not very sunday

If I were to post this morning, I would have to cover the following subjects:
Obama headquarters
Asha's visit
Grandboys
Motorcycle riding
Things I am not doing
Bladder infections
Hair
Painting things blue
The beginning of fall
the backyard
bladder infections
But I have a floor full of people, and the fact is, I like to be alone in the morning. But I don't mind them, I just don't like the idea of weekends dedicated to anything but gathering my wits for another week of work among the dying. I'm going to a conference beginning tomorrow, and having coffee with my good friend Dan, my old boss. The conference is work, and social networking, which I am not very good at. I am not looking forward to it except that it sort of seems like two days off in addition to the weekend. There are workshops, all of which I could teach because I have been in the long term care industry for so many years. But I don't teach them. I've never written a proposal and taken the time to tell what I know. Remember: I don't care. I sit and listen and pass the time writing (note to self: bring paper) amused at the idealists who believe they will never grow old and die, who think that the next speaker will tell them some new thing to forestall death--something to make it seem like dying is living. This is how we market the industry: sign up for the good life! Pay five thousand dollars a month for Quality of Life in a Homelike Environment. Doesn't it sound great?

I am a cynic. Sue me. If I was to put a workshop together, what would I call it? Real Death and Dying: A Primer for the Idealist.

So, I will go to get my hair retouched this morning, come home, and continue to recover from possibly the worst bladder infection I have ever had. It came on so suddenly I had to practically run out of work and to the doc's. Big pain.

But, due to the miracle of modern medicine and a new pill that turns my pee blue instead of the usual pyridium orange, I am on the mend -- if a little woozy.

I got to spend a couple of hours yesterday with BOTH asia and asha. You should envy me. We sat in my beautiful backyard on probably one of the most perfect Portland afternoons we've had this year -- not too warm -- and covered most of the important topics. Including what the hell is asha thinking going on a three month backpacking trek in the rainy season where there are druglords and terrorists and wait -- that sounds like north portland! But I do worry about the globetrekkers and their minimalist ways. I envy the desire to leave the vortex of the sofa and explore something besides the internet or the nearest shopping opportunity.

So, as I sit on my sofa, cartoons in the background, I begin another Sunday morning on Clinton street.