I tend not to say things like "You need a night out" or "You need a vacation" because I don't think that these are a remedy for an over stressed person. I may be about to change my mind because last night i had a night out and today I feel like a new person. I had a completely restoring vacation once, when we were renovating our house, so I am beginning to think that eacapism may have a benefit.
So, the good news is that all 84 biopsies came back clear on my friend B. Now she has to recover from the surgery and live a long cancer free life. My dad had colon cancer when I was 6, 34 years ago, and is still colon cancer free, so I am trying to channel that positive energy to B. B'd dad died of colon cancer last fall and I want her to see the other side of the story, a man, 34 years later, surrounded by his 4 daughters and 5 grandchildren.
Anyways, I had a shitty day yesterday, well, I felt like shit. I was tired down to my core after barely sleeping Wednesday night, and had another busy non stop day. I kept burstng into tears. I did my morning walk with the dog. After dropping off the kids I zipped through the grocery store, home to put away the frozen stuff, and then to the hospital. Ofcourse, on my way to the hospital I wanted to just get there, feeling the need to just see and touch my pal and know that she was through the surgery intact. You know who I ended up behind don't you?
Yeah, as if bursting into tears from anxiety and tiredness wasn't enough. And when he drove all the way on the right so I could pass him despite the double yellow line don't you know that it was a cop coming towards me. Did I mention that I can't seem to remember to put my updated insurance information into the glove box?
SO, I get to the hospital and B looked great. I mean she was in pain, drowsy and chapped from the dehydration, but she had good color and managed to look like a 16 year old during an all girls sleep over, despite the hospital gown. Go figure. I was so happy to see her, and I hope my visit brightened her day too. I wanted to bring something to her and couldn't think of what to bring. Our book club sent flowers from "lake boy" so I didn't want to bring more flowers, she can't eat for at least a few more days so food and drink were out, so I began scouring the apothecary aisles of Whole Foods for something that made sense. I decided on a lavendar filled eye mask to wear when you are sleeping. When B opened it she told us the story of how the one light they on for the nurses to see with drove her crazy the night before so I think I may have done good.
After my visit I had Indian Buffet with the girls, picked up Matt and Josh and came home to face the mounds of dishes and laundry that I couldn't do while pacing the floor with worry. My neighbor graciously offered to have Josh over for a play date. I read other peoples weblogs. I picked up Evan and had to come home and prepare for a date with the husband that we had planned 2 months ago, before I knew this would be the shitty week it was. I was so tired, yet I prepared their dinner, got myself into a skirt and makeup, greeted the baby sitter, and got my butt on the 4:30 train into the city.
I thought I'd read our book club book, but quickly found my eyeballs rolliing up into my head. I closed the book, assumed a position that left me unlikely to drool or snore, and passed out. At first I thought I had been sleeping lightly, but the cold stream of drool running down my chin onto the collar of my jacket clued me in. I sleepily stumbled off the train, met the husband, and walked the 12 blocks to the restaurant. Just being among throngs of people in the city was enough to electrify me. I was home, and I loved it.
A fine meal and half a bottle of wine later I drunkedly stumbled out of the restaurant towards the theater. We were on our way to see The Odd Couple with Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane. As we waited on the corner to cross to the theater the husband and I both simultaneously turned towards a familiar voice and there I was standing right next to Brad Garrett (Robert from Everybody Loves Raymond) who was chatting on his cell phone and also in the play. If I was with anyone else but the husband I would have totally whipped out the camera and begged for a photo. I refrained. You'll have to trust me on this one. Once in the theater I spotted Lee Keeno from Antiques Roadshow. What a star studded day!
Before the play begins there is a big announcement about cell phones and we are asked to turn them off. I had mine in my hand, but had a nagging feeling that I shouldn't turn it off. Two minutes into the play my phone goes off, I jump out of my seat, run towards the back of the theater, and get the good news about he biopsies from B's sister. During our 60 second conversation I am whisked outside onto the street by the ushers and I stand there for a minute, looking up and thanking the heavens for this good news. I re-enter the theater with the "inconsiderate cell phone man" jingle playing in my head, but I don't care.
Oh wait, before the show I was getting very relaxed when the guy next to me leaned forward and said "Nice glasses" to the husband. Well, they are nice glasses, he should only know what the husband paid for them at the upscale mall near us! But this freakaziod was just using this as a segway to go on his own little rant about he joys of laser surgery. He had recently undergone laser surgery and was as an enthusiastic about it as any other fanatic. During his tirade he slipped in his IQ of 184 (right!), claimed he could make $400,000 in a single business transaction (uh huh) , showed us his Patik Phillippe watch (woo hoo), let us know which trendy overpriced hotel he was staying in (not impressed), and declared his alliegance to his much younger and way too beautiful for him wife. Then he told the husband, with all the conviction he could muster, he would pay for him to fly to Dallas to get this laser surgery because he believed in it so strongly. Stunned, the husband just gave him the opened mouth glazed over eyes "Why are you talking to me crazy stranger?" look, and the guy was so disturbed that he fidgited through the first half of the play and left during intermission. So here is is for you to see........
..and that is his beautiful much younger, who would never ever have married him for his alleged money, wife behind him. Click on the photo to enlarge it and check out the dirty look I am getting by the usher in the background for talking a photo in the theater.
The play was so so, and thankfully we had a cab waiting for us outside the theater. I made sure that the clear sighted mental patient from the theater wasn't trying to follow us home, and once I established that he was not there. we relaxed all the way home.
The babysitter said the kids were great, Yay. I went to sleep, and today I woke up totally refreshed. SO, I guess I needed the night out, but I think the wine and the phone call were really what did it for me.
Check out the winner of the "Can't put this one on when drunk" contest.
Comments