Last week, I wrote about feeling sick, and needing a Covid Test. I was anxiously waiting for the results on Thursday, when I received a call from a very apologetic nurse, who told me that my first test had become contaminated, and that I needed to take the test again. She was very nice, and made a same-day appointment for me at a nearby facility.

Dan had to work, so I drove myself to the second test. I knew it would be unpleasant, but I wasn’t too scared. There was only one car in front of me, and I was tested within ten minutes of arriving. The nurse who tested me, seemed very nice….

And then she jammed the swab up my left nostril, causing so much pain that I immediately burst into tears. My nose started gushing blood, and she gave me a travel pack of Kleenex. I used every single tissue to stop the bleeding. She gave me a second package to-go, and I used most of them before arriving home. My nose was still leaking blood the next day.

I nearly gave up, but I was still concerned about Covid, so I let her finish with the right nostril. It hurt. A lot. She told me that if she doesn’t make people cry, she’s not doing it right. Can anyone verify? The nurse on the first test made me teary, but I wasn’t sobbing. I was crying and shaking the entire way home. It was horrible.

The next morning, the results came back negative.

I was relieved, and I definitely think that given the circumstances, the test was the responsible thing to do. That said, if a similar situation comes up in the future, I’d likely just quarantine for two weeks, and skip the test.

Here’s a few pictures of me: sick and pitiful.

In sad news, I learned that The Annenberg Space for Photography has fallen victim to Covid 19.

It couldn’t sustain the economic fall out. This one hit hard, as the Annenberg was one of my favorite art spaces in Los Angeles. It was a true treasure and a loss for the city. The museum always had thought-provoking exhibitions that left you with a new perspective. Here are links to two of my previous reviews of exhibitions at the Annenberg: Generation Wealth and Sink or Swim.

We discovered that we have a nest on the front of our house, below my step-daughter’s bedroom window. I spotted three babies, who seem nearly ready to fly. They are cute, but as soon as they’ve left the nest, we need to figure out a way to make it a less appealing spot for future families. We have bird shit all over our driveway.

I felt better by the weekend, and we were able to attend a BBQ with the neighbors. Great food and new friends! I felt safe being outside, and I can imagine that this type of party is going to be a frequent activity in the summer months. There is a block party planned for the last Saturday of the month. This is the first time I’ve lived in a neighborhood that has block parties. We’re bringing baked beans and a cake.

We watched The Hunt, a surprisingly funny, and creative horror/suspense movie starring Hilary Swank and Betty Gilpin. I don’t want to give anything away, but it has excellent story structure, and the themes are timely. Gilpin has some great one-liners.

Dan received a gift of Vosges Truffles. They were beautifully presented. The truffles had unique flavors, including curry.

A less fancy, but not less delicious treat was born, when Dan decided to put brandy butter on cinnamon rolls!

And some cat pictures. Here is Tom being extra cute with his mice. He likes to hide them in shoes or slippers, even if you happen to be wearing them at the time. He also fetches and on Sunday morning, I threw the pink mouse across the room about fifty times. He wouldn’t have stopped, but my arm was getting sore!