentine's Day

V

Obligation and Romance

Party Party

Playing Hooky

Fridays are supposed to be my day off during the week, when I make time to indulge myself in all sorts of ways, but I never quite manage to rest and relax. I booked a patient in the middle of the day, so after driving Maya to school and taking a morning pilates class, I rushed home to dress and then speed over to the office. I have moved much of my paperwork and billing work to my home office, so all I have in the outside office is patient files and a desk. I could have filed or organized charts and sent off requests for patient charts, but I could not get interested in paperwork. I found myself checking the news from Egypt and playing with my reconditioned laptop and wishing that I truly had all the day off. When my patient did not show up, I was at a loss. I had a couple hours before I was to pick Maya up, I did not feel like filing or shopping or going back to the gym.....

My office is around the corner from a Cinema complex, and so I indulged myself in an afternoon movie, something I cannot remember doing, especially not on a week day and all by myself. I walked a block in the sunshine, and took the escalator to the ticket office. None of the movies were too interesting to me, so I chose the one that started most immediately. I was the only person in the theatre for a few minutes, and for a time I felt vulnerable and unsafe. Two single black men came in and sat far away form me, one to the left and the other to the right ahead of me. There were many previews, and often the previews reflect the tenor of the feature movie, and most of them were interesting and not too scary, so I relaxed a bit.

The film was about aRoman soldier in Britain, trying to find out what happened to his father when the latter disappeared with the Roman 'eagle' in the northern reaches of the island. I found myself thoroughly enjoying the movie, except that when there was violent fighting I closed my eyes and through the sounds could easily follow the action. When I walked out of the theatre in the sunshine, I felt a little guilty for doing something so mindless on a Friday afternoon.

I was late picking Maya up, but not too late to get her to her ballet lesson on time and to make it to a yoga class near my office ( I am truly addicted to yoga, and go almost daily!) We met Eric for dinner at 'Cafe Spice' for chicken tikka masala and chicken vindaloo and lamb chops. We discussed making choices. Do we buy a new dishwasher (ours does noo work and we are washing by hand, which is not so bad) or do we invest in a game like Wii or Kinect. Eric has been pushing for a Kinect, which is an interactive TV/Video game, and was eager to check it out, so he went off to Best Buy to play, while Maya and I went home to practice violin and get ready for bed. I have a huge party at my house tomorrow, so I have much to get organized. The house looks good. I had ERic empty out the sunroom, so suddenly I have so much more space and have to decide what furniture to put in it. Eric will be at the storage unit tomorrow making those decisions. I think he would rather throw everything away and live the more simple life we have now, but I miss my 'things' but am not sure what I have in the storage unit anyway.

Why We Love

Helen Fisher, an anthropologist who writes about humans and love, was giving a talk at the Maryland Science Center, so after picking up Maya and having a yoga class together, I dropped her off at home with Eric while I made a mad dash across town to the Inner Harbour, was relieved to have enough quarters for the parking meter, and rushed into the Imax theater where the event was just starting. After reading several of her books, it felt good to see her in person. She spoke well, and was interesting. Eric would have hated her lecture because to him nothing she says is scientific enough or provable and he laughs at her conclusions.

I guess I was intrigued by her comments because I do wonder why Eric and I are together and why we love each other. We are so different in so many ways and have entirely opposing views on almost everything. How is it that we stay a couple, almost twelve years now!!!!

She proposed that sex is testosterone based, that romantic love was dopamine/norepinephein/serotonin based and that attachment/sustained love was modulated by vasopressin/oxytocin. She is using MRI's to look at brains in love and finds that the 'ventral tegmental area' lights up in love addled brains. She went on to talk about four types of people and went through all their characteristics and suggested that certain types did better with their like types or their opposites. She works with Match.com and does her surveys and gets her subjects form that population. I am not sure I learned more about why Eric and I love each other or why we are still together after all these years, but I enjoyed the lecture. Eric laughed when I tried to explain what I learned. I had taken notes on my iphone, and laboriously went through all the details I had recorded, but he was not impressed. Perhaps it was because he spent the evening moving boxes from the sunroom to the downstairs, so that we could expand the usable space in the house. I was happy with his progress, but he was sore and tired.

Office Politics

I am struggling with my coworker/landlord and am trying to placate her and the other renters and am feeling rather defeated after a day of disagreements. I just want peace and minimal change, and of course that is not what is happening. I have decided to let go of the $250,000 embezzlement drama of my former office (the woman has never been punished) and the role of the administrator in taking even more of my money when I gave up and left the place in the year before I left for Ecuador. I went to a lawyer, who was pleased to take the case but wanted $450 an hour for his services, so I gave up trying to find justice.

I left my former employment to join Sharon, and initially there was just the two of us, and everything went smoothly. I let her make the decisions and take the responsibilities and I was happy. While I was gone there were all sorts of changes and now there are seven clinicians in the office and there is need for more organization and I need to step up and help get things moving. I am clashing daily with Sharon and wondering why it is that I find myself in this place again when I wanted so desperately to be away from office politics.

It is always good to come home and talk to Eric, who is very dispassionate and logical about the problems at the office and always has a reasonable solution and I felt better afterward, but still slept poorly and dreaded returning to work the next day.

One Hundred Roses

I came home to find one hundred roses distributed amongst five vases on my kitchen counter. I called Eric for an explanation, and he reminded me that it was Valentine's Day. Of course I pointed out that Valentine's Day was six days away, but I was told that I could enjoy the red fragrant roses for the week before and on Valentine's Day. He had ordered them directly from the rose plantation we had visited during our drive to Otavalo with the students. One hundred roses, direct from Ecuador. They were gorgeous, and I took the time to bring vases to the dining and living room, my study and bedroom. The roses bring joy and brightness and perfume to each part of the house and I will appreciate them daily.

I had visited the house to pick up my computer. I had bought a new hard drive from Best Buy on the weekend at a cost of approximately $73. Eric had installed it into my ruined laptop, transferred my back up from the external hard drive, and now I have my laptop back, dinged and dented, but perfectly functional. It looks beautiful, and I am reminded how much I have missed it, and now I have my spectacular iMac desktop and my renewed laptop and my iphone, and I am back to being on track technologically. I have been off kilter for weeks, and now I am so very relieved to be connected at home and at work and on the road. Whew!

My week continued to be a little slow. I leave the office early on Tuesdays to pick Maya up and drive her to her violin lesson, stopping at Dunkin Donuts for a few munchkins as a snack. I sit in with Maya during her lesson, and then leave her at Peabody while I return to the office to see a few patients. She takes a contemporary dance class at 5. When I picked her up after class, we met with Eric at the Baltimore Museum of Art for dinner (yummy crabcakes!) before I had to rush back to the office for a board meeting. There is an event this coming weekend, and I have offered my house for the Saturday night party, and am involved in introducing speakers at the event Sunday, so the meeting tonight was directed to discussing necessary preparations. I always wonder why I volunteer for this organization, because there are all sorts of proposed changes that may affect my practice negatively; I recuse myself from decisions that are in conflict with my practice, but am privy to the impacts on my lease and office space. I have arranged another meeting with the other lessees that I share the space with, when we will discuss the proposed changes in our lease. I feel as if I am running in circles sometimes, and am living my life in an unnecessarily complicated manner.

Rejection Day

There are all sorts of reasons why patients choose to leave a psychiatrist. They may move, or change their hours and want to see someone closer to home or later in the evening, or they may simply not connect with me. Nevertheless, it still feels like a rejection when they announce their departure. I called several patients about missed appointments, and later learned that one had chosen another psychiatrist (I never connected with the mother of the adolescent), and the other had started another job and chose a doctor who could see him late in the evening. I felt sad and rejected, and had too many hours in the day to contemplate the rejection.

My morning was eclipsed by a doctor's appointment, where I received bad news and had to arrange for further appointments and surgery in a few weeks. I called Eric and his reaction was to get a second opinion, which feels like so much work and effort. I was 'off' for the rest of the day, had a light schedule including a lunch with Deb and Barbara at 7 West down the street, and several missed and canceled appointments. My office gets very clean and organized after days like today, which is not all bad. I threw myself into a 90 minute yoga class for the evening, which felt wonderful. I did not realize until I got to my car that my mascara had smeared down my cheeks and I looked frightful. How embarrassing!

I picked Maya up from her ballet class and Eric had dinner ready for us when we arrived home. Maya is struggling at night with all sorts of terrors and is unable to sleep in her room upstairs and joined us in our big bed for the night. I watched the rest of 'Never Let Me Go', which saddened me even more. By bedtime, I felt entirely defeated, and could not sleep. Eric and I stayed up past 1 in the morning doing the New York Times crossword puzzle for entertainment. I am not sure why that soothes me, but it works. Eric and I are squeezed onto one half of the bed, with Maya spread out comfortably on the other half. Lots of togetherness int eh Richter-Fortune household tonight.

Superbowl Sunday

I had suggested a party at my house tonight with the Benichous to celebrate Eric's homecoming, but Julien decided he wanted to do a Superbowl party, so we met at his house instead. I made a chocolate cake and blondies and biscuits for the party. Julien cooked a 'Pot au Feu', which is a combination of meat broth with vegetables (carrots, turnips, parsnips, onions) and potatoes boiled separately. He cooked three bones stuffed with marrow, a little meat, and served the vegetables with olive oil and coarse salt. The biscuits were perfect with the soup, and Daphne added a huge salad, which I appreciated the most.

Daphne was entirely disinterested in the football and clearly did not want to watch anything at all. I wanted to watch the commercials because I always hear so much about them, but decided to try to appreciate the game too. I had never watched the Superbowl, so this was my absolute first time. I did not care if the Packers or the Steelers won, and had no affinity for either team, but found myself urging on the losing team, simply because they were always behind. The halftime show was spectacular, with a medley by the Black Eyed Peas, with futuristic costumes and hundreds of neoned dancers. Usher and other singers joined the foursome, and I was astonished at the elaborate otherworldly vision they chose as their theme. I had nothing to compare the show to, but Eric suggested that the half time event at all the Superbowls was similarly impressive. I actually enjoyed the show more than I expected.

Maya spent the morning getting her room organized and decorating with her new Ikea purchases. I hope that she will enjoy her room more and perhaps spend more time sleeping upstairs, but so far that has not happened. She enjoyed her room for the morning, and placed her bed at an angle and set up tripwires all over to catch predators. She lamented that she had not found more furniture and decorative items at Ikea, so we will have to search for more in other places. I would like to suggest to Eric that he simply go to the storage unit, where all sorts of treasures would fill up Maya's space and keep her satisfied. I am not sure he wants to open up the storage unit, perhaps fearful that there is simply too much stuff to go through.