Sunsets and a Personal Update

I have a pretty good view and it's to the south so I get to see the sunset. This was one of the more beautiful ones, though there have been others as spectacular. I thought I'd tire of photographing sunsets, but that hasn't happened. I love them too much and want to share their beauty. The one below is from December 11, 2013.

The one below is from December 7.2013. It's different from the one above, but no less beautiful. It's not my photography. It's what was there. I just point the camera and press the shutter button. That's the Manhattan skyline. It forms a part of my view, but enough to make it interesting.

This one is from November 14th. I had to rotate the photo just a bit because I sometimes don't hold my camera straight. It happens more often than I'd like to admit and it shows when shooting these buildings. Still, it's another gorgeous sunset. You can see the Empire State Building on the left.

Now I'll tell you what's new with me. Earlier this year, in August or September, I was diagnosed with hydrocephalus, an unusual disorder. The first symptom was double vision. I foolishly didn't have that diagnosed for years. Instead, I had prisms put in the lenses of my eyeglasses. That corrected the symptom, but not the problem. I thought I had ambliopia, or double vision. I told my doctor and he sent me to a neurologist. I told her I had ambliopia, but in just a couple of minutes, she told me that wasn't my problem and referred me to a neurosurgeon. It seems the cephalic fluid in my brain was under too much pressure and that pressure on my brain was the problem. 

I saw the neurosurgeon, had some scans made, and then was scheduled for surgery. The surgery would place a drainage tube from my brain to my abdomen. There would also be a valve on my head under the skin. It's hardly visible. I spent a week in the hospital. It wasn't so bad, really. Later on I'd have to go back to have the valve replaced by a larger one. That only took a day. No problem. I still have some of the symptoms and it may be that I'll need a larger valve and another brief surgery. The larger valve would be visible, though. It's up to my neurosurgeon. I'm OK with it's being visible. Meanwhile, we're trying alternatives. My next appointment is in a month. I'll know what we're doing then.

Double vision isn't the only symptom. There's also vertigo. Things appear as they would if I were very drunk. Everything is spinning around and my balance isn't good anymore. Those symptoms are still present, but much diminished. Still, I've fallen in my apartment three times. I do better outside when I'm walking briskly. The problem is that my legs have been weakened so I can't walk as far I could before all this. How far can I walk? I don't know. My walking has improved, but I haven't put distance to the test. I will when we get some warmer weather. 

The surgery affected my short term memory. My neurosurgeon told me that. I misplace things very easily now. It's maddening. I can have something in my hands and the next thing I know, it's misplaced. My long term memory seems fine. I can recall quite a bit from my childhood and teens.

I'm thankful for what is still OK. I can still use my camera. I can read. I couldn't read for a while, but now I'm fine. The only problem is that I can't find my reading glasses. I'm beginning to think I lost them outside my apartment. I've been reading without them, though, and drugstore reading glasses seem to work. I'm thankful for my friends, too. I have wonderful friends. One of them owns the apartment where I'm now living. I used to have a spacious one bedroom apartment. I now have a small studio. However, it has a terrace and glass terrace doors with a great view. Before, my view was the building across the street. I had no privacy unless I kept the blinds drawn. Now I can (and do) keep my curtains open all the time.

My amplifier burned out a couple of weeks ago. I can't play my CDs now. No music! I have too many CDs to count, probably well over a thousand. Some are still in cartons from when I moved to Astoria back in December of 2006. It's hard to believe that I've been living here for 7 years. Time flies.

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EuroMarket

About.com named EuroMarket one of the top five grocery stores in Astoria. One of the five listed is now gone. The rest remain, valuable assets to the community. EuroMarket carries Greek and Balkan goods and has an excellent olive bar.



They also have a section devoted to smoked meats and sausages. Because the meats are smoked, they require no refrigeration and can be kept out in the open.



The showcase contains a large variety of feta cheeses. Of course, they have other cheeses as well, but most of their selection is feta.

EuroMarket has a very large selection of fruit preserves, the larges I've ever seen. Some of these go very well with a bowl of whole Greek yogurt. They have a large variety of European honeys as well. Greek honeys are world famous. As you might expect, EuroMarket stocks many of them. These honeys are also at home in a bowl of good Greek yogurt. Greek yogurt has less water and is thicker than regular yogurt. The whole yogurt is very creamy, a real treat.

In the rear of the market is an entire wall of refrigerated shelves containing beers and ales from all over the world. It includes some of America's finest artisanal brews.



If you live in Astoria and you've never been to EuroMarket, it's worth your time to pay it a visit. You won't leave empty handed. The last time I visited, I wanted to buy some spicy olive mix, just a medium container.



I ended up spending $20 and taking home a shopping bag full of goodies.

Butcher Bar

 

Butcher Bar opened its doors on December 1, 2011, just in time to ring out the old year. It part butcher shop and part restaurant, one dedicated to meat. They cater as well. The restaurant area is the attractive wood paneled area in the front of the shop. Their menu is not extensive, but I found it difficult to make a choice. I ended up getting the beef brisket sandwich.



My friend ordered the Bob's Burger, a half-pound burger, a blend of brisket and smoked bacon. I don't recall what cheese is on the burger, but you are offered a choice. We split an order of sauteed string beans with bacon and onions. My friend said this was the best burger she every had and she's had burgers from some of the best burger places in NYC.



The "butcher's" burger is a different blend an 6 oz. rather than a half-pound. This would be more my size, but now I want to try the Bob's Burger. I'll have to go when I'm very hungry. Butcher Bar cooks what they sell and sells what they cook. They cook only a limited amount each day to ensure freshness. They never freeze anything.
 
Butcher Bar
37-08 30th Avenue
Astoria, NY
(718) 606-8140