Ten Days That Didn't Shake the World

Los Angeles, California

It started in late September when my friend, Lisa, invited me to be her guest at a wine tasting fundraiser for our mutual friend's dance company, Donna Sternberg and Dancers. Donna taught at Jane Fonda's workout, and after its closing, I had followed her to another studio, which is where I met Lisa. We were both taking a step aerobics class. Lisa is a petite thing, but she always stacked two steps. I aspired to the two-step workout, but spent most of my time moving steps on and off as I, Goldilocks-style, was wanting a step-and-a-half system (which was not going to happen). It was great to see Donna again, after almost two decades since I had moved on to pilates with the lovely Cathy, my friend and Chinese-medicine practitioner/pilates trainer, and to salsa dance for cardio.

The wine-tasting, auction, and two-course dinner was fun, held in a home in my absolute hands-down favorite place in Los Angeles -- Rustic Canyon. It was a lovely first of Fall afternoon and evening. Again, good to see Donna again, as well as spend an evening as Lisa's date.

I didn't get to be Lisa's date at dinner at her home the following week, when she and her husband, Steven, hosted a Sukkot celebration outside on their patio. Steven explained the significance of the holiday and celebration which was interesting. October is my favorite month, so any celebration of harvest is going to be a good one. The dinner was amazing, the wine was The Prisoner, and I went home in a happy harvest haze.

On Sunday the Dodgers closed their season in San Francisco by sweeping the Giants. As this was happening, I made a momentous decision. After not having attended any games at Dodger Stadium in the 2018 season (though there were a couple of away games), I bit the bullet and got tickets for the MLB National League Western Division Tiebreaker game against the Colorado Rockies. I had, early in the season, told Lynnette that I was bailing on the Dodgers and becoming a Rockies fan. Of course she never bought that. And now, here were Joel and I, on a Monday at Dodger Stadium, clearly cheering the Dodgers to a Division win.

What was it like being back at Dodger Stadium a year later? Not bad. Still WAY too loud. Remarkably shabby. It's a shame, and hopefully the tide will turn (as in so many other areas of present life), and some attention will be given to giving the Dodgers a decent place to play, as well as the fans a more comfortable place to watch them. For now, it really is an ugly mess. I'm not much for tearing down old structures, but when something is so clearly shabby and junky (the Queen Mary also comes to mind), maybe it's time to rethink the preservationist movement. But, at any rate, Joel and I had great fun together at the game, as we always do. Joel came late to baseball, but he increasingly enjoys the game and even more so when the Dodgers are winning. What he is not big on is fighting the traffic back out of the stadium. Another good reason to use Lyft.

So, that was my ten days that didn't shake the world. And that's a good thing. As time goes by, I appreciate my undershaken days ever more. So, my time with old friends, Joel, and the Dodgers was well-spent and relished.

As for the next ten days, it's yin and yang: the first of Joel's wrist surgeries; Lynnette's visit including Ticket to Ride, my current favorite board game, then my first MLB Post-season Dinner Party + Watch, with the rest of the month speeding up as I commence construction here at Casa Healy. While I don't enjoy construction and repairs, having done it before, like most things in life I am getting better at it. The key is in trying to have a good relationship with your workers. Coffee and donuts definitely help!

Thank you for reading my blog and GO DODGERS..!