Fact: We are born with only two innate fears. While it might seem like you’ve been afraid of snakes and spiders since you were born, that’s not totally true. Scientists found that humans have just two innate fears: the fear of falling and the fear of loud sounds. The rest of your phobias are learned over time.
We had to be in Los Alamitos at 10:30 AM for my “annual physical,” so we departed the house at 9:45 AM to make sure we had time. We got there, and I got so upset!
When you get to a certain age, it’s good to have a regular physical examination, just in case. But being pretty healthy, I didn’t have any worries when I went for my appointment and was pretty relaxed.
The nurse started the examination with some basic questions, like “How much do you weigh?”
“185 pounds”, I replied.
The nurse then had me stand on the scales.
It turned out my weight is actually 215 pounds! Well, that was a shock, I tell you.
The nurse then asked me, “How tall are you?”
“6 foot 1 inch”, I replied.
The nurse checked my height and said that actually, I only measure 5 foot 8 inches.
She then took my blood pressure and told me it was very high.
“Of course, it’s high!” I screamed, “When I came in here, I was tall and slender! Now I’m just short and fat!”
The exam went well except for Dr. Rucker and Dr. Mary giggling as they spoke Latin to each other using fifty-foot-long words.
As we departed, the phone rang, and it was our neighbor who we saw at the rally yesterday; he reported as being tested positive for COVID. We were going to have lunch with Irene at the Greek restaurant in Long Beach, but we called Irene and canceled based on this news. We went ahead and went to the Greek restaurant and dined outside. We were not in proximity to him so we felt we would be just fine.
Great Greek dining on 2nd Street
We started the meal with our favorite, Saganaki. Saganaki is simply Kasiri cheese melted in a big iron pan squirted with lemon and a nice big healthy dash of brandy at room temperature so it will burn rapidly.
Step 1 – Brush each side of the kasseri cheese with water. Dredge both sides in flour, making sure the surface is completely covered.
Step 2 – Preheat a well seasoned cast iron skillet on medium-high heat until smoking. Pour in olive oil. Carefully place the floured cheese in the hot oil. Cook until cheese begins to ooze and a golden-brown crust forms, about 2 minutes. Quickly flip the cheese over with a spatula. Fry until the bottom is golden brown, about 30 seconds more.
Step 3 – Remove from the heat and place the skillet onto a napkin-lined plate. Pour brandy into the skillet over the cheese. Light the brandy using a fireplace lighter. Now you can exclaim “Opa!” and marvel at the fire. Squeeze some lemon juice on top to extinguish the last few flames and garnish with parsley.
The owner/manager greeted us with Saganaki!
I asked Mary, “What do you call a Greek philosopher who loves rice? Arisotto”
Saganaki was terrific!
Remember, Never eat expired Greek food. You’ll falafel afterward!
We ordered an appetizer plate, which had a little bit of everything on it so we coiuld try things out. We emptied the plate; we thought we would be taking this home because we had the main course coming also.
The appetizers BEFORE
It was magic because, within 13.5 µs, the entire plate was empty with only a minuscule dip left in each small container.
The appetizers AFTER
Mary seems to enjoy the Greek food as this is the second time we have gone to George’s restaurant in the Long Beach area. The first time it was their main restaurant on Pine Street, and we sat on the patio.
Yummy, and the food was good also!
Today we sat on the street with the traffic moving back and forth within 36 inches of where we were dining.
Just little ol’ us!
And, if on queue, here came the fruits!
Lots of fruits in the area!
We returned home about 2:30 PM and decided a nap was required. We both slept for almost two hours. Mary made chicken soup from scratch for our sick neighbor. She peeled the whole chicken, and I was a cut-up; the veggies, you know!
Mary likes it fresh!
We worked in the office until 11:00 PM, with me fixing up the Nixon Library Website and Mary working on the last 500-piece puzzle we will ever do!
We stayed up to fill the swim spa with water since our pool guy emptied it yesterday.
