David, sounds like Moh's procedure?

Correct. I'm being mindful about taking care of all my open wounds.

I'm glad you're taking care of yourself, David, but you really didn't need One More Fucking Thing.

Dana, did you make it out of town ok? It took me 4 hours to get home - metro north trains weren't running south of the Bronx, so I had to trek up to Yankees stadium, and then the train I got on had to be taken out of service one stop before mine because the tracks ahead were underwater.

(And then of course everyone else on that train was also trying to get a taxi, AND some of the local roads were closed....total fucking nightmare. Haven't had a commute that bad since Sandy.)

The one stroke of luck was I'd parked far enough away from the tracks that my car wasn't flooded when I finally got back to it.

Yikes, Jessica. The reports we have seen looked terrible. My SIL drives an MTA bus in Manhattan. Reminds me that I need to see how she is doing.

I hope you are more comfortable today, David.

Laura, I wanted to make sure I said: my sister got her hip replaced last year and it was a revelation.

Thanks, Consuela. I've known people who have done well with them too. So far so good with the softwave therapy. Pain is gone and no more lockups. Still have another 6 treatments to go. Surgery is more than a last resort for me because I can't tolerate pain killers, which I didn't know until I had bunion surgery. That was a whole lot of no fun. I got through the appendectomy taking one half of one pill because it was better to just stay as still as possible than to risk a violent reaction to the meds. I kept looking at the bottle of pill and deciding it wasn't worth it. I can somewhat take a child portion of Tramadol without getting too sick.

oh yikes, that's awful.

I hope the current treatment keeps working for you!

We had a show last night that we ended up getting to just fine, after looking up bus schedules and calculating how long it would take if the buses were mobbed, etc. The subway line reopened about a half hour before we were going to leave, and we walked down into the station and got right on one.

I'm sorry your commute was so miserable. I'm flying out of LGA today, and the security lines look okay at the moment. I was worried that backup from yesterday would completely fuck things up.

but you really didn't need One More Fucking Thing.

I'm looking at my aftercare paperwork and it looks like my blood pressure is high. Like...No Bueno high.

People gotta stop sending me consolation cake!

MiL is leaving today, so that's a blessing. I really just want to get back to something like a normal routine (though that currently involves a full-time dayjob of handling paperwork).

Then I get to work on my new exciting new DASH diet.

But nothing's going to be normal until after the Funeral, and I have another dermatological procedure on October 20th.

Maybe by Halloween things will be less scary.

The medical evidence seems to suggest that maybe, just maybe, I've been under a lot of stress for an extended period.

Seriously, David. I hope you can focus on your health for a bit. I've known several people who got sick after such a horrible loss. Your immunity is down from the stress. My mom got super sick after dad died. About 6 weeks later she was hospitalized with pneumonia. Stress and grief take a real physical toll above and beyond the emotional toll. No doubt your diet has been a mess lately too so a bit of clean eating is a good plan. Love you and worry.

but would it make my poems bloody awful?

SPIKEVAX will make all your prose effulgent but your poetry bloody awful. It's a sad fact. But only for a 24-48 hours, then back to regular.

Hec, I don't think blood pressure readings count until at least two months after the funeral. But I would drop off a consolation quinoa and kale pilaf if I were closer. It's almost as comforting as cake, just completely different.

But seriously, I have made a cold salad similar to this one more than once to leave on the doorstep of friends in lieu of traditional comfort foods. It has the advantage of needing no heating up, you just make it once and then scoop out dollops for needed sustenance. Plus it just keeps getting better for days sitting in the fridge.

I tried making kutia on Wednesday. It turns out I don't really like the flavor of poppyseeds so rather a fail in my immediate circle. Glad I tried it in advance of holidays rather than showing up for a big food gathering with a huge casserole dish of sadly sweet poppyseed drenched wheatberries.