Today is Friday, October 14, 2022. The news seems to be focused on the upcoming midterms which are about 25 days from today. I am becoming very worried that repugnicans will somehow win some key races, despite there being no sane reason to select any of them for higher office. I’m hearing that races are very close, which is not what I want to hear. So let’s see what happens on November 8. I’m not a fan then of polls; let people vote, that’s what I say.

Since it’s getting late here, I’m going to make this short. Today was an exhausting day for Elliot and me, as we endeavored to pay a visit to my lady friend, “Carol,” who is at a rehab center on the Upper East Side after suffering a nasty fall in her building here in Forest Hills. We intended to visit her yesterday, but the weather was not conducive to traveling into Manhattan as it was today. That’s why I went to a see a horror film instead.

After talking to her in the morning, we were directed to see her at 3, which fit into our plan to drive to Astoria first to have breakfast at Sanford’s, on Broadway. There we would park the car and take the N train into the city. We also intended to visit one of the bookstores located near the rehab center.

We first parked the car at a meter and then moved it to a regular spot before walking to the 36th Avenue station stop. We didn’t have to wait at all when we entered the restaurant and was escorted to a table in the back. We were given both a breakfast and a brunch menu since it was close to 12 when we walked in.

When we finished our delicious meal (I had the crispy duck confit and waffle, while Elliot had the pecan crusted organic chicken salad), we walked back to the car that was parked under the El. We did find a regular spot on 36th Avenue and 29th Street, which was a block away from the subway.

Our ride downtown was uneventful. As we got out at the 68th Street station, we walked to Lexington Avenue where we trotted into the Shakespeare & Company bookstore to do some desultory browsing. The store was very well stocked with works of fiction and nonfiction.

We then stopped at a Coffee Inn for some coffee and a muffin which we ate outside. The time was approaching almost 3, so we finished our coffee and began walking to our destination. It was just grand walking through the Upper East Side.

When we found the center, we ambled up to the front desk and signed in. But before we could go up to see Carol, we had to take a COVID test in the lobby. We knew we had to do this before we started our journey into Manhattan, so we weren’t surprised at all. The results from the tests were expected: both negative. So we showed the receptionist our completed tests and we were then asked to sign in.

Our visit to Carol lasted about an hour. At the outset, Carol had another visitor when we entered the room on the 14th floor. The woman handing Carol some iced coffee turned out to be the mother of Carol’s son’s husband. So she introduced herself, which left me puzzled somewhat since I didn’t know to whom she was referring to. When she left the room, Elliot followed her and quizzed her about the particulars of who she really was. I stayed in the room and spoke to Carol briefly. I mentioned Jocelyn’s passing last week and she certainly sympathized. She confided to me that she is in much pain and, while I was there, a doctor did enter the room, and listened to her complaints about being in discomfort. He did say that he will prescribe a stronger painkiller in case she needed it.

When it was time to go, we wished her the best and said we would see her at the Forest Hills care center where she will be transferred to next week. We left her with the box of chocolates that I bought at the chocolatier on Metropolitan Avenue.

Now Elliot and I separated after leaving the rehab center, where I walked up to 83rd Street and York Avenue to browse Logos Bookstore. “Logos,” as you might know, refers to using cold arguments – like data, statistics, or common sense – to convince people of something, rather than trying to appeal to an audience’s emotions. A very apt name for a bookstore, don’t you think?

I enjoyed my time in the bookstore since I spied an overweight black and white cat sleeping on a bed in front of the store. Before leaving the store, I engaged the manager or salesperson in a discussion of cats and having them in our lives. I mentioned that we lost our cat just last Friday and he asked how old she was. He replied that he thought that 12 seemed young; most cats live another 4 years or more, he stated. I launched into an enumeration of poor Jocelyn’s medical situation to try to explain her succumbing to her condition at this age. He mentioned that the store’s cat was about 16 already. Before I left, the man showed me a book on cats. I thanked him for showing me the book, but I said I had several books on felines already. I then walked out of the store.

Now I tried to see a play but was discouraged by the time I got to Times Square. It was already a quarter to 6, when most plays now start at 7 or 7:30 these days. So I called Elliot to say I was having dinner out and that I would be coming home afterward.

I walked to 9th Avenue and had dinner at the Westway Diner, on 45th Street.

After that, I walked to 42nd Street and 8th Avenue and got the E train back to Forest Hills.

When I got home, I saw that Elliot was sitting in the kitchen and I told him where I went, and before long, I was writing to “Ralph,” our Easton friend after he sent me condolences on the part of Jocelyn. That’s another reason why I’m late here. We had an intriguing chat about cat reincarnations. Ralph seems to be a firm believer in the phenomenon since it’s happened to him with the death of one cat and he thinks the cat’s spirit transferred to another one. I have to Google “cat reincarnations” after finishing the blog tonight. This is all new to me.

Stay safe and be well.