Oodles of Doodles and Noodles

Sunday POODLE DOODLES

The Doberman Gang

The Gourmet


My daughter Gretchen and her husband Scott celebrated their 3rd Anniversary of wedded bliss this past Thursday. Today we took them to Di Maino's, our favorite Italian restaurant in honor of their achievement. Joining us in the fete were Scott's parents and his sister.

Unfortunately for me I wasn't my normal bubbly, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed self. Today I could have been a poster child for one of those sinus/allergy products. Had the day's plans not been a celebration, I probably would have excluded myself and stayed home.

Truth be told, my condition could have been avoided. I could have gotten a good night's sleep had I not been blindly stubborn and sat through an entire five and a half hour, extra-inning baseball game the night before. To make matters worse, the Red Sox lost to the Tampa Rays 9-8 in the 11th inning to even the best-of-seven ALCS at one game apiece.

By the time I settled in for some shut-eye it was two o'clock in the morning. Sunday morning as a rule is my one traditional day to sleep in late. However, this morning my eyes snapped open at 6 AM and despite my best efforts, I could not get back to sleep.

My head feeling like it was the size of medicine ball, I remembered that I had forgotten to take my sinus pills the night morning before. As stuffed as my head was, I knew from experience that the pressure and dull throbbing could eventually turn into a migraine headache.

Mercifully the migraine was averted thanks to a couple of Excedrin Extra-Strength tabs. After a long and steaming hot shot shower my sinuses began to clear also. The shower and cups of coffee before and after it did little to compensate for the loss of sleep.

At 12:30 in the afternoon, dressed and ready to go except for my shoes and a jacket, I settled into my recliner and closed my eyes. I was thinking that a short catnap might bring some life to my body. I managed to doze off. 12:45 - my wife woke me saying it was time to leave!

As a rule I never eat anything until after I've been awake for at least two hours. BY 1:15 PM I was staring bleary-eyed over a menu and having a hard time getting the printed information therein to focus. In the end, my stomach took charge and over-ruled my foggy brain.

While I wasn't very active in the conversations and gaiety of the others present, I was able to eat. I managed to wolf down a salad with bleu cheese dressing, three baked manicottis and two meatballs smothered in a meat sauce, a side order of garlic bread and a slice of chocolate cake. It came as a surprise to me, but despite the way I felt, I was the only one who cleaned the plate and did not require a doggy-bag.

Home by 3:45, I settled once again into my recliner and tuned the TV to the 4 o'clock football game. I slept through the entire game. I awakened at 8:30 PM - finally bright-eyed and bushy-tailed!

Okay, I thought, at least I can watch the New England Patriots play the San Diego Chargers. It should be a good game.

P.S. - It is 12 midnight, I am in a state of shock that the Patriots were thrashed 30-10 by the Chargers!

I'm of to bed. My fingers are crossed that the almost five-hour nap earlier won't interfere with a decent sleep the rest of the night.

Hmmm ... Interesting. What are the odds that my 1,492nd post occur on Columbus Day?

No.1492