eyeglasses

yesterday morning i had an ophthalmologist appointment and today i went to a nearby eyeglass store to pick out glasses with the new prescription received from the doctor. i was happy that the in-network providers i found for both worked out so well. everyone was very helpful and nice, and so far all has been affordable (well, we actually haven't received the statement yet from the insurance company for the ophthalmologist, but greg went two months ago and the coverage was good).

this particular eyewear shop was in a building that has intrigued me as i've passed it for years when walking around the neighborhood. it was fun to go inside and see how it was set up.

chanda helped me make the final decision (she was on her way home from work and from getting a haircut).

i chose the thinner black frame, but may get these next year when our insurance covers another pair.

greg and i had tacos for dinner and now i'm ready for bed . . this up and down weather makes me feel very tired. wednesday i had a headache and felt like my ears were stuffed with cotton and today i'm wearing a light down coat and socks and boots again.

it's supposed to rain for the next two days . . 95% chance of rain according to the weather apps.

may twenty first!

happy birthday to morgan today! 
and it's cold out again - at least 30 degrees cooler than yesterday (about 61). it was chilly last night when going to sleep and since i had already taken the wool blanket off the bed (and packed it away in its little storage bag) i bundled up with socks and long sleeves.

today was also rainy.

morgan and harley celebrated by meeting at franco manca for dinner . . i forget which location they mentioned they ate at now . . but their pizza looked delicious. they also had an affogato (espresso with vanilla ice cream, one of my favorite desserts).

here we're waiting to sing happy birthday to morgan on the phone . . there were many birthday wishers calling across the pond at the same time (6 pm east coast and 11 pm london)

afterwards, we had dinner at misoya . . (morgan received the package i sent in time . . i think it arrived monday or tuesday and harley put it away until this evening).

greg had ramen and chanda and i had hijiki salad (chanda) and kale salad (me), pork gyoza (dumplings) and veggie spring rolls.

aurèlien participated in a dance marathon supporting a school in guatamala. the kindergarteners moved through twenty line dances and it looks like they had a fun time.

early this morning i had an appointment with an opthalmologist who updated my eyeglass prescription.

and at noon i was at the library for my italian class. i've really been enjoying this and everyone is dedicated.

our teacher is stefania who is a lot of fun. she's constantly asking us questions and is patient while we try to anwer in italian. but she does get annoyed if she feels we haven't reviewed or practiced properly during the week. it makes such a difference (and is so important) to speak the language with someone.

may day heat wave

 

it went up to 93 degrees today (33 celsius) so a vanilla egg cream felt very refreshing (greg and i went to hamburger america for dinner). i managed to get two loads of laundry done, and to visit a local ophthalmologist and make an appointment for later this week. (i scrolled through suggestions on our health insurance website.)

a view from the courtyard while i was waiting for the towels to dry . . 

and a view along sixth avenue when walking home from dinner.

korrina was off from work today and headed to brighton beach for a dip in a refreshingly cold ocean.

the beautiful sky before starting for home . . 

(it's 9:30 pm and 83 degrees, 29 celsius)

lots of photos from today

well . . it's been a crazy few days . . greg has slowly been getting better and also preparing for a colonoscopy this morning. he last had one three years ago. first he thought it would be cancelled as he received an email two days ago saying he couldn't be on anti-inflammatory medication. however, he spoke with his doctor who said the concern was mainly for patients on blood thinners, and the appointment could be kept (which is good because he did not want to reschedule).

we caught the bus at barrow street and rode it downtown to chambers, and then walked east to city hall park and then to william street.

the woolworth building, once the tallest building in the world from 1913 to 1929. (you can read more about it here.)

st. paul's chapel . . (built in 1766 and manhattan's oldest surviving church building) . . 

all went well at the appointment . . the doctor said everything was "beautiful" (no polyps this time) and greg doesn't have to return again for five years. 

walking back uptown to a diner on warren street . . 

this pigeon was having a fine time doing his own thing and having a bath . . 

finally some food and hot coffee at the gee whiz diner . . 

there was a very cute little three year old girl at the table behind us who was singing happy birthday to a friend over the phone and also "the sun will come out tomorrow" from annie. both she and her grandmother were dressed completely in pink. they were very cheery and friendly.

walking past the federal style townhouses . . 

the two giant sturgeon at pier 26 . . 

found in the city's waters: (starting from the left) striped bass, northern sea robin, barnacles/gribbles/and shipworms on piles, american eel, lined sea horse, oyster toad fish, oyster cluster, red bearded sponge, blue crab, blue and ribbed mussels, red algae.

resting . . 

we passed a few of these assortment of snacks with a drink. someone must have left them out for another someone.

in the late afternoon i ran out for ingredients for a lunch for korrina tomorrow. she'll be thirty one. 

!!

meeting korrina

 
i met korrina at the tj maxx next to the 59th street bridge at 1:30. she had a doctor's appointment at 3, but first we were going to have lunch at an historic pj clarke's restaurant. 

cat hair clips . . she wanted to browse through the sale items at tj maxx first . . 

and i wanted to check out the enormous trader joe's underneath the bridge . . 

walking west along 58th street to the restaurant on third avenue.

we shared three different mini burgers, tomato soup and a cider.

it was a fun visit and nice to be out together.

the doctor's office has a calm and relaxed atmosphere (no tv which is really nice) and the administrative people are very helpful.

they also have interesting books to peruse.

i walked her to the bus afterwards (you can see the moon in the sky) and then walked home, stopping back at the doctor's office first as she had left her headphones tucked behind a pillow on their couch. 

----

i had to get back home to check on greg as his back had gone out on him when he was leaving for work in the morning. at 6:45 am i heard him yell "hah . . hah . . hah hah" from the door . . he had been putting the garbage in the foyer to take downstairs when he ended up on the floor! it's really bad. he managed to crawl onto the bed (in pain) and never made it work. he's having to eat and drink flat on his back. hopefully, it subsides soon . .