blame it on blogger/happy belated birthday to me

Sorry it has been awhile without a post, but blame it on blogger. I wasn't able to log onto the system for the past few days; however, I eventually got to their help page, and there I saw that many people have been having the same problem I had, receiving an "Internal Service Error" message. A previous post suggested clearing the cookie file would help, so I tried that but to no avail. Next I sent an e-mail to their support address explaining my difficulties and what I had done to try to alleviate the problem. Rather promptly I received a response, telling me to delete my cookies. :-( But no worries; about an hour later I could finally get back on the system. Yay! It has also been a crazy busy few days. Let's see....Monday I had a bunch of files to edit. But more importantly, I was concentrating on sending good vibes back to PA Dutchland because my mother was having some pretty major spine surgery---three vertebrae in her lower back had to be fused, and six rods were inserted. Happily, she has come through it all very well. She has been out walking quite a bit, painfree, and today practiced on steps with no trouble. So, the doctor is very pleased. Mother is fretting because she still doesn't have much of an appetite, but I have assured her that is normal. I, lover of food, was the same after my eye surgery; it was at least four or five days before I started eating properly again. Anyway, she should be out of the hospital either today or Saturday, and then she will have my niece as a playful distraction for a few days because Cora and my sister are coming to help my dad look after her. Tuesday was also pretty work filled, which I have to admit was pleasant. It's nice to find out that I haven't lost much of my touch after such a long break. My plan was to get most of my work for the week done early because Wednesday was my birthday (37!) and Thursday I had to go visit Drs. Rubio and Marcos. First, the birthday day was nice, although it was strange not having Big Jim here to celebrate. But one must make the best of these situations, so I was determined not to be too pouty. :-) I saved one of the "good" bagels from the U.S. for the occasion, and had that for breakfast with cream cheese and smoked salmon, and I also made a couple really tasty English sausages that we bought on our Gibraltar trip. Then I took the pups on a long walk and let them be as silly as they wanted to be. By that time, it was almost noon, and the birthday e-mail messages had begun to arrive from the U.S. Thanks everyone for remembering me! I also spoke with my mother and Big Jim, and M. via Skype, yay. M.A. and I later went out to dinner at Cortijo Paco and had a fabulous meal---I had an avocado and shrimp salad, sword fish "pil pil", and chocolate mousse for dessert. All supertasty. Plus, it is the perfect time of year to have dinner at this restaurant; it is situated at the top of the village, with panoramic views down through the valley, straight to the coast. The sun had just begun to set as we had our first course, so watching the sky was our primary occupation most of the meal. We came back to my house, had a chupito of brandy, and then M.A. was off because she was taking me to the Thursday morning eye doctor appointment. I went to check my e-mail one last time, and the phone rang. It was my sister and niece, who wanted to sing "happy birthday". Cora must have sang her funked-up version at least ten times, each time inserting the name of another famiy member BUT MINE! And then she sat back and laughed hysterically at her own silliness, before finally, finally singing the tune with my name. I just love watching her sense of humor develop. Anyway, we were on the phone until way late, and it was the perfect cap to a very good day. :-) And then I had to drag myself out of bed Thursday morning. Not too difficult because construction had begun on the house below our bedroom. Houses in the village are put together like jig-saw pieces, so both our bedroom and bathroom sit over the lower floors of a house that one enters from a little side street running perpendicular to Calle Salares. Yesterday morning workers began ripping up the floors in this house, taking sledge hammers to the tiles and floor boards. So there was no way anyone could have slept in past 8am. All day long, Almendena furiously tried to keep the inevitable dust and flying debris at bay ("Ay, que polvo, que polvo!"). Anyway, off to the doctors, and not such good news. I have only recovered 15% of my vision in my right eye. So Dr. Rubio gave me a choice: to either have the contrast dye test now or continue with new drops for two weeks and then have the dye test. The dye test will allow the doctors to get a better idea of what is causing the problem, because again, the retina and macula are in perfect position; there are no cataracts either, or atrophy to the nerves. It is still possible the underlayers of the retina are inflamed or there is a tiny bit of fluid trapped under the retina. I chose to use the new drops for two weeks, and then I return to the doctors on the 29th for the dye test. The goal now is to get at least 40% of my vision back. I hasten to say, I think these numbers perhaps sound worse than the actual situation. With my right eye, I can see the eye chart on the wall and even struggle through the top couple rows of letters. And with contacts in both eyes, which the doctors now want me to wear, I feel as though I have perfectly fine and functional vision. After the visit to the doctors, M.A. and I stopped at Eroski to pick up a few things, and then headed home. It was almost 3pm, and I must admit these long eye exams tire me tremendously. One other plus, though, I have the official okay to fly now and, regardless of the outcome of the dye test, can take my vacation to Germany in early May. Which is a good thing because I really need to get out of the village for a little while! These mistral-like winds we keep having I am convinced are making people act strangely. It reminds me of this weird meteorological event that happens in Munich every so often, where an optical illusion is created that makes the distant Alps appear as though they are just outside the city (the tourist bureau takes advantage of this, and you'll find many a postcard of Munich with these majestic mountains in the backdrop....I wonder how many people are disappointed when they travel there to find the mountains are actually miles and miles away....). Anyway, when Big Jim lived there, he said many people got migraines and generally felt unwell, and some would actually have to leave the city until the spell passed. I feel as though the same is happening here with these winds. People just keep doing and saying the strangest things, and I no longer know how to react properly. So it definitely is time to leave Dodge for a couple weeks.... Tonight I am having my official birthday party. I booked a room at the new tapas bar, and there should be about twelve people or so. I usually don't make a big deal about my birthday, other than not working and being sure to eat lots of good food, but this year I figured why not. Birthdays should be celebrated, and after the year, correction years, Big Jim and I have had, it is time to have a party. :-) So I must be off. Hope everyone has a nice weekend! hasta pronto, mylifeinspain