(no subject)

Barbie came called and came by last night. She was my aunt's speaker to the medical profession. And a damned good one. She spent most of the time my aunt was in the hospital after they inserted the feeding tube and my aunt started choking with her in the hospital. She wanted a ring. How do you give a ring and not give more? She will miss the funeral because her father is in the hospital in Fargo.

Yesterday, I spent some time in the morning answering phone calls. Mona called and the funeral guy called around 8:00. I wanted to be there with the obit around 9:15. I think I got there at 10:30. I then ran to work to quickly check over some helpfiles, grab the Christmas picture of my aunt, and then left to meet with my aunt's financial planner. We may have some problems since the lot in Arizona has not sold. I think I emerged from the financial planner around 2:30 and traffic was building on 62. I got home and scanned the picture in and ran to the funeral home to see what the bill for the obit was going to be. It was way too high, so I sat down with a pen and began cutting. After I cut it, I waited for the Stribune to call back the funeral home, and the receptionist read the cuts over the phone. Then the Stribune faxed back the chopped obit. It was still too expensive, but I didn't see easy places to cut, so I left it. I think it was getting close to five by then and I had an appointment to have my hair cut by James at 5:30. After the haircut, I stopped at Quang's and bought an order of spring rolls, lemongrass chicken and a pork salad. Thong was upstairs with some of his tuna on rice, but he abandoned that to eat the pork salad and a spring roll. James talked a bit about getting out of Vietnam on a boat and how it did not compare to the Survivor shows on TV. Thong too has stories about the boats and trying to get out of Vietnam.

(no subject)

Found my aunt's address book in my black shoulder bag right where I put it. Called the real estate agent in AZ. Tracked down the sterling and the chocolate pot & cups. Bought shoes, bought shirt, thinking about trying on my suit any time now real soon to see if it still fits. Thinking about buying a coat I can wear with a suit.

On and off again solist via Michael at the Illusion Theater is on again as far as I know. Myra and Karen are in town, but they ran off for lunch.

(no subject)

The day Karen and Myra arrive from North Dakota. I was running around buying clothes. A shirt, shoes, coat and shoulder bag. I forgot to wash the car. I met with Jonathan Adams about the will, then hit Dayton's at Ridgedale, and purchased two shirts and a pair of shoes. The shoes, which felt wonderful in the store, caused a big blister on my left foot. My other dress shoes that I've worn, is from Payless Shoes. They squeak when I walk in them. I (wrongly) figured the mausoleum would not be heated and bought a leather trench coat to wear. It was an extravagance, but I don't have a coat to wear over a suit, it is black leather, and I wore it for the funeral.

Once I met up with Karen and Myra, we went through some of my aunt's jewelry, drank a bottle of cheap champagne, half of which flew out of the bottle when I opened it, (I'd neglected to shop for things like that), ate olives, and then went to eat at the 3-Muses just around the corner. I'd read that they had a new chef. They advertised a new menu, but it seemed strangely familiar from the last time I was in there. The food, however, was exceptional. We started with a bottle of champagne, a better bottle than the one I'd served at home. We ordered two appetizers, scallops and ??? (I'm thinking I had BBQ lamb, but that must have been at La Toscana). Karen ordered the roasted beet salad, which Myra would order at La Toscana. I ordered a salad, the details of which escapes me, and Myra ordered the squash soup with cardamom cream. I stuck my fork in it to steal a taste, and it was an excellent blend of squash, the cream with cardamom and hints of sage. I ordered lamb chops for the main course, and they were excellent. My sister ordered pork, setting at trend she would follow the next night.