An Update

Halifax.  I've told you about the trip. It turns out I couldn't afford it. When I added up all the expenses, they came to about $1,760 (including about $841 for transportation, $495 for meals and lodging, $183 for taxes, and $241 for tips, admissions, souvenirs, handouts, and credit card foreign transaction fees). Most of that went on my credit cards, and for the first time in years, I wasn't able to pay the total balance in November. It will probably be several months before I get completely caught up, what with real estate tax installment due in January and yacht club dues in February and March. Normally I probably could have handled it, but it came on top of my hernia operation and the replacement of a crown on one of my molars.

Brother.  The surgery seems to have been a success. He wasn't in any apparent pain, but of course there is always some soreness which takes a while to go away.

Shows.  You can read about the symphony concerts I've attended over on my music blog. I went to four in November, including one with my brother, on the day after Thanksgiving. There were also two "social evenings," including concerts, at the Harvard Musical Association. On both of those evenings, I had dinner at the Scollay Square restaurant.

Restaurant.  The Scollay Square's prices seem lower than ever, which makes it more affordable, but cuts into the amount I can give as a tip without seeming extravagant. The first evening, Wendy the waitress recognized me immediately and greeted me by name. We had a bit of a chat about going to symphony. The other time, last Friday, Wendy wasn't there, and a somewhat unattractive guy named Edvaldo had replaced her. There was nothing really wrong with the service, but there was also none of the friendliness I had had from Seth and Wendy (or Natalya or Phil). There are a couple of better-looking waiters; one's okay and the other reminds me of Tommy Kirk from various Disney productions.

Car.  Friday evening, the driver's door handle broke off in my hand. There is enough left behind to make it possible to reach into the well and pull up on two thin pieces and get the door open. Hopefully it can be glued back together, replaced with some sort of jury rigged piece of stuff, or replaced with a new handle.

Thanksgiving.  My brother and I were invited to Thanksgiving dinner at some friends' house. The couple are about our age, and they were being visited by their son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren, ages 4 and 7. The children were reasonably well-behaved most of the time, and the dinner was good.