Weekend in NYC

Thursday night, Cindy and I leave for NYC. It is the annual international ophthalmic meeting I have been going to for over 30 years.
We have formed a ritual with my partners the assures a wonderful, fun filled, and somewhat drunken weekend.
Fridays are reserved for the exhibit hall. It is that night the fun really begins. We go to a restaurant I discovered years ago. It is called Sammy's Rummanian Steak House. It is a hole in the wall near the lower East Side. There is a keyboard player, kind of like Adam Sandler in the "Wedding Singer". The first few years it was just a few of us. Now there may be from 15 to 25 people.
This is an old Jewish Eastern European Style Restaurant. On the tables are bottles of Seltzer, the kind with CO2 cartridges ( think of the 3 Stooges). Also the best Jewish style ryebread. They serve a liter bottle of Vodka encased in a block of ice. You pay for what you drink. We have gone through as many as 11 bottles in one night, the record. On more then one occasion more then one of us have been carried home on our shield. Chopped Liver is made right at the table. Each table has a jar of chicken schmultz that is used for the chopped liver (as good as my mother made). It can also be used on the rye bread instead of butter. My grandfather used to do that. There is also stuffed derma. By the time we are finished with these I rarely can eat the main course.
Most people order the Tenderloin. It comes in 3 sizes, the smallest covers the plate and I can never finish it.
The whole time vodka is flowing by the shot out of the bottle encased in the ice. No mixers here.
Desert is rugala and egg creams. The egg creams are made with Mrs. Foxes Chocolate and a little milk and much splashing of the seltzer.
The keyboard player plays broad way tunes and easy listening tunes. It seems every half hour he plays the Hora and we are up dancing and pulling other diner up to dance with us.
One year we invited one of our big contact lens suppliers representative to join us. He had such a wonderful time the next year he brought 3 others from his company. I told him when he walked in the first time his face would fall tio the floor and he would think he made the worst mistake of his life. He had his choice of any restaurant in NYC. He loved it. Since then many others have heard of our fun time and join us.
I have fallen out of the Limo at the hotel on more then one occasion and all are claiming their Jewish heritage by the end of the night.
Cindy and I usually go to a Saturday Matanee. One year I missed due to way to much drinking at Sammy's. This year we will see Billy Elliot. Saturday night is a theater night as well. My partners join us and this year we will see South Pacific, followed by a late night dinner. I hate eating before a show because it can make you drowsy. So everyone goes along with my late nights on Saturday.
Sunday we may meet up with my twin sister who lives in NYC and possibly end up at a deli for brunch.
This is my last show before I retire. I am looking forward to it. I will miss it.
This year I must take in every moment and enjoy it.
I think I will post another blog on monday night and see if I survive this weekend.

A New Week

It is Monday, and being the ever optomistic optometrist I started my day at the office in my usual manner. I take a walk around the office, first stop optical laborotory where a loudly say "GOOD MORNING" in a very loud voice. This usually startles everyone who has their back to the door. Then out to the dispensary with another loud greeting to frame stylist and patients. Onward to the front desk and reception area with a loud "GOOD MONRING, IT IS A BEAUUTEEFUL DAY IN PENNSYLAVANIA!"
Most of the receptionist, those who are not on the phone will acknowledge me. In the reception area patients may be smiling, I look around and wish them all a "GOOD MORNING". I have done this for years to try and start the day in a happy mood. On the rare occasions I do not do this the staff wants to know if I am sick. Today a new patient, one who brought her young son in, told me she asked if I was the doctor seeing her child. When she was told I was she said she knew she was in the right place. I enjoyed working with her son and I will be able to help him and his turned eye.
This is those times I really love what I do and hate the fact I will be retiring in a few months.
My partner questions me about my exit contract. It seems my lawyer is stumped on some details. I have had a great business partnership of 27 yrs. I don't want it to end up with us becoming antognistic and confrontational in the end. And the dumb thing is I had the outline of this exit in our orignal partnership papers from 27 yrs. ago. We have been refining it for the last 4 yrs. Then I realized some important details were neglected and we are in a negociation I wanted to avoid. I know we will settle it and June 30th I will be retired.
Sometimes all I think about are the perks I will miss. My parking spot closest to the door. Name at the top of the door. The lunches with my partners talking about nothing and talking about vision or business. Of course I will miss the business credit card
I sit and think about retirement. I am looking forward to playing golf for real. I may play 3 times a week. I am looking forward to the lack of structure. Not rushing to the office, rushing to stay on time with patients, rushing thru lunch and rushing to get home to see 24 or American Idol.
So I am conflicted about retiring and knowing that I will be ok with enough hobbies to keep my busy full time.
I know we will be ok financially. I married a rich school teacher with a great pension. Little did I know 20 yrs ago when we met that she would keep me in the manner to which I had grown accostomed.
I am thinking about the other things Cindy and I plan to do. I think I will save that for another day. That way I will beat my past record of only 2 entries in my blog.
Labels: retirement draft 3/16/09 by od Bob Delete