Visiting Ohio

I've been in Ohio for a week now visiting my daughter Courtney. who's just had baby No. 2. The visit has been tough because she and I haven't been feeling very well lately. Me, I'm still recovering from being hit by a truck -- the pain in my back is excruciating, and then I got some kind of stomach bug -- most likely from the plane trip. Courtney is recovering from an emergency C-Section, which for those who don't know a great deal rougher than a planned one. They pretty much beat on her stomach to get little Alex out because he was in distress. That and a resulting infection has made recovery difficult. Then she got my stomach flu.

I mentioned to Dave that I hadn't had a bad stomach since I'd stopped drinking. It really sucks because it's not as though I'd "earned" it. The indignation is greater. Rob's birthday was Wednesday, so we celebrated it by going out to his favorite restaurant in the Dayton area -- the Paragon. It's our favorite along with the Pine Club and we always go there when we visit. We took a sign so we could put it on Flickr. Dave thought we were dorks.

Lindsay organized a nice surprise dinner for Rob, although he found out and I had to tell him. But he went and had fun, which I knew he would. Rob's not comfortable with any kind of public attention so any birthday acknowledgement upsets him greatly. Kim and Dennis, Shelby, Dave, Lindsay and Ryan were all there. I sent him flowers, but they never got there (Watch out for flowers.com -- their service is quite spotty.)

Courtney, Dave and I went to see the latest Harry Potter movie. Here's the thing: EVERYONE has read the book when he/she goes to the movie so there can't be much deviation. But Rowling writes such long -- and delicious -- tomes that they have to be hacked for a movie. I think I speak for many Potter fans when I say it's kind of hard when you're filling in all the missing parts in your head. But we saw it in a digital, big-screened theater which is a great place for Harry Potter films because they have such great special effects.

One regional note: In Ohio people bolt for the door the minute the credits hit the screen. In California -- at least in our part of Cali., people read all the credits. I figure it's because so many people work in the entertainment industry in Southern California.