ROAD BLOG AHEAD

My head is in a bell jar, but I finally made it to Oakland (there is a there there) and my friend Denise’s place with her and her charming fur family. I spent the last 2 days mostly asleep and finally faced up to the fact that the antibiotics were NOT working. So I’m on a different sort as of today. Hopefully that will do away with the small green frogs my body is producing (probably more information than you possibly wanted about me, eh?) Instead of leisurely visiting with friends and seeing a few clients, I’m trying to cram the day full of drive by social events which isn’t nearly as much fun, but better than not seeing anyone at all. Besides, I have the fun of giving out presents to my old buddies and cute kiddies so it’s all good.

I’ve gotten a few fun things myself in the past 24 hours. Winna, bless her heart, made me an Easter Basket - probably the first one I’ve had in 40 years! That was just too too sweet. So yesterday I overdid it like a little kid on chocolate eggs and jelly beans. Today I got to Denise’s and she had a goody bag waiting too. It contained some very very odd things I must say. Not only a chocolate Easter Bunny, but some odds and ends that she, also a global traveler, decided might be useful: Some Airborne flu and cold preventative (oops, too late) some Nyquil (just in time) and the oddest of all, a spare Fleet enema, just for a giggle (I hope - I don’t think she was trying to tell me something, but maybe she was… Am I really full of it? Perhaps.) Oh and a gorgeous pair of beaded earrings in shades of brown, orange and yellow. They are my new favourite thing and perfectly matched the dress I turned up in.

I’m writing from her computer, waiting for friend Linda and her daughter Sophie to turn up. Sophia is one of the cutest toddlers on the planet (cuteness exceeded only by my own grandkids of course) and I’m really looking forward to seeing them and catching up. Then dinner with Michelle and Co. tonight if all goes well. At least a beer I think.

Tomorrow morning I get up at stupid thirty (okay around 4) to drive to SFO and pick up the lamas as they fly in from Hawaii at 5:30 a.m. It’ll be a lot easier from here at Denise’s than from Bolinas so I’ll spend the night. Then we’ll head back to West Marin to wash, rinse and repeat the whole process over again on Thursday.

I’m glad to have this time to spend the evening with Denise as I probably won’t see her in the States again - she’s moving to Egypt in August where she’s landed a job teaching in Cairo. If I’m really lucky, I’ll see her there or she’ll visit us in India. Her long range plans are to end up in Morocco which is a place I’ve always wanted to go so I am encouraging her with a lot of enthusiasm to proceed towards that goal! Denise has lived in Egypt before (in this lifetime no less) so she’s familiar with the place. This time, however, she’ll be there working rather than as a student so it’ll be a different take on the experience. I am going to encourage her to start a blog once she has a few spare moments!

Still behind, still trying to catch up, but feeling more optimistic about the possibility of doing so eventually. Not this week. Maybe not next, but by and by I will have the schedule put together, the air tickets bought, the accounting done. Right. I am a relentless optimist sometimes, but the alternative would be to feel defeated before I begin. So I’m chosing to believe it can all be done AND that I’ll get caught up on my e-mail before the millenium gets too much farther underway. Maybe, if I’m really lucky, I’ll get to experience the odd and elusive sensation of boredom for five minutes sometime before I die of old age. Optimist. Definitely.

Oh and I sure am enjoying real green salads. Viva Romaine!