“Aside From That, Mrs. Lincoln, How Was the Play?”

“Aside from the move, Alan, how is the new house?”

Thanks for asking.

Daveen and I have been living in our new home for more than a week and I’m just starting to be able to find my way home by “feel.”  I’ve memorized notable landmarks on the street, like the tall pine tree on a neighbor’s property a few doors down.

But the force of habit is strong.  In our previous house the door to the master bath was in the upper left corner of the bedroom.  In the new house, the bathroom is in the lower left corner.  I haven’t yet walked out into the garden when I needed to use the bathroom, but I still have to think about it.

The biggest plus is that the kitchen is now only sixty steps from our bed.  It used to be more than double that, with the added complication of having to navigate a staircase en route.  Our new house is only one story, one of Daveen’s specifications, and that is probably a wise choice since this is intended to be the home we grow older in.

The biggest negative is that my commute is now about fifteen minutes each way, compared with only 8 minutes previously.  One could say that my commute time has almost doubled, or that I am now spending an extra fourteen minutes in my car every day, time that I could be spending doing other things, like playing mah jong!   Or one could also conclude that 30 minutes of total commuting each day is minor, especially for the sprawling city of Los Angeles.  One of my employees told me that her commute is 45 minutes each way – on a good day.

At least my office has been in the same place since 2003, and as far as I’m concerned, I’m going to keep it that way.  Enough moving already!

Yesterday I shopped for groceries for Thanksgiving.  I plan to prepare my favorite turkey stuffing tomorrow so I can enjoy eating it from Tuesday all the way through the end of the week (only sixty steps from my bed!).

My best suggestion for your holiday season – take the batteries out of your bathroom scale.

That way, when you wonder how much weight you have gained, you can honestly tell yourself, “I don’t know.”

Happy Thanksgiving!

Alan