Shots from the Lip

 One baseball game a year at Dodger Stadium works for me at this stage of my life.........it'll be hot and it'll be an experience at the cashless ball park.  Will I write about it tomorrow?   Will I be in the mood to do so?   Good question! Hostage is a five episode show on Netflix.  I started watching and binge watched 3-1/2 of the 5 episodes last night.   And for reading:  I should be finished with Vera, or Faith either tonight or tomorrow......I am also reading TS Eliot poetry for my lit class.....I hate it.......

This is what I posted on Linkedin a few minutes ago........let's see what reaction I get........... I am woke and I proudly support DEI 😊 ! .....and its O.K. if you do not believe as I do because I also believe in democracy, freedom of thought and freedom of speech!!! By the way, if you have not yet read a free 10% download of Good-Bye and Thank-You! go ahead, get your copy and enjoy my critically acclaimed political memoir that has already been banned in both China and Hong Kong.....  

 One week after the first suction/scrape session with Dr Ashley Kita, ENT with UCLAHealth, the wax remaining was sufficiently Debroxed over the past week to be all removed......No excuses now - I can hear!! ?  And I set myself up within the ENT system for an annual visit to 1131 Wilshire, next, 27 Aug 26. I have November primary care and cardiology appointments at 2020 Santa Monica Blvd in November and I have to schedule opthomology  by phone to set up a long, overdue medical meeting. .....and in 23/24 C weather, I walked 4,000+ steps home to write this.  Today I will hopefully catch up on a whole lot of stuff I had wanted to do during the week but had to put off......

 I did not sleep well, last night......and yet, I felt refreshed, getting up this morning and going for my 'usual' morning walk:  south on 23d Street to Broadway, west on Broadway to 20th, north on 20th to Wilshire, east to 23d but stopping off, first at Whole Food (or, in half the cases, Trader Joes) and then down south on 23d, returning home......~2,350 steps to start the day. The sun was out early and it was a delightful way to begin.......with a walk to the Gateway Hotel around 10:30am to coordinate reservations for both Joanna and TianTian coming here in October.  That mid-morning walk is what living here is all about:  it was absolutely delightful taking walks today - 4 degrees (C) than Van Nuys in the mornings......5-7 degree differentials in the afternoon.  It'll be 35 in Van Nuys, today, but 26-27 here in Santa Monica.....hey, we might even get through this year without once having to use the air conditioner! Tomorrow morning I go to 1131 Wilshire andUC...

Once upon a time the US was involved in an overseas conflagration where citizens protested - protested rather loudly, vehemently that 'my country, right or wrong' was no longer acceptable - that there were those of us (of course I am included!) who were more interested in what was right than that which our country was doing that was not right. I burned my draft card......I was right up front, participating in demonstrations where the flag was burned.  No big deal! So it is now a crime to burn the flag?  Hey - burn all the flags you can if that is the only way to protest - no big deal! What is a big deal to me is the US Constitution.  And those in power who are currently trying to tear down the principles and beliefs upon which we were taught?  The deserve to be put in their place - where are the protesters now?   It is truly time to save the country! 

 In a combination of financial/estate/reality/life/what0have-you planning, we are purchasing a condominium unit in the large complex diagonally across the street, south of us.  We purchased our home from afar in 2022.  We bid low - real low - when we purchased our home.  Katherine saw the apartment for sale was owned by an owner living in Kentucky with no desire to return to California.  We bid low again.....real low......the last time an apartment at this complex sold so low was in 2016. We await the condo HOA by-laws to review and see if there are any restrictions of which we were unaware.......but we truly do not anticipate any obstacles to prevent closing on or around my birthday in a few weeks weeks........ And next week:  school begins again!!!

 This picture of our taco truck, four blocks from home, is not related in any way, shape, and form to ear wax.  It is here because we are going to try to get to this taken-for-granted gem of a food wagon every Monday.....and want to show this even though it is now Thursday. Ever since I can remember, my right ear has been a 'victim' of producing far too much ear wax, clogging things up.  While living in Asia, I'd go every couple of years to Bumrungrad where 'industrial strength' suction got the wax out.  At UCLAHealth, primary care tried a weak flowing water stream flowing from what appeared to be a dental tool.  It looked like a joke.....it didn't do a damned thing and I neglected the right ear for over half a year. Yesterday, after writing my new primary care physician at UCLA, went to 2020 Santa Monica Blvd where I spoke to the front desk at Dr Fujimoto's office.  They suggested calling the ENT exchange which asked me if I could get to 1131 Wilshire with...