Heat Wave

9.25

It's the end of September and we are in the middle of a heat wave. The weekend was hot and the next two days are supposed to get to 90. Unheard of. Didn't stop me from going for my bike ride, though. I took Simone to Wellwood Orchard Sunday morning before bringing her home after a sleepover and I was sweating picking apples. So odd doing a crispy fall activity in that kind of heat. Simone and I had a slumber party Saturday so Dave could go to a race in CT. I picked her up in the afternoon and we stopped at my house for a bit before having an early dinner at Lui Lui's. We played at the playground next to the Leb high school then drove to Hanover to go to the Swirl and Pearl but they were closed for a family event so we got gelato instead. We spent the rest of the night playing before it was time for bed. Archie stopped over a little before 9 to drop off his drone so Simone could play with it but that was short lived before one the blades snapped. It was fun while it lasted. We read some books and she was asleep a little after 1030. Up at 715 for more play before heading back south. We also ate apple cider donuts and spent some time in the petting zoo at the orchard. I mustered enough energy to go to my Barre class that afternoon then got my grocery shopping out of the way.

The last weekend in August, I went to go visit the ladies in Ludlow. I was a little hesitant to go as I was getting over being sick but she was pretty adamant. I'm glad I went because her move back to CA to live with Pete again has since become official. Granny made strawberry daquiris, lasagne (so delicious), and stuffed zucchini. We visited and of course played aggravation. We did a couple of laps around their building before dessert. I can't remember what she made for dessert (I'm pretty sure it was boston cream pie) but whatever it was, it was yummy. I'm happy for her because I think she needs to be with Pete but I feel bad for Cora. I wish somehow it was possible for her to go live out there with them, not necessarily with them but in the area. That Monday morning, I went to the Manchester airport to catch a flight to Philadelphia for a two day volcano conference. It was fun to be in a classroom environment again and I learned a lot about a tool we use at work on a regular basis. It was also fun to visit a new city and be a tourist with the little bit of free time we had. I settled in at the hotel Monday evening after catching a ride with a fellow business traveler from Portsmouth with enough time to walk to some historic sites. My hotel was in china town within walking distance to a lot of things so I went to see the Liberty Bell and Ben Franklins's grave. Walked by the US Mint and thought about seeing a few other things but I didn't want to be out walking around the city by myself too late so I headed back to the hotel to grab dinner at the bar. The next night, I chose to walk around Reading Terminal Market (right next door) and get take out to eat in bed instead of going out with the group. Just wasn't feeling it.

10.2

This weekend was a busy one so I didn't have a lot of free time to get stuff done. It would have been really nice if what I wrote in this entry Thursday had saved, but it didn't despite the number of times I hit the save button. That shit really pisses me off, especially since I was so tired after my 12 hour day that started at 3 am Thursday morning that I decided against working out. Such a waste of time...story of my life. So here I am, starting from square one. So Pete and his new girlfriend Pam arrived last Wednesday to pack up Granny so we all headed over Friday to have an evening in the common room. It wasn't busy Friday so I was able to leave at 3 so I went home to shower before leaving for Ludlow. I ran an errand first and ended up the first to arrive shortly before 6. Everyone was there except for Ray as he had to work. We had a pizza party with birthday cake (and candles that don't blow out) and visited until 930ish. Didn't spend much time visiting with Pete, Granny, or Pam but that's usually how it goes when everyone else is there. They headed out early Saturday morning on their cross country trek in the Granny mobile. The next day, Dayna and I drove up to the Waterbury area to meet up with Colin, Katie, and Hailey. We met at the Alchemist and stopped in at Stowe Cider before heading to the Blackback pub for dinner. Afterwards, we went to their air BNB to hang out for a bit. Tried some Hill Farmstead beer for the first time and we played some pool. It's always nice to see them and Hailey is a super cute baby. Yesterday, Emilee, Maddy and I drove to the Red Hook Brewery for a food truck fest. It wasn't as big as I was expecting but it also wasn't super crowded which is always nice. I think most were at the Deerfield Fair. Unfortunately, we spent more time driving then at the event but it was still fun. We tried pulled pork tacos, chili cheese fries, a lobster roll, and treats from the cookie monstah truck. Took cannolis to go but I haven't eaten mine yet. I took Xander for his annual check up today and we are trying steroid shots again to see if that will help him. Saw a new vet and he seems to think he has kitty asthma. Taking him back in a month for evaluation. Crossing my fingers.

Labor Day weekend is usually pretty depressing as it's the unofficial end to my favorite season. The extended summer weather, however, softened my transition to fall. I love fall, don't get me wrong, I just can't handle the fact that winter is around the corner. Dr. Robb had a big cardiology party at his house on Lake Sunapee and Simone was my plus-one. I picked her up around noon and had her there for the entire day. She had a blast. I took her out on the lake in a kayak among other activities like fishing, hot tubbing, playing in their shallow beach area, badminton, and paddle boarding. She played with other kids and had lot of snacks, gatorade, and sweet treats at her disposal. Good times. I was on holiday call and spent most of the day at work. We got called back in early Tuesday morning but we finished early enough so we could take a nap in CRU.

The following weekend, I had a me day Saturday but went to Claremont to spend some time playing with Simone before she started kindergarten the following day. We played outside and went to the playground. On our way out, while looking at Monarchs, we ran into Emilee, Maddy, and Logan and chatted for a bit. Played inside for a little while longer then headed out before dinner time. I stopped to see my merm before driving home. I did my usual stuffies on Monday being mindful of the fact that it was September 11th. That anniversary is a little uncomfortable but what happened the following day at work just made the week surreal. I was sitting down in the break room getting ready to eat a late lunch when Eric busts in and says there's an active shooter in the building. I thought he was joking until I heard an odd alarm and then I just thought it was a drill. So, after poking my head out in the hallway and being met with some pressure and lots of confusion, I started following the crowd outside. I started hearing rumors and slowly realized after seeing the amount of people evacuating including lots of patients (some in gowns) that something bad was actually happening because they wouldn't interrupt operations completely for a drill. I was able to meet up with some cath labbers and some of us ended up walking to Margarita's. We weren't allowed back into the building until 530ish, by then it was time to go home. Turns out, a visitor shot and killed a patient in the ICU where I used to work. A son son drove up from RI and killed his mother for reasons unknown to me. She was due to be discharged at the end of the week so who knows what his motive was. He has since pleaded not guilty. No one else was harmed. My first and hopefully last Code Silver.

I got out of work the Friday following the shooting and spent some much needed time laughing with Ashley. I brought her chinese food from China Station for her birthday. We hung out for a few hours in the basement after the kids went to bed. Ashley and Dayna share the same birthday so I went to a small birthday shindig at her new apartment the following night. Brian was there and Cory had some friends there (one I might date because he thought I was cute). We hung out, chatted, ate, drank, and played cards against humanity for a little bit. Good times. I don't remember much about the rest of that weekend except for the premiere of Ken Burns' The Vietnam War on the 17th. I watched every episode except 1 (call) over the course of the 2 weeks it was on. Super intense and powerful. An amazing piece of film work. Everyone should watch it with rapt attention.

Daylight hours are numbered so I'm going to wrap this up with the hopes of going for a bike ride. I'm tired and blah today so who knows if I'll actually make it.