I’d like to speak to the manager!!!

It was a day. Especially for my knee. Not because of surgery.

Because the The Schubert theater seats were built for 6 year olds. I thought I was going to die. My knees were stuck on either side of the chair in front of me and I was fucking miserable.

At intermission we moved to the front row of the mezzanine and it saved my life.

I apologized to the man sitting next to me during Act one because I couldn’t sit still. I told him the chairs were designed for men of the 1920’s not men of the 2020’s. He laughed. Then Adam heard him talking about me in the restroom and how nice I’d been for disturbing him.

That being said.

It was a good day.

First up.

We slept late. Adam and I were both exhausted.

I got up around 11:30 to shower and get ready.

First up.

La bonbonierer.

First rate diner food every time. And we haven’t lived in NYC in 12 years and they still remember us.

Then it was up town to theater torture to see Some Like It Hot.

We saw it in previews in the spring, but it’s closing after Christmas and we wanted to see it again.

It was amazing.

Then we headed down to Hudson yards for the first time and had a cocktail. I had two.

Then it was off to The Shed for the second reason we came. Here We Are. Stephen Sondheim’s last show.

The theater was fun.

The show wonderful. Not a typical Sondheim show but we both loved how off the wall it was. Lots of surprises. And the design was spectacular.

Then.

Fun fact.

NYC shows start at 7:00 now. So. You either eat dinner at 4:30. OR. You eat at 10:00. I’d prefer a 5:30 dinner and an after show cocktail. But alas. It’s now a 10:00 dinner.

Dinner was at Ci Siamo. Which translates to here we are. Appropriately for the evening.

Food was great. Italian. A couple of things outside our norm. The space was beautiful. And we had a great time.

We were the last to leave. Which I always hate. But I’ll write more on that later.

Meanwhile.

My knee is elevated. My club soda is in hand. And I’m about to shower and head to bed.

I’d like to speak to the manager!!!

It’s late.

We just got home from our 10:00 dinner reservation. And we weren’t the last folks in the restaurant.

Day started at the Waverly Diner. Old school NYC diner. To quote Adam Beckworth. It was perfection.

Then we headed up town walking about 10 blocks before hailing a cab. Destination: Radio City Music Hall. We spent the afternoon with the rockettes.

The show was a spectacle. And fun. And excess. And a great way to spend the afternoon. There was snow. And confetti. And snow fairy drones. And camels.

And fun fact. Even though I’m not a believer I’m still moved by the story of the first Christmas. Especially when there are sheep and camels.

After the show we headed over to Grand Central to check out a bar. That was thoroughly packed. So we went to a different restaurant and had a tuna sandwich and bubbles.

This was followed by a walk across town to The Lantern’s Keep. We hadn’t been there in forever, but after our first visit we looked up the store where they bought their bar supplies. And ordered all our supplies from there. Cocktail kingdom if you’re interested.

A quick cocktail and we were off to the theater.

The real reason for this trip.

Merrily We Roll Along.

Stephen Sondheim’s biggest flop.

Revived on Broadway for the first time since 1981.

It’s my favorite show of his.

This production did not disappoint.

We’d seen a version of this production in Boston pre Covid. This was even better.

I teared up when the overture started.

Was moved to tears a couple of other times.

And really cried during the last song Our Time. It’s my favorite.

Then we were off to dinner.

10:00 reservations we were 15 minutes late for. It’s hard to get a cab after a show.

Balthazar.

Our favorite NYC restaurant.

We ordered what we always ordered.

And enjoyed it a lot.

Then it was a cab ride home and got here at 1:00.

Knee update:

Still good.

Stairs are tricky but I take my time.

But I get better every time.

It’s hard to get in and out of cabs quickly. My range of motion is limited. And I have horrible ham string pain. That only occurs when I stand. So once I’m up it’s gone. Not even close to the pain pre surgery.

Walking is great. Just have to be careful with curbs.

Still doing better than I thought I would.

Two more days to go.

I’d like to speak to the manager!!!

Hello strangers!!!

It’s been a while. So much to share. But that will come!

In the meantime.

My surgery was almost 6 weeks ago. The recovery has gone well. Not as quick as I’d like. But well.

20 minutes after I was awake and talking to my first physical therapist I asked if I’d be ready to go to NYC at the end of November.

No one would commit. I’ve had 8 different PT people. None would commit.

Well.

Fuck them.

This morning we got in the car and drove 6 hours south.

Fun fact. My knee did not hurt.

My fucking left hip hurt. I had a physical therapist ask me last week if other body parts had started to hurt. I said yes. My ankle. My right knee. My left hip.

My hip hurt on the car.

Knee. Nada.

We arrived at 4:30 and the first photo shows our rock star photo. We actually parked down the street and as we arrived at our apartment a woman drove away Adam Beckworth ran and got our car and we parked right in front.

We got all settled and were off to the theater.

We got up town 90 minutes early so we grabbed a drink and snacks at Gallagher’s steakhouse. It was fun and delicious.

I however looked at my watch that said 6:30 so we grabbed our check to get to the theater. When I got there I discovered my watch was almost 20 minutes fast. Whoops.

I had time for a beer while Adam checked work email.

Fun fact! 90% of the theaters are dark on Monday. We had like three things to choose from. So I convinced Adam that Dracula a comedy of Terror would be fun.

It was fun. But I was more interested in the very tall, very handsome Dracula with a perfect physique.

Did I mention it was funny.

Them his real estate agent showed up almost shirtless and hidden under his modest suit was a 5’4” perfect physique.

Did I mention it was funny.

It was short and sweet and we actually did have a lot of fun.

Next up was dinner. It was 8:30. Our reservation wasn’t till 10:00. So we headed toward the restaurant and went to a bar for a pre dinner cocktail.

We ended up at a bar called Dante where the drinks were awesome. Service was better. Space fun.

Then it was off to the Minetta tavern. Fun restaurant in the village. Great meal of escargot. (Snails for those not in the know). Shrimp risotto. And foie gras. (Duck liver). Then a strip steak and French fries. The whole meal was spot on.

Here’s the best part.

For the first time in almost 2 years I took the subway uptown as I was able manage the stairs.

And.

We walked home. Pain free. Probably a little over a mile. No fucking pain.

Full disclosure.

I’m fat and out of shape. It’s been more than two years since I could walk more than a minimum amount.

And since surgery I’ve eaten a lot of comfort food.

So chubby. Winded. But pain free.

I’ll.

Take.

It.

I’d like to speak to the manager!!!

It’s my least favorite part of the day.

It’s 3:20.

We turned off the lights an hour ago.

You can set your watch and 30 minutes after lights out Adam is asleep. Regardless of how stressful his job is, the drama in his personal life, or if he is in physical pain.

Sleep is his friend.

I know I’ve written of this, but the not sleeping is the worst part of knee surgery. Worse than the pain. Worse than the physical therapy. Almost worse than the pain before surgery.

Lots of you have provided suggestions. I’ve been hesitant to mix things with the pain meds.

I stopped taking them four days ago, as a friend told me they gave her insomnia.

Fast forward.

Still can’t sleep.

I can fall asleep watching tv.

I can be so exhausted I can’t hold my head up.

I can feel the sleepy as I climb into bed.

But the minute the light is off I’m wide awake.

Yesterday was three weeks since my surgery. And I’ve watched the sun come up too many times to count since then.

Eventually, around 7:30 or 8:00 sleep will find me. And I’ll sleep until 3:00 or 4:00.

I’ll have been in bed for forever for what seems like 5 minutes of sleep.

I can’t sustain this. I’m tired. I’m depressed. The time change is the worst. I want. I need. I have to sleep.

Tomorrow I’m venturing out to buy the stuff. The sleep aids. The melitonin. The gummies.

I want to turn out the light.

Kiss my boyfriend.

And fall asleep.

I’d like to speak to the manager.

From November 3, 2023

Knee update:

Had a follow up appointment on Monday.

Had my staples removed. All looked good.

Had little adhesive strips put over the incision.

Had all my concerns addressed and was assured I’m not special. All is common.

However, I have not been sleeping. At all. I go to bed. Wide awake, even though I was dozing 30 minutes earlier. All night. I’ve seen the sunrise the last four days.

My physical therapist assured me it’s common.

The problem for me is that I can’t handle it.

Ever need to get information out of me. Keep me awake for a day. I’d spill my guts immediately.

That being said. My range of motion is good. I’m able to bend my knee 106. 120 is the goal. I’m able to straighten my knee to 2. The goal is 0*.

I graduated from the walker last week.

I’m now very dapper with a cane. Although I’m using that less and less.

Tonight was a big night though.

I actually got showered, and dressed, put on real pants and shoes, then drove myself across town to attend my friends birthday celebration.

I’d been given the okay to drive on Monday.

I’m tired.

But it felt good to get out of the house.

Definitely improving everyday.

Good morning!!!

Surgeon was just in.

Everything looks great.

He did say that my knee was significantly worse than the X-ray and MRi showed. There was no cartilage at all and was completely bone on bone. Which explained the intense pain that I’d been having.

He actually used the word gnarley to describe my knee.

I’m other news, I’m going home today and will start the real process of getting back on my feet.

Thank for all the support and I appreciate all the people who reached out and were sending along positive thoughts.

I’d like to speak to the manager!!!

After 4,657,923 days, tomorrow (Wednesday)I’m finally getting my knee replaced.

In all seriousness I’ve needed it for more than a year.

I made lots of sacrifices putting the surgery off as long as I did. Nights of no sleep, excruciating pain, and bouts of horrible discomfort. I did much of this to little or no complaint except to Adam Beckworth.

That being said, I cannot wait to have this behind me.

I’ve gotten lots of advice and support from people I know and love. First and foremost take the pills and do the exercises.

I’ll keep you posted as to how the recovery is going.

Meanwhile I have to be at the hospital at 6:00 am.

Surgery at 7:30.

I’ll spend the night tomorrow night and be home midday on Thursday!

Thank you to all of you who have reached out over the last year.

I’ll see you on the other side.

I’d like to speak to the manager!!!

The trip continues.

Up and at em.

I’m on the road by 10:30.

McDonald’s soda water in hand, GPS set to my next destination, and I am off.

I’m driving through New York.

Then Pennsylvania.

Then into Ohio.

Destination: Findlay.

Why you ask?

This trip started with me planning to visit a friend. Three or four days at most.

It became much larger.

So my first destination is to see a friend I’ve known since 1971. We met in first grade in Ms. Sams’ class.

We went to school together through 9th grade. Her family moved north.

We had not seen or heard from each other for years until social media. We reconnected as we all did when Facebook came round.

We said the occasional hello. Happy birthday. As we all began to post more we learned our stories were similar. Growing up in small town conservative Kentucky. Both hiding our sexuality. Both discovering who we were.

Fast forward and in 2012 just a few months after we moved to Maine my friend reached out to say she and her partner were coming to Maine on vacation. I jumped at the chance to see her.

Fast forward a few weeks and the four of us sat down to dinner in our Maine apartment.

It was great catching up. Learning about our lives since we last saw each other. College, partners, moving, careers, life in general. By the time she and her partner left we were besties.

We have followed each others adventures since. Kids. Marriage. Job changes. Illness. Buying houses. Moves. Deaths. Love. Life.

We’ve shared stories with each other for the past twelve years. Most recently through my posts. She’s followed my stressful life for the past three summers. I’ve followed her son through soccer, and baseball, and breaking his arm.

So when I realized I’d be driving near her home I reached out. And on Thursday I drove to the Findlay Brewing company. I walked in and there was Tanya Weising-Pike sitting at a table. I’d recognize her big smile anywhere.

I got the biggest hug.

And we were off.

Finally catching up. In person. After 11 years.

It was as if we’d spoken every day for the last 50 years. We picked up right where we left off.

We both had a beer. And lunch.

And we talked and talked.

It was so awesome to finally be in the same room.

Two hours passed in 5 minutes.

We said our goodbyes.

Got a photo snapped of us.

And I was on my way.

After 52 years Tanya is the same lovely girl that I met in 1971. I can’t express how much I appreciated her taking time out of her day to see me for five minutes.

I spent the next 3+ hours driving in the rain.

Got to Lexington. Checked in to my hotel.

Was asleep in five minutes.

I’d like to speak to the manager!!!

Things have been a little weird lately.

I made it through the summer.

Barely.

So to reward myself…I bought a new car.

And.

To reward myself for that, I left last Wednesday on a two week road trip.

Except for four people, no one knew I was leaving.

I left last Wednesday. Pulled on to the highway at 12:00.

My car was tuned to the Broadway channel.

The cruise control was set to 75.

I was on my way.

First stop Buffalo.

For no particular reason.

Mostly, because it was halfway between here and there.

The trip was uneventful. No rain. No traffic. No problems.

I got there and found a hotel room at Doubletree by Hilton.

Stopped by Applebees which was across the street.

It was an adventure to say the least.

There was a foursome at the bar complaining about everything.

Then there were two girls who were cursing at the top of their lungs about their worthless boyfriends.

My takeout finally comes, I pay, tip 30%, and head back to my room.

I eat.

Shower.

I’m in bed by midnight.

Day one. Done.

In 2014 I bought a Toyota Matrix. It had manual windows and locks. I paid 500 bucks to install cruise control. It was the lowest mileage car for the cheapest price when I bought it. It’s been paid for for years and I’ve put almost 150,000 miles on it.

However, I told myself at the end of the summer I’d get a new car. An adult car.

And so yesterday I bit the bullet. A grown up car. With electric locks. And windows. And blue tooth. And the Sirius Xm Broadway channel. Don’t cry for me Argentina!!!

It had 6 miles when I drove it off the lot.

I love it.