4-23 SCOTTSDALE

 I woke at 7 and out by 9 am arrived at the Oaxaca airport at 10 am

to discover the flight was delayed until 3 pm. Had a crappy expensive breakfast?

then spent 1 hour in line waiting for immigration to look at my passport and let me go through security. 3 hours later I finally was on the plane to Dallas but had to book another connection as the one I was booked on left a half hour before I arrived.  I waited another 3 hours for that flight.  I hate American Airlines. There was no excuse given but I suspect they had two flights coming to Oaxaca and neither was full so they cancelled mine flight and put everyone on the second flight to save money and screw you David. 

Going through Customs was an ordeal.

One good thing:

             I was in charge of the Emergency Exit from Dallas to Phoenix

 I had been up 20 hours when I bedded down around 2 am.  Got little sleep as I had booked the Eye Doctor appointment and MY LUGGAGE never arrived...though 3 flights to Phoenix from Dallas did. It was delivered the next day.

Breakfast at my favorite Randy's Restaurant was not the same.  Later I discover why:

ITALIAN MEATBALLS ON POLENTA WITH MOZZARELLA.

   Happy Hour at Pubblico was still good and the "Chief", Chicago Retired Fire Chief, was sitting in his same chair, at the same time as he has been since I left 8 months ago. I should mention the prices are about 30% more than when I left. AVERAGE rents in Scottsdale Phoenix area are $2350 a MONTH for a rental. The evening Moon rise was pretty nice from my view next door to where I used to live.

              Dinner at Randy's wasn't much better than Breakfast but still good.

             I have been extremely busy spending time trying to get a script for the Blood Pressure Meds I left behind thinking my Pharmacy had delivered them . I didn't know they had been bought out by CVS Pharmacy and neither informed me of such but when I called they said they couldn't give me my script because the codes from the other company were still being deciphered to determine what the drug was?  I couldn't reach my Doctor for 3 days and took ED meds to bring down my 171 /94 BP so I could think straight.  Finally got my doctor and the scripts today...3 days later.

Arizona hasn't changed much...

                  Randy's is getting better by the day

..and the Chowda at Happy Hour with the Chief was excellent...

Not Happy about the "Happy Hour" price...$20 for one glass of house wine and a cup of Chowda.

I went back to my old "standby". Roaring Fork and enjoyed a Chicken Flatbread with a glass of Wine.  

Friend Marjorie had a H.Hour Party for me with 8 friends I had not seen in a long while..lots of Sushi Rolls and Nice Italian Wine...very nice to see everyone again. 

Breakfast at Fresh Start was expensive but very good.

Salmon Benedict & Fruit ($25)but little Hollandaise Sauce.

Drove over to the Westside(1 hour) to visit long time friend Bruce who recently retired. We had "Brunch" together after visiting his newly renovated property he rents out.

Stopped at Home Depot on the way home...and saw the Ploppet.

It is Easter Sunday, I can imagine Oaxaca  this Santa Semana. This would have been my Mother's Birthday to celebrate also. Dinner, I had a pizza at Clancy's Irish Pub.

Monday start with Spanish Omelet at Randy's,

then my Cardiovascular Doctor who said it was the walking that caused the pain and weight to disappear. He was very pleased and felt my new  Cardiologist  is wasting my time with all the tests that are already on record and no need to duplicate them. Then I went to one of the heart sonograms or ??? test and home.

Metabolic test panel this morning after fasting. Late Breakfast at ZOOKZ..worked there in 1976 as waiter and cook when it was "The Wine Cellar" and served Jerry Colangelo, the new owner of the Phoenix Suns.

Someone IN the table kept looking at me...

After another blood draw at the Urologists and another appointment for a PET SCAN of the prostate...the PSA rose from 1.57 to 1.7? Cancer is alway hanging around.

Then to Walmart where I bought a $377 pair of glasses for $21...Thank you Cigna Insurance.

"Grassroots" for the H Hour Buratta..excellent...then on to "Eddy's Chop House" for H Hour Shrimp Cocktail...highly recommend! Both trips the bill was around $25 each with one glass of wine each stop.

Michael Bernoff was picking up his family dinner take away at the Chop House while wearing an "Average Sucks" T-shirt.  I complimented his T-shirt so he gave me one along with the book he and his wife published. They recently moved here from "Sopranoville" New Jersey with their family and do Motivational Lectures.

Laundry this morning and off to the Dermatologist for annual checkup, then to Optometrist to check my Optic nerve for Glaucoma...a first. 

My Calamari Treat, for testing all day, at Lures Seafood restaurant Happy Hour.  Know why they call it Lures.  Escorts dot the bar at Happy Hour. They are the Lures. 

Today..no tests! I returned to Wok and Roll for Happy Hour and Angie, the beautiful barmaid, not only remembered me but took the small wine glasses off the rack to get "MY" big wine glass she has kept for the last 8 months.  When they changed to a smaller glass I wanted mine kept where it would be safe and unused except for my HH Wine.  She is exceptional person and employee who just started her own business in You Tube Podcasting..Spotify, Tik Tok and Instagram.  It is called "Big Hair Don't Care" and can be assessed from her BarCode or on BHDCpodcasts on YouTube. Give her a LIKE. 

 Scotty, the owner is always coming up with new and different ways to promote his Wok and Roll.The Sushi chef is not serving me that fantastic plate...Mine is the Spicy Tuna Crispy roll.

               She's a real person...a QUEEN with CLASS

Aim your camera at the bar code and check out her Twitter interview. I left feeling pretty special that she thought that much of me to keep my glass solely for me. Give her a Like!    I have been in the Hospitality field all my life and those are the little things that are rare and special.

              Another plane departs Sky Harbor 

Just received an emergency call from my condo in Oaxaca that a huge rainstorm with Hail is coming down in torrents and coming in through vents in the bathroom and under the doors to the balcony...my shoes are floating. I heard a dog bark outside my 5th floor window and thought I was in Mexico for a minute.

I will post this for now...enough of the Doctors for now..this coming week will be the more but almost done then Friday I am off to California to the Getty Museum...I hope.  Fantastic place. I saw this article that is some of what makes Mexico and Mexicans so special in my view. I will leave you with that thought...

https://mexiconewsdaily.com/culture/these-artisan-rope-makers-do-it-all-by-hand/

Love to all....david