Category: New York City

New York, New York Day # 1 “I Love My New Job”

by reissmd, posted in New York City

As many of you already know, in January Robert “Fight On For Old SC” Reiss became Robert Reiss, MD employee of UCLA Health.  You are also probably aware that I am really enjoying my new work environment. The staff and doctors have been incredibly welcoming and making this old man feel young again.  I’ve been very busy seeing a full schedule of patients every day. Since many of my patients are new to me I frequently look ahead to get familiar with the medical histories of these new people.

Last weekend I checked my schedule for Wednesday and Thursday and saw a full line up. When I got to Friday my slate was blank.  No one scheduled to see me?  How could that be?  I checked the other doctors and their schedules were blank as well.  Hmmmm, I thought for a second and then immediately yelled to Patrice. “The office is closed Friday for Veterans Day let’s go somewhere!”  Patrice gave her usual answer by the time I said “Would like to go to …..”, she interrupted me with YES!   We gave it some thought and decided on a trip to New York.  

I quickly found a hotel then I looked for a flight.  Unfortunately the business class tickets were insanely expensive even if we wanted to use miles so being the travel snobs that we’ve become (flying business class for anything longer than 3 hours) we decided to just chill at home.  The next day I received an email from American Airlines promoting flights to New York.  It got my blood boiling again and we booked two coach tickets hoping we would get a complimentary upgrade.  So today we took off for the Big Apple but no upgrades were offered so we were seated in the back. The last time we took a long flight in coach I was seated next to a 17 year old kid who was bouncing his leg up and down the entire flight. This time I sat next to a guy who slept the entire way – a significant improvement. We watched two movies “Shortcomings” which Patrice would recommend but I would not and “Jules” with Ben Kingsley and Jane Curtin which both of us enjoyed very much.  

Much to my surprise they served us a meal on the flight.  We had a choice of three items all served cold #1. Waffle and yogurt #2. Oatmeal #3. Fruit and cheese.  Waffle and oatmeal served cold?   I opted for the fruit and cheese.  It was not bad and it satisfied my tummy for the duration of the flight.

The flight was smooth and uneventful other than when I spilled a glass of water onto Patrice.  She was very undertanding. I offered her my water so she could reciprocate but she graciously declined. No way would I have made the offer if I thought she would take me up on it.

Stepping out of the JFK terminal we were quickly reminded that we were no longer in Los Angeles. Temp in NYC 51º while back home it was 72º. We got in line for a taxi and were quickly on our way to Manhattan. The ride took over 1 hour for the 15 mile trip to our hotel.

We are staying at the Algonquin Hotel. The room is nice but incredibly small. The bathroom is even smaller than the one we had in Bologna in 2022. I didn’t think that was possible.

Small even by European standards.

We decided to look around the hotel and found ourselves in the fitness center. Patrice did some curls with some light weights. See below.

Patrice doing some curls.

I scoffed at her use of such tiny weights and tried to hand her something more appropriate. Unfortunately my eyes were bigger than my biceps. See below.

A weight lifter I am not.

After touring the hotel we headed off to dinner. Tonight we ate at the Gramercy Tavern (42 E 20th St, New York, NY 10003). We ate there for Patrice’s birthday in 2019 and we were just a few days late of repeating that event. If you want to review that post this link should take you there: https://wordpress.com/post/reisstravelblog.com/7631

The place was as spectacular as we remembered. It has a Michelin star rating and it is well deserved. We walked to the Gramercy Tavern because we knew the caloric intake was going to be extensive.  I remember the meal being amazing in 2019 and tonight was no different.  See below. 

Squash with sunchoke. I thought the waiter said Squash with “Sancho” and when I looked up Sancho all I found was an English Soccer player.
Next I had a salad that was delicious.
Patrice had the beets. Her’s looked prettier but mind tasted much better.
Corn Agnolotti followed for me. It was like a ravioli. It also had shrimp.
Patrice had the gnocchi which again looked beautful but my corn agnolotti was far superior.
We both had the sea bass with cauliflower and bok choy. Another taste delight.
The lamb followed and it looked much better than it tasted. Maybe our expectations were pumped up by the previous dishes.
Finally a little birthday gift for my bride.

The walk to the restaurant was enjoyable. The meal wore us out and we had to take a taxi back to the hotel. Now we will try to crawl into bed. See you tomorrow.

New York and the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation Day 5 “Showtime!” November 9, 2019

by reissmd, posted in New York City, Uncategorized

Today we felt obligated to workout again since clearly we have not slowed our eating at all. So with this tremendous urge to exercise upon us we rested until it passed. Then we set out for lunch at the Brookyn Diner (155 W 43rd St, New York, NY 10036). The diner is know for its excellent (but overpriced) food. Then we took a short walk to look at the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree which was delivered yesterday and is getting readied for the tree lighting ceremony on December 4th.

We were told that the tree came from Florida which was a surprise to me. Another source said it came from Orange County. That too seemed hard to believe. I later learned that both statements were correct. The tree started its journey 58 miles north of New York city in a place called Florida, Orange County, New York,

The 77 foot tall Rockefeller Center Christmas tree being installed at its final resting place.

A little further down the road we saw this sign that to me said, “Californians Go Home”.

“Californians go home !” sign. This is nothing, temperature will dip to 28 degrees.

We then headed to see the show Hadestown, winner of 8 Tony Awards. The show was excellent. Music, story, staging, and choreography were all a treat. At the end of Act I there was show-stopper song entitled “Why We Build the Wall” which was sung by the character Hades. In case you are not up on your Greek mythology, Hades was King of the Underground.

The lyrics went like this:

Why do we build the wall?
We build the wall to keep us free.
That’s why we build the wall.
How does the wall keep us free?
The wall keeps out the enemy.
Who do we call the enemy?
The enemy is poverty.

I wonder if the lyricist was thinking of any other wall builder when she wrote the song that was sung by the King of Hell?

After a rest at the hotel we were on our way back to Broadway. We saw a delightful musical comedy called “Tootsie”. It is based on the movie of the same name. It was funny and enjoyable. The only sad part of the show was that its conclusion marked the end of our trip. I am not sure if I will have time to post tomorrow or if I will have anything worth talking about (Did I hear someone ask, “Does he ever have anything worth talking about?”). I hope to talk to you soon.

New York and the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation Day 3 “Birthday Celebration?” November 7, 2019

by reissmd, posted in New York City

Today is Patrice’s birthday. What a wonderful idea to enjoy your birthday in the “Big Apple”. Well, not quite. Today we spent the entire day in an office with a bunch of researchers much smarter than me (I know that isn’t saying much) discussing proposals for funding of inflammatory bowel disease research. Patrice and I act as Stakeholders for the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation. As such we review applications for funding by the Foundation and voice our opinions about which studies should be approved. At the meeting we sit amongst a bunch of researchers who discuss very technical proposals and we try to understand what is being said. The experience for me is like watching Spanish television. I understand a word or two but the meaning often escapes me. Needless to say, this is not how you would probably plan to spend your birthday. But it is incredibly rewarding to feel like we are helping the cause that means so much to us.

After the meeting I wanted to go to the hotel gym and work out. But I didn’t.

Instead we did a bit of chilling in the room until heading out for a birthday dinner celebration at Gramercy Tavern (42 E 20th St, New York, NY 10003). This place was recommended to us by one of the managers at The Modern where we dined two nights earlier. Apparently one of their former employees is the general manager at Gramercy Tavern. Both restaurants have the same owner.

Patrice has said that The Modern is her favorite restaurant. Well Gramercy Tavern is right up there too. This restaurant has had a Michelin star rating for the past 11 years (The Modern has two Michelin stars). The food was incredible as was the service. It was not just food but rather an experience.

They started us off with Roasted Cauliflower with whipped Ricotta Cheese to
“Wake up your palette”
Next we had “Whole Wheat Angel Rolls with Goat Cheese Butter”

Those first two items were just add ons. Next we had the first thing we actually ordered and that was:

Ruby Red Shrimp

I can’t begin to tell you how luscious this was. The shrimp were perfectly prepared. The sauce is making my mouth water as I write this sentence. The only thing that kept me from licking the plate clean were these magic words from Patrice, “If you do that, I swear, I will walk out of the restaurant and not look back for one second”. Yes, that stopped me but I would be lying if I didn’t say II did mull over my options.

Then they brought out our main course selections:

Patrice ordered: “Winter Skate with Butterball Potatoes and Almond Butter Sauce”

I never heard of Skate (fish that is) so I looked it up. It looks very much like a stingray. Not very appetizing looking but her dish was spectacular. I ordered:

Striped Bass with Cauliflower Puree Sauce

This dish tasted even better than it looked. The sauce was a bit spicy but I loved it.

The staff knew it was Patrice’s birthday so they personalized her dessert.

Apple Upside Down Cake with a personalized message
I ordered “Chocolate Hazelnut Custard”

As a present they brought us:

Chocolate Pudding Cake

And just in case we didn’t have enough sugar they brought us a couple of candies.

Peach and Amaretto on the left; Pear and Clove on the right,.

We paid the bill and had to get out before we developed diabetes. But they were not done,

Chocolate Banana Amaretto Cake as a to go gift for breakfast in the morning.

I need to go to the gym.

But first I need a nap.

New York and the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation Day 2 “A Day of Culture” November 6, 2019

by reissmd, posted in New York City, Uncategorized

This morning our guilt from last night’s never-ending meal at The Modern, was a tremendous burden so we got up early (about 11 AM) and went to the gym for a work out. After that we headed out for some food of course. Patrice found a place called “Friedman’s Kitchen and Bar” (233 W 49th St, New York, NY 10019) which was on the way from our hotel to the Museum of Modern Art (our destination for today). I was in the mood for a good New York deli, so I was all in favor.

The place looked good and the staff was friendly but I have to admit I was a bit confused by the menu which featured Grilled Fish Tacos, Chicken Tostada Bowl, and Chicken Banh Mi. I asked our hostess if the restaurant was named after the owner (“No, his name is Mr. Phillips”). She explained that the restaurant was named after Milton Friedman, the famous economist. Now I was really confused, I inquired if Milton Friedman was a gourmet among his other more notable talents. She said she didn’t know about that but she said he was known for the phrase, “There is no such thing as a free lunch”. Now it all made sense and my hopes for a Senior Discount was quickly forgotten. We got to meet the owner, Mr. Phillips, who, like his staff was a very friendly young man. The food was good and like I said the staff was great.

Our server, Matthew, Patrice, and Hostess, Jess.

After lunch we headed to MOMA. The museum recently reopened after being closed for 4 months as part of a $450 million renovation. The place looks fantastic. The design is very contemporary (hmmm, who would have guessed that?) and the layout is very user friendly. The exhibits are on 6 floors (there is a gift shop and theaters on a lower floor below the street level entrance) that are all very easy to access and laid out in a circular design letting you see all the exhibits without missing anything.

We got to see Van Gogh’s “Starry Night”, Dali’s “The Persistence of Memory”, and Warhol’s “Campbell Soup Cans”. You can also see all three of those masterpieces in our home. Of course the ones in our home are a little less valuable than the originals at MOMA. The one exception in the Campbell Soup Can in our house which is a needlepoint made by my sister, Annette, and given to me as a gift.

Starry Night by Van Gogh
Dali’s “Persistence of Memory”
Campbell’s Soup Can by Andy Warhol (I like mine better).

There were some things in MOMA that left me a little befuddled regarding their art value.

Is a man’s hairy armpit art?
What about a leg sticking out of the wall?
I think these two clocks were entitled, “A Waste of Time”.

We were just about to leave MOMA when Patrice and I got into a big fight. I found two things on exhibit that she made me throw out recently. Just think what we could do with the money we could have had from selling these two treasures (see below).

I knew my note pad had value.
“Pine Cone” An obvious treasure but not recognized by my wife.

I am sure you have had enough of my whining and complaining for one day. After all, it’s time for DINNER.

New York and the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation Day 1 “The Real Reason We Came to New York” November 5, 2019

by reissmd, posted in New York City, Uncategorized

As many of you know 2 of our 3 children have Crohn’s disease. This is an ailment that causes intestinal inflammation resulting in abdominal pain, diarrhea, difficulty absorbing nutrients among other wonderful experiences. Because of them we are very active raising money for the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation (Team Reiss brought in $74,180 for the nation’s second highest total for the Take Steps program this year). We also participate on a committee that determines which scientific studies are funded by the Foundation. It is this later function that brings us to New York. But let’s be honest, the real reason is to enjoy this marvelous city.

Tonight we had an incredible meal at “The Modern” (9 West 53rd Street). We were also here in May of 2017 at which time I blogged about our dinner. Towards the end of our meal tonight, I looked for that post from 2017 and saw that we had a very similar experience at that time. We had a spectacular meal. The food was great, the service superb and the presentation was incredible.

Here is what we were served tonight:

Buckwheat Tartelette. Don’t ask me any questions. We were told to eat these with our hands and in one bite. I promptly complied. That is why you just see one in the photo (Patrice was a bit slower than me).
“Eggs on Eggs on Eggs” when it was brought to the table.
Remove the top and you find, three different types of eggs. Amazing combination.
Pretzel Croissant. Meant to cleanse our palette but with the Dijon Mustard Butter inside it did more than that.

Below you can see the Pole Beans which Patrice said was wonderful. I had the Foie Gras Tart which was beyond words. By the way if it is still Un-PC to eat Foie Gras it was Patrice who had it and I had the beans (yuck).

Pole Beans
Foie Gras Tart

More appetizers followed.

Matustake Mushroom Fricassee (Robert)
Seared Scallops (Patrice)

Then on to the main course.

Sautéed Sea Bass (we both had this)

And for dessert:

Vanilla Bavarois (Patrice)
Dark Chocolate Chantilly (Robert)

Of course they had to acknowledge Patrice’s birthday.

Happy Birthday Patrice
But just in case we had any room in our tummies they sent us home with these luscious Coconut and Mango Shumai.

Enough food?

Until tomorrow.

New York City Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation Day #4 “I Hate This Hotel, I Need Some Horse” 3/26/19

by reissmd, posted in New York City, Uncategorized

Alright, maybe hate is too strong of a word but this place (Westin at Grand Central) is leaving me less than impressed. Typically at Marriott Hotels (Westin is now part of Marriott) they kill you with kindness. I remember being at the JW Marriott in Austin thinking that I had died and gone to heaven. Patrice had all sorts of places she wanted to visit and I didn’t want to leave the hotel. This place has been bad from the beginning. The front desk person was rude at check-in. We asked if we could get a room with a view. The clerk said we could have a view of the Chrysler building. That sounded great. This is what we got.

Not what I had in mind.

The next day at the hotel breakfast I asked the waiter for a mocha and was told “We only have coffee”. On my way out I asked if they had hot chocolate and when I was told that they did I asked if I could get half of a hot chocolate and half of a coffee and essentially make my own mocha? The waiter said I could but the next day when I asked for it he looked at me as if I was crazy, “You want what?”. When I explained I wanted a mocha he said, “Then I will give you a mocha”. But yesterday you told me you only have coffee. “That was yesterday, this is today”. Not the way I like to be treated.

Today we spent the whole day discussing the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation research grant proposals. Patrice and I are “stakeholders” who review the research proposals and give our opinion from a patient’s (or patient’s caregiver, in our case) point of view. Each proposal is rated prior to the meeting starting. The ones with the lowest ratings are not discussed at the meeting. Patrice and I were each assigned 6 proposals to review. All 6 of hers were discussed, only one of mine made the grade. Obviously we know whose opinion they value around here. One of the scientists came up to Patrice after the meeting and told her that she was the best reviewer. Her presentations were succinct and to the point. Then the scientist glanced at me and said, “Have a nice flight home”.

Tonight we had dinner with an old friend from Iceland. John and his fiancé, LaRae, were dining at the same restaurant in Reykjavik as Patrice and I when we met. They are from the States and live in New York. When we met in Iceland we spoke about all the wonders of Icelandic cuisine, specifically gander, whale, shark and horse. The next night at dinner Patrice and I had a window seat and saw them walking by. We got their attention, and encouraged them to join us. We had just ordered horse and wanted them to have the experience with us. Once you share horse together you are friends for life.

After dinner we saw Keri Russell and Adam Driver in “Burn This”. After seeing “Network” two nights ago we were anxious to see another play. I loved “Network”, wish I could say the same about “Burn This”. Adam Driver was very good but I found the jokes very trite. Lot’s of cheap jokes about gays for one thing. That gets very old very quickly.

Tomorrow we head for home. Next trip will be in a month when we visit Erica in Spain. Yippee!!!!!

New York City Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation Day #3 “Lobster” 3/25/19

by reissmd, posted in New York City

I have not adjusted to Eastern time yet and not sure if I am on Pacific or still on Australian time. Whatever time zone I am on doesn’t matter since my usual pattern continues, not getting enough sleep while Patrice sleeps like she is an Olympian sleeper.

Last night we were looking for a place for dinner and Patrice said let’s go to someplace close to the hotel. That sounded good but then she said “How about “Palm Too”, it is very close?”. The last time I remember eating at The Palm in Beverly Hills it was in 1979 to celebrate finally selling my 1974 Fiat. The car was a wreck and I was happy to unload it. As I recall the dinner pretty much wiped out most (if not all) of the money I got from the sale of the car. I asked if the Palm Too was related to the The Palm in Beverly Hills and when I was informed that it was I started to get severe pains in my back pocket where my wallet is stored. I remembered that I still need to convince this woman to travel to Cleveland, Detroit and Milwaukee for baseball so I quickly said, “Sounds great!”.

When we went to the Palm in Beverly Hills we saw Kareem Abdul Jabbar. We saw him again at Palm Too but this time it was just a picture on the wall. No other celebrity sightings except for these guys.

Two orders of 4 pound lobsters.

The menu was great but there was one item that was like a light burning into our retinas and that was of course the lobsters. We had a choice of either 3 or 4 lbs. Patrice opted for the 3 pounder but our waiter said that they only had 4 or 5 lbs to offer us tonight. We both chose the 4 pounders and neither of us were disappointed. We had Brussels sprouts to add something green to the table and were not at all impressed by those guys. I am happy to report that Patrice and I have replaced our search for the perfect bread pudding with a search for the perfect Brussels sprouts. We have declared Masa the winner in the bread pudding search and so far the leaders in the Brussels sprouts derby are Zane’s, The Standing Room, and Tin Roof (the first two are in Hermosa Beach and the later is in Manhattan Beach). The Palm Too had excellent lobster but their BS (Brussels Sprouts) needs some work.

Today Patrice suggested we go for a walk. We heard that the Vessel at Hudson Yards was worth a visit. After 16,000 steps we are back at the hotel. The structure is made of 154 interconnected flights of stairs and almost 2,500 stairs. It just opened days ago (March 15, 2019) and you need to get a timed entrance ticket which is free. I am glad they stagger entrance to the structure because having crowds up there would be scary. The views of the city are great. You also get a great view of the Hudson River but I hate to be a negative kind of guy, but who wants to look at it. It is not a very pretty sight from this direction.

The Vessel as viewed near to the entrance.
Patrice and I on the Vessel. Much too close a photo for me. I need a selfie stick. Do they make one that extends about 10 yards?
We stole this idea from a couple of guys from Massachusetts. For a guy like me who is frightened of heights this was a major sacrifice for the enjoyment of my followers.

After the Vessel we headed to the adjacent Hudson Yards mall. This is very upscale, with stores like Cartier, Van Cleef and Arpels, Kate Spade, Tiffany’s, Neiman Marcus, et al. They have some beautiful artwork including this wall piece where you were encouraged to move the sequins to create your own art.

The picture of our art was a blurry. So we stole someone else’s artwork.

The mall also had some upscale ice cream. We loved Van Leeuwen and found out they had a number of outlets in our area of the country.

Good thing we walked 16,000 steps today. After this “lunch” we will need another 30,000 steps to break even.

Today would have been the 103rd birthday of my loving mother, Irene Reiss. Without her, this blog wouldn’t exist. Gone but never forgotten. Today and every day is dedicated to her. xoxoxo

New York City Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation Day #2 “I’m Mad As Hell And I’m Not Going to Take It Anymore” 3/24/19

by reissmd, posted in New York City

No, No, No! I know what you are thinking but that isn’t the case. Patrice didn’t get sick of me and tell me to leave. No, we saw an excellent play today. But before I get to that let me tell you about last night when we saw, “The Ferryman”. This was a play that lasted 3 hours and 15 minutes. Need I say more? There was a very cute baby in it. Yes, a real live baby in a Broadway play. He/she was so cute. The actor was playing a baby (classic type casting) and just had to be carried around the stage by an actress playing his/her care-giver. It was very cute, just looking around at the audience in amazement. He/she did not have a speaking part, all it had to do was look gorgeous which it did with ease. There was also a live goose and at least one if not two rabbits. The baby and the animals were by far my favorite parts of the play.

Today was much different. Today we saw “Network” starring Bryan Cranston. You might not be old enough to remember the film starring Peter Finch, William Holden and Faye Dunaway and the classic line from the movie, “I’m mad as Hell and not going to take it any anymore”. It was character Howard Beale who uttered those famous words not my wife. That isn’t to say that she hasn’t thought about it at times (who could blame her?). This production was superb but during the first hour I thought, “This is good but I already saw the movie so why did I have to pay all this money to see it again?” Then it started to get very interesting. They used some very creative staging with the use of video to pull off some fascinating visuals. Also some of the audience was onstage. I didn’t even realize they were part of the audience until after the show ended. There was one part of the play where Bryan Cranston came off the stage and sat between two audience members (yes between them on the arm rest) and talked to them making them part of the performance. We had to watch on the stage large television monitor to see what was happening. When the cameraperson zoomed out we could see ourselves onstage. It was a very interesting effect.

“Network” stage prior to start of the performance. The cast was doing yoga.

It was Patrice’s idea for us to see “Network”. I was very lukewarm about the idea. I liked the movie but I saw no point in seeing the play. I knew (and liked) the play’s message of television and corporations running our lives. Certainly the message is still pertinent today, maybe even more so, with the advent of the internet and social media. I really have to thank Patrice for pushing us to go. It reminds me of the time she wanted us to go to an off Broadway musical that really seemed dumb to me. It was about one of the founding fathers. As I recall it was called “Hamilton”. I heard it went on to Broadway and did well.

I also need Patrice on these trip to read signs for me. On our way to meet our friends, Bert and Carol for breakfast we saw a bus that I didn’t understand. I said, “Patrice, look at that bus, it says Big Bust Ours.com” . I was confused and thought it might be some club of women with a certain type of anatomy. She set me straight, “No, Robert, it says Big Bus Tours.com”

Oh.

New York City Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation Day #1 “Changes, Changes, Changes” 3/23/19

by reissmd, posted in New York City

Today we are leaving for New York to once again participate as “Stakeholders” for the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation. We will review proposals for research grants and help the Foundation decide which studies to fund. There will be two scientists (who actually understand the proposals) making the decisions. We will be there to give a patient or caregiver point of view. I am not sure how important our input is but I do know that I love hearing what the scientists have to say. Last year I learned a lot and even at my age that is quite thrilling. The foundation invited us again and so we decided to come back.

As you probably know, New York is a marvelous city with loads of opportunities to have fun. We love going to Broadway to see a show or play. Of course there are spectacular restaurants, just too numerous to count. We also love the museums and other special venues.

The Big Apple is a lot different than Australia we where vacationed the first two weeks of this month. For example I was thinking about our arrival in the “City that Never Sleeps” and remember what I have dubbed “The New York Second”. That is a unit of time that I define as how long it takes from the moment the traffic light turns green until the guy behind you starts to honk. When I thought about our trip to Australia I realized (or as the Australians would write “realised”) that I did not hear one person honk their horn. Yes, two weeks without one horn honk. I asked Patrice to confirm and she too was at a loss to remember such an event.

But the biggest news today is that I have upgraded my subscription to WordPress and you shouldn’t see any more ads on my posts. Also I have access to their online help so I am going to try to make things look niftier. Please be patient with me while I experiment.

If anyone at home is feeling the least bit envious of our flying to NYC, be comforted by the thought that I am currently in a petrified state of mind. This plane is bouncing around as if it is in a washing machine. I am afraid to ask the staff if this is a Boeing airplane, the reason being is that I already know the answer.

I am going to stop and post now just in case Flight 307 doesn’t touch down safely in NYC. Even if we do land safely it will take me some time to get my colon out of my throat (the risk you take when you put your seat belt on as tight as I have it). That brings up another thought I have had. What good does a seat belt do when you are crashing from 35,000 feet? So let me sign off now and tell all my friends and family, I loved you dearly. Please don’t fret over my loss

One last thing, Ernie, you still owe me 20 bucks and my son knows where you live.