Tag: writing

Off To Visit the Baby, Madrid 2025 Day #10. “On the Verge of Stardom”

by reissmd, posted in Madrid

Today was our last full day in Madrid with our wonderful daughter, Erica.  Every moment with her is a delight because we see her so infrequently.  When we leave tomorrow it will be very difficult for me.  

But let’s focus on today because it appears I’m on the verge of stardom.  It seems as if Erica’s colleagues have not subscribed to the blog yet but another person who I don’t know did.  At this rate of growth I only need to blog for about another 70 years to make this thing profitable.  

I did get an exciting pat on the back yesterday in regards to my blog. I was notified by a neurologist consultant, that one of my favorite patients, Irv, would be having emergency spine surgery last night.  I messaged him to see how he was doing and let him know that I was aware of the problem. Irv confirmed that he was in the hospital about to have surgery and asked me how the Madrid swimming pool fishing was going.  OMG!  Someone about to have emergency surgery is reading my blog?  How could I be more thrilled?

Prior to leaving on our trip, Patrice and I were experimenting with an AI program called Grok.  We asked it if it was familiar with the famous blogger named Robert Reiss.  It said YES!   It proceeded to tell about our recent trip to New York City. That is information it could only have gotten from my blog.  I’M FAMOUS! I’M FAMOUS!   Before I get too excited let me back up and say it got a couple of facts wrong.  It said we went to NYC to celebrate my birthday (we were actually going as a celebration of Patrice’s birthday) and that I was celebrating my 90th.  I’m happy to report although my age is more than I care to admit, 90 is quite a way off.  It reported Patrice’s age as 46. Nothing more will be said about that statement. I asked if it knew if the famous blogger did any other work and it correctly stated I was a doctor for UCLA health.  It said we have one child (off by two) whose name is Lindsay (that is correct).  When I told it that the famous blogger actually has three children it replied that I was correct (thank you for that affirmation) and their names are Amanda and Andrew.   Erica and David, welcome to your new names and Patrice, relax, I don’t have a secret family.  

Breakfast today was at a place recommend by one of Patrice’s friends.   Patrice promised to reimburse me if I didn’t like the meal.  What is wrong with that picture?  Cafe Murillo (Calle de Ruiz de Alarcón, 27, Retiro, 28014 Madrid) is located next to the Murillo entrance for the Prado (a famous museum which we have been to multiple times). The restaurant opens at 12 pm but online we could only get a reservation for 1 pm so we went early hoping to be seated.  We arrived at 12 and told our greeter that we had a reservation for 1.   She smiled at us and asked “Americanos?”

The restaurant was beautiful. Patrice and Erica shared an eggplant parmesan which was small but they liked it very much.  I had the “huevos rotos” (broken eggs) which looked beautiful but was a bit disappointing.  For dessert we had chocolate fondant (also known as chocolate lava cake).  It was served with a scoop of ice cream and this was something I would tell all my patients to avoid.  It was superb.  

Eggplant Parmesan
Broken Eggs
Chocolate Fondant with ice cream. Yes, amazing.

We then toured the Real Jardin Botanico (Royal Botanical Garden).  It was lovely.  I especially liked the bonsai plants. I also liked the free entry, as a professor, even more.

Bonsai that reminds me of the sculpture in Sol.

This is my favorite photo from the garden.

The three of us in the Botanical Garden green house.

After a rest at the hotel we decided our final dinner in Madrid should be a Spanish traditional meal.  So we took a vote between paella, cocido, Jamon Iberica and finally decided on Indian food. 

Tomorrow we head for home.  As usual I will finish our trip with a series of photos that I found interesting and hopefully you will too. 

Adios y hasta luego.

Off To Visit the Baby, Madrid 2025 Day #5. “A Day of Rest”

by reissmd, posted in Madrid

Today is a holiday in Spain. December 8th is the Day of the Immaculate Conception.  In a Catholic country this is obviously a big deal and pretty much everything thing in town was closed so we spent the day chilling out.  Erica perused the web for a possible apartment to buy (tear, tear, she’s not coming back to be with mommy and daddy).  Patrice went to the fitness room to work out.  I sat here thinking what it would take to be a full time blogger. 

The thought of blogging full time seemed quite attractive to me since it would give me a reason to wake up and get out of bed each day and I could get paid to travel.  So we did some research to see what it takes to earn a living as a blogger.  I read that quality over quantity can make for a profitable blog.  A blogger can do quite well with as little as 1,000 followers.  That being said, in view of the quality of my posts I will be needing at least a million followers.  

Another key concept is to know your niche.  I clearly know my niche but unfortunately it’s only things that I find interesting (Patrice here, took him this long to figure that out?). 

Apparently to make real money on a blog you have use product placement in your photos.  That’s like selling yourself to the devil.  Clearly something I’d never do.  That reminds me Patrice took this candid shot of me the other day.  Don’t you think it’s very flattering?

I just happen to have those things on the table when she shot the picture. I would never resort to product placement to earn a buck. Hey General Mills, please notice the box of Cheerios!

After a lot of chill time we decided to go out for a walk and meet up with an old friend.  In 2008, I visited Spain and took a Spanish class when I was here.  One of my teachers was Angelica.  During class I mentioned that I was from California and she said she would be going to California soon.  I told her to come stay with me.  She warned “Don’t say that because I will.”  Well she came to LA and stayed at our house and we have been friends ever since.  Every time I would travel to Spain she would help me make plans.  I have affectionally referred to her as my Spanish mother.  She is significantly younger than me so for her to be my mama that is a real case of Immaculate Conception. 

Patrice, Erica and I met Angelica at a local cafe to have some coffee and talk.  The coffee was delicious and the conversation even better.  I always feel so wonderful seeing her.  She is a wonderful mama but even more importantly she is a regular follower of the blog making me an International sensation.  I consider 1 follower in Spain a sensation.

Patrice had tea.  They brought it with a timer instructing her not to pour it until the 5 minute timer completed.  See below.

Notice the 1, 3, and 5, minute timers.

Erica and Angelica had specialty coffees. See below. 

Barraquito (Left): sweetened condensed milk, milk, espresso, foam, and a slice of lemon soaked in liquor.
Mocca (Right): chocolate syrup, milk, espresso, foam.
Chocolate chip cookie in the center

I had a café con leche as usual. Boring but pretty. See below.

A quick selfie with Patrice, Erica, Angelica, and me prior to parting.

After leaving Angelica we headed to an Indian restaurant close to our hotel for dinner.  The food was superb and I strongly recommend you try Atocha Tandoori located at Paseo de Santa Maria de la Cabeza, 27.  Sorry, no pictures of the food but I did get a picture of the aperitifs they served after the meal.  See below.

Patrice had the mango puree with yogurt. Erica and I had the Crema de Orujo.

Those who know me are aware that I am a non-drinker.  Tonight was the 4th time I have had a Crema de Orujo on this trip.  I might need a 12 step program when I get back. 

Adios

Magic in Vegas Day#4 “No, No, Please Say It Isn’t Over”

by reissmd, posted in Las Vegas

I won’t bore you with stories about breakfast except to say we went to Blueberry Hill again.   It was great again. How this place gets a 3.9 rating on Yelp is beyond me.

The morning session was at times a bit mind boggling,  mind blowing, and mind numbing.  We heard an interview with Penn and Teller and also a lecture about under appreciated Black magicians which were very interesting.  There was a very impressive mentalism performance by an act named Mind 2 Mind. I don’t think many of the men in the audience concentrated on the act after the female part of the duo walked through the audience. (see below) 

The female part of the Mind 2 Mind twosome. This was the reason many of the men didn’t pay attention to the tricks and just stared at her. I of course was focused on the magic.

Patrice here. Do you believe that nonsense he just said? Ask him to name one of their tricks and see if he can name any.

Lastly and most sobering was a talk about an attempt to end piracy of magic books and tricks.  Apparently the pirates not only have stolen money but have also threatened the investigator with extortion and threats of physical harm. Yikes!

The afternoon sessions were great.  I learned some great tricks to do plus some others that although I can’t do were interesting to learn the secrets.  

Dinner was also a show.  Yes we went to Benihana.  We joined Bill and his son Bill and 4 other friends from back home, John, Connie (who told us about Magic Live) and their friends Gary and Cindy. It is always a lot of fun watching and listening to the Benihana chefs and tonight was no exception.

From left to right: Bill II, Bill (Bill II’s dad), John, Connie, Cindy, Gary. Row 2: Patrice, Yours truly, and Owen.

When I asked my magic buddy, Mike, if he wanted to attend Magic Live, he scoffed at the thought of staying at such a cheap hotel as the Orleans.  I have to admit that he was right in many respects.  Of interest there were a couple of things that made the hotel desirable. For example the hotel doesn’t have any pressure filters in the shower so you get a real blast which I really like.  Also the water temperature is extremely hot. I love a hot shower.  Newer hotels tend to limit the water pressure (money saver?) and temperature (possibly to avoid injuring guests and hearing from attorneys?) so the Orleans has my vote in regards to the shower.  Interestingly this morning Owen noticed that the cold water from the sink was hot.  I’ve been to numerous locations where hot water is a rarity (LAX for example) but I’ve never seen any location where the cold water is hot.  Well, not until today.  

The closing show was one more treat to top off a great 3 days of magic. It is late and I don’t want to bore you with details of the show. Actually I need my editor to proofread my posting and she is fading fast so we need to call it a night.

Tomorrow it’s back to home.  I am always happy to return home but I have to admit this trip was very special. I look forward to returning next year. Thanks go to our friends who made it a unique event. Treating us to dinners, driving us to locations, waiting in line to save us seats, gifts for our grandson, showing us the lay of the land for the convention, is too much to fathom. What a wonderful group of friends. I am really blessed.

Not a great photo but definitely a great bunch of people.

No trips planned for the near future but if we head out of town I promise you’ll be the first to know. 

Ciao 

Magic in Vegas Day #3 “Robert Becomes a Magical Star!”

by reissmd, posted in Las Vegas

Another great night’s sleep.  I think I need to leave my phone in the kitchen from now on. 

Last night we were treated to an amazing show which included a mentalist, a juggler (not strictly a magician but still very entertaining), a physical magician, and a guy who had a nonstop supply of cards emanating from his hands.  There was also an emcee who did the best trick of the night.  He took a ring from an audience member.  Another member of the audience helped him make it disappear and the same member of the audience helped him find it.  It was located on the emcee’s toe under his sock AND BOOT! I would tell you how it’s done but I can’t because I don’t want to break the magician’s code of ethics. Also, I have no idea how he did it.

This morning we decided not to risk being killed by a cab driver for hiring them for a one mile trip and ate at the Copper Whisk located in the hotel.  It was closer but clearly a step down from Blueberry Hill.  But what it lacked in quantity and quality they made up in service. For example look how they arranged our service settings.  See below. 

As I recall he dropped the utensils on the table and said, “Here”.

We then attended the general session which showed a mentalist (Brian Curry) who was funny and impressive and a hilarious magician named Piff the Magic Dragon.  His trick was funnier than it was impressive but it was definitely my favorite presentation of the session.  There was a father and son duo who discussed how storytelling and magic presentations are very similar.  They gave tips to performing magicians which were definitely lost on me.  There was also a costume designer explaining the importance of your costume for your presentation.  I think I will stick with a white coat for my performances. 

The afternoon was much more enjoyable.  First we saw another mentalist (Drew Backenstoss) who gave a great show and then told how everything was done.  I definitely plan to utilize some of his tips.  This show was especially enjoyable because I was able to be a volunteer participant.  I was a bit scared because he was trying to predict the PIN of my debit card.  Lucky for me he failed in that endeavor.  After that we saw a close up magician (Mike Pisciotta) who also did a show and proceded to teach us how everything was done.  I got a close up view because again I was picked as a volunteer.  This was spectacular because we got to see a great show and learn some great magic tips. See  below.

Mike Pisciotta explaining how to do his tricks.

We have one more show tonight and then it is off to dinner. This has truly been an incredible experience. 

Ciao

ACP in NOLA Day #2 “More Food”

by reissmd, posted in New Orleans, New Orleans (NOLA)

Today I started the ACP conference and Patrice toured the city.  She definitely got the best of the deal.  For example I started my day with a talk about pains in the butt.  That was my highlight.  In all sincerity the talk was very informative and gave me some tips that will help me assist my patients.  I hesitated writing that knowing that someone will make some butt jokes at my expense.  Go ahead I can take it.  The rest of the talks were just okay. Patrice on the other hand took a city tour.  Here is the one picture she sent me.

Caesar’s Palace Casino? Do I need to keep a closer eye on this woman?

The afternoon lectures were okay but none were as good as the 7:00 AM Butt lecture. In addition to going to the didactic sessions we have time to go to the the exhibit hall where all sorts of companies are looking to sell their products to doctors. There are electronic medical records companies, drug companies, and a variety of companies looking to hire doctors. I stopped at one of the booths to talk to a recruiter. I cut to the chase, “Would you consider hiring a doctor of my age?” The rep enthusiatically said, “Yes, yes!”. So we had a conversation and I think we might have a deal. I really liked the look of their booth. What do you think?

I later asked if they knew who their oldest primary care physician was at UCLA. They did not, so I told him it was me.

In addition to looking for a job I was availed some health food in the Exhibit Hall. After all this is the meeting for the nation’s elite internal medicine specialists, of course we eat healthy.

Delicious brownines. Not up to Patrice’s quality. But how would I know, did I eat one? No, I ate two.
Hmmm, maybe this is why I’m so thirsty.

That’s enough about food. Well maybe not.

Tonight’s dinner was at GW Fins (808 Bienville St, New Orleans, LA 70112). It was recommended by my friend Andy, who said he had the best meal of his life there. Andy is from Fresno. Should I have been worried?

The restaurant is in the French Quarter and they had a modest dress code (men required to wear collared shirts). They started us off with biscuits. They looked very plan but beleive me they were anything but.

Very tasty biscuits.

Patrice and I both ordered the Scalibut.  Seems like this day started with a lecture about butts and ended with us eating two. The Scalibut dish was Shrimp, scallops, halibut, and risotto.  Also with a few peas to fool you into to thinking you’re eating healthy.

This was amazing and gone in a flash.

I don’t know about you “butt” I’m exhausted. Talk to you tomorrow.