Journal, Day 1503

Tuesday, 30 April 2024

Ukraine War: Day 798

Hamas-Israel War: Day 206

Mass shootings in the USA in 2024: 133

Covid day 20

Things are slowly improving, but neither of us feels like we’re WELL. My husband had to go to his office today, despite his positive test result on Sunday night. They have a new, officious, militant HR person, and I suspect he is one of those people who deny COVID is a thing at all.

Last night’s earache lingered well into my morning, making my computer glasses painful and irritating. I’m still coughing and congested, plus the tinnitus in my left ear has increased significantly in volume and appears to be permanently altered. I can no longer hear normal conversation.

Charlie had a wonderful playtime this morning after my husband went to work. I went to feed the birds their veggie chop breakfast and give them fresh water, and the last thing I do before going back to work is give them a few minutes of playtime. He was cuddly and asking for “squishy-squishy”, which is his way of asking for head scratches. He’s still covered in itchy pinfeathers and they’re driving him to distraction.

Suddenly, something “clicked” and he recognized the word “ball.” He has a little ball with a bell inside. Sometimes he plays with it and sometimes he ignores it, but today, he understood when I asked him to “get the ball” after I tossed it over his head into a corner of the sofa cushions. He ran and grabbed it, then threw it backward over his head towards me. The next time he grabbed it and pushed it off the sofa with his beak.

We played for nearly 30 minutes. He was energetic and his aim got more and more accurate. When he started to tire, I slowed the pace and he cuddled up on my lap for another scratch and cuddle.

We ordered dim sum and noodles from a place on GrubHub called Din Tai Fung in Glendale for dinner. It took a while to get here, but the wait was worth it. Come to find out the original Din Tai Fung in Hong Kong, which originated in 1958, has won many awards including a Michelin star, and is internationally renowned. It was named one of the top ten restaurants in the world by the NY Times.

It was amazing, from the cucumber salad to the red bean-paste buns. I especially recommend their Kurobuta pork Xiao Long Bao soup dumplings.