A Dinner and a Play

Today, I met one of my childhood friends for dinner at the restaurant of an arts center in Ankara We had a nice early dinner and then saw a solo play. I didn't know the young actress but, she was really good. I am not a fan of solo plays however, this one truly surprised me.

I gave my father's history magazines to my friend. She will give them to her brother. Now that, my car and trunk are almost empty, tomorrow may be a good day to have the car washed. I need to check the weather report because, I hate it when I have my car washed and it rains the next day.

I also asked my SIS today, to contact the plummer in the Ankara apartment complex since we were having some trouble with a couple of things. A super nice guy showed up right on time and quickly fixed both issues. 

My SIS and BIL will be coming tomorrow for the Ramadan Feast. We will get to spend some time together but, they will have things to do separately as well. I have no plans till Wednesday when I hit the road again. Time to chillax.

Wishing everyone a nice weekend!

And voila!

 

I had set the alerts at IKEA for the darn hinges and yesterday late at night, I got a message that the hinges were now in stock at the nearest store. I jumped in the car this morning and got them. Isn't it a simple clean look? There are only 8 things in display. So much easier to dust.

I ran the vacuum and mopped the floors yesterday but, honestly, if I weren't too tired, I could have done a much better job. 

The contractor came and delivered the paint to be used in mid-June. I wanted to get the paint a.s.a.p because, the prices keep going up.

I have been trying to eat out of the freezer and fridge lately and I must admit, I did a good job this time. Only a small cauliflower, two carrots and a container of yogurt is left and I am taking them with me. Tonight's dinner is pizza, to use up the last bit of the cheese and the tomato sauce.

I took out most of the things I will put in my suitcase with the exception of my meds, computer, cables and etc. After I type and post this, I will go and pack. I want to have a relaxed dinner and night knowing that all is done.

My uncle told me to get tablecloths for the table on his balcony. I asked him the dimensions and he had no clue. Lol! Why are men like this? I told him to measure it and get back to me. I took out two from my stash which do not fit my table. I guess mom had bought them for me but, they are rectangular and my table is round, oval when opened. They do not fit my table open or closed. I am hoping, they will fit his table. If not, I will get him new ones. 

I think, I will leave some of my beach stuff in Antalya this time. 

On Thursday, I will have my winter tires changed, pick up my new glasses and hopefully get my car washed. On Friday, I will do a little shopping since SIS and BIL will be coming for the Ramadan Feast which starts on Sunday. The day after the holiday, my cousin and I will be heading for Antalya. Uncle will be having her two nieces one from his late sister's side, other from his late brother's. Cousin will fly back home on the 12th.

Busy Sunday Updated Edition

After I posted below, I got to work on the TV bench. I opened the box for the door and I found out that there are no hinges. Yup! They sell a door without it's hinges and none of the people warned me about it. On top of that, they are all out of hinges. I have checked stocks of all IKEA stores and none of them has hinges in stock. How stupid is this? So, my project will remain unfinished just because of a stupid supply chain issue. UGH!

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Since I have only two more days before I go on my vacation, I am trying to get the house clean.I am done re-organizing my bedroom and the guest room. After I post this, I will go clean up the bathroom cabinets. 

I have tossed few more items as I was re-arranging the closets. I found a lot of hangers from the dry cleaners by me. I am taking them to the guy who owns the place. Since I do not work, I rarely need dry cleaning nowadays but, every hanger is a cost to him. So, I am thinking he will be glad to get 25 free hangers. Another thing re-cycled and re-used. BTW, the hangers are not the wire type ones. They are mostly plastic. So, this will be a tiny help for the landfills.

My sister and I were talking about doing some improvement at my uncle's home this year. I mentioned that I had a bunch of extra sheets that I no longer want and she told me to bring them to Ankara and give them to her FIL's caregiver. My trunk is already full before I even put my own suitcase in there.

Today, I need to be done with the TV bench and the bathroom cabinets, make my packing list.

Tomorrow, I need to dust, wash the windows from the inside and pack everything that I would like to take with me first to Ankara, then to Antalya. On Tuesday, I will run the big vacuum cleaner all around the house, mop the floors and clean the fridge. 

So far, my quest to purge was successful thanks to my readers who cheered and motivated me. Once I am done with the cleaning, I will post some pictures. 

Nice break

Yesterday I had to go to some hospital at the other end of the city for my part time gig with the medical association. On the way back, I dropped by my friend who owns the headhunting business. I gave her the air mattress and the laptop she had given me. I had given up using that long time ago because, it has a slow mouse. I could not fix that problem and it was driving me crazy. My old beloved laptop is still fine.

I ended up staying for dinner and I had a nice time with her and her husband. For now, I am done with ethe work but, I will go back to pick up a couple of positions in the Fall. Fall and Winter are good times to work. Although annoying, that gig gives me a purpose and a bit of money.

Last evening, I received a text from one of my High School friends saying that another friend was in town and they would be having breakfast at the restaurant run by the Culinary Arts Academy of  Istanbul at the Sakip Sabanci Museum. They were able to get a reservation for 9 a.m. and asked me if I wanted to join them. I happily accepted. Two more friends joined us and the five of us had a great time. After days of purging and working hard, these two get togethers were a welcome change of pace. It was a beautiful day, partly cloudy but nice.

I rushed home by noon time to meet the contractor for the paint job estimate. He is a nice guy and it was nice to meet him again. He had done a great job when I redid my bathroom and kitchen. 

In the afternoon, I only did a load of laundry, shifted just a few things around and napped. So, not much was accomplished today. Tomorrow, I am starting the big clean-up. I have decided to wash the windows only from the inside because, I will not be home for a long time and I am sure it will rain several times making a mess with all the pollen.

I am not done with the TV bench yet. I have figured out a way to hide the cables better so, I will do some minimal dismantling. 

Decided to go to Ankara on Wednesday. I made dinner and used up all the chopped meat in the freezer. I have leftovers for tomorrow too. I think, I will be able to use up all that can go bad before I leave. If I can't, they are coming with me.

Hope everyone is having a great spring weekend.

Reclaimed Spaces

Yesterday, I felt a bit overwhelmed when I started with the bookcases. I remember going through them with mom a few years ago, sigh... Apparently, I could not let go of many things during that round. Well, I did better yesterday. I am sure, I can let go some more but, the reclaimed spaces yesterday was sufficient and I was tired. Honestly, I could not remember some of the books and want to read them again. 

SIS thought he had my dad's matchbox collection but, no, I have that. I told her I could give the collection to her and she agreed. I will take that to Ankara and leave it there for her.

Today the apartment looks worse but I know, I am getting there.

The trip to the other IKEA went well and I got everything I thought I needed. Today I started putting the new TV bench together. It looks like I needed 6 legs but I bought 4. I gotta go back to get two more. No big deal. Putting together this unit is easy because there are no drawers, just two doors and shelves.

I re-arranged and changed places of a few things. I am pretty happy with the bookcases. I want to clean the two back rooms and the bathroom thoroughly over the weekend. I do not think I have enough time to deal with the buffet/sideboard. However, that is going to be relatively easy. 

The contractor will come to give me an estimate on the paint job and we shall decide on a date in June.

I am waiting for the guys to come and pick up the old TV unit. If they do not show up till 5 p.m., I will just push it outside my door and leave it there. Because, I have to go to IKEA to get those legs.

I took a short break to write these. Gotta go back and keep on working.

Is it just me?

I sit down to work, be on the Internet, read a book or just do something sitting for an hour or even more and then, I get up to go to the bathroom or to make tea or something else in another room and my phone rings. 

Every time I walk away from my phone, it rings. I always have to come running back.  I started taking my phone with me everywhere at home just because, I know it will if I don't. 

And here is another one: Whenever I am on the phone with someone, someone or sometimes more than one person tries calling me. I can hear the call in the background. Then I will have to call back. Why do people have to call me at the same time? 

Is it just me? Or does anyone have the same problem?

Today I attacked the bookcases. First I carried the magazine holders to my car as I had planned. That cleared two shelves. 

It has always been my dream to have things grouped and stored properly. Today, I finally managed that with certain things. My travel books, cookbooks and personal finance books are all grouped together. I will pull all travel items like baggage tags, travel pillows, locks and etc and put them in one box. I also pulled all my photo albums, photos that are in boxes and envelopes together and put them in one huge box. I would've loved to digitize them and get rid of the physical ones but, the scanner I bought was not great in scanning printed pictures. It did work wonders with the dia-positives though.

I set aside quiet a few books that I would like to give away. 

I am also giving an air mattres that I never used, to a friend. Her daughter is going to Med school in Belgium and she has a very small apartment. My friend had mentioned that the air mattress she had for guests was no longer in usable condition. Remembering that I asked her if she still needed one and she has happily accepted. I am glad some of my things are finding their way to people who will actually use them.

I cancelled the IKEA order because it looked like they would not be able to deliver. There are two IKEAs not too far from me. The one closest did not carry most of the parts but, today I decided to check the other and they show everything I need in stock. As soon as I finish this post I will go get the TV bench. Then, I will finish what I have started today. I am hoping to be done by all purging by Friday. I will deep clean my home before I leave for vacation. 

Hope you are having a nice and productive day!

Progress!

Today was another awful, cold and rainy day but, here is what I accomplished:

- Cooked the fresh broad/fava beans

- Worked for about an hour and a half, made phone calls, read CVs, e-mailed a few people.

- Took the CDs to the friend of my friend.

- Took down everything on the shelves of my closet, dumped them on my bed and re-arranged clothes. I do not care the weather is still miserable. In my book Spring has sprung so, the warm clothes are now in their storage boxes. It took me close to an hour to do it all. Happy camper over here!

- Sewed some loose buttons before storing the items for winter.

- Put my kitchen in order (which lasts only a few hours)

- Tossed a few bottles of expired cosmetics. Bathroom cabinets are down at the bottom of my list but, since I saw them, I just got rid of them.

- Finally, I made myself a screwdriver and it was a bit heavy on the screw side of it. Lol! Feeling relaxed and a bit tipsy because, I normally do not drink anything heavier than red wine and an occasional beer.

Here is a picture of the bed with everything dumped on it:

Tomorrow, I am attacking a box and the books. Will also carry all the magazine holders to my car. This way, when I am done with the books, I will be done with the whole library.

I also need to take an inventory of the food at home. I am planning to leave on Wednesday or Thursday next week so, I have to make sure I use up all that I got. I do not like to drag a bag of groceries along with my suitcases to Ankara. 

It was a busy and productive day. Take care!

Monday

Today I woke up to a freezing cold, rainy and gloomy day. I decided to go to IKEA no matter what but, it was a total bust. They did not have most of the items to assemble my TV unit. The funniest thing is that same parts can be ordered online, to be shipped within two days (if you believe that). I guess all three stores and the online store manage their own iventory and do not transfer parts to each other.. Interesting.

I ordered the parts online and hopefully, they will be here some time this week.

The shoes are dropped at the nearest charity box. I haven't started with the books yet. I will start with clothes first but I am sure, there is not much to donate after the big purge last year. At least I will put away some warm clothes. 

Tomorrow, I will meet with the guy who will take the CDs and that will be a relief.

I did not get much done today. The weather affects my mood I guess. Hoever, I did identify more than 3 things to purge. 

Hope, the weather gets better.

Have a great week everyone!

Keep on purging

It was time to say goodbye to a 32 year old Walkman I had been holding on to for who knows why. Along with that, a bunch of casettes, an old camera, some old phone chargers, cables that I no longer need and an old phone found their way in a bag which will be taken to the electronics re-cycle box tomorrw by yours truly.

I also got rid of receipts, some junk that was taking up space, a pair of ski pants and two tablecloths.

A friend of a friend who collects music CDs will take my CDs. I am going to have to take them to him because, he does not have a car but, luckily he lives not too far from me.

Also, I reached out to a childhood friend and asked him if would like to take my father's History magazines back from the 60's and 70's. I had them forever and never lifted a cover. He is getting his PhD on History and he is a collector. I do not have a sentimental attachment to those. I have dad' model ships, matchbox collection and some ceramics he painted and best of all fond memories. So, if a history enthusiast will read the magazines or use them as references, I will be happy and this will save me two shelves of my library.

I will sort through the books again and will donate the ones I do not wish to keep. I am thinking at least two more shelves to free. 

I contacted my contractor for the apartment to be painted in June. He will come some time next week to give me an estimate. I will not wash the curtains before the paint job.

I am glad I started decluttering and purging. A fresh coat of paint will be the cherry on top when I am done. 

It sounds like a lot but honestly, I did not spend hours on this. It was a relaxing and productive weekend. 

I hope to get up early tomorrow and go to IKEA for the new TV bench. Can't wait to get rid of the old one especially now that it looks empty. Haha!

HAPPY EASTER to those who celebrate!

Purge Purge Purge!

As of today, all the stuff in the picture I posted yesterday are gone.

The ironing board and some other decorative items are also gone.

There are some items that will indefinitely stay with me and here are some examples:

My dad had put together the model ships on display here. So, they will forever be with me along with the framed puzzles mom made. Also, I am a big fan of sunflowers so, everything I own with sunflowers are not going anywhere.

I called the manager of the apartment complex and asked his help for things that can be of use to someone. Here are the pictures of things that are gone in addition to the picture I posted yesterday:

The wooden boat was already broken so, that went into re-cycling. Shoes in the blue bag will be placed in a donation box a block away. The infamous ironing board is gone.along with the glass bowl and the weird flowery decorative item. There was a vase that came with it which houses my sunflowers. That stays.

I walked to the two tennis courts by me and checked out if there was a tennis instructor. Luckily, there was a guy giving tennis lessons and I asked him if he would like two rackets for free. He happily accepted and I walked back to the apartment, brought the rackets to him and there! Two more items! Whohooo! Now I gotta find a skiing instructor.

As you can see there are no rugs on the floors in my apartment.. Thanks to my allergies, I had to get rid of them few years ago. Makes cleaning so much easier (if I get to doing it). 

It looks like I will be able to get rid of the big TV unit and get something small and more practical/useful. So, that is next on my list. However, I have to find the replacement first. This has been on my mind forever. I looked up IKEA and there is a reasonable-ish TV bench that I liked. Tomorrow, I may go to IKEA to pick it up. It is an easy unit for me to put together. There are inexpensive alternatives elsewhere but, the colors don't go with my living room. 

I feel very liberated. My friend M said, it must have felt like burning the bras. Lol! Very revolutionary indeed. 

I gotta tell you that this purging business is messy. Things get scattered around. So, I will be cleaning the closet at the entrance today and now that I have freed some shelves from shoe boxes, I may make use of those shelves to put away things that have been taking space in my living room. A pair of dumbbells, my med bag, a box that houses three drawers where I keep my stationary and printer paper comes to mind.

Gotta go and take care of the closet. 

Facebook Marketplace? Not a chance!

Thank you all for supporting me in my quest to make my home a more livable place with lots of breathing room.

After yesterday's post and after receiving encouraging comments from you, I immediately started my "purging three things a day" project, started gathering stuff that caught my eye and listed a mini music set on Facebook Marketplace. I took pictures of the set and posted it saying that it is only available for pick-up from a certain point (definitely not my apartment complex) in my area.

8 or 9 people showed interest and one said he wanted to come pick it up right away but asked for a discount. I said if the set did not sell at full price till tonight, I would consider his offer. Then, something compelled me to check out this guy's profile and I just ended up blocking him. Fanatical religious fundamentalism is something I stay clear of. 

I went to my Facebook settings and upped my security. 

Someone else said, he will pick up the set at the place I specified today and upon checking his profile, I am selling it to him. And no more marketplace for me again! (But of course, as I write this that guy decided to make it 5:30 p.m. instead of our agreed upon time. Ugh! If he doesn't show up then, I am just putting this darn set in the re-cycling area)..

I need to find donation boxes and places rather than deal with people I do not know.

As for the guy who is going to pick up my music set, I am meeting him by the mini mall by me, right in front of my Pharmacy where everybody knows me since 2004. There is another exit so, I will make sure, I cannot be followed. May be I am being too much of a chicken but you never know.

Yesterday, I took out some of the stuff in the below picture that I would like to part with:

Two old wallets, a porcelain box for trinkets, an ash tray and 4 egg holders I never use. A ceramic creamer. A vase and it's ceramic base. 4 Turkish coffee cups. It was a set of 6 and I almost never drink Turkish Coffee at home. I kept two and will be donating the four. Mom had given me those so, that is why I am keeping the two. A mug given to me by a friend with whom I have stopped talking. 2 elephants gifted by the same friend. A small angel doll collecting dust. 3 raki glasses. I rarely drink the stuff. It was a set of 6 and I am keeping 3 in case my family comes to visit and drink raki. Uncle did, when he was here. The small vase with the valentine bear was a gift from an ex and I do not know why I kept it. 

I wish we had a Goodwill like place. The donation places here usually take practical items. So, decorative items may go to waste.

After I post this, I will fish out the shoes I will be donating. I think I have also found three more decorative items taking up too much space and collecting dust. Will post their pictures later to share my commitment you.

Once again, thank you for supporting me! Have a great weekend!

I want to start over... (Not in the mood for rant? Feel free to skip this post)

I want to throw away everything I own and start over. I swear despite all the purging I keep doing, I still have too much STUFF! I packed some of my stuff and put them away but, even when everything has a place, my living room still looks cluttered. It's driving me insane. 

I started thinking of having my apartment painted this summer but, just the thought of moving stuff around makes me dizzy.

It is also difficult to clean small areas with so much stuff. 

And for the sentimental ties I have with the said stuff is just so stupid. I have lost people that I loved. Getting rid of things should be easy right? Yet, I have this huge problem of parting with things. WHY?

I am so mad at myself today. 

I have an ironing board that hasn't been used in over two years. I should just get rid of it. I have a small tabletop one that can be hung in the closet and if I absolutely need to iron something, that should be enough. The big one is disguised between a closet and the curtains and each time, I go there to vacuum, I curse the darn thing. 

I still couldn't get rid of the CDs and VCDs and even casettes! Ugh! The small music set is still taking up space. I have tons of yarn that I cannot possibly do something with. 

There are still lots of purses that I cannot part with. I need to go through those again.

I also still have too many shoes. That's fairly easy to sort out because all are in individual transparent plastic shoe boxes. May be I should start there.

And knick knacks everywhere...

I can go on and on.

Off I go to put laundry away...

Sigh...

Ugh! The prices of fresh produce...

Today, I went out for grocery shopping and I just could not believe my eyes when I saw the fresh produce prices. Honestly, I could not bring myself to buy iceberg lettuce and broccoli. 

I bought spinach roots. Spinach is sold as a whole, leaf only and roots only here. I love spinach roots so, I cut them up and washed them thoroughly as soon as I came home. Cooked it with sauteed onions, sauteed chopped meat, a medium sliced carrot, a handful of rice in tomato sauce. I have this with plain yogurt and it tastes heavenly. You can make it without the meat and serve it cold but, I like the hot dish better. It is going to be today's dinner with leftover salad from my lunch. I am sure there will be at least two more portions for the next few days.

I bought two bunches of chard. I will make rolls with a meat and rice stuffing with some of it and the rest will be sauteed with onions. I also serve this with yogurt or use it as a savory pastry filling or sometimes crack an egg on it for breakfast. I think, some of it will become a pastry filling and I will have the rest with yogurt. I bought Turkish style phyllo dough. 3 of them makes a nice size pie. I will probably freeze half of the pie for later. Need to use up some cheese so, that will go into the pie as well.

Here is a

short video of what I intend to make. It is not in English but, just watching it you will see how easy it is. If there is a Middle Eastern, Greek or Armenian store near you, I am sure you can find this type of phyllo dough. I will use three just like in the video. The filling is a mixture of Turkish White Cheese and chopped parsley but, you can use feta, cottage cheese or, whatever you like as a filling. I will use sauteed chard and cheese as I mentioned.

I think the meat in the freezer will be sufficient till I am back on the road.

I hope summer will bring the prices down. Tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers were ridiculuously expensive. 

I never realized how tired I got during the last couple of weeks. I slept at least 3 hours on the train, came home, dozed off in front of the TV and slept through the night.

Wishing everyone a nice week!

Getting Ready

I will be going back home tomorrow. I plan to be home till 27th or 28th of April and then come back to Ankara. After Ramadan Feast, I want to head to Antalya. I will probably stay till June 7th or 8th. 

The idea of going to the US in July started to grow on me. Although, now it is more expensive than ever, I think, I should be able to do it on the income I will have generated by then through just one of my part-time jobs. 

I used to buy lots of  brand name clothing items for SIS, BIL and Uncle but, looking at their wardrobes, let alone needing anything, they have excess. Last time I really went overboard on shopping for them. This time, just a couple of well worth items will be sufficient as gifts.

I think, I will fly with Turkish Airlines this time. They have 4 direct flights to NY every day and they allow 2 suitcases for free per person. Less expensive flights have one stop and they allow only one suitcase. I always pay excess baggage so, the price matches the direct flight. I also like to break the trip to stretch my legs but, with the pandemic still very effective, I think it is better to fly direct. 

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After I wrote the above my BFF M, whom I will be visiting in the US, called me and we watched the final episode of  The Night Manager. I told her that I started looking up airfare and she said she wants to come visit for a week or so too. So, we are going to try to see if she can come with me on my return trip and spend a week here in Turkey. Yay! That would be awesome!

Off I go to check airfare. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SIS!

Today, it is my beloved sister's birthday. I named her when she was born. Her name means, sincere, warm hearted and kind (and it rhymes with my name). I am not telling this because she is my sister but, everyone says she is living up to her name.

She is also a smart and quick witted person. It is always fun to be with her except when it is not. Lol! We used to have arguments in the past like all siblings has but, we never not talked to each other. That was our number one principle. During the past 10-15 years we do not argue anymore except for when I want to cuddle and kiss her sort of like Elmyra showing love. Lol! She calls me Elmyra when I do that. 

She has the warmest and kindest heart that I know. I am very lucky to have her. Especially since our mom died, when I become sad, stressed or depressed, she talks to me like she is the older sister. That makes me laugh and pull myself together.

Love her to the moon and back, several times over.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY SIS! May your life be long, filled with health, laughter and joy!

New Glasses and a Windfall

Uncle and I went to order our new prescription glasses today. Two pairs for him to read, and one pair to use day long. It took him less than half an hour to try frames and get his measurements taken. I ordered a pair of progressive/multi-focal glasses. It took me more than an hour. Haha! Also, his glasses are ready whereas, mine will be ready in about 10 days. I will get them when I am in Ankara at the end of the month. Also his three glasses cost a quarter of what mine costs. Sigh... Anyway, since this was in the budget, I do not care all that much. However, I am getting a small windfall. Yay! 

Remember the client we had who made us work for weeks on end and who refused all the candidates? We had stopped working for them but, my friend, who is the owner of the business had billed them at 30% per the contract. I wasn't counting on them paying it. I even told my friend that they would probaby not pay. Well, I was wrong. So, the amount of money coming my way is going to cover the cost of the glasses. Isn't that great?

We also visited my cousins at their shop for a while. My older cousin is very tired due to taking care of everything and she needs a vacation. I asked her to come with me to visit uncle early May. I will drive her to Antalya and after a week, she can fly back. They can keep the shop closed for a week. My younger cousin has MS and slightly disabled. Their mother is not too old but, her health has always been a problem.

Yesterday, I was getting ready to meet two old friends when Aunt C (the old lady who was my parents' friend) called me. She told me she fell and banged her back on the kitchen cabinet door and asked me if I could take her to a hospital. I canceled my plans with my friends and rushed to take her to an ER. Since I am not familiar with the hospitals in her area, I took her to a place she wanted and the moment we walked in, I regretted that. An X-Ray and a tomography later, they told us she needed to see a surgeon and told us to wait. She had broken two ribs; one slightly displaced, the other intact. We waited for like 2 hours and found out that the surgeon was actually on leave. I called another hospital and made an urgent appointment with the surgeon there. I had the staff put the X-Ray and tomography results on a CD and took her to the other hospital where, unfortunately my mom had passed. Aunt C told me initially she was going to ask me to take her to the same hospital but decided against it because, she knew it was the hospital where mom died. Such a sweetheart. Well, we had to wait for the surgeon for over an hour because, he was in surgery and it was a complicated one. The surgeon prescribed some meds, told her what type of movements she needed to avoid. After that, I took her home. They told us it will be a bit painful recovery in about two months.

SIS and BIL are coming to Ankara tomorow late at night. It is also SIS' birthday. She is turning 46.  We did not know they were coming so, it is a nice surprise. I guess they also need to take BIL's dad to a doctor. 

It has been awfully busy since I came to Ankara. Tomorrow, I will go to the cemetery and take the day off. No plans with anyone. 

I am sure we will dine out on Saturday as a family. I am also meeting friends in the afternoon.

Uncle's Check-Up

Today, Uncle and I went to the hospital for his check-up appointment at 8:30 in the morning.He first spoke to the check-up doctor who starts the process. He had his blood drawn, got a chest X-Ray, a full abdominal ultrasound, an Echocardiogram, an EKG and gave a urine and stool sample. Then we had a 2 hour lunch break before he started to see the specialists. By the time we came back from lunch, most of the test results were back so, he went in to talk to a cardiologist, a urologist, and a gastroenterologist. Everything is perfect except for Vitamin D deficiency. He will see the check-up doctor tomorrow again. I am sure he will prescribe some.

After that we both went to my eye doctor. He needs two prescription glasses, one for reading, another for watching TV and driving and such. The doctor did not recommend him multi-focals because he never had glasses till now and that it would be difficult for him to adjust to them. 

It turned out that I needed a new prescription too. My myopia recedes by age. It has been 3 years since I got my current glasses and my lenses were a bit scratched in time so, getting a new pair will be nice. I was anticipating this so, there is money for a new pair of glasses in my budget. 

So, all is well but, we came home around 4 p.m. and boy, are we tired! I am glad he is in excellent health at 63.

I am glad I went with him because, I am very familiar with that specific hospital and we kept running between different floors, different clinics and etc. He said, my presence made it easier for him. Tomorrow, he will meet up with the check-up doctor but, I will not go. 

I had done some laundry and on seeing that his undershirts were worn out, I had bought him some but, he said it would be better if they were a size up. On the way back from the hospital, I managed to exchange them too. If I hadn't thought about that, he would probably have worn the same old undershirts till the end of time. In the past, mom used to take care of such things.