SWITZERLAND FORUM

[cklaurence]

Hey Em! Just finally back from NY and I'm walking wounded. Something happened to my knee during the Book Fair and it has gotten progressively worse. Waited till I got home to see my orthopedic surgeon. Called first thing this a.m. and they said he isn't in today and the first time they could squeeze me in is next Tuesday. I won't make it until this Tuesday, much less next Tuesday. Whoever answered the phone must be new because she didn't know me. I told her to speak with the doctor when he calls in and tell him my name and see if maybe he couldn't find time for me a little earlier. I'm hoping she does that. I will turn into a very squeaky wheel if she doesn't...

My Fins pulled off a nice win yesterday, and looked good doing it. They seemed to come together in the second half, and I saw that heart that they seemed to lose in the last few games. If they just had a bit more talent and kept that heart, we could be a lot better. Next week NE comes to town. That's not going to be much fun. That I know!

[Emeritus]

I'm sorry to hear about your knee, ck and I wish you a speedy recovery. The Texan have to play the Patriots in Foxboro the next week and I'm not looking forward to it. I don't think that Tom Brady has ever lost a snow game at home.

[cklaurence]

Well Em, now's as good a time as any for him to start losing snow games in Foxboro! I'm looking to your Texans to take him down a couple of notches. It's all about getting in his face. He can't take the pressure. If you get up into his space and don't let up, he falls apart. I've never understood why teams let up on him as they always do. I remember a couple of Dolphin games (when we were a functioning team) when we kept rushing him throughout the game. His frustration level got so high that he blew play after play and we beat them badly. He's really a lightweight when it comes to standing up to pressure. He blows his cool and he's a done deal. I might have to root for the Pats to make it happen, as I did the past two SBs against the Giants--whatever it takes--but I will do any and everything I can to make it so...

I just got a call from my doctor's office. Although I was initially advised no appointments were available until a week from tomorrow, I asked them to get a hold of the doctor and give him my name and tell him I was in agony and ask if he could see me some time before next Tuesday. She told me she would but assured me they were overbooked through till the following Tuesday. I thanked her and told her I appreciated her information, but advised I was a patient of his for many, many years and thought he might make an exception in my case, as I am not the type to ask for exceptions. Apparently he did, because I have an appointment for tomorrow--thank goodness. I don't know what I would have done if I had to wait, save go to one of the other doctors I know--none of who I like as much as this one. He is one of the few that not only knows about Arachnoiditis, but respects it and understands what it does to someone on a regular basis, much less when something additional goes wrong. It means a lot to me, as you can well imagine.

[Emeritus]

I'm having trouble typing on-line for some reason. I'll be back when I get it fixed. I hope that your doctor provides you some relief.

[Emeritus]

ck, how did your appointment go. I sure hope that you got some relief. I've just been incredibly lucky health-wise. I had a little problem with prostate cancer, but the radiation treatments seem to have taken care of that. Does your family have a history of good health? My primary care physician says that family history is the best indicator.

[cklaurence]

Hey Em. Thanks for asking. My Mom's side of the family had a bad history of cancer--breast and colon; however, my Dad's side was incredibly healthy--all living well into their 90s and in fact, dying only from unnatural causes (uncle killed being hit by a car; aunt killed by a nut case who beat her up and left her to die at age 96; my dad at 94 was given a contra-indicated drug).
Unfortunately, I have the bad luck of having Arachnoiditis--which comes from a series of epidurals. I know I've talked about it before, but it basically is incurable and plays games with your body throughout your life--complicating even the most minor incident and usually turning it into a major catastrophe.
That said, my doctor drained two huge tubes of fluid from my knee. It didn't help much, mainly because my knee is nearly worn out AND I have a bone spur. Mark (my orthopedic surgeon) said I'll probably have to have it drained a couple more times at least, and if that doesn't do the trick, we'll have to think about replacing my knee. Surgery for me (because of the ARC) is extremely dangerous and general anesthesia is out of the question. Last time I had surgery under general--even though it was arthroscopic and lasted only 45 minutes--I almost died. My entire system shut down, starting with my brain (what little I have, lol). So you can see why I'm so afraid.
I'm supposed to stay down, with my leg up--with ice. Talk about feeling like a caged animal!!! And so, Mister, how is your day going?

[Emeritus]

Almost everybody in my family dies from cancer, but at a very old age. As my family doctor tells me, everybody dies from something. Nobody in my family has ever had any sort of heart problem, so eventually we get cancer.

[cklaurence]

I have heard, from more than a few people, that no one gets out of here alive. That said, I'm hoping to live as long as I can, as healthy as I can, then die unexpectedly, in my sleep at a very, very old age, but before all of my loved ones. What do you think the odds on that are?

[Emeritus]

It's a mystery, ck. Statistic are good only for groups, not individuals. I just try to be grateful for every day.

[cklaurence]

Congrats on your Texans great win (of course, any win is great, but your Texans have certainly performed exceptionally well this year)!!
Alas, I was so sure my Fins were going to hand the Patriots a loss today, but it was not to be--they escorted them into the Division Championship.We did, however, hold them to less points than most teams, but due to that chump they call our head coach's lack of clock management skills and basic all-around inability to coach, we lost the game--coming 5 points short of tying or 6 short of winning....
Bummer.

[Emeritus]

I'm afraid that the Texans will be blown out Monday. They are facing the Patriots missing six defensive starters and two backup. They have nobody left who has ever started at corner back. Brady will get to pad his stats, I'm afraid.

[cklaurence]

Don't be silly, Em! Your Texans can beat them. Didn't you see the way my Fins handled them? If we'd had a decent coach, we' have won that game easily. That fool, Philbin, held Cameron Wake out when it was most crucial to have him in to stop the run (as he had been doing handily throughout the game)--such a bonehead move. We'd held them to next-to-no yardage throughout, and in that last half of the quarter they ran up nearly a hundred yards on us like they had a breeze at their back! I was going crazy. That man is a lox.

I hope I get to watch the Texan/Patriot game because I truly believe you're going to beat them, and I'll enjoy watching every minute of it.

[Emeritus]

Thanks for the vote of confidence, ck, but I have a bad feeling about the game. On the other hand, it isn't a game that the Texans have to win, since they have already clinched a playoff spot. It will actually be more important to beat the Colts the next week.

[cklaurence]

I had a great feeling about the Fins/Patriot game. I'm almost one hundred percent on great feelings for Dolphin wins, and as I said before, had it not been for Philbin's (continuously) lame coaching, we would have had that one. Yet I do still think that you will be able to take the Patriots. It was clear from the Fins' dominance of their run that they can be contained on the ground, and again--Brady can't handle pressure! Your coach is damn good and seems to pick up the nuances of your opponents or you know you wouldn't be sitting on top of a 10 and 1 record, Em. Have faith!!!I just wish my team was anywhere near your team's position.
We finally have what looks to be the franchise QB we've longed for, but we haven't given him protection, a cadre of dependable receivers and when it comes to defense, dumbo Philbin (as with the offense as well I should note) his inability to make quick decisions and allow the flow of the team's abilities and enormous heart to lead the way...
As you said, the really important game is the Colts--that Andrew Luck is really great (although I can't help but think that Tannehill would be doing as well as Luck had he gone to Indy). Tanny is hampered by where he is; whereas, Luck truly is in luck by where he was chosen and how he has been handled, trusted, given tools and let go to do his thing. The ending of this week's games was a testimonial to the superior coaching at Indy vs. the inferior coaching at Miami, pure and simple.
I just can't believe we're already talking play-offs. My goodness, I cannot believe how quickly the seasons pass. Like life at our age, huh, Em? Blows my mind!!!

[Emeritus]

Saturday has finally arrived! Sometimes I get busier than I meant to be when I took early retirement. Early this morning I was able to take a cup of coffee out to the porch swing and listen to the birds wake up. It is so peaceful that time of day. I saw my newspaper delivered, but otherwise there was no disturbance at all. My Historic District neighborhood is pretty quiet in general and I love it. I often think of moving to a new home in one of the newer developments and turning this place over to the curious, but I'm awfully comfortable here in the home where I was raised. So for today, I'll stay.

[cklaurence]

The neighborhood I grew up in was being built as I moved in, and my house was one of the first on the block. It was not a 'high end' neighborhood, but it is one of those that has not lowered in value over the years. We were considered 'the wrong side of the tracks' when I was growing up, yet as it made the transition from poor white folk (you can imagine what they called us) to the darker complected group, it was a very definite step up in class. My old home (as well as others on the block) is gated and beautifully maintained. My house had always been one of the better kept houses in the area--or I should probably say, our block was one of the better kept blocks, but I believe the entire area is much nicer now and I'm happy for that. It's not too far from JRS--it would just take me maybe ten minutes to get there if I still lived at good ol' 1250...

The home I live in now, however, is a treasure. I know I've discussed it a number of times, so I won't talk too much about it; however Mana Zucca, a treasure from way back when lived here in her later years. She had (I think, could be more) six grand pianos downstairs, and gave musicales every Friday night (from what I understand) until she died in her 90s. She was an amazing lady. The guest house was filled with memorabilia of her lifetime--including diaries of cruises with friends like Ernest Hemingway. She recorded everything, down to the exact tips she gave the waiters and other help. I found tapes of interviews, sheet music she had written--all left here. I guess I shamed her son into taking it. He was an only child and did not deal well with her passing. He just closed the mansion tightly for a year before he could even think of selling it! Can you imagine? Mana Zucca's big hit was "I Love Life (and I Love Living)." I suppose she can be Googled up and there'd be a bunch of info on her. She died in her 90s--good news/bad news story. Good news was that although they had an elevator, she never used it--walked up the seventeen stairs to her bed every night. The bad news is, that particular night, she finished dinner and when her servant came to see if she was ready for desert, she found her face down in the empty plate--she missed desert...

Any hoo ha, there was a huge estate sale prior to our moving in--thirty+ years ago she was still enough of a celeb to bring people out the hoards. This, of course, was before all the reality shows, and i can tell you this--that's exactly how people act when they get a sniff of celebrity trash--even the upper class stuff. Here was this dignified concerto pianist's home and they were ravaging through like teenagers in the garbage of a rock star. I couldn't take it, so my mom went to make sure they weren't taking anything they shouldn't, and it's a good thing she did! The son had let his ne'er do well son handle the estate sale and the little prick (sorry Em, but that's the best word I can think of to describe him) had put price tags on EVERYTHING--including the light fixtures!!! Too, too much. Mirrors, you name it--he was literally pulling things off the walls. My mom had to call his dad to stop him, as he was actually selling things that were in our contract to stay in the house. People were in a buying frenzy.

I suppose when we eventually leave, it will be a quite transition. Mana Zucca is no longer of interest and I'm certainly not going to bring the hounds in for the hunt, lol. Probably the kids will have big bags on the front porch for the Vietnam Vets. Yep, that's pretty much the way I see it. Unless Petey gets his way and we move out to an apartment sooner, although I'd sure hate to leave my good old home...

[Emeritus]

Do you ever feel like an anachronism, ck? I know that I often do. This is not the same world that I was raised in and it is the worse for the change. I can remember my parents friends who came to dinners. They were all well-educated people more interested in ideas than things. Everybody talked about books and who was coming for the concert season. The rule was that children were to be seen and not heard, but I took it all in. I thought that all adults were like my parents and their friends. I am ashamed to confess that I never considered the domestics. They were just there, like the furniture. I had a rough adjustment to make when I went into the Army.

[cklaurence]

Oh truly, Em. My heart breaks today when I see how the social graces have deteriorated.

My parents' friends were so interesting (as were ours in our hey days). A typical dinner party in our home would consist of Zeke and Theo Segal (Zeke was the Director of CBS Evening News); a dabbling of folks from opera rehearsal (including perhaps Pavarotti, Domingo, Correras--who would come in the day before or the day of the performance), and usually a couple of other friends who had come into town last minute. Between, opera (my mom), politics (both my folks) and all their other activities, there was always something happening and I like you took it all in--not wanting to miss a thing. I'm not sure how I knew, because my parents were so casual about it, but somehow I did--always feeling as though I was in the presence of greatness. Perhaps it was the way they spoke--the preciseness of their words or the seeming importance of the subjects but it surely seemed meaningful to me!

As for 'domestics... That was a different story in our home. We were not wealthy. We had Dot, who came on Monday to clean and Thursday - half-day only to do the wash and iron. We treated her just as though she were family and I dared not treat her differently or she'd have popped me one across my butt! My mom and dad would have been on top of me that night with the belt to make sure I understood what Dot was saying,m lol. No distinctions were made between help and family.

I would sure love to see the past sweep back over this era and bring back the charm of the past!

[Emeritus]

We had a cook who was called Cook. I couldn't enter her kitchen without her permission. Fresh vegetables were delivered to the rear of our house. There was a big sink on the back porch where they had to be washed before they were brought into Cook's kitchen. If I'd been outside playing, I had to wash myself there before I could come in. There was also a small door where ice was delivered before we had refrigerators. It is still there, long locked tight. Cook always seemed to have something for a small boy's snack, but I had to be on my best behavior. The other door of the kitchen opens to the butler's pantry, which has cabinets and drawers full of things needed to set the table. A screen blocks the view of the pantry from the dining room. Mother would give Cook a menu for parties, but otherwise she just cooked what she wanted. She was Black, but from South Louisiana. She taught me the little Cajun French that I know. She mostly cooked Cajun dishes, which I still prefer to anything else. There is a restaurant in an old home in the neighborhood that delivers most of my meals if I don't feel like going out. I had never realized how important family meals are until that option was gone.

[cklaurence]

Clearly your young life was on a much grander scale than mine. You were a Society Child and I was more of society's child, lol. We were both taught social graces; however, and other little things that no longer seem to be important (like manners, dressing with a modicum of dignity, culture, a well-modulated voice--except at football games). I don't know--sometimes I feel like such a relic, lol.

I've been avoiding discussion about this past Monday night (as have you most probably), but it would be wrong of me not to give you my most sincere sympathy. I must confess, I did not watch the game because I hate the Patriots so much, I couldn't bring myself to watch them 2 weeks in a row. As you know they played the Fins the week prior, and I was forced to watch them then. I hate the entire Patriot organization and it kills me to take a chance on watching them win--save for the SBs, where I find myself forced to watch and root against them to assure myself that they will not win. For the sake of your Texans, I probably should have watched and rooted against them Monday, but I couldn't, I simply could NOT bring myself to look at BB or TB again. I've had to avoid all the post game shows as well, because it seems every time I've tried to watch any of them, that friggin' Brady is up there smugly recounting his performance.

I had so hoped your Texans would go in and stun them. My feeble Fins almost did the week before, but because our coaching is so poor, they can't hold on to...well, I was about to be very inelegant, and out of respect to you, I'll just say they can't hold on to a lead. Fourth quarter is death to the Dolphins--each and every game. Definitely bad coaching. I believe in this team. I see their heart. I see their ability. I see the coaching errors that kill the leads...

I felt that your Texans let the hype beat them. They bought into all the media squawking and went into Foxboro already beaten. I'm so very sorry about that too, because I believe you have the better team, and I mean that!

[Emeritus]

I'm a Texans fan, but I learned many years ago not to make a big emotional investment in a team. I have no control over their success or failure. When they win I'm pleased, but not ecstatic. When they lose I'm disappointed, but not depressed. I hope that they win out and do well in the playoffs, but I will be content either way. Football is entertaining, but I can watch some toddlers playing and have more fun. To me, it is people who are important. I judge the richness of my life by the people that I have loved. Compared to that, even a bad loss by my favorite football team matters little. Once we get everything in perspective, life has fewer ups and downs.

[Emeritus]

Congratulations on the convincing win today. The Dolphins are still fighting!

[cklaurence]

Thanks, Em. Your Texans didn't do so badly either. Nice, solid win.

I know what you mean about perspective. I use football as a conduit for getting rid of a lot of emotional baggage. Years like the past few, which leave me with a lot of depression and grieving and no way out (except my trusted friend and therapist and my husband, of course) --well, football allows me to yell and pout and scream and get angry, rowdy, rude and no one I care about gets hurt, bothered upset and in fact, in the stadium particularly, I've been together with the people around me for the 25 years since the stadium opened and we're like a football family. We all have the same gripes and complaints and the priority of football knows its place.

So, of course, it never takes priority over 'real' life--it just helps me get through the angst of middle life a bit more easily. I'm not sure I'm explaining myself too clearly here...

[Emeritus]

I think that you expressed it pretty well, ck. We all need some way to vent our feelings. Being more religious, I have another way. Sadly, the events of the week served to remind everybody about what is really important. It seems that we can come together only in the face of tragedy.

[cklaurence]

I just read back over my post. I said "middle life." Wishful thinking I guess. Middle life passed me by quite some time ago. In my heart I'm still a teenager though--that must count for something, hmm?

I don't know what' this world is coming to these days, Em. My mom used to say she was glad she was going out instead of coming in and that was seventeen years ago. We've deteriorated so since then--she sure knew what she was talking about.

[Emeritus]

I agree, ck. This is not the world that I was raised in and the change has not been for the better. Somebody once said that the sure sign that a civilization is on its way out is a decline in manners. On that basis, we are living in the ruins of a once great civilization.

[cklaurence]

Yes Em, we are following the exact path of the Roman and Greek cultures. The decadence is the same and it's heartbreaking to watch. Just in our lifetimes alone, the breakdown has been horrendous.
Did you catch that game last night? I've watched two of our past head coaches go on to become offensive (and I do mean OFFENSIVE, lol) coordinators with other teams and absolutely destroy those offenses--Cameron's already been cut and Sparano should be any moment if Ryan wants to save any face at all. Between Tebow and Sanchez they don't have one whole QB...

[Emeritus]

ck, I turned it on, but I couldn't watch it. Then network should demand its money back from the NFL for that stinker!

[cklaurence]

Oh yes, it was awful. I truly enjoyed every second of it. Nothing makes me happier than watching 1) the Jests falling all over themselves; 2) Sparano looking like the total jackass he is and 3) Ryan with egg all over his his ugly face. (Not to mention Tebow and Sanchez looking It was a wonderful evening of football for me--truly wonderful!
I know it's wrong of me to take such satisfaction at another team's ineptitude, but I can't help myself. Jest fans have tortured us in our stadium for so many years. I can't begin to tell you how many games we've had to leave games with our heads down, speeding to our cars to get away from their merciless taunting. Just can't help taking some pleasure in their flubbing a game like that one last night. Hell! I would have paid extra for the privilege of watching it twice!

[Emeritus]

LOL, I think that the Jets are the team that everybody loves to hate. When they played the Texans they played hard, but they just didn't have much talent. It's more fun to bash Rex Ryan, but I blame their general manager. It's hard to cook when the cupboard is bare.