Long weekend in San Francisco

 


There was a last minute change in plans. Instead of driving to San Diego I went north along with mom. Started around 8:30 am Friday morning. It was foggy most of the way. A brief stop for gas in Livermore and we made it to SF by 12:30 pm. Had lunch at Mandalay, a Burmese restaurant we had loved during a past visit. After the lunch we were to pick some pastries from a bakery nearby. As I walked with Amita I could feel pressure in the mid chest. This was the fourth episode in the last 2 weeks. The first two had occurred while I was in my office, after a homemade soup for lunch. The third was at home, also brought on after lunch. All three were mild and lasted less than 15 minutes. This one in SF was a bit more pronounced and lasted over 30 minutes. Got me worried. What if it is angina and not acid reflux? I have to drive back to Bakersfield with mom in two days. I shouldn’t put her in harm’s way. 

Getting home to Amita’s apartment I made the call to Kaiser and after a few transfers to different departments finally was able to speak to an advice nurse and a physician. I was given an appointment to see a doctor the next morning and told to try over the counter antacid and aspirin for now, with encouragement to go to ED if pain gets worse.

Amita was working that night. We had pasta for dinner at home that she fixed for us before leaving for her shift. The cherry tomatoes and feta cheese made the simple pasta really delicious.  Amita accompanied me to the nearby convenience store at the gas station to pick the TUMS and aspirin before walking to the hospital.

I slept with no problems that night. The next morning once Amita was home we drove first to our favorite bakery Arsical for the much coveted almond croissants before heading to my appointment. It was at the same clinic where Amita often works after hours. A very pleasant Dr Yael Moss saw me that morning. She listened to my concerns and ordered an EKG. The RN working that day was very friendly too. EKG was fine. That put my mind at peace. At least there were no signs of any acute cardiac problems. 

That afternoon Amita had planned to take us out for Dim Sum. But Aai was still dealing with considerable coughing and wheezing and didn’t feel good enough to leave home. Just Amita and me went out. It was my first time trying dim sum in the USA. The place was big and almost all tables were occupied soon after their opening time. I enjoyed all the assorted dim sum that Amita ordered. Some had chives and yam, another with mushroom and spinach, one with shrimp. For dessert there was a sweet bun with a mango custard filling. That was good also.

We spent the evening at home. There was plenty of food for the three of us. 

Picture in a pure Pashmina wool saree I customized from Jasir Arfat at Kashmircraftik. He got it dyed for me in my chosen shade of mauve and then added embroidered koniyas at two corners of the pallu. I had requested the design to include both sozni and Tilla embroidery to showcase these crafts native to Kashmir. The minimalist design proved to be very much to my taste. I felt grateful to Jasir for taking extra care to make to my specifications and also in time for it to reach Pune. My dear friend Dhanashree Ghaskadbi had taken the trouble to get the fall and edges done in Pune. Jasir had a hard time finding fall in Kashmir as no one wears sarees there. Dhanashree’s elder son Pranav had kindly carried my saree from Pune to San Jose and I was able to pick it from him in August on my way back from the Washington trip. Since weather had remained quite warm at the time I couldn’t find occasion to drape this woolen saree. Finally the timing was right in the cold windy December weather of San Francisco. A printed floral blouse I had picked from Taneira in Aundh during my recent visit to Pune made it debut along with this prized saree. My favorite spot near the Lyon Street steps and nearby Presidio provided perfect backdrops for the pictures. 




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