Through The Red Tape, It Appears

 So the company, Vitals, that works with the NYC Board of Health (must have been some sweet kickbacks there) was on point, as the younguns say, and they shipped my birth certificate in less than 48 hours. I made an appointment at the SSA office today, and then, like Petty said, the waiting was the hardest part.

But last night, we cruised up to The Palm, and had a stellar dinner with the Ds and their men -- 2 martinis, shared steaks, and a fish, and sides, which always makes me think of the late, great, Rob Reiner playing Jordan Belfort's flummoxed CPA Dad in "Wolf of Wall Street" when he audits a $20K dinner bill, and the Jonah Hill character said "the sides were expensive," and Reiner retorts: "What -- do these sides cure cancer???"

We drove home happy and blessed, and then this am I awoke, and did not go to Innisfree like Yeats, but rather to Cutler Bay. I arrived at 9:50 for my 10:10 appointment, checked in on my phone, and barely had time to sit my tuches in the plastic chair when I got a text to report to window 11.

A nice young Cuban American guy was there, and was completely competent, courteous, and professional. I showed him the certificate from Queens, and it seems we killed off 7/12 DOB Dave and replaced him with 7/18 DOB Dave. He then registered me for Medicare beginning July 1 -- the very reason for the season, and I was off -- he even asked me as a Queens native if I was a Mets fan, and I bored him with tales of my childhood when they won the '69 Series, but now I was all Miami Marlins. He was, too, though for 5 years living in Baltimore he went to Os games. Ah, baseball. To American Jews and American Cubans, though we may love football, basketball, and hockey (soccer --  yuck), baseball is our birthright...

I celebrated with a Greek omelette at LOL -- realizing I hadn't been there in months. I texted Scott, who LOVES the place, and he asked me who I had been cheating with. I replied Roasters, mostly, and a few trysts with Crema, and First Watch, and House of Bagels, and the newly opened H and H Bagels. Hey -- I got one wife going on 40 years, can't I have variety with my breakfast spots?

Tonight I plan to Zoom cocktail with Barry and Donna, and hopefully Eric and Dana if they're free -- probably the best lasting change from The Covid Plague -- our Friday pm get togethers without having to leave the comfort of our homes and battle traffic.

Oy, traffic. Last night, as we drove home around 10, we came upon the biggest boondoggle in Miami highway history -- the new double decking of the Dolphin. At 10, they close it and I thought it was only Eastbound -- so Wifey and I got stuck having to exit at 12th Avenue, and go South. I drove down Flagler, though old Miami, and then to The Trail, finally back to The Palmetto. Note to self -- after hours, avoid the Dolphin until completion in 2029, if alive -- take the Airport Expressway instead.

But tomorrow, traffic warrior Barry is driving to the 305 on a day off -- meeting us for dinner at Bahia Honda, a great local fish place Kenny turned us on to -- near FIU. It's actually right off both the TPK and Palmetto -- so only 20 minutes for Donna and Barry, and a tad less for Wifey and me.

And Sunday, we're seeing Wifey's friends at Miami Shores CC, and then a visit with the grandsons.

Some stuff is worth driving for. And next week I shall go online, as Rey suggested, and confirm my electronic admittance to true elderliness -- Medicare. Wooo.