Been a while but I was out of the country.
ST planned a trip to Italy for PJ's birthday. The husband and I joined them along with Framer Vinny and Lady Bell. This was the first time I would be in Europe. The flight over was fine even though I still had my earache and horrendous cold. I was hacking and blowing my nose most of the flight. My big fear was my eardrum would burst in a huge bloody mess on whoever was sitting next to me. That did not happen and the husband was next to me anyhow. I took tons of those pocket packs of tissues ( think like a dozen), my antibiotics, a huge bag of Halls cough drops and one of those zinc based cold preventative/easers. Oh and the three vodkas on the rocks with olives (stuffed with bleu cheese- yum!) before the flight helped with my fitful sleep as well.
We landed in Rome and caught a flight to Naples. Holy crap Naples is a pit from what I saw. It looks like the Philly slum look sprawled over a larger area. In Naples the hotel had a mini-van waiting to drive us to Positano. The highways on the Amalfi coast are daunting but the driver was quite adept at his job.
The hotel was frackin' amazing! Everything on the Amalfi coast is built into the cliffs and is pretty beautiful. The hotel we got to and we had to take an elevator down to the lobby. The rooms were beautiful. The food was great and the company was the best.
I slowly recuperated from my illness. One day we took a car to Ravello. We drove through Amalfi and stopped and walked around a bit. The it was on to Ravello. Ravello was amazing and the gardens we walked were great. We hit the gardens at Villa Cimbrone.
The last night in Positano we ate dinner in town which was fun. The next day we drove back to Naples and took the train to Rome. I gotta say the Europeans really know how to do train travel right. We were on one of those high speed trains and made it to Rome in just over a hour.
Rome- now that is an amazing city! It had the same kind of feel that NYC has in my opinion. I don't know what economic crisis is happening as Rome was bustling all the time and the prices were not cheap. I assume it is because there are constantly tourists in the city. We hit all the spots- St. Peter's, the Pantheon, Ara Pacis, the Forums, the Coliseum, the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain. Thankfully I had just downloaded Instagram for Android before I left and used it to the point one of my friends on FB told me to step away from the Instagram, lol.
The last night were were in Rome the husband and I had dinner with my parents- yeah, really. They were on a tour of Italy for their 50th wedding anniversary. They started up north, saw Venice, Florence, Tuscany and ended in Rome the same time we were there. So we took them out to celebrate. But even better afterwards the husband and I went out clubbing until a bit after 3:30 AM- clearly I was almost fully healed, lol.
That was really the first time I had been clubbing and I have to say it was a lotta fun. The place was on the outskirts of Rome. We got there and there was a huge line. The husband told me to stick close to him. He walked up to the front of the line and asked the guy was this the entrance and how long would it be. The bouncer asked were you from. New York City. He let us right in, lol.
It was three floors of music blasting, hot Italians, fog machines, confetti guns going off and an actual show. The music was great, the eye candy was good and the drag queens were amazing.
The flight back was ok. I couldn't really sleep as there was a bit of turbulence that had me shaken- pun intended. I just am not great with flying.
We got back late Saturday afternoon. I screwed up scheduling with the ex and I was supposed to have the boys that weekend. She was surprisingly understanding so I just picked up the boys very early Sunday morning for the day. We celebrated my oldest son's birthday with cake and he wanted sushi for dinner. Other than that it was a relatively lazy Sunday.
The past week was ok easing back into work. The more I hear Spain is not Greece the more I think it is. The French elections will prove quite interesting as well and have major implications for the rest of the Euro zone.
This is going to be a bad tick season I can tell. Yesterday the husband and I took the kids for a great, long trail walk. The rest of the day we kept finding ticks on them, us, in the truck, in the house. Thankfully the kids have their tick and flea killers applied so most are dead when we find them. Still I am thinking I may need to get tested for Lyme's disease this year just to be safe.
Friday was the husband's birthday. I had forgotten I took it off which was nice as I got to spend the day with him and the kids. Friday night we went across the road to PJ's house for a birthday dinner. It was fun but everyone ended up drinking a bit too much.
Saturday the kin-laws came down to celebrate the husband's birthday. The arrived a bit after 1 PM. We sat down and had cheese and baguettes and wine. Then my mother in law and I went and did the grocery shopping for dinner. I made dinner on the grill with charcoal. Pork tenderloin with a dry rub and served with fire grilled tomato sauce. The tomatoes on the grill were a bit tricky but the sauce came out very good. Dessert was the usual gluten-free, chocolate birthday cake. I did put on candle that re-light though, lol. the husband was not amused after like the fifth time he had to blow them out- I was called a brat.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Monday, April 2, 2012
They aren't just for kids
So last Thursday I was feeling pretty crappy at work. The husband had the week earlier had a pretty nasty cold and it looked like I finally caught it. I actually left work early and stayed home sick Friday.
I figured I could do my usual neti pot drowning of what ever had taken up residence in my nasal passages and sinuses and seemed to be making an inexorable move into my chest. Friday sucked as the kids where all excited I was home and would not let me rest at all- oh and plus I was constantly hacking up what felt to be pieces of my lung(s). I also had to pick up the boys that evening as they were with us for the weekend and we had our usual Friday night dinner plans with PJ and ST. So there was no rest for the weary.
Dinner went well actually, our farmer friend also joined us and we got to use the grill. The husband made an pretty sick dry rub for lamb loin chops and I grilled them over charcoal as I did not feel like getting a propane tank and still had charcoal left from last season. The lamb was a hit and even my youngest tried it which is shocking as he is usually a chicken only and only select vegetables.
Saturday was a bit more successful int he rest department as I got to fitfully and sort of sleep in until 11:30. As my oldest son's birthday s coming up and he was due for a phone upgrade I took him to the VZ store and we got him his birthday gift- yeah, I caved and got him the iPhone 4s. He wanted the 32 gig one so that is what he got. Then it was back to the house to try and rest some more- not so lucky- and then the four of us went and grabbed dinner- Mexican- and then I gave into the mania- yeah we went and saw The Hunger Games. It was a good movie but I have to say seriously- what is the fuss? Haven't we seen this so many times before? "The Most Dangerous Game" anyone? didn't we all have to read that short story classic in 8th or 9th grade English class? Even more recently (and I am totally plagiarizing a tweet I saw) The Running Man based on the Steven King novel? Anyhow, still a good flick and I did not realize how long it was and I only had one cough drop plus with all the water I was drinking I had to go to the bathroom at least three times. I am not so sure about reading the books.
Yesterday was about the same in terms of how I felt but I needed to put the game face on. A good friend of the husband's from Argentina was in town and we were hosting her and her friend for brunch. I made this flat bread with potatoes, shave asparagus, goat cheese and olive oil and the husband made this pretty amazing chicken salad with sliced pan fried chicken breasts and apples over greens with a butter milk dressing. I also made brownies for dessert. So we were up early cleaning the entire house and making the boys help as well. At one point my oldest asked why their room needed to be clean. I told him because guest may want to see the entire house. Oh, so when we visit them I can see their bedrooms. I said of course, the next time we are in Argentina you can see their bedrooms...
Brunch was a success and we had a very good time- the husband catching up with old friends and myself and the boys making new ones. At one point the boys were int he kitchen whispering with their step-father when the friend told me she was very impressed with my boys and I have done a good job as a father raising them. I demurely replied I could only take half the credit as their mother plays a role in their upbringing as well.
The guest left and I tried to nap a bit more before taking the boys back to their mom's to no avail as I was still hacking and wheezing. I dropped the boys off and when I was driving back something happened with my right ear. You know when your ears pop and you are equalizing pressure? Well my right ear didn't pop and felt like it was still trying to pop. It had me a bit concerned.
We of course watched the season premiere of "Game of Thrones." Even though the NYT television critic kinda dumped on it I thought it was an excellent episode.
I decided to sleep in the boys room and let the husband at least get a good night's rest. As I laid down with a humidifier humming my ear started to throb. I thought that was not good but I'd see how it felt int he morning.
Well this morning it had not changed and I noticed my balance was a bit off. At first I just chalked it up to early morning clumsiness. But as I was driving to the train station I knew something was wrong so I stopped at the Wawa, emailed the boss and my co-workers I was not going to make it in, was going to get professional medical help. I went home, logged onto the company's health insurance provider website and found a walk in clinic that opened at 8:30. It was a nurse practitioner but that was fine as they can prescribe drugs in NJ.
It may seem shocking I don't have a primary care physician but I think I ma like a lot of guys. I am going to guess most guys don't if they are generally in good health to begin with- which I am (although I stepped on the scale and could stand to lose 5-10 pounds)- and only seek medical help when they really need it which means an emergency room.
I was the first one there, had my check up and found out the root cause of all my recent ills was a massive ear infection in my right ear. I laughed as I associate those as childhood ailments. The NP kindly explained that many adults get them but don't realize it and always think it is just a cold or a sinus infection. So within 30 minutes I have my drugs and am on my way home.
All in all a good experience with the system and since it was all in-network all I paid was for the drugs.
I am totally psyched I did go because we are flying out Friday and if I got on the airplane with a massive ear infection I can only imagine what kind of pain I would have ended up going through.
I figured I could do my usual neti pot drowning of what ever had taken up residence in my nasal passages and sinuses and seemed to be making an inexorable move into my chest. Friday sucked as the kids where all excited I was home and would not let me rest at all- oh and plus I was constantly hacking up what felt to be pieces of my lung(s). I also had to pick up the boys that evening as they were with us for the weekend and we had our usual Friday night dinner plans with PJ and ST. So there was no rest for the weary.
Dinner went well actually, our farmer friend also joined us and we got to use the grill. The husband made an pretty sick dry rub for lamb loin chops and I grilled them over charcoal as I did not feel like getting a propane tank and still had charcoal left from last season. The lamb was a hit and even my youngest tried it which is shocking as he is usually a chicken only and only select vegetables.
Saturday was a bit more successful int he rest department as I got to fitfully and sort of sleep in until 11:30. As my oldest son's birthday s coming up and he was due for a phone upgrade I took him to the VZ store and we got him his birthday gift- yeah, I caved and got him the iPhone 4s. He wanted the 32 gig one so that is what he got. Then it was back to the house to try and rest some more- not so lucky- and then the four of us went and grabbed dinner- Mexican- and then I gave into the mania- yeah we went and saw The Hunger Games. It was a good movie but I have to say seriously- what is the fuss? Haven't we seen this so many times before? "The Most Dangerous Game" anyone? didn't we all have to read that short story classic in 8th or 9th grade English class? Even more recently (and I am totally plagiarizing a tweet I saw) The Running Man based on the Steven King novel? Anyhow, still a good flick and I did not realize how long it was and I only had one cough drop plus with all the water I was drinking I had to go to the bathroom at least three times. I am not so sure about reading the books.
Yesterday was about the same in terms of how I felt but I needed to put the game face on. A good friend of the husband's from Argentina was in town and we were hosting her and her friend for brunch. I made this flat bread with potatoes, shave asparagus, goat cheese and olive oil and the husband made this pretty amazing chicken salad with sliced pan fried chicken breasts and apples over greens with a butter milk dressing. I also made brownies for dessert. So we were up early cleaning the entire house and making the boys help as well. At one point my oldest asked why their room needed to be clean. I told him because guest may want to see the entire house. Oh, so when we visit them I can see their bedrooms. I said of course, the next time we are in Argentina you can see their bedrooms...
Brunch was a success and we had a very good time- the husband catching up with old friends and myself and the boys making new ones. At one point the boys were int he kitchen whispering with their step-father when the friend told me she was very impressed with my boys and I have done a good job as a father raising them. I demurely replied I could only take half the credit as their mother plays a role in their upbringing as well.
The guest left and I tried to nap a bit more before taking the boys back to their mom's to no avail as I was still hacking and wheezing. I dropped the boys off and when I was driving back something happened with my right ear. You know when your ears pop and you are equalizing pressure? Well my right ear didn't pop and felt like it was still trying to pop. It had me a bit concerned.
We of course watched the season premiere of "Game of Thrones." Even though the NYT television critic kinda dumped on it I thought it was an excellent episode.
I decided to sleep in the boys room and let the husband at least get a good night's rest. As I laid down with a humidifier humming my ear started to throb. I thought that was not good but I'd see how it felt int he morning.
Well this morning it had not changed and I noticed my balance was a bit off. At first I just chalked it up to early morning clumsiness. But as I was driving to the train station I knew something was wrong so I stopped at the Wawa, emailed the boss and my co-workers I was not going to make it in, was going to get professional medical help. I went home, logged onto the company's health insurance provider website and found a walk in clinic that opened at 8:30. It was a nurse practitioner but that was fine as they can prescribe drugs in NJ.
It may seem shocking I don't have a primary care physician but I think I ma like a lot of guys. I am going to guess most guys don't if they are generally in good health to begin with- which I am (although I stepped on the scale and could stand to lose 5-10 pounds)- and only seek medical help when they really need it which means an emergency room.
I was the first one there, had my check up and found out the root cause of all my recent ills was a massive ear infection in my right ear. I laughed as I associate those as childhood ailments. The NP kindly explained that many adults get them but don't realize it and always think it is just a cold or a sinus infection. So within 30 minutes I have my drugs and am on my way home.
All in all a good experience with the system and since it was all in-network all I paid was for the drugs.
I am totally psyched I did go because we are flying out Friday and if I got on the airplane with a massive ear infection I can only imagine what kind of pain I would have ended up going through.
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