MCI - Mild Cognitive Impairment

Hmmmmm, isn't is nice that they found a kind way to tell me that I'll likely lose my "cognitive" ability to discern people, places, memories......... etc. According to this week's Time Magazine, now Alzheimers will be called "MCI" so now I'll have to remember that (thankfully, it is easier to spell) - oh, my......

As I grow older I realize that my parents and grandparents created a footprint that tells me how my life will progress unless something unusual occurs. So, after seeing my mother's mind, as well as my aunts, fading as they grew older, I face the future hoping that I can keep my mind active and that I will remember, as I grow older, those whom I love.

Symphony Pops and Cha Cha Cha............

A lovely afternoon.................

The symphony featured a talented clarinet player in "A Tribute to Benny Goodman" - great music with lots of energy.

After the symphony we decided to find a casual restaurant for a light supper and we ended up on Hawthorne Blvd. where they are cafes in every block. We both like Mexican so we ended up at a small cafe "Cha Cha Cha" and we had delicious and inexpensive food. It's a temptation to go back except for finding about six other cafes on Hawthorne that we want to also try.

Food Cart #4 - Vegan Barbecue..............

When I made the decision to start buying lunch at a different cart each day that I go to school, I made a vow that I would go to each in line and not skip any because I thought I might not like their food.

After ordering a meat loaf sandwich with a side of slaw, I discovered that all the food served at this cart is Vegan............... OMG !

This turned out to be a great experience because the sandwich looked and smelled like meatloaf and, I discovered, tasted like meatloaf. The slaw was delicious, too. It was a great discovery and now I've learned another new eating experience. Would I return? Definitely, yes................

Next week is a place called "Dosirak" serving Japanese food.

Nasser - Egypt - and Cajun for lunch at Food Cart #3

Class today covered the Nasser era in Egypt. After class I headed back to the food cart block where I chose a Cajun place called Hog and Hen Acadian Kitchen. Today there were two things on the menu and I decided to get a small soup with corn bread ($4.00). The soup is sausage, white beans and chard and it was delicious. I'm truly enjoying my class so on now I can feed the mind and the body; all in one day.

GREAT game............ and great day..........

The weather continues to be sunny and (almost) warm so we're always happy to wake up to sunshine. This afternoon, as part of my Mid Eastern class study, I viewed a film, made in Iran, about four women who live in 1953 when Mossadegh was removed from his office and the Shah was reinstalled to power. Unfortunately, the movie was scheduled to start at the same time as the Super Bowl - but, I'm known to do more than one thing at a time - so I went to see the film, dashed out and came back home for the second half of the game. This gave me time to eat unhealthy snacks while getting dinner started - so - I consider this to be a perfect day. Meanwhile, Roger is working on homework so I'm trying to be quiet while he studies.

Movie and Dinner Date............

The Movie "A Separation" opened at the downtown Fox Theater so Roger and I went to see it this afternoon. The movie was made in Iran so it's English subtitled. The story is simple but full of meaning - showing an interesting view of the complications of a country with religious and secular division and a very different legal system. The ending was inevitable but still very sad.

After the movie we went to Shiraz for dinner where Roger knows the owner and we always get special service. It was a good opportunity to discuss the movie's story and share our opinions which we were surprised to agree on.

The film has been nominated for an Academy Award in the Foreign Language Film category. A great way to finish the week..............

Finally, Bella Gets A Haircut

A few days before the new year, Bella's groomer said that she was closing shop. She had groomed Bella from the first day that we lived in Portland so it was a big loss since Bella had really bonded with the people there. It took me until now to find a new groomer so Bella looked like a big dirty white fluffy bush when I took her in today. She was dirty and matted and I know that she was aware of how bad she looked.

Here's the new Bella with a very short cut so she's clean but also very tired from the excitement.

The groomer is downtown on the streetcar line so I walked over to South Park for a bowl of my favorite seafood soup. Then, I still had time so there was no choice - (smile) - I simply was forced to go shopping.