Tuesday Travels

 

As some of you know, my wife suffers from a rare condition called paroxysmal hemicrania.  It is a subset of cluster headaches aka suicide headaches and has been very debilitating. I have so much love and respect for her for dealing with near constant pain and not giving up but it makes her life very difficult.

She has tried ever potential cure in the world but as I said, it is rare and research is scant. She saw the local expert for botox injections, was part of a nerve block study at Stanford and has just completed sixty days with an occipital stimulator in her brain stem courtesy of UCSD.

Nothing has really worked but she did undergo a little relief with the stimulator, which was removed yesterday. They got the wire completely out, which is a good thing as sometimes pieces break off and stay.

Anyway, during her procedure, I took the picture of this couple in the waiting room yesterday, which turned out not to be a couple. He was waiting for his wife.

Edie, on the right, is 91. I told her that I had to take shot and she liked it, was once a photographer. A resident of La Jolla since 1962, we had a very interesting conversation which I will not go into now.

Her husband lived to over 100. I showed her my bird photography, she liked it. Neat woman.

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After Leslie's procedure we went to lunch, her choice. She said Din Tae Fung in La Jolla but when we got there it was an hour and a half wait. It always has a long wait, that is why I never go. I can get food nearly as good on Convoy for a lot less hassle. A girl in line said that there is a two month reservation backlog.

No thanks.

We went to Convoy instead and did a Chinese food crawl. Stopped at Dumpling Inn for Xiao Long Bao but it is closed Monday and Tuesday. She ran into Jasmine Express for Sesame balls with azuke paste. We then went and tried a new restaurant for us, next to Magic Kitchen, Szechuan Chef.

We had salted pickles, xiao long bao and garlic ribs.

Quite good. 

But not good enough to make my A list rotation.

Then we went next door and I made her try the cumin beef with hand pulled noodle at Shan Xi.

So delicious. Definitely A list. She went next door to Tastee bakery and bought purple taro cake to take home.

We visited dear friends Lena and Ron later in Cardiff. 

My wife wanted to see the ocean so we drove to Grandview. Nice to feel the sea wind in our faces.

So happy to be with such a wonderful person to love and share my life with. 37 years and counting!