Hi, Sam,
What a pleasant surprise to
get your note on Saturday, my last day at the store. I want to be called when
you are in town so I can come see you on a visit to Warwicks.
You were also a delight to
work with. I love your sense of humor and camaraderie and will miss working
with you. But I won’t miss working! When
I left Saturday I realized it was the last time I would ever have to clock out.
What a relief.
I’d been talking with Moreen
for about two years regarding retirement. Things kind of fell into place the
last six months until I realized I could take that step.
Janet’s leaving at the end of
October, too. She’ll be 65 and she said it will be time for her to retire.
Except for John and Adriana, no one else in the pod has been there more than
three years (I think.) It will become a new Warwicks, I hope in a good way.
Your mom has been doing fantastic things at the store, contacting and arranging
for some outstanding authors. Now that I’m not working maybe I’ll go to one of
the evening events. By the time I finished my day I would need a long nap, and
that’s probably not a good thing to do during an author’s presentation.
My son Daniel, his wife
Rachel and my granddaughter Alice will be here tomorrow afternoon, having
driven from Oakland. I borrowed a wooden (!) high chair from a friend who said
she’d used it for her kids, grandkids and great grandkids! She should have
washed it once in a while. Yuck.
Kidding, it was sparkling
clean, of course. Moreen and I have decided instead of having guests stay with
us, next time we’ll pop for a hotel nearby. Hotel La Jolla, at Torrey Pines and
LJ Shores Drive, charges $100 a night, which is SO inexpensive. We’d rather pay
that money than have to prepare the house for guests.
When I visit my son in
Oakland I stay at a place arranged through Air BnB. I have friends who have
traveled in Europe who used that sharing economy offer. The first one was a
little scarey because at about 11 pm there was a guy screaming in front of the
house “no, don’t, no…” and he ran right down the alley right by my bedroom and
I heard a gunshot. My hosts the next day
said that there was a little “quarrel” in front of the house, and no no no it
wasn’t a gunshot. I decided I’d never stay there again.
Daniel said Oakland has a lot
of crime, but not so much in the hills where I was staying. He and Rachel
weren’t surprised about my experience. I know that you would have had some
words of comfort for me since no one else thought it was a big deal. I mean, couldn’t
have someone at least said, “what a horrible thing for you to go through.” I
like self pity, if you haven’t guessed.
I’m not sure what I’ll do
next. I thought about volunteering at the Polanski Center in Kearny Mesa
working with kids who have been taken out of abusive or difficult situations
and are waiting for foster family care. On the other hand there’s a big music
center being built on Fay and maybe the organizers need help with something,
even stuffing envelopes. Dunno yet.
I’m looking forward to your
tales as a park ranger. Maybe you could write a book. A woman came in this week
touting her behind the scenes look being a 911 operator.
Went to see the new Planet of
the Apes flick. Good in the theater because of all the special effects, but will
be okay on dvd.
Anyway, thanks for the sweet
note. Have a good summer.
Jim
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