December 21 -- Officially Crowned (Lou)

I will now offer the royal wave and you may bow in my presence as my coronation is complete, having been officially crowned.  Any celebration feast however, will have to wait for 3 hours per doctors orders.  The crown is installed and I’ve got to say, these doctors could not have been more attentive or thorough and I am feeling pleased and fortunate over the decision to have this work done by Dr Ayala Saad.  Now, if only my foot would stop acting up.  “Is there a podiatrist in the house”?  The situation with my left foot is almost ridiculous.  It’s as if the joint bone of my big toe has swollen.  It’s not like any foot issue I’ve ever had.  Sitting still in a concert can be as difficult as walking unless the shoe is removed.  End result, I take shorter, more frequent walks to keep my miles up.  In between, reading, texting, and last night, an attempt at a movie.  The walk to the theatre to check on showtimes found me back at the cafe for coffee and a quick look at reviews, which were worse than bad.  So, I went back to the hotel and sipped calvados while watching Criterion shorts.  It’s a shame I can’t comfortably plan a pleasant jaunt to say, the Tent Makers District but, reading on the terrace has its own charms.  After all, it is a vacation.  Hassan was very excited to aid in solving my walking problem by taking my sandals to the shoemaker for alterations.  Alas, while the shoemaker said they’d be done the next day, Hassan neglected to tell me that was his day off so, Monday is sandal and new walking possibilities day.  Commence Royal Wave.