A DAY ALONE

TODAY’S WORRY

If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a hundred times, it is so difficult to live your life once your husband retires. Well, my husband has been home part time for over two years and full time for about two months. I love having him home. We have a lot of fun. But today I was home alone. There is something to be said for having alone time. I got a lot done – straightening up, paying bills, doing filing and laundry. I did a little personal shopping and bought some food. I have to admit it was nice to do things at my own pace. But, you know, I could do it just as well with John home. I just need to say, hey, this is my agenda for today. I think that some of the people who complain about their husbands being home need merely to set their own parameters.

Nob Hill, MGM Grand, Las Vegas, NV

John and I went here for our anniversary two years ago. This was a great meal which also taught us a lesson. I started with the appetizer special which was various caviars on toast points. Yum. John had the seasonal soup. My main course was a piece of Chilean sea bass just cooked through, wrapped filet mignon style with a piece of bacon. John had Niman Ranch Veal Chop with a polenta cake, fava beans, capers, and sage. The most astounding thing, though, was the mashed potato sampler which had five different flavored mashed potatoes. There were truffle potatoes, mushroom potatoes, champagne potatoes, garlic potatoes and one other. For a girl who really loves potatoes, it was potato heaven. And it’s not something you order, it just arrives. For dessert we shared creme brulee. Question – why do places insist on putting fresh fruit on top of the lovely sugar crust. It melts it! So we quickly grabbed the raspberries off the top of the creme brulee and saved it. We had a lovely Sancerre with the meal. So, the bill comes. Hmmm, how much should this be. Certainly in the $200 range. But no! The bill is over $300. Why? The caviar appetizer is $120. So, never, never order something without knowing how much it costs. The waitstaff may read you the specials with no prices but you need to know!

Mary grade – A
John grade – A

AND THE ANSWER IS…..

TODAY’S BOON

First, if you haven’t read the entry from June 5, “Intrigue,” do that first. This whole thing will make a lot more sense if you do. Okay, the mysterious letter arrived yesterday. And, yes, it had been opened. The letter stated that their records showed that they, Prudential Securities, had sent me a check in February, 2002 and it had never been cashed. This check was the result of Prudential becoming a stock company rather than a mutual company. (no idea) If I wanted the check reissued I should fill out the attached form or call the number they gave. Well, no way was I waiting any longer to find out about this so I called. I think I got the help desk located in India. After going through a bunch of rigamarole identifying myself, the man on the phone asked if I’d like the check reissued. Sure! But mostly I want to know what this check is and why am I getting it. So he says the check is for $426.60. Well, dashed were my hopes that I was somehow the long, lost relative of Howard Hughes but still, it’s not something I expected. Then I asked why am I getting this. Apparently someone had taken a life insurance policy out on me in 1970. Really!? Can I cash it in? Oh, yes, but you have to call a different number. So I get some details about the policy and call the new number.

By saying, “help,” enough times into the voice router, I finally got a human at the number he had given me. I say,”I’ve just found out that I have an insurance policy and I’d like to cash it in.” He says, “Okay, but you’ll have to answer enough of the questions I am going to ask you in order to do that.” I’m game. I know the name on the policy, and the original address, I know who the benficiary is because the first guy told me and also got the number of the policy from him. Then the new guy asks how much the original policy was for. Uh-oh, this I don’t know. He says you need to know this or I may not be able to release the money. Oh drat, so I guess $5000. Annnh, wrong answer. But I can still redeem myself if I know the date of the policy. Oh happy day, the first guy told me that too. So I give the February, 1970 date, and I’m a winner!!! All I have to do is fill out some paperwork that they will send me and the check will be in the mail.

Here’s the background. When my sisters and I were born my mom took out insurance policies on us. The policies matured when we were 18 and we each got about $800. Then what I think must have happened is that a friend of my mom’s who was an insurance agent kept after her about getting another policy. My older sister was well on her way to getting married, and my younger sister was still in elementary school when this was going on. I, however, had no prospects at that time for marriage, had no marketable skills (working towards a degree in Political Science), and had shown myself to be somewhat unstable. So a little insurance was maybe a good thing. So, unbeknownst to me, my mom took out a whole life policy for $1000 with premiums to be paid over a ten year period with herself as beneficiary. If I died tomorrow someone would get about $3400 but I think I’d rather have a smaller amount of money ($2100) while I can enjoy it.

So, thank you to all the people in New Jersey who went to the effort of finding me. And thank you especially, mommy, for touching me with this surprise gift. My mom died in October, 1984.

INTRIGUE

TODAY’S WORRY

Last week I got a call from my sister, Phyllis. She said that there was a piece of mail coming my way. It is being forwarded to me in a very roundabout way and is quite mysterious. Here’s the story. A letter has arrived addressed to Mary H. My Maiden Name, 120 Some St., Small town, NJ. This is the house that I grew up in and haven’t lived in for 33 years. Mr. and Mrs. X (I don’t know their names) now live in the house. They are not the first owners since my family sold the house. So Mr. X is in a quandary. The piece of mail could be important. He takes it next door to Mr. C who has lived there a long time, probably 40 years. Does Mr. C know who this is? Mr. C knows that my family lived in the house next door and that there were three daughters. He really only knows the youngest one. He recalls that she had a friend, Betty, who still lives around the corner. Perhaps Betty will know how to contact Phyllis who will know how to contact me. They call Betty and she calls Phyllis for my current address. The letter should arrive next week.

What makes this especially intriguing is that the letter is from some insurance company and is from the unclaimed property department. No one has opened it. This information is from the return address. So, what could it be? Am I the beneficiary of some bequest? Is this some policy that my parents took out on me that has been collecting interest for over 30 years? Wouldn’t they send that certified? What a disappointment it will be if it turns out to be one of those letters saying, “Mary H., you could lower your mortgage interest rate.” I’m sure the anticipation will be much more exciting than the outcome. I’ll keep you posted.

Intrigue

This is kind of interesting. Originally, intrigue was only a noun with the accent on the first syllable meaning a secret or underhand scheme; a plot or a clandestine love affair. Then, according to the American Heritage Dictionary, “The introduction of the verb intrigue (accent on the second syllable) to mean “to arouse the interest or curiosity of” was initially resisted by writers on usage as an unneeded French substitute for available English words such as interest, fascinate, or puzzle, but it now appears to be well established.” The use of intrigue as a verb has only become well accepted in the last 40 years.

Magic Thai and La Salsa, Milpitas, CA

Sarah and I ate at the food court at the Great Mall of the East Bay in Milpitas, Calfornia. Of course, this is not going to be great food but you hope for adequate, fast and inexpensive. I had a favorite of mine, Pad Thai, from Magic Thai. It was disappointing. Quite gloppy and sweet. The tofu and egg were good but the noodles were stuck together and the bean sprouts were not fresh. Sarah had the steak burrito from La Salsa. The chips were stale and the burrito was so-so. With a drink each order came to about $7.00 but the money could have been better spent.

Magic Thai C-
La Salsa C-

MULTI-TASKING

TODAY’S WORRY

Are you traveling this summer? Perhaps you’ll visit an art museum. Once you’re inside you can either walk by a lot of paintings not knowing what they’re all about or you can read the little card (if it’s in English) next to the painting. You read the card and you look up at the painting for the point that’s being discussed. Now you look back at the card and try to find your place. And so it goes, look at the painting, look at the card. If you are over 40, you are also putting glasses on and taking them off. After about 10 paintings, you’ve had it. So, if there is an audio tour, rent it. The information is going in your ears while you are looking at the paintings. It is so much more enjoyable when you understand what you’re looking at. Do you know why there are eggshells on the floor or an hourglass on the table in Dutch genre paintings? Or why St. Anthony the Abbot has a little pig accompanying him? Spending 7 Euros on an audio tour may give you the answers.

Renaissance

If you go to Italy, you are going to see a lot of Renaissance art.

Renaissance – A rebirth or revival.
The Renaissance
a. The humanistic revival of classical art, architecture, literature, and learning that originated in Italy in the 14th century and later spread throughout Europe.
b. The period of this revival, roughly the 14th through the 16th century, marking the transition from medieval to modern times. (dictionary.com)

The Uffizi, Room 2, Florence, Italy

There is no way to make one entry about Florence. The primo place to visit for art is the Uffizi which means offices in Italian. You enter on the first floor but that’s just the business end. If possible, and you are visiting in the tourist season, get tickets ahead of time. Otherwise, you are going to spend a lot of time in line. Okay, you’re in. Stop at the first floor and get an audio tour. You can share one between two people but, really, I would get one for myself. Now the trek to third floor. Don’t bother with the second floor. There is an elevator but you need to be infirm to use it. Huff, puff, you arrive at the third floor and surrender your ticket. Now, not all the rooms are open and you usually enter at room 2. This is the Giotto and the 13th century room. Okay, three big Madonnas. Don’t just walk through. There’s a lot to be learned here. First of all, look away from the large paintings and look at the smaller ones. Wow, you’re looking at stuff from the 12th century. And no, they didn’t know how to paint, it was a time when painting was formalized. The features are flat, the background gold, and the secondary figures are small. But as you look around the room, things start to change. How exciting is this, to stand in a room where you see the beginnings of the Renaissance. By the time you get to Giotto’s Madonna, the figure is much more natural and appears to be sitting on her throne. Yes, there are still little angel figures floating in a background of gold, but Mary is solidly sitting. There’s a little perspective going on here. Her body seems real under her cloak.

Some of the most exciting paintings in the Uffizi are the ones where you can see a transition from one age to another. Stop saying to yourself, yeah, altarpiece, altarpiece, let’s get to the Botticelli’s. This is where it all starts. Spend some time in Room 2.