Hits and Misses (June16-22)

Here’s a look back at the week that was…..a day late, but nevertheless, here it is….

HITS

• The week began with several doctor’s appointments for me and the Geriatrics. I got good reports from both the cardiologist and dentist (although I will have some minor dental work done in the weeks ahead). The Geriatrics also got mainly good reports although doctors did confirm what we already knew – Pop is severely dehydrated. This probably explains his recent falls and blood pressure fluctuations. We will continue to monitor carefully.
• By week’s end, I made my way to Houston for the annual conference of the Texas Music Teachers’ Association. It was rewarding to hear some outstanding presentations, connect with colleagues from around the state, and meet some piano recruits.
• One of my favorite parts of spending time in different cities is exploring the food scene. Downtown Houston did not disappoint this time either. My first adventure was a solo exploration — aren’t you proud of me? — and I discovered You Pie off of Main Street. The BBQ Chicken pizza was outstanding and the gelato is not to be missed! I recommend trying the salted caramel and birthday cake flavors…..trust me, you won’t regret this decision.  Richard and I left the recruiting booth on Friday evening and made our way to Perbacco, a small Italian eatery in the Theater District. The food and atmosphere was so inviting that we decided to return on Saturday evening with our friend, John Hord. I started with the lasagna on Friday followed by an incredibly moist chocolate cake. I was in Heaven! On Saturday, my colleagues enjoyed the lasagna based on my recommendation (It really was that good!) while I enjoyed the cannelloni. I may have to make a trip back to Houston just to return to this restaurant.
• The decision to attend TMTA came late for me this year. When it became clear that the Geriatrics would not be able to drive into the metro area with me to visit family, I decided that I would fly in and commute around the city by Lyft. I had so much fun meeting all of my drivers and was very thankful that I didn’t have to navigate the insanely busy streets of downtown Houston. Somehow I failed to get the memo that the Houston Pride Parade was happening on Saturday night — so connecting with my Lyft driver and navigating our way out of downtown was a bit of an adventure, but this is just another example of why I was better served by having someone else drive me around. I would probably still be driving around the same block over and over in an effort to get to the interstate!

MISSES

• One of the Geriatrics’ appointments this week was at a medical facility I was not familiar with. Rather than trying to find the location with the backseat drivers in tow, I set out to the office after one of my own appointments the day before. To reward myself, I decided to treat myself to a milkshake from Baskin-Robbins. The treat itself was quite good…..but the price tag was not! When did a simple milkshake become $7?!?!?! You can be certain that I drank every drop and treasured it like gold. Wowzers!
• Speaking of the Geriatric appointment, who scheduled an early morning appointment at an office that is not easily assessable? Good grief! With all of the traffic and traveling on surface streets, it took FOREVER to get into Olive Branch, Mississippi. Now I remember why I avoid going into that area at all costs.
• With lots of unstable air in the atmosphere, my flights in and out of Houston were very bumpy. By the time we began to make the final descent into Memphis, I knew that the turbulence had gotten the best of me and my tummy was not very happy.

Hits and Misses (June 9-15)

Here’s a look back at the week that was….

HITS

• I am so thankful for the friendship and hospitality of the good folks at Bartlett Music. Pop has not been able to go to work since his accident a couple of weeks ago. For this pianist, that also meant that I could not get any work done. When I called Melissa to ask if I could rent a few hours of space, she immediately told me to come on as often as I needed to. Having a place to practice and the friendship that I have with Melissa and her amazing staff have done wonders for my stress level. I am incredibly grateful!
• Have I mentioned how good it has felt to get some practicing done? There’s nothing better for the musician’s soul and mind. I’ve especially enjoyed working on a little Debussy and Rorem this week…..as well as Bernstein, Copland, and Barber!
• I was finally able to get to the chiropractor after my European fall-in-the-shower incident. I knew I needed an adjustment, but I was still unprepared for the SOUND of all of my vertebrae aligning so rapidly. Looking forward to visiting Dr. Tyler again on Tuesday afternoon for a follow-up visit.
• Summer is always a time to surround myself with books and I’m loving it. This week I completed my reads of Divergent by Veronica Roth as well as Alan Walker’s magnificent biography of Fryderyk Chopin. Completing both books in a single week could only have one possible outcome — A TRIP TO BARNES AND NOBLE!!!!! Armed with a gift card from a student recital (thank you!) and my personal checking account (oops!), I made my way to Jonesboro to visit a different store and came away with 3 new novels and 2 biographies. So what have I got my nose in at the moment? I’ve enjoyed the opening section of The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin by H.W. Brands and plan to start the next book in Roth’s Divergent series. I sense some glorious reading days ahead!
• My Netflix binge continued this week. I finished season 4 of Madam Secretary this week and I’m patiently waiting for season 5 to become available in a few weeks. In the meantime, I stumbled across Parenthood and have become completely hooked. I watched season 1 in a matter of days…..I was completely engrossed by the story.

MISSES

• Now that I work at WBU, I’ve gotten spoiled to not having a major commute to work every day. It’s been a bit of a pain to suddenly have a 45-minute one-way drive daily in order to practice. I’m thrilled to have a place to rehearse for three hours each day; the additional two hour commute is not as thrilling.
• I am continuing to struggle with congestion that simply won’t go away. I don’t feel bad. I’m not running a fever. I am not suffering from more-than-normal allergy attacks. I just have a lot of gunk in my chest that isn’t very pleasant. Here’s hoping that a round of Mucinex will clear things up quickly.
• Geriatric medical care can still be frustrating. On a return visit to his GP, changes were made to Pop’s medication. Given his health history, that is worrisome. I was frustrated that a call wasn’t made earlier in the day to make the cardiologist aware of the change just to make sure he agreed with the course. I was pushed over the ledge when I learned that Pop cancelled an appointment with the above-mentioned cardiologist that was scheduled for Monday afternoon (which would have been the perfect time to discuss this medical change with him!) because Pop didn’t think he could drive himself to the appointment. What the heck?!? My brother and I are both right here and will willingly drive you to the doctor IF YOU BOTHER TO TELL SOMEONE!!!!! Okay….rant over. I’ve beat my head against a wall enough for now.

Going with the Flow

Surprise — things don’t always go as I had planned. This is often a source of difficulty for me. This summer in the Geriatric Ward is no different, but I’m trying to go with the flow and make the best of a challenging situation.

Many of my readers already know that my siblings and I honored Mom with a surprise 80th birthday celebration a few weeks ago. We had to delay the party from her actual birth date because I was out of country. We found an open weekend, made the plans, and everything seemed to be going exactly as planned.

Or at least they were going that way until we were cleaning up and preparing to leave the venue. I had taken Mom home and unloaded her gifts and some food items into my childhood home. I then decided to return to the venue — just a few blocks from the house — to see if my brother needed any more help. When I returned, I learned that Pop had taken a fall. We got the bleeding to stop and began our journey to the emergency room to err on the side of safety. Thankfully, nothing was broken and it appeared that everything was perfectly fine.

We are now approaching the two week anniversary of the fall and things are anything but normal. A check-up visit to his primary physician revealed that Pop had developed a skin infection as a result of the fall that could easily land him in the hospital. Because his leg was so bruised and sore, Dad had significantly decreased his fluid intake so he wouldn’t have to make trips to the bathroom. (You think that’s TMI? Don’t read the rest of this paragraph. Alright….but don’t say I didn’t warn you!) As a result of this choice, Dad has become severely constipated which is a rather serious issue since he underwent surgery several years ago due to colon cancer. To make matters worse, his inactivity has resulted in extremely low blood pressure. The PC physician wants to make changes to his medication, but that requires a visit to the cardiologist given Pop’s triple bypass surgery and recent stint placement. No, Dad’s accident did not permit the summer to go as planned.

How is this impacting me, you ask? Of course, I’m concerned about Pop’s health. I hate to see him suffer and want him to get better. But I want him better yesterday! Since he is feeling so bad, Dad hasn’t gone to work since the fall. That means he’s been parked in the lift chair in the living room of the Geriatric Ward with the television blaring every day. Why is this so stressful? You have to understand the layout of this home to fully get the picture.

The Geriatric Ward is a shotgun house. There’s a single wall that runs down the center of the building. The living room, dining room, and kitchen are separated by the merest archways. Half of the house is an enormous Great Room before the design style was really cool. Pop’s lift chair sits in the separation between the living and dining rooms. What other household item resides in the dining room? My piano! Now you are beginning to see the issue….Dad’s presence in the home ALL DAY LONG has made it virtually impossible for me to do any substantive practicing in preparation for the upcoming semester.

I became extremely stressed by the situation earlier this week and simply had to vent to Mom. I was looking for sympathy and understanding. I was hoping for advice. Unfortunately, what came out of my mouth was the statement that this could not happen again this summer…..or I might just need to return to Texas. As soon as I made the statement, I regretted it because Mom’s stress level suddenly came to the fore. She is doing all she can to make sure Pop’s recovery goes smoothly, but doesn’t feel as though Dad really wants to get better. It’s just a stressful situation all around.

So I made a decision. Practicing in the Geriatric Ward would certainly be the easiest solution, but there are other options available. It was time to take my preferences out of the equation, put on my big boy pants, and just go with the flow. I made a call to my friend who owns Bartlett Music and asked to rent rehearsal space for 3 hours each day for the foreseeable future. Is this a convenient solution? Not really. I have to drive an hour each way and arrange my practice routine around the space availability of the music academy. So 3 hours of work takes up 5 hours of my time. I am not at my most productive in the mornings. But it is what is necessary in order to go with the flow and get the necessary work done. I won’t even begin to address the inconvenience of transporting my music (there’s more to that than you might imagine), not working on the instrument I am most familiar with, and not working in your most comfortable environment.

How long will this be my summer routine? I have no idea. It really just depends upon Pop’s recovery. What I do know is that a simple change to my outlook and attitude can make a huge difference in how I view this situation….and it allows me to be as helpful as I can be in the Geriatric Ward while still ensuring that I am ready for the music-making that is ahead in the Fall semester. So I’ve strapped on my life jacket, grabbed my oar, and set out on this wild ride through the white water rapids of the Geriatric Ward. I’m accepting that I am not going to be able to control the journey, so I’m just trying to go along with the flow while keeping my head above the water.

Hits and Misses (June 2-8)

Here’s a look back at the week that was……

HITS

• As the week began, I found myself traveling to Dallas. It’s surprising to say, but even though I have traveled through the city most of my life, I really haven’t spent much time visiting Dallas. I took advantage of a little down-time and enjoyed the sights, sounds, and food in this amazing city. I came away from this short visit with the knowledge that I definitely want to return and continue exploring.
• This week has also been all about connecting with people. I have had the opportunity to make new acquaintances, spend time with friends while visiting Dallas, and catch up with others by phone this week. As much as I enjoy being a loner at times, I do enjoy the company of others. I just know that there will be a limit to the time together….and when I begin to feel overwhelmed, I know that it is perfectly okay to pull away for some quiet time alone.
• When I returned to the Geriatric Ward this week, I was able to make some time for entertainment. It has been too long since I have been able to curl up in a quiet corner and enjoy a good book. This week, I returned to my biography of Chopin and started making my way through Divergent. I was also able to spend some time catching up on television and Netflix. Most of my time in front of the tube has been devoted to Madame Secretary. On Saturday, I finally took the time to enjoy an afternoon at the movie theater and took in Dark Phoenix. It wasn’t my favorite film of all time, but it was a great way to pass some time on a weekend afternoon. I’m planning to do some more of that in the coming week.

MISSES

• Turbulent plane flights seem to be the norm for me these days. The flight into Dallas was bumpy, but nothing too bad. The return to Little Rock on Thursday, however, was ROUGH! I was beginning to question my choice to sit in the rear of the aircraft before we finally made it safely to the terminal.
• Pop’s recovery after last weekend’s fall has been anything but smooth. Obviously, his leg is quite sore and he has limited mobility. To add to the fun, the ER doctors did not administer an antibiotic to stave off infection. A visit to his primary care physician — which he didn’t want to keep — revealed the presence of a skin infection. The doctor told Dad that if he had failed to deal with the infection, he probably would have landed in the hospital very soon. However, the infection did not respond to medication as quickly as the doctor had hoped, so the dosage was increased by week’s end. Needless to say, that just added to Pop’s general discomfort. As the week is coming to an end, it appears that his leg is finally beginning to heal and we are hoping that the worst of this episode is behind us. Just another typical event in the Geriatric Ward.

Hits and Misses (May 26 – June 1)

So I know that this is much later than it should be, but what can I say? My first week back at the Geriatric Ward was insanely busy and demanded all of my attention — which meant I simply did not have time to write. But the final week of May was too good to not include in my weekly blog post.  So here’s a look back — a week late — at the week that was….

HITS

• The week got off to a wonderful start with a long overdue dinner with the Brown family. It is always a good time getting to share time with Daniel, Kim, Hannah, and Luke in their home. Now that Hannah’s health has improved significantly, the possibility to spending time with my friends on a more regular basis is a welcome change. There was lots of laughter and joy in the time that we spent together.
• My Memorial Day celebration was rather unusual. I spent the day lounging around my apartment, fighting off the beginnings of a cold that just wouldn’t let go. Despite not feeling 100%, I followed through with the evening’s plans and took in a movie with Ryan. We went to see John Wick 3. It wouldn’t be something that I would normally pick, but it was another chance to connect with Ry outside of school. There was good conversation and I think we both enjoyed the drive to Lubbock and the movie — despite all of the blood. Ugh!
• I’m always thankful for safe travels when I’m on the road, but this drive to the Geriatric Ward was clearly marked with travel mercies. After spending a night in Oklahoma City, I continued my drive to the Geriatric Ward on Wednesday morning through the rain. The downpours were torrential at times and driving conditions were treacherous. As one of the heavier portions of the storm appeared to be coming to an end, one of my fellow travelers decided I wasn’t moving fast enough and decided to pass in the left lane of I-40. As soon as he got beside me, water flooded my windshield and I had no idea where I was going. I knew enough to keep moving in the same direction while letting off of the accelerator. As the water falls from my side window, I see a flash of his car headed for the median before it suddenly changes directions and comes back toward the interstate! Thankfully, I had enough presence of mind to keep moving forward in an attempt to stay out of the accident that was bound to happen. Miraculously, my car was not hit. The other car ended up in the center of the interstate, blocking both lanes of traffic. While I wanted to stop and make sure everyone was okay, I knew that was not a good decision since there was additional traffic traveling behind us. Stopping and getting out of my car would have put me in mortal danger. I whispered a prayer for their protection and pushed forward to the next gas station where I filled up, checked my car to assure myself that I had not been hit, and caught my breath. That was simply too close for comfort. Needless to say, I drove very cautiously for the remainder of the trip and always had my eyes on the other drivers.
• Some were surprised to see that I was traveling to the Geriatric Ward so soon after my return from Europe since I had to be in Dallas again on Monday. The reason was really quite simple; my siblings and I threw a surprise 80th birthday celebration for Mom on Saturday afternoon. Mom’s birthday was actually the week before, but since I was in Austria at the time, we knew I wouldn’t be able to be in Arkansas by that weekend. My job on Saturday was to get Mom to the party without letting the cat out of the bag. That meant I accompanied her to the dry cleaner’s to pick up the week’s clothes before running to Southaven for a little impromptu shopping and lunch. I really had no idea how I was going to keep her busy, but managed to get lost in a bookstore for a little while — so that blew a little time! When we arrived in Crawfordsville, I pulled into the lot next to her office and began walking her over to Wyatt’s Cafe. She questioned why all of the cars were there and why we were stopping, but she played along and followed me inside. Finally she asked where my Dad and brother were. The owner told her they were looking around upstairs and he took us up the enormous repurposed freight elevator. We had a great time with friends and family and Mom was definitely surprised. It was a good day had by all.

MISSES

• The rain needs to go away! I’m sick of driving and walking through rainy weather. I know there are lots of farmers who simply want it to stop too. I’m ready to dry out a little bit.
• After Mom’s party on Saturday, I took her home and unloaded the car of the few items that we had transported in the back of my car. I then headed back up to Wyatt’s to see if I could help with any of the remaining clean up. What I found was not what I wanted to see. While I was gone, Pop had fallen and cut his arms and leg pretty good. Daniel, Shane, and Patsy were cleaning him up as best as they could and getting the bleeding to stop. When I insisted that Dad go to the ER, he bucked me and said he was fine. Thankfully, Patsy stepped in and insisted as well. So we spent the next few hours in West Memphis getting him checked out. Thankfully nothing was broken and he was given a tetanus shot to stave off infection. Now we’ll just see how he does with the stiffness and pain in the coming days.