Today Is ...

June 29, 2026

Today Is ...

from husband Bill, June 28, 2026

I have been a huge fan of tapioca pudding since the mid-1960s, when my age was in single digits. My paternal grandmother made it from scratch. She called it "fish eyes." I always ate it with chocolate syrup. I actually have some in the refrigerator, so I will enjoy it later, of course, with chocolate syrup.

from husband Bill, June 28, 2026

I like all kinds of cherries 🍒, but I prefer sour cherries. They are a good natural cure for gout. They also contain melatonin, which is a sleep aid.

from husband Bill, June 28, 2026

My father owned and operated an insurance agency for decades, from the 1960s into the 1990s. He specialized in automobile insurance and "property and casualty" insurance.

I studied insurance between my two university degrees (between January and September 1985). I was considering taking over my father's businesses, but I ultimately became a journalist.

My dad employed a guy who just did life insurance. I went to a Paul McCartney concert with him at Madison Square Garden in New York City in December 1989.

My father also owned and operated a real estate agency and a travel agency. My mother operated the latter.

In 1991, I was an editor for a national monthly magazine titled "Risk Management" based in New York City. It was the magazine for the nonprofit association "Risk And Insurance Management Society" that represented corporate insurance buyers.

from husband Bill, June 28, 2026

I am a gourmand and not much of a gourmet.

FROM HUSBAND BILL, JUNE 28, 2026

TODAY IS INTERNATIONAL CAPS LOCK DAY.

from husband Bill, June 28, 2026

I have dabbled a little regarding logistics for some of my business/financial journalism gigs.

from husband Bill, June 28, 2026

from husband Bill, June 27, 2026

Bromelain, an enzyme in pineapple, concentrated in the core, not only helps to digest proteins but also is an anti-inflammatory and an analgesic, especially effective in the sinuses and other soft tissues, like the lungs. I used to chew on bromelain tablets in an effort to reduce inflammation in my sinuses. I finally had to resort to sinus surgery several years ago to remove eight polyps after oral and topical prescription steroids did nothing to alleviate my medical issue. All eight of my sinuses were also cleaned and expanded. I still occasionally use a corticosteroid nasal spray to prevent polyp recurrence.

from husband Bill, June 27, 2026

To be honest, I think that I may have a mild version of PTSD that seems to have mostly faded. I am still unable to walk without support, following nine surgeries between March 2022 and May 2026: 1 heart, 2 chest, 2 spine, 1 right ankle, 1 both legs, 1 left foot, and 1 left leg.

Between the severe pain and the chaos of residing in hospitals and physical rehabilitation facilities for many weeks, I was just so massively frustrated, and physically and mentally tired (weary) for so long.

While I am still dealing with other health issues (Diabetes with Peripheral Neuropathy in both of my feet, and Restrictive Lung Disease; and recently, Congestive Heart Failure), my pain is almost gone. I am still dealing with numbness in my feet, thighs, and chest. Also, I continue to make attempts at thinking more about my bright future with hope and less about my painful challenges during my recent past.

from husband Bill, June 27, 2026

I typically enjoy ice cream cake on my birthday, specifically Cookie Puss.

from husband Bill, June 27, 2026

I like Orange Chicken; orange juice and Campari (orange-herbal liqueur); chocolate-covered candied orange peels; and Fanta orange soda. I drank a little orange juice today. Oh, I also like blood oranges.

from husband Bill, June 27, 2026

I prefer yellow onions, sautéed. I do not like shallots, but I am partial to scallions.

from husband Bill, June 27, 2026

Cannoli Incident: 4 years later

Today marks the fourth anniversary of what I am calling "The Almost Tragic Cannoli Incident of June 26, 2022."

When my wife and my mother visited me at my physical rehabilitation facility during the late morning into early afternoon, they brought me a cannolo to cheer me up, which it did. I thanked them both for visiting with me ... and for the cannolo.

After they went home, when I adjusted my bed using the remote control, the box holding the cannolo fell to the floor behind my bed and was beyond my reach. A woman who works there retrieved the box for me. The cannolo was unharmed.

Shortly after that, I sent a text message to my wife, telling her about the falling cannolo. She and my mom felt bad, so my wife purchased two more cannoli (one from her and one from my mom) and left them at the front desk. A woman who works there delivered them to my room. I thank her for bringing them to me.

I then thanked my wife and my mom on the phone. That was certainly quite a nice surprise. I was never a person to ever pass up a cannolo.

Photo:

1. the initial cannolo and me

2. the cannolo box on the floor

3. the other two cannoli

June 26, 2026

Chocolate Pudding & Coconut

from husband Bill, June 26, 2026

One of my favorite snacks is Doritos nacho corn chips dipped in chocolate pudding. When I was in sixth grade (1972-73; age 11 or 12), I first ate it in the cafeteria of Bayview Elementary School (West Islip, Long Island, New York) in an attempt to make two girls disgusted. They didn't care all that much, and I discovered that I really liked it. I have eaten it many times over the years, but not as much in recent years. I did eat it twice in recent days.

from husband Bill, June 26, 2026

I like coconut.

from husband Bill, June 26, 2026

Haircut & Shave

from husband Bill, June 25, 2026

Before and After Photos: haircut & shave, early evening house call, June 25, 2026

Today Is ...

from husband Bill, June 25, 2026

I officially became a Beatles fan during the summer of 1964 after my mom took me and one of the two sisters who lived next door to us to a movie theater to see the Beatles first movie "A Hard Day's Night." I was three years old.

from husband Bill, June 25, 2026

My dad retired at the rank of Commander after 22 years in the U.S. Navy. He spent some time on a ship in the North Atlantic Ocean. During the 1970s, when I was a teenager, I became a seafarer aboard dad's several boats with Dad and his friends as my teachers on the Great South Bay (Long Island, New York), and the Atlantic Ocean. I also had my own small boats. My dad's father who emigrated from Portugal was in the Merchant Marines.

from husband Bill, June 25, 2026

It's six months until Christmas Day. (Leon is Noël spelled backwards.)

from husband Bill, June 25, 2026

I have only eaten catfish once. It was frozen, breaded, packaged, and in the form of nuggets. I got so stomach sick that I never ate catfish again.

from husband Bill, June 25, 2026

That's not my style. I really dislike strawberries, both the taste and the texture.

from husband Bill, June 25, 2026

I ate a few bomb pops when I was a kid in the 1960s and 1970s. 

from husband Bill, June 25, 2026