"Hiding In Plain Sight"

“Welcome to my OUTER SPACE Blog where I share ideas and personal experiences even some art and writing samples.

OUTER SPACE FOUR

Most recently I travelled to a doctor’s office at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital here in New York City. From my apartment in Chelsea I was picked up by a Car Service at 9AM for a 10am appointment. The driver was behind a Lucite clear plastic partition because of Covid 19 and both I and he were wearing a mask. I had an Absentee Ballot in my knapsack that I had filled out the evening before. So, I positioned myself near the right-side car door just in case we passed a mailbox on my way uptown. Which was some 10 or so miles away. I was surprised to see that there were no mailboxes except one along my 1 hours’ drive that I could not get to.

The driver and I headed up the Hudson River Parkway which is a beautiful ride [even on a cloudy day] as you go thru the Hudson River Park which is still green from the summer months with the park on your right and the river filled with sailboats, personal and commercial vessels on your left. But mostly it’s mid-sized personal boats. – I don’t know enough about the kinds of boats there are to tell what they were except to me the size was impressive – they looked like mini yachts. Some were just docked in the basin – some were cruising up the river as we drove adjacent in the park along the Highway.

When we reached our destination, I did finally find a Mailbox I could put my ballot in [considering all that is going on about voter suppression -- boy was that a relief] – it was across the street from the Doctor’s office I was visiting. I was supposed to meet my medical care advocate upstairs but before I could do that, I was stopped by a nurse who pointed one of those gun-like thermometers at my forehead. They record your temp then if its normal you can proceed upstairs –- as I did that day –- and there was my advocate sitting by the door waiting for me.

I was very nervous. This appointment was to test my eyes which were causing me to have diplopia or vertical double vision due to hydrocephalus -- making it very hard to do my schoolwork. There were hardly any other patients in an office that was usually very crowded. At this point there were only my advocate me and one other person. Which you might think would allow me to be treated sooner rather than later -- so I could leave early – not so. The doctor who is a Neuro Ophthalmologist does extensive tests that always take hours.

I wont bore you with the kind of tests that were done – if you’ve ever been to an ophthalmologist you have some idea – it’s just a bit more extensive. Anyway, when I was done my advocate called the same car service that bought me to the appointment to bring me home. The ride back is always faster it seems than the ride there -- but, on the way back -- my driver -- who was a woman -- stopped on the Parkway -- to get some sliced mangoes from a vender walking between cars. That made my mouth water. It was well passed lunch time by then and I was starving. So as soon as I got back, I made myself a delicious cheeseburger slider. Thus, ended my journey of going from one space to the next during that day in spaces.