Part 176 Meatless balls and fake bomb threats


Joel Osteen is talking on Sunday morning TV about appreciating others in your life and telling them so. After this we drive to church for the contemporary service, where the shaven-headed singer and his blonde wife/co-singer, clad in boots and cap, lead the service in hip fashion. Although they sing a familiar contemporary song, they surprise me by singing one in Latin. After a Schlotzky’s sandwich for me and pizza for the kids for lunch, we scoot home to catch the Texans vs. Cincinnati game. Behind 19-13, Houston’s backup quarterback tosses a short pass into the end zone with two seconds left to give the team its seventh straight win. After a loss by Tennessee, they are on their way to their first playoff game ever. After the game, Brooke and I drive to nearby Cypress-Champion park to run a little. She enjoys the slides and other diversions.

Late at night I awake and feel like I just dove into a swimming pool and snorted too much chlorine. My nasal cavity burns and I am coughing, almost to the extent that I am nauseous. I have never had these symptoms before. I don’t think this is acid reflux, but whatever it is, I don’t like it.

I wake up tired and somewhat disoriented in the morning. My Monday at work is good, though, and fast (Mondays are always quick days at work for me). At night, I make a tasty meal of meatless balls and fresh pasta, amazed at how closely the taste is to the beef meatballs and spaghetti I ate so often in my youth.

Tuesday night Becah and I attend a dinner hosted by Dr. Bl- at a Mexican restaurant near downtown in Montrose. The facility is the old Tower Theater, and we dine upstairs in a private room while an old John Wayne movie is screened silently on a wall. The attendees are all former or current patients who have had esophageal dysfunctions. Becah and I share mushroom enchiladas. I am still struggling a little to consume the food without drinking a well full of water. The spiciness also stings. But I succeed. I think about how I must, so as to not choke and embarrass the doctor our hostess, who is celebrating our successes with us tonight. After dinner, we hand over cases of Boost and Ensure (which I pray I’ve seen the last of) to Dr.Bl-’s secretary to give to patients who may need them.

The next day is warmer and quite busy at work. Interrupting the proceedings are not one but two separate bomb threats in the high school, compliments of an original comedian and a copycat, both of whom apparently can’t wait two more days to get out for the two-week holiday vacation. I listen to the Moody Blues “Two Our Children’s Children” CD on the way home after the disjointed work day is through. At night while Becah and the kids attend choir camp at church I watch a DVD concert tribute to musician Jim Capaldi of Traffic that is surprisingly good.