This morning I made myself a cup of coffee and toasted a bagel (which I rarely eat nowadays) and the smell of the everything bagel started me on a long reverie about Virginia's coffee shop in Logan Square in Chicago. My sister and I worked there and Virginia always bought the best bagels. One regular to the coffee shop was a house painter and rottweiller owner named Luke. A beautiful guy who drove a toyota land cruiser and became a close friend for a while until he moved to Alaska and I lost touch with him. He left me a gorgeous antique wing chair and the cool retro mug I was using for my coffee. My reverie was interrupted by the unmistakeable sound of a cat about to vomit. That moaning, unearthly sound. Quickly I scooped Sissy-the-pisser up, hoping to get her to mess into the sink. On the way to the sink my coffee mug, still in hand, hit the granite counter and shattered, coffee everywhere. We made it to the sink but there it was. My broken cup. My Luke reminder. and coffee everywhere.

There is a saying, "Let sleeping dogs lie".
I will add, "Let gagging cats puke".


Yesterday, I was on the phone trying to get vaccinated for yellow fever, which is required for travel in Ethiopia.

The Travel Doctor in Oakland has recently posted a note about yellow fever vaccinations:

"As of November 27,2007 , there is nationwide shortage of
yellow fever vaccine in single dose vials.
We only have the multidose vial available and we have to have 5 people who need yellow fever vaccine in the office at one time
If you need or think you need yellow fever vaccine please let us know before you make an appointment so that we can group people together. If we do not have 5 people there will be a surcharge per person based on the number of people who show up."

And they have yet to call me back about scheduling a "group shot session".
None of the other clinics that I called have called me back either.