12-29-2023 Entry

Went over to the WWC in the morning for a swim, got there and in the pool around 9:00.  Fewer people there, and for much of the second half of my swim I had the pool to myself.  Swam for 3000 yds following standard protocol for first 2000 then repeating the first 1000 a second time.  Arms were feeling it in the last segment, I finished in about 1:04.  Hung around the house the rest of the morning, not doing much other than talking to Mark about what's going on with Mom and Ross.  Then in the afternoon I went for a walk for about 45 min.  To avoid traffic, Ann and I went down to El Cajon early for the concert and did a hike for a little less than an hour at Mission Trails Regional Park.  We hiked the visitor's center loop with a couple of short spurs off the loop, and it was decent, not super scenic but relatively easy.  I talked to Ben during the hike and stayed both connected and in agreement with him.  This is a good thing, it's been a while since he and I had a "normal conversation" relationship.  We went to dinner at a Syrian restaurant in El Cajon, it was okay, Ann really like the shawarma and the rice, my soup was a little thin, but I've been dealing with a TMJ inflammation on my left side, so perhaps it was a good choice.  We walked through a spice store and then went to a bar/restaurant to hear a band play classic rock.  The singers weren't so great, but the guitar player was good for this kind of band.  Then we drove to Sycuan Casino to see Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, a gift from me to Ann for Christmas.  They were fun, and our seats were fantastic, third row center.  Their music is quite familiar, and they played all the hits.  The soloists were absolutely fantastic.  Was a good concert.