Celebrating Retirement

January 22, 2012

I had such a good time at my retirement party today that I think I’ll go back to work so I can retire again!  I don’t know where to begin describing the wonderful celebration with my past and present AHS ESOL (and library) colleagues and Elliott and Elisa.  The Sunshine Committee did a superb job picking the venue.  Zaytinia belongs to the restaurant group established by Chef José Andres.  The décor (mostly white with blue accents) brings to mind a sun-drenched Mediterranean island.  I adore the menu, which features mezze (small plates) inspired by the cuisines of Greece, Turkey and the Middle East.  We enjoyed all of the food but I’ll mention a few of the highlights:  the fried eggplant with roasted garlic-yogurt sauce; the sautéed shrimp with dill, shallots, mustard, and lemon juice; and the roasted cauliflower with sultanas, caper berries, and pine nuts. 

What made this experience so special was being with my friends from AHS.  When we’re together, I truly feel like I’m with family.  They presented me with a beautifully crafted scrapbook of letters from colleagues and students.  Cindy, you are very talented and I’m so grateful to you for creating this gift and to everyone who contributed to it.  And I was thrilled with the surprise present I received – a Kindle Fire!  I plan to spend some time today learning how to use all the exciting features.  To all of you who were there yesterday (and for those of you who wanted to be there but were unable to come), thank you with all my heart for your love and support.  You will continue to be a big part of my life. 

Otherwise, I think I mentioned four or five days ago the pain I was having – a pain in the neck (literally).  I thought it would be gone by now, but instead, those steely fingers haven’t released their grip.  The pain seems to ping-pong from one side of my neck to the other, except at times when it attacks both left and right simultaneously.  It’s nearly impossible to rest my neck during the day.  It has to work hard holding up my head all the time.  The only time my neck gets to take a break is when I go to bed at night.  And even then, the pain when I change positions interferes with my sleep.  Does anyone have any suggestions for ways to alleviate this condition?

But it’s Elliott’s health that remains our major preoccupation, due not only to the severity of his pain, but also its unpredictable changeability.  Occasionally, he’ll marvel that he’s pain-free for no discernable reason.  We always hope it will last, but the pain inevitably returns.  I’ve asked him to keep track of his pain throughout the day, to try to give his doctors some clue about what triggers the worst episodes and what brings relief.  So far, he hasn’t taken my suggestion.  I realize, of course, that keeping a pain journal would be a full-time job.  I think I’ll try to do that today since we both plan to spend most of the day at home.