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Understood.   I have several (multi-several) shelves of outdated travel and lodging guides.    One that I got rid of decade ago still haunts me.    It was a mid-60s Fodor's on Italy.    It contained a satirical piece titled (something like) "There are ---- steps to the cathedral" and purported to be the only guide you'd ever need to Italy.    

Gist: "As we arrive at the quiet Pizza ---- in bucolic Santa -----, we are taken by the soft ochre tones of cathedral Santa -----.    There are ---- steps to the cathedral."   And so on, describing every aspect of the town.    'Do not miss the altar tryptych by famous -----, depicting Virgin Mary and ---- angels."

I thought this was absolutely brilliant, but my best friend, a travel-trivia buff, was horrified.   "Sacrilege!"     I got rid of my copy but have half-heartedly tried to locate and rebuy a copy.    

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1 hour ago, small h said:

Me. After one super-fun time trying to find the Chautauqua Institution while driving through the vast cell-phone-signal-free zone that is Western New York.

When we cleaned out our old car we debated whether or not to keep all of the maps and move them into the new car. We kept some. I actually had the opposite experience in western NY when I-86/Rte 17 was closed off near Elmira, and the paper maps were useless - thank god for the phone because it directed us.

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6 minutes ago, bloviatrix said:

I actually had the opposite experience in western NY when I-86/Rte 17 was closed off near Elmira, and the paper maps were useless - thank god for the phone because it directed us.

Yeah, you really need both. I ended up calling the friend I was visiting (the phone part of the phone sort of worked) and having him direct me.

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I relied on my phone in Barcelona last November. I know Barcelona pretty well but some places (Estimar) are not easy to find. The phone is so old it won't take an eSim. But there are now so many Starbucks in Barcelona that you are rarely out of range of WiFi.

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6 hours ago, Wilfrid said:

I have stacks of Rough Guides. So useful in their day, but not armchair reading.

Good point. Who uses printed maps any more? 

 

Me, but usually only when I'm walking around a strange city, especially when I'm outside the US.  And FWIW, I buy at least one print guidebook.

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Think of it this way: you are in much worse shape now than you will be after the procedure.   Sending all good thoughts.  Mostly, have faith in your doctors.

I say this as husband has UCSF oncology, cardiac and stroke teams working on his behalf at the moment.   We feel fortunate that there were diagnoses when there were.     Ignorance is not bliss.

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3 hours ago, voyager said:

I say this as husband has UCSF oncology, cardiac and stroke teams working on his behalf at the moment.   We feel fortunate that there were diagnoses when there were.     Ignorance is not bliss.

I'm sorry to hear that you and your husband are in the midst of medical crisis. I know how stressful it is. Wishing him a speedy recovery.

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6 hours ago, backyardchef said:

Got a bad report from the cardiologist and probably need a fairly serious procedure and I am feeling inconsolably broken and regretful right now.....

I'm sorry to learn this. Put the regrets aside and focus your energy on healing - once the procedure is behind you, you can revisit beating yourself up.

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Definitely a week from hell. First of all, the full moon is approaching. Full moons and dementia do not play well together. Husband wandered off during the night and a guy brought him home around 3 am night before last. And he wandered again 3 times yesterday. Last night he screamed and yelled all night because he has to get home to Florida. (NOTE: He hates Florida. Has never lived there. No idea where this has come from.)

A few weeks ago my baby sister (My rock.) was discovered to have AFIB. Anything with her heart is worrisome because her mitral valve collapsed and had to be repaired when she was just in her late 30s. She had a cardioversion about 3 weeks ago. Had her follow-up last week and they have scheduled her for ablation in May. But wait, there's more! She got shingles this week. My poor, poor sweet sis.

Think I'm done yet? Nope! Heard from my former BIL last night. My sweet ex-husband (We remained friends and he stayed close with my family.) passed away in Boston yesterday. 

 

Stick a fork in me. I'm done.

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