Home Again
Yes, I’ve been back over a month.
No, I haven’t posted anything.
Damn you, HBO and your kind!
Actually, I’ve been really busy since my return. My return was as easy as my arrival in Barcelona was difficult. My final week in Barcelona was wonderful. I visited some friends at their beautiful home in a village twenty minutes from the city (pictured above). It was truly charming, and I got to sample a traditional paella cooked by a paella master in his backyard on a special grill.
Four days prior to departure, a piece of my hearing aid got stuck in my ear, so I had to visit yet again an emergency care clinic. While there, I regaled the nurse with the stories of my fall, broken hand, torn bicep tendon and bronchitis. She found my stories very amusing and sent me off for no charge—At last, a lucky break.
Once in Palm Springs, I went about taking care of my hand and shoulder. The bone in my hand healed well, but I still have the tear in my ligament. The treatment is occupational therapy, which I do while supervised once a week and at home the other days. As for my tendon, which I retore when I fell, I will need to repeat part of the surgery which I had done in July 2023. It shouldn’t be as extensive an operation.
Regarding my consulting work, I had two major projects due by April 30th and met both deadlines. Now I’m in negotiation for my 2024-2025 contract, which will, if approved, begin on July 1st. Pray for me.
I’m teaching only two classes at the moment, which leaves me time to help my friend, Linda, whose Alzheimer’s has gotten bad enough that she needs to be moved from assisted living to memory care. I’m calling around to find a suitable and affordable place for her. She can no longer communicate and, due to her current stay in a skilled nursing facility, doesn’t understand where she is or why she’s there. A very sad situation.
As for Barcelona, I enjoyed the people, the food, and the cost of living. I did, by the way, get reimbursed completely for all medical bills. I wasn’t crazy about the combination of cold, humidity and allergens, so I am considering someplace nearby. I’m also considering staying in SoCal, but perhaps in a cooler place than the high desert. It’s only going to get hotter here, and there’ll be more stress on the electrical grid.
I’ve read several books in the past couple of months, one of which, A Little Life, is the most horribly flawed book by a good writer that I have ever read. Also, in honor of the spring religious holidays, I read A History of Religion, the Gnostic Gospels, and the Zohar. Whereas I don’t’ bemoan the increasing amount of atheism, I do wonder how we might replace organized religions’ mandate of a moral code. It appears we, as a society, were supposed to evolve and internalize one and no longer need to be threatened by a punitive higher entity.
Oops!
So, on I persist, as the temperature increases and the country slides into anarchy. I’ve got plenty to do during the final days.
Caio for now.
