It's just me
Morning not at first to my enjoyment, early up and off to the skin shop to have my left ear and forehead zapped, no cutting this time. Then, having fasted except for black coffee, round the bend to what has become one of the two most efficiently run outfits in town, Gulf Coast Medical's Diagnostic Center. Arriving at 8:30, blood drawn and out the door with a small cup of black less than fifteen minutes later. In the past that would have taken all morning.
The other max-efficient outfit, and they also go overboard with courtesy and kindness, is the Bay County tax and title office at the county office building on 11th Street. Kudos.
All in sharp contrast to the U S Postal Service, which I've whined about here before and they're getting worse and worse and the employees more and more entitled: to the wall with the lot of 'em obscenities, USPS, the world's best example of the virtues of free enterprise.
Breakfast this morning. From the diagnostic center, instead of turning left, turn right and the block to WalMart. Well, I wasn't dressed for WalMart, no coat and tie, just shirtsleeves, but when Sam's doesn't have the west coast oysters from Willamette, they usually have them at WalMart, and they did so. They are not Gulf Coast oysters, but an oyster is an oyster and they're half the price anymore of our Gulf Coast oysters. Bought some and half a dozen raw. Three or four ounces lox, smoked thin-sliced salmon. Nibbled on two saltine crackers. Another cup of black and a mug of water. See, this is my last week to lose another couple pounds before next Monday's six-monthly visit to my PriCare physician: I'm doing decent, but if I think I'm going to get scolded I just cancel the appointment and I can't do that because these gardenia alphabet med prescriptions need renewing, but look, I'm fine, I don't need all these dalmatian pills anyway.
As we headed to church yesterday morning, my car battery was dead, so we left it and took Linda's car. I'd left my flashers on since Thursday or Friday. Selfie: me sitting in the cool car after church while Linda shops in Publix before I take off the collar lest some walking-by says "excuse me, Father, could I have a word with you?" and unloads his guilty conscience on a target of opportunity priest. Sorry, off duty. I've also learned not to get in a barber chair wearing it.
Reading two books. by Candice Miller, "Hero of the Empire - - The Boer War, a Daring Escape and the Making of Winston Churchill" is a can't-put-down except that not wanting it to end, I'm really stretching it out. Other book is J K Rowling's "The Casual Vacancy", which I came across while unpacking a box of books that were stored during the Exile - - didn't know it was here and don't know for how long. JKR has interwoven so many characters that I've taken to a notepad to keep track of who they all are. As with Harry Potter, she's good with intricate detail but still no match for Mark Helprin or for Salman Rushdie, a captivating tell it like it is and damn the torpedoes character who was the keynote speaker for Kristen's graduation at Emory.
Top picture, shot from StAndrews Marina while waiting for AAA, this side of Shrimp Boat, serious rebuilding going on a few blocks down at Uncle Ernie's, a two-story. I hope they don't change the menu all that much, the Gulf Trio is my favorite there. Also, neighbor here at HV says Captain's Table is rebuilding, and I see they've finally started, cleared a huge space behind and beside, going to make it bigger. My favorite there: half shell oysters and the only fried mullet in StAndrews.