Monday, August 20, 2018

Things That Are Making Me Happy


Phil is making a great recovery from his surgery. He is eating better, less tired and more engaged in life. They sent him home a day and a half after the surgery, which seemed too soon but he was getting no rest there. I am grateful for a good recovery so far.

I am happy to get some needed rain. The garden is lovely.

Thanks again to the friends that got me out to lunch and dinner, got me to the hospital, sent notes, cards, flowers and books. Thanks to my son for being the kind of person it is easy to spend time with. He is easy to talk to and easy to be quiet with.

I am happy that Megan continues to send me info about her pilot shooting in Toronto. It is so much fun watching it come together.

I am happy to have Todd Mason in my life. He always steps in when I need a hand.

I will try to do FFB and this each week but maybe not much else. 

What about you?

23 comments:

Jeff Meyerson said...

Patti, that is such great news about Phil! We think about you two all the time and discuss the situation frequently. That is just terrific to hear.

We've been trying to survive the heat and horrible humidity and rains of occasionally Biblical proportions this uncomfortable summer. Don't know if we've turned the corner for good, but yesterday was the first time we dropped below 70 degrees this month and it stayed cool all day, and this week looks mostly good with below average temperatures predicted.

Nothing exciting last week, but this week is another story. We have two concerts on tap: Michael McDonald at the new Rooftop at Pier 17, which is at the South Street Seaport just south of the Brooklyn Bridge is tomorrow night. We've seen him several times, both alone and with Steely Dan or The Dukes of September (Donald Fagen, Boz Scaggs). Great voice. Then Wednesday at Madison Square Garden, it is Jeff Lynne's ELO in his first US concert tour in 35 years, which should be fun. Oh, and then we're going to D.C. for a four day weekend, postponed from a couple of weeks ago because of the weather, which (fingers crossed) looks better this time.

Mostly we've been watching Netflix and Amazon Prime and Acorn. I really liked the first season of the Australian GLITCH. Seven dead people in the small town of Yoorana, Victoria climb out of their graves one night, seemingly as alive and healthy as before they died. One was the wife of local cop James Hayes, who died two years earlier of breast cancer (this is awkward, as James has since married her best friend, who is very pregnant), but others died 100 or more years ago, mostly violently. They can't leave the confines of the town, as one learns in the first episode, without dire consequences. Check it out. I'm looking forward to the second season.

Others on our current list: DICTE (a crime reporter in Denmark, who has moved with her teenage daughter from Copenhagen back to her hometown of Aarhus after a divorce). FAUDA, an Israeli drama about terrorists and the like. CONTINUUM, a Canadian SF series about a group of terrorists in the year 2077 about to be executed, who manage to get transported - along with our heroine, Kiera Cameron, to Vancouver in 2012. It reminds me of other, better shows (like TRAVELERS), but I haven't quite given up on it yet. There were four series. DICTE had three series, FAUDA's third series will run next year, GLITCH has had two so far.

There are others as well, and we have a whole list of things. Network television is frankly a disaster area. What is on this summer? THE BACHELOR or game shows. Sad.

Anonymous said...

So happy to hear that Phil is doing so well, Patti!! Thinking of you...

Jerry House said...

It's great news that Phil is doing well! I am also happy that you and he are getting so much support from friends and family.

I look forward to you blogging once again, even if it's only twice a week for now. It's been a daily and welcome stop for me and helps brighten up my life.

As always, best wishes.

Rick Robinson said...

That's absolutely wonderful news, Patti! I'm sure you're very relieved. And a shout-out to those friends who have been so supportive and helpful. Yes, Todd has been great, filling in when needed. It's nice to have that back-up.

I've been pretty sick for a few days (stomach bug), which is unpleasant, but over the last 2 weeks I did lose 11 pounds, which is good if I can keep it off. The weather here has been hot, and in the 90s for the next week. Yuck.

George said...

I'm glad Phil's doing well after surgery. After my knee surgeries, my orthopedic surgeon told me, "We're getting you out of the hospital before you get MRSA."

Our sweltering temperatures continue unabated. I'm not far from our A/C.

Diane flew to Boston to help Katie settle her new condo. Patrick also flew in and helped paint all the walls. I am useless at such things so I stayed home and collected the mail and AMAZON deliveries. I did pay for all the paint Katie, Patrick, and Diane used.

I did watch the AMAZON PRIME VIDEO version of Agatha Christie's ORDEAL OF INNOCENCE. Love Bill Nighy!

Jeff Meyerson said...

George, when we went on Amazon last night, Jackie spotted that one. She is a huge Bill Nighy fan (we've even seen him on stage in London), so I'm sure we'll be watching it soon.

Steve Oerkfitz said...

Glad Phil is doing well.
George-When I was in the hospital a couple of years ago I caught double pneumonia and MRSA. Spent 3 months in the hospital.
Haven't watched much streaming other than all 5 seasons of Scott and Bailey. Don't know why. I didn't find it very good. Have enjoyed Better Call Saul. Probably the best show on TV right now. And Sharp Objects on HBO.
Read a lot of good books including The Sinner by Ace Atkins and The Kings of London by William Shaw.

Al Tucher said...

Glad Phil is recovering!

J. Kingston Pierce said...

I'm glad to hear that Phil is doing well!

pattinase (abbott) said...

Thanks for the good wishes.
We watched ORDEAL too and I sure don't remember the book being as dark as that adaptation. Wow.
Was the last season of Scott and Bailey only three episodes? I liked it more for their personal lives than the crimes they solved. I think that was its real aim.
LODGE 49 is sure an odd duck.
My stomach has been off for two weeks. I blamed it on stress but maybe it is a bug, Rick

Gerard Saylor said...

Very glad to see Phil is doing better and that you are back online. My thanks as well to Todd.

I had a mountain bike wreck a couple weeks ago and broke two ribs. The bad news is that it really hurt for several days. The good news is that I now feel better, but not I am quite enough recovered that I cannot use the ribs as an excuse for laziness.

I have a ton of librayr books at home that I checked out for Scout Camps and family vacation. Those books have mostly been sitting. I am reading NEVER ANYONE BUT YOU by Rupert Thomson. I ran across a review or excerpt and decided to try it out. It's been a neat book so far; I need to read outside the noir/mystery/thriller books I usually read.

pattinase (abbott) said...

And I need to read inside more. Lately I find keeping track of things in a good crime novel is too much for me.

George said...

Steve, the situation you found yourself in at the hospital was exact what my orthopedic surgeon wanted me to avoid! At least a half dozen of our friends have caught MRSA when they had procedures in the hospital. Hospitals are germ factories!

Patti, you might want to read some P. G. Wodehouse instead of crime novels right about now..

Jeff Meyerson said...

Yes, the last Scott and Bailey series (which was weak) was only three episodes, and just petered out.

If ORDEAL was too dark for you, I don't know if I want to watch it!

Jeff Meyerson said...

The last page of my notebook of "books read" (this is the fiction list) shows only 15 of the 35 books were in the mystery field.

pattinase (abbott) said...

It was pretty dark. And apparently they changed the murderer.

Mathew Paust said...

So happy to hear Phil is on the mend, and that other things are going your way!

YA Sleuth said...

Sending good thoughts and rain for your garden.

Elgin Bleecker said...

That is good news, Patti. My best wishes to both of you.

TracyK said...

I am happy that you have a "happy" post and that Phil is doing well.

Todd Mason said...

Goodness...I had not checked in here due to the usual tumult at my end--excellent news in Phil's case, and everyone else needs to take some more care!

And thanks for the kind words, Patti, Rick, and Gerard...it is a pleasure to do FFB, the least one could do under the circumstances.

Among the tv series I've been enjoying more than previously (not so much due to its improvement as to my giving it more attention) has been Peter Stormare's criminous sitcom SWEDISH DICKS. Helping Alice out in several small ways with her video live-stream podcasting on the Twitch platform. Dealing with a few feline veterinary matters. Coping with the maintaining of a century-old house. As usual, not getting everything read in time.

Sorry to have been late to this checking in!

Kevin R. Tipple said...

I just found out this excellent news this morning. So very glad. THIS makes me happy!

Barry Ergang said...

Great news about Phil, Patti!