Mimes On Rollercoasters
A fresh face on the big hair music you grew up with .
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Back In The USSA
We have been back for about 10 days, and we are getting ready to drive up to Duluth, Mn for a baby shower. This is an 8 hour drive that we have made many times. Neither of us feels like taking another trip, but we have family obligations, and so, off we go.
Deb's teeth are looking great. She had some discomfort initially, but each day her mouth has gotten more and more pain free. We're broke from the trip, and we'll have to be very careful over the next few months about what we do. But that is OK if Deb can eat without pain.
All of our luggage made it home with us. Deb has finished the laundry. I have been back to work and told everyone about the earthquake and dentistry.
It is good to be home.
Deb's teeth are looking great. She had some discomfort initially, but each day her mouth has gotten more and more pain free. We're broke from the trip, and we'll have to be very careful over the next few months about what we do. But that is OK if Deb can eat without pain.
All of our luggage made it home with us. Deb has finished the laundry. I have been back to work and told everyone about the earthquake and dentistry.
It is good to be home.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Traveling Home
We are sitting on the veranda, listening to the birds and sipping coffee. Today is a travel day. We are leaving San Jose airport at 1 pm, and will get into Chicago's Midway airport at 11 pm. We have a full day of airports, hurry up and wait. We will eat bad food that is expensive. We are hoping that they won't keep our luggage, again. But we both are ready to go home.
The Hotel Alta has been a refuge in a strange country. If you are in San Jose, consider staying here. We know most of the people who work here, and they are all nice.They go out of their way to make you comfortable.
If you want to get good dental work done, at a fair price, then see Dr. Marco and Dr. Cavellini. They made Deb's mouth look and feel like new.
We're packing and getting ready for today. I'll see some of you Monday. Hast la vista.
The Hotel Alta has been a refuge in a strange country. If you are in San Jose, consider staying here. We know most of the people who work here, and they are all nice.They go out of their way to make you comfortable.
If you want to get good dental work done, at a fair price, then see Dr. Marco and Dr. Cavellini. They made Deb's mouth look and feel like new.
We're packing and getting ready for today. I'll see some of you Monday. Hast la vista.
A Quake Follow Up
Costa Rica experienced a 5.9 earthquake that was felt all over the country. Very little damage was caused by it. Cell phone coverage was briefly interrupted.
On a personal note, the staff of the hotel shrugged off the whole thing. "If you live in Costa Rica, earthquakes are.." and then the shrug.
Don't worry, be happy.
On a personal note, the staff of the hotel shrugged off the whole thing. "If you live in Costa Rica, earthquakes are.." and then the shrug.
Don't worry, be happy.
Friday, May 13, 2011
I could hear a rumble, as everything shook
We just now experienced an earthquake.
Coming from Illinois, I am not a good estimator of the size of such things. I can't tell you how much of a quake it was. I can tell you that I was bounced around, and we heard a rumble that kept going a lot longer than I wanted to hear. It was like being on a bridge when a big truck drives by. Except this truck kept on going by for a while.
Deb was excited by it. "Who would ever think that you and I would experience an earthquake, together?"
Coming from Illinois, I am not a good estimator of the size of such things. I can't tell you how much of a quake it was. I can tell you that I was bounced around, and we heard a rumble that kept going a lot longer than I wanted to hear. It was like being on a bridge when a big truck drives by. Except this truck kept on going by for a while.
Deb was excited by it. "Who would ever think that you and I would experience an earthquake, together?"
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Someone Has a Hollywood Laugh!
Debbie has teeth.
We were at the dentist's office until almost 8 pm. But now she has a whole mouthful of beautiful teeth. She has a beautiful smile. I can see only one clue that she has had so much work done on her mouth and that is that she has a move star's laugh; when she really laughs, and you can see her teeth, she doesn't have any fillings.
We celebrated by getting KFC for supper. For reasons that I don't understand, that was the best possible food we could get. And so we did. We're both really happy to see the results of this project. But Deb was crying with joy.
She has endured a lot of pain and distress, getting to this point. Yesterday, she was lying in the dentist's chair, crying because she was so relieved to have her permanent teeth in her mouth.
During the fitting, they shoved the teeth on to the implants hard. They flossed between the individual teeth and the floss would cut into her gums. Even with all of that, she was happy.
They had to grind down some of the teeth to get the height just right. But when we left, she had a beautiful smile.
We have one last appointment, today at 11, to get her teeth polished. And then we are done.
We were at the dentist's office until almost 8 pm. But now she has a whole mouthful of beautiful teeth. She has a beautiful smile. I can see only one clue that she has had so much work done on her mouth and that is that she has a move star's laugh; when she really laughs, and you can see her teeth, she doesn't have any fillings.
We celebrated by getting KFC for supper. For reasons that I don't understand, that was the best possible food we could get. And so we did. We're both really happy to see the results of this project. But Deb was crying with joy.
She has endured a lot of pain and distress, getting to this point. Yesterday, she was lying in the dentist's chair, crying because she was so relieved to have her permanent teeth in her mouth.
During the fitting, they shoved the teeth on to the implants hard. They flossed between the individual teeth and the floss would cut into her gums. Even with all of that, she was happy.
They had to grind down some of the teeth to get the height just right. But when we left, she had a beautiful smile.
We have one last appointment, today at 11, to get her teeth polished. And then we are done.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
A Taste of Home
Yesterday, Deb got to try on her new teeth. She has been making do with temps; temporary teeth good enough for now. But they are loosely connected to her posts, and have been shifting around when she eats. She had a fitting of her permanent teeth. Fitting teeth is careful work that has to be right. Since we are flying out Saturday, we don't have a lot of time to come back and get any adjustments. But she has had the final products fitted for the first time. We hope to have her permanent teeth in place late Wednesday.
We both were so happy about her teeth that we decided to try the T.G.I.F. here in San Jose. Frankly, we both wanted a taste of food from home. We weren't disappointed. The look of a TGIF is there, with junk nailed on the wall. Except for the waitress only speaking Spanish, it was pretty much the way we expected. We were seated outside, on the terrace. I had a big old burger and fries, with real ketchup. Deb had fried shrimp, with fries. We were happy kids.
Deb started a conversation with a woman, Samra, and her sixteen year old son, Emir. She had moved to Costa Rica a few months ago, from Lebanon. She is married to an American who works for an international NGO. She was born and raised in Sarajevo, Bosnia where she met her husband.
"The stupidest thing I ever did, was walking down sniper alley. They could kill me, or cripple me, but they couldn't make me run."
We asked about schooling and Emir talked about going to an international school in Beirut. "They're all so racist." he said, "And so open about it. Most of the kids were Lebanese and they all had dual citizenship. I don't know why, they despised everyone else."
Her grandparents religious backgrounds were Greek Orthodox, Muslim, Roman Catholic. Her father was an atheist. She said that it was confusing growing up but eventually found her own Christian faith. She invited us to come to their apartment and sample some Georgian brandy someone had given her. She didn't drink it herself. We were both interested in learning more about her and her life so we went with her.
She lives in a large apartment building, surrounded by a high wall, and a guard who opens the gate for the taxi. Emir tapped in the security code so that we could get in the front door. We walked up one flight of stairs to her apartment. We were impressed with the size and layout of her apartment and with the view from her many large windows. She opened a new bottle of brandy from Georgia, the country, not the state, and we had a drink. In the few months she has been there, she has worked to put her imprint on her home for her and her family. She has accumulated little things from their travels. She has a Persian rug from Lebanon, little elephants from Sri Lankar, and terracotta figures from Hong Kong. She showed us family photos, some very old, of her parents, grandparents, and pictures of them in Bosnia.
Then, she talked about a quilt she wanted to make, and showed photos of quilts she made for others, and how she has to do things quickly before she loses interest. Her husband says she is like a bullet, put your hand in the way and she'll shoot right through it. She wanted to do a cathedral window quilt otherwise known as stained-glass window quilt. I had done one for my sister and her husband as a wedding gift 27 years ago. Samra was confused on the directions in her quilt book. I read the directions and it was confusing. I asked her for a square of fabric, which she tookfrom her armoire full of fabrics. I showed her how to make the squares, and how to place the pieces. Here were the two of us from such disparate backgrounds, sharing the experience of quilting. I did tell her that this type of quilt takes a lot of time, and the shortcuts I learned, hoping this would help her with her impatience.
We visited for awhile, then decided it was time to call a taxi, so she did, and said it wasn't a legal taxi, but that she'd used him before and he was a good guy. Turns out that he was.
We both were so happy about her teeth that we decided to try the T.G.I.F. here in San Jose. Frankly, we both wanted a taste of food from home. We weren't disappointed. The look of a TGIF is there, with junk nailed on the wall. Except for the waitress only speaking Spanish, it was pretty much the way we expected. We were seated outside, on the terrace. I had a big old burger and fries, with real ketchup. Deb had fried shrimp, with fries. We were happy kids.
Deb started a conversation with a woman, Samra, and her sixteen year old son, Emir. She had moved to Costa Rica a few months ago, from Lebanon. She is married to an American who works for an international NGO. She was born and raised in Sarajevo, Bosnia where she met her husband.
"The stupidest thing I ever did, was walking down sniper alley. They could kill me, or cripple me, but they couldn't make me run."
We asked about schooling and Emir talked about going to an international school in Beirut. "They're all so racist." he said, "And so open about it. Most of the kids were Lebanese and they all had dual citizenship. I don't know why, they despised everyone else."
Her grandparents religious backgrounds were Greek Orthodox, Muslim, Roman Catholic. Her father was an atheist. She said that it was confusing growing up but eventually found her own Christian faith. She invited us to come to their apartment and sample some Georgian brandy someone had given her. She didn't drink it herself. We were both interested in learning more about her and her life so we went with her.
She lives in a large apartment building, surrounded by a high wall, and a guard who opens the gate for the taxi. Emir tapped in the security code so that we could get in the front door. We walked up one flight of stairs to her apartment. We were impressed with the size and layout of her apartment and with the view from her many large windows. She opened a new bottle of brandy from Georgia, the country, not the state, and we had a drink. In the few months she has been there, she has worked to put her imprint on her home for her and her family. She has accumulated little things from their travels. She has a Persian rug from Lebanon, little elephants from Sri Lankar, and terracotta figures from Hong Kong. She showed us family photos, some very old, of her parents, grandparents, and pictures of them in Bosnia.
Then, she talked about a quilt she wanted to make, and showed photos of quilts she made for others, and how she has to do things quickly before she loses interest. Her husband says she is like a bullet, put your hand in the way and she'll shoot right through it. She wanted to do a cathedral window quilt otherwise known as stained-glass window quilt. I had done one for my sister and her husband as a wedding gift 27 years ago. Samra was confused on the directions in her quilt book. I read the directions and it was confusing. I asked her for a square of fabric, which she tookfrom her armoire full of fabrics. I showed her how to make the squares, and how to place the pieces. Here were the two of us from such disparate backgrounds, sharing the experience of quilting. I did tell her that this type of quilt takes a lot of time, and the shortcuts I learned, hoping this would help her with her impatience.
We visited for awhile, then decided it was time to call a taxi, so she did, and said it wasn't a legal taxi, but that she'd used him before and he was a good guy. Turns out that he was.
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