St Pete 12

Sept 18, 2012
I returned the rental car to Enterprise in heavy, driving rain, and got a ride to the cute, comfy Booklover's Cafe on Central Ave, in an area of adorable boutiques and restaurants.  I got to talking with a volunteer there, George, and the owner, Irene, who also work with the homeless.  I could see some opportunities to make a difference there: helping the homeless, and offering my old personal essay and therapeutic writing courses.

My new friend, Anna, from Couchsurfers drove down from Clearwater to meet me, and we took off on foot for a Thai restaurant.  We spent an enjoyable two hours sitting, talking, exploring life issues and bonding.  She gave me a ride back to my condo, and I gave her a couple of books for her reading enjoyment, including the wonderful The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks that I had just finished reading.

I've been relatively healthy during this trip.  Poor sleep that is getting better, and an off-stomach that is probably due to a change in diet or a parasite I've picked up in the US, but no cold, no weakened immune system.  Today, though, I hurt my sacroiliac when I twisted and bent down.  This was a re-injury from a run-in with a chaise longue that I had several years ago in Aruba and that took eight weeks to heal back then.  Today I had sharp pain and it was difficult to walk, lie down, sit - it just constantly hurt.  I was without a car, and I didn't know what to do.  Then I remembered meeting a chiropractor at the Gecko Ball (and seeing him at a swing dance class).  I found his card and called him.  Dr George Zarillo was sweet enough to make a house call with his portable table.  He massaged my backside and adjusted my SI.  He also found the injury from when I fell out of the shoe last week, and adjusted that area, plus my neck, which always needs adjustment.  I've been icing the SI since last night.  I was hoping to go Latin dancing this Friday night with Anna and/or my two other friends from The Pier, but I'll have to see how quickly I heal.