We are heading out of town for Winter break next Thursday and this will be the last post of the year. We're meeting up with friends in Italy and start in Naples and the Amalfi coast. We then drive to the heel (I say more Achilles tendon) and visit Alberodello and Matera, before heading down to the toe to spend a few days in Sicily. Should be a good time obviously and can't believe the powers that be signed off on me driving for a good portion of the trip.
Was finalizing details this week and booked a walking tour in Naples. We get in a 1/2 day before our friends arrive so arranged with the tour lady for her to show us the famous Archaeological Museum in Naples that houses many of the artifacts from Pompeii for a couple hours the afternoon we get in. She suggested we meet up before the museum for some pizza. I love the way Italians think.
In preparation for the trip, went for a pedicure today. Pedicures are the best and have never met another fella that is even remotely as fond of them as I. Can't ever recall ever knowing another guy that goes for them with any gusto and can't understand why. Not a fan of massages of any kind. Some guys in this town say they go to the barber for shaves, which has to be a total ruse for them to get the old tug and pull cause why would this town need a place that specializes in facial shaving? Chinese people grow facial hair with the same ease that Mark Watney grew potatoes on Mars. I don't get a pedi for my toes to look good (although they do), but for them to get up close and dig into the cuticles and mine out all the shit that collects in between the nails and skin. Another favorite aspect is when they take the cheese grater and exfoliate the soles of the feet. And then you get the 30 second ankle and calf massage at the end, which I don't mind, but is does get uncomfortable for both of us when they work over my left ankle. Me cause rubbing the metal bolts they installed to repair it kinda hurts, and them when they feel it and are confused as it doesn't feel right. I watch as they are doing it and when they hit that spot and they always look up with a 'what the fuck is that' expression. So that is your tip on what to get the guy that has everything for Christmas...pedicure gift certificates.
If I were to name a band or sports team, my current preference would be for them to be called the Corsairs. Originally the name of Ottoman pirates in the Mediterranean, and not only the name of the coolest fighter plane ever, but a very underrated 60's doo-wop group. Just think it is cool sounding while also employing some bad ass imagery.
A new show that I've been watching that I hate-like is 'The Great Indoors'. Tuned in as it was created by a guy I listen to via podcast for a while and stars ex-Almost Live Joel McHale. Not gonna go too deep as it isn't great, but basically it is an older dude (my generation) dealing with millennials in office type situations. A bit cliché and the jokes hit and miss, but enjoyed an episode the other day where the older guy was called into HR to be taught how to deal with the younger 'everyone gets a trophy' generation. In the epilogue, the millennials are brought into HR to learn how to deal with the older types and are shown a video about how to teach them about computers. The video was titled D.R.O.P. which stands for Don't Rush Old People. Funny cause it's true. The kids are always scoffing at my lack of knowledge about the alt keys, and I have constant exasperation with my 90 year old mom's lack of any computer related information retention.
Speaking of which, she went home today. We're all happy for her. Deciding whether to do the risky surgery, the underlying reason she went for it was that the dementia caused by the pressure on the brain was going to cause her to have to move into Assisted Living, which was a death sentence for her. The surgery was the best hope that she would get back home/to Independent Living.
I'll tell you, the first few days after her surgery, when she was in complete gibberish mode, I didn't have much hope and was all ready to scoff at the Stanford reputation. Going into the deal, my rationalization that it was a good idea was that she was going to get the best treatment imagineable as what place on the planet attracts the best talent in the world? Hard to argue that Stanford would be in that discussion. Certainly in the States, it has risen to the level of the more traditional Ivy League/Johns Hopkins institutions and from the way the Asians talk around here, has surpassed them.. And the dude performing the surgery was the head of their neuroscience department with a distinguished career as a surgeon. But those initial days of nuttiness, combined with the fact that Stanford hospital felt outdated and that the surgeon took off for vacation two days after the procedure for a week had me thinking that their reputation was seriously overblown.
To be fair, it was T-giving break and doctors are entitled to their personal space. And they are building a state of the art hospital across the street, which in typical Californian fashion has been wracked with environmental and administrative delays and is several years behind schedule. But as the situation evolved, the hospital staff all proved to be excellent and her condition has improved to the point that she seems almost as good as before the fall and must give credit to the institution.
Stanford does have it all. The setting couldn't be anymore idyllic and they are on a plot of land that is massive and in one of in the highest valued property areas in the world. Their endowment is ridiculous (if you haven't listened to the Malcolm Gladwell podcast titled My Little Hundred Million, do it now). When I go walking while visiting there, I typically head to their track, which is located in the middle of all their other sports facilities. You have never seen more complete, well manicured and simply perfect facilities for literally every sport. Dedicated and gorgeous venues for things like discus, archery and equestrian.
But Stanford and Palo Alto always frustrate me too. To go from my mom to sisters house, one must traverse the campus/downtown areas...maybe a mile or two...and the traffic lights are all calibrated so you stop at every single one. And while the people are probably better than me, the righteousness of them is always stunning. I had several examples this trip, but the one that bugged me the most, and that you will likely find petty, happened in the mall parking lot. Was driving my moms ride, which is a low profile Nissan 300ZX. A sweet car, low miles and would be worth about 10k if she sold it, but the thing has the worst visibility of any car I've ever had the opportunity to drive. We all shudder to think that she was driving it past her 90th b-day. Anyhoo, am in the parking lot and am between two decent sized SUV's and there is no way to see what is behind me. Before I get into the car, I scanned the area to see what was around cause I know it's gonna be a bit hard pulling out, and there are people about but no one coming in my lane either on foot or wheels. Start pulling out...slowly...and make the arc to move along, and a mom and her kid are now walking in the lane behind me. Again, I don't see them immediately cause of the bad visibility, but finally do and they are right behind me. I stop of course, but instead of this lady holding back and teaching her kid that cars are big and weigh a lot, and that you should probably give them some space from time to time, I get the indignant "watch where you're going". I coulda sworn that this was the same woman we saw in the Nordstrom shoe section the day before, whose 6 year old brat was rolling all over the floor making a racket, and she was making a half hearted effort to control him. She tells him that he won't be able to go to his friends house later if he doesn't behave, which he doesn't, and calls him by his name...Edison. What a perfectly pompous Palo Alto child's name. I would swear that the name of the kid's friend she mentioned was Nietzche. See, I told you it was petty, but multiply this by every person in town and it gets old fast.
Not everything is all pedestrian friendly renaissance named bliss. A commuter train runs through town and there are a handful of crossings, and there has been a suicide cluster amongst the high school students throwing themselves in front of the trains in the recent past. Here is an article about it and if you google Palo Alto suicides, you can find a bunch of them. Seems they blame it on academic pressure and then the natural contagion effect. Am sure they are doing a lot to talk to the kids about it, but one of their solutions was to place guards at all of the railroad crossings. The guards are stationed there 24 mind numbing hours a day. Absolutely ridiculous cause one could easily hurl themselves in front of the train even with these guys there. Liberal ass covering at its best.
Happy B-day Jesus.
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