criplomats

John and I feel like we hit the jackpot on this R&R – lots of good times with friends and family and a few nice lazy rainy mornings on the balcony, like today. This old refurbished slot machine is at the Vapors, where we went last night to see the talented Scott Davis in his comedy magic show – he’s so good and his one-liners really cracked us up. I remember going to the Vapors as a kid with Mom to see Phyllis Diller and I think the Smothers Brothers.

We drove to Fayetteville Tuesday and were happy to give Chuck a ride up there so we could visit with him. We enjoyed seeing Pete and Ginger!

After driving through a lot of rain, we stopped for lunch with Pamela at Hendrix and took a stroll through campus. It was so fun to see the young kids so full of promise! We stopped by the memorial for one of our favorite professors, John Churchill.

John’s friend Russ came to spend the day Thursday and we had dinner along with his wife Cathie at Santorini’s, a really good new-to-us Greek restaurant. Delish! John and I also had a Rocky’s pizza earlier in the week, satisfying an itch for a good pizza.

Mary stopped by on Friday on her way to her high school reunion in Malvern – great to visit with her.

I made another quick trip to Little Rock for a follow-up appointment with Dr. Hester on Thursday, and ran in Trader Joe’s. Alison and Pee Wee came for coffee yesterday afternoon – John got a fabulous new espresso machine and they gave it their seal of approval. Pee Wee brought some delicious homemade bagels with salmon spread that we enjoyed.

I read a great book, “Between Two Kingdoms” this week, as well as “The Good Enough Job.” I also spent time playing with John’s new camera, trying to learn how to use it. We watched “The Morning Show” and “Unforgotten.” The best show of all, though, are the beautiful sunrises and the antics of the hummingbirds!

My big news was getting my second cataract surgery on Thursday (the first was last year). It’s amazing to see so clearly and to see such vibrant colors again! I’ll still need reading glasses, but I’m very happy. Dr. Hester in Little Rock did this surgery, too, and I really like him (a Hendrix grad). Everything went smoothly and recovery is going well!

Kelly H. was in town from Seattle and spent Thursday afternoon and evening with us – it was a lovely afternoon on the balcony and we had a great time catching up. John’s friend Rusty came on Tuesday and spent the day – I brought in Stubby’s BBQ for lunch and they had a big time talking all day.

Saturday John and I hit the Farmers’ Market in the morning and had breakfast downtown; we also stopped and got water from the hot springs, something I started doing on our last trip home (delish!). Later in the day I had coffee with David.

John and I are watching the third season of “The Morning Show,” and we’re really enjoying “The Bear”! I’m reading the crazy account of a cult in NY, a true story based on a very wacky psychoanalysis premise. I finished “Outlive,” and am about to finish the audio version of “Remarkably Bright Creatures.”

Despite being pretty busy, I’m still getting in lots of R&R! My favorite time is the early morning – I sit outside on the balcony and watch the sun come up. One morning was a big storm, which was wonderful. I love the quiet and watching the world come to life. I hung two hummingbird feeders and am really enjoying watching five or six of them fight over them.

I’ve been going to yoga almost every day and am really enjoying the stretching, exercise, and peacefulness of the practice.

I enjoyed Labor Day hamburgers with David, Alison, and PeeWee Monday evening. Tuesday I took David to his physical therapy appointment and ran some errands. Eye doctor appointment on Wednesday followed by lunch with Mary and a trip to the camera store.

Friday I drove to Conway to see Playwright’s Theatre at Hendrix – lots of fun. I met Pamela and Jackie for an early dinner, then picked up our former drama coach, Dr H, to drive her to the play. It was fun to see old classmates Elizabeth and Laura Rhea read the clever one-act play. I love being back in the theatre!

I spent the night with Ann in Conway and really enjoyed morning coffee and getting caught up with her.

I picked up John at the airport Saturday morning! So glad he’s here with me. We’ve enjoyed sitting on the balcony and watching the world go by!

I watched a fun Australian series called “Fisk,” then started on “Arrested Development,” which I’m also enjoying (I never saw it when it came out). John and I watched a good movie yesterday to commemorate 9-11, “Worth,” with Michael Keaton – it was a fascinating look at the victims’ compensation fund and how they made decisions about how much each life was “worth.”

Alison always has a knack for making my homecoming fun – this time with wine, fun flowers and a yoga skeleton! I arrived Sunday in the early afternoon after transiting Houston and was happy to wake up to this today:

Karen’s gentle yoga class this morning revived me and stretched out all the kinks from travel. Just what I needed.

The week leading up to my departure were hectic. Lydia and Cesar came for coffee last Sunday morning – so fun to catch up with them. Yoga on Wednesday, a couple of lunchtime walks in the park with Lea. Friday was an admin day at the office, a welcome break from the steady stream of visa applicants – and it gave me some time to clear my desk in preparation for vacation. The annual promotion lists came out Friday, as well. John and I were not “up” for promotion this year, so we didn’t have any skin in the game. While I’m happy for most folks on the list, I was sad to see some names I know were truly deserving to be omitted.

John and I watched “Who is Erin Carter,” which was pretty fun. I finished “Fleishman is in Trouble” last week, and just finished “Vladimir” – it’s kind of a wild premise but, boy, did I love the writing. It’s been hard to pick up the non-fiction books waiting in my library queue after “Vlad” but I started on “Outlive.” And to get into trash TV vacation mode, I watched a documentary about the Depp-Heard trial. I mostly just thought Johnny Depp needed a better tailor and a good hair-washing. He’s 60 now – who knew?

My biggest worry about leaving is Flavia, but am glad that Pilar will be there with her. She is only eating chicken now, and has Pilar cooking for her (spoiled much?). I say if you can make it to her age (19!), you can have whatever you want. I love that little cat.

There is such gorgeous architecture in Buenos Aires, including the amazing Otto Wulff building. I love the huge vultures on top of the building, along with its two cupolas that are said to represent Hungary and Austria.

Monday was a local holiday, so Lea and I met for lunch in Recoleta. I poked my head in the mall on the way home, the resumed my spot on the sofa to read. Flavia had her sonogram on Tuesday (no major changes since last November, still some inflammation in intestines) and I had a haircut on Thursday. Lea and I took lunchtime walks a couple of days this week – beautiful weather, chilly and sunny.

Lea and I had hair appointments in San Telmo at the same time and salon yesterday, so we went for sushi afterward at a little place inside the Japanese Club. I drove to Villa Crespo afterward to look at leather bags at Nimes, then walked around the neighborhood a bit.

John and I watched “You Hurt My Feelings” and really enjoyed it. The cast was great and the writing was very funny and good – Jeannie Berlin’s scenes were amazing.

Here are a few more photos of the Otto Wulff building, plus a couple of shots I took on the drive home.