I spent most of last night studying for a big test this morning.... A stress test. Just a little cardio humor. I guess I passed. My heart doctor is a good guy, and after this morning's test, he said things were looking pretty good. I still have something strange in my EKG, but after talking about my recent issues with sleep apnea, he concluded that we might see improvement once I start using my CPAP machine. That's the good news. The bad is that he said he wants me to lose at least 5 pounds before my next appointment, in four months. That shouldn't be a problem, but we'll see. I know I need to be more active.
So how did I handle my good appointment? I went out to celebrate with a big breakfast at the Nautilus Diner in Crofton. I love diners! They have such great comfort food. I had a mushroom omelette (no cheese), potatoes, wheat toast, OJ, and coffee. I also got a blueberry muffin. I know, that's really not good for me in any way. That's a bit too much sugar when you add in the OJ. But I was celebrating. That's how I'm justifying it. It was good, too.
I've been trying since before my St. Louis trip to get a haircut. I decided to go ahead and get it done, so after leaving the Nautilus, I headed over to Floyd's Barbershop. This is a chain of trendy barbershops featuring loud music and barbers and stylists with a bit of a "harder" edge than your standard Hair Cuttery. I've also found that they seem to be much better at their craft than the Hair Cuttery. One of the really nice things that they do is shave the hair on the back of my neck with shaving cream and a straightedge, like the old style barbershops. Also, they give a nice shoulder and upper back massage when they finish. It's really great. I had been to the Floyd's in Ellicott City once before, and knew there was one in Crofton, so that's where I went.
I have to say I was a just a bit shocked at the clothing that a couple of the young ladies working at Floyd's were wearing. One young lady was wearing a VERY short, VERY tight skirt with what appeared to be thigh-high stockings. In fact, when one of the other stylists mentioned to her that her skirt seemed to be showing off a little too much, she just shrugged and replied, "Oh, well." I don't recall the Ellicott City store's employees wearing such risque clothing. It just seemed a bit....unnecessary and gratuitous. The lady who cut my hair wasn't much better, but was downright conservative in comparison. She had on very tight fitting blue jeans and a t-shirt that showed off her numerous arm tattoos. Frankly, I was just a bit embarrassed. For them and for myself. I got a decent haircut, shaved neck, back massage, and then I quickly left. Whew.
I had several hours until my daughter was due to finish school, so I decided to see a movie. I went to the Regal Cinemas at Snowden Square and saw THE MONUMENTS MEN, starring a bunch of really great actors, including George Clooney (who also directed), Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, and Cate Blanchett. It is based on a true story of World War 2, in which a small platoon of art specialists are sent to find and recover priceless art and statues/sculptures that the Nazi's have stolen from museums across France and Belgium. It was both very well acted and very well done. I was totally engrossed by the movie. My only issue is that I do not believe art should ever be considered more important than a human life, but the movie argued that it is, at least to the men who were trying to recover it. I enjoyed the interplay between the actors, though I was hoping for more of Bill Murray than what we got.
After the movie, I went to pick up my daughter and we headed home. I'm so happy that I was able to get so much accomplished today, despite missing work. Though my appointment took up much of the morning, and it did not seem to make any sense to head back to work after the stress test, which stressed me out, I'm glad I wasn't so out of it that I couldn't finish a few errands and find some time to relax. Despite the rainy weather, it ended up being a pretty good day.
Have a great evening, everyone!
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