Home

I’m so happy to finally be home. Eric and I had a week off work with NO airline tickets and we spent the whole thing running away from home. I want to stay here forever and sit in my lazy boy, eat food from my pantry, watch my TV, sew on buttons,  read my books. If I’m seized with a torrent of ambition, I’ll play the piano.  But what did we do all week? Snow shoed at Mt. Rainier, biked to Redmond Town Center, (discovered the Three Lion Pub where I should take Rafi!)  Kayaked the Sammamish River, skied at Crystal Mountain with Lauren and Carlos, and endured a deafening announcer at the Mat Classic State Wrestling championship in Tacoma. Andy and Summer were both state level contenders!  We did stay at Hotel Murano in Tacoma…

Oh, one more excursion- as soon as Summer lost her second match at State, I drove her to Portland for Junior Statesmen of America in the Doubletree.I’d like to chaperone that if I ever leave home again- the kids debate issues like marijuana legalization, secession of the NW states to form Cascadia, banning of factory farming for animal rights, widespread government promotion of hybrid cars, and one proposed bill wanted to end all subsidzed housing. Oh, another proposed to end all governement sactionned marriage so that gays and straights alike could enter civil unions instead. The kids at JSA wore  dresses and suits and milled around the fancy hotel lobby carrying laptops.

Big contrast from the Mat Classic where Carol, Eric, and I experienced  2000 wrestlers in one room…  wrestlers with bulky deltoids and biceps  would whip off their caps to reveal the  long hair of a girl. Muscular boys would toss each other around the mat like rag dolls. Mental and physical energy  was focused on  keeping opponents shoulder blades flat on the mat long enough for the ref to slap the mat and blow his whistle. Summer was calm and looked formidable with strong,  wide shoulders and muscular legs, and her chin held high. Coach Andy Wong texted her  that all the coaches were proud of the excellent work she did this season. It is unusual for a first year wrestler to make it to state competition.   I slept in Portland before turning around to pick up Eric in Tacoma. Carol  and I passed on I5 as she drove south and I drove north.

Tonight, we brought Summer home from the Portland to Issaquah bus. Before I took my coat off, my neighbor asked me to look at her one week old son, Hunter Benjamin. He was nice and pink but had nasal flaring, subcostal retractions and a little grunting when flat on his back. I had to advise her to take him in to the hospital for additional observation.  Oh I feel for my neighbors. They have to leave this cozy cul de sac that I’m going to cling to for a long time. I’m so glad my parents are coming here soon. One more reason I don’t need to go anywhere.  I’ll be glad when Hunter’s back for a long restful stay too.

Novelist bootcamp, zumiez, and physicians without borders.

Emmy’s doing quite a bit of modeling for Zumiez. First her torso and chin appeared on their website. Then: waist up, smiling face showing.  And a head to toe appearance is next. She’s even modeling their shoes. Also,  they’re transferring  photos to a thumb drive so she can build a portfolio. I need to detach further from her business though. She’s leaning away from lifeguard teacher training this week-end as if she’ll have future opportunities and I just told her it could be this week-end or never. Her boss thinks the training is important and she wants to be a head guard. She got mad at me of course. I need to stay out of it. She’s not headed to be a pro lifeguard anyway.

I’m ahead of schedule on book planning but I’m going to redo all the steps to make them stronger before I start the draft. I’m glad the schedule’s in place so I can’t berate myself for taking more time to make the character cards, scene lists, character matrix and BIC stronger.

Work’s great as usual. I’m nudging Roberto to quit smoking (enlist help from your kids and buy patches!) I’m encouraging a 35 year old to add yoga, cycling and swimming since his running obessession is hurting his knees and back. And several patients and I are doing every last thing we can do to prevent cancer. I”m helping a newly pregnant 34 year old control and monitor her blood pressure. My office is clean and my hours beautifully controlled.

With a little help from Eric, Lauren seems to be doing just fine in computer science, her most challenging class at UW. I love how calmly she takes the whole college thing. She’s sweet and helps a lot around the house.

Sebastian and I beat Roger and Chris today in pickle ball. Also, Lillian and I beat Curt and Jim and we’ve also beat Curt and Gary. We’re moving up.

Summer lost her wrestling match against a Redmond High School 119 lb sophomore JV guy. She only lost by 2 points. Now, the spotlight’s on the varsity kids and Andy will be wrestling soon.

Plus tomorrow’s supposed to be partly sunny which is as close as we get to sunny and Denni, Luke, Eric and I are skiing at Crystal Mtn tomorrow!  And tomorrow night, Eric and I are  finally going to temple.

A guy at pickleball suggested I take my French speaking medical skills to Haiti for the earthquake.  That is one horrible idea! But I am volunteering for Earthcorps and a free clinic. Also, I told Eric that if our overseas sabatical with Microsoft doesnt’ work out, I could work for medecins sans frontier (it’s actually a paid position) and he could come. That’ll keep him on track for Microsoft in France! Doctors without Borders badly needs French speaking doctors but they ONLY go to the worst places on earth.  Also, I still want to do volunteers for Israel.

Mr Harvard Freshman

He won. Ruth Lidawer, our cousin, survived the concentration camps and moved to Miami looking like a 7 year old at age 16. Now, her grandson is Mr. Harvard Freshman. How can anyone else be excited about their college kids?

Today, as usual,I worked too long before lunch. Walking home ravenous, I vowed to eat, relax and return to work on time… no extra projects today. Once again, Emily had magically reappeared in Bellevue from Bellingham. But she was rushing to put on make up and depart for an orchestra concert in Yakima. Apple, tofu, rice, clean up…and…

“I want to go to Florida for 6 weeks this summer, study in California and work at Sea World, stay in Bellingham on week-ends, get an apartment with Lucille…” Emily blurted out rushing down the stairs thickly lashed eyes tearing up. “I don’t want to switch schools just for some guy!” “If I bring up anything that takes me away, Andy gets so upset!” “I’m not going to Bellevue College and I really like Western.”

Emily was listening to her intuition and facing some really difficult decisions. Andy seemed like he’d walk down the aisle with her any day of the week and no parent could possibly disapprove of Andy. Both Andy and Lauren badly want Emily to transfer to Univ of Washington in Seattle.

For once, when I apologized to my first patient, I wasn’t berating myself even though I was a full 5 minutes late. Those 5 were needed at home.

I dove right into anxiety week at Gwen’s office. One patient, overwhelmed by her toddler quickly aborted when she discovered a second pregnancy. Now, she worries incessantly about her 2 year old, waking up 4 times a night to give her drinks and change her diapers. Another, determined not to ruin her make up by crying, suffered from exploding tears describing the panic she suffered for weeks from the pain and bewilderment of undiagnosed reflex sympathetic dystrophy. Now, 8 years later, a swollen ankle pushed her towards an imaginary abyss. A retired engineer worries that irregular heartbeats will knock his newly replaced heart valve out of place. And a 13 year old describes the text messages she sends her friends…impotent attempts to ease her depression.

“ANSWER” says an angry text from Lauren. Finally at 5:30 PM, I call her back. “Just 2 things,” she says.” There’s a large envelope from UW here for Emily and I’m going out to dinner with Sophie.”

“O..M..G..” was Emily’s text when she heard. “Now I have some decisions to make.” During her drive home from Yakima, Emily has to choose between her wonderful suite mates, independence, and professors at Western Washington Univ. and her family and friends here at home. Also, she’s considering studying industrial engineering, only offered at Univ.of Washington. She also wants to spend 6 weeks in Florida this summer with her grandparents and cousins. I warned her NOT to mention this until she’s sure or she’ll break hearts of all ages in that state.

Lauren has decided to train for Seattle’s Rock N Roll Half Marathon in March when her book is finished and she’s trying to get it published. I guess UW permits her a little extra time on the side. Carlos is reporting from Guadalajara to her side promptly on Valentine’s Day.

Summer is wrestling in a regional girls tournament in Sedro Woolley tomorrow. If she wins her 1st and 3rd matches, she’ll qualify for State: the Mat Classic in the Tacoma Dome next week-end. Sunday, Summer and her boyfriend plan to start Valentine’s Day at 9 AM so it lasts longer. And in case she doesn't make it to state, Summer will go to Portland for a debating event. Andy says he'll wrestle in the state meet without a doubt.

I’m very happy for Ari Lidawer and his mom, Annette. I hope his grandmother feels her own incredible accomplishment in this. I, like billions of other parents, am bursting with knowledge more secret than Annette’s but just as certain: my children are the best in the universe.