Rick Bradford's Retirement: It Ain't Easy

 BALLROOM DANCING AND MARCH MADNESS My husband Martin loves his Photoshop program and created this photo of us doing the Argentine Tango. I love the looks of the people in the background. His is so creative, I had to publish this photo. I love watching March Madness NCAA men's basketball, though because Martin does not have a single sport's gene in his body, I feel fortunate whenever I actually get to watch a game. I've been able to see quite a few games, and I feel honored that he's "allowed" me to see as much as I have been able to watch. I'm really pulling for Gonzaga because they are from the West Coast Conference, the same conference as University of San Francisco and I feel they are a "local" team...plus they are undefeated, which almost never happens in men's NCAA basketball. I really hope they go all the way. They are currently into the Final Four and will be playing UCLA next, who has gone from the "first four play-in game"...

 ROLLERCOASTER WEEK Last week was a real rollercoaster of a week. At the beginning, I found out that a dear lady I had worked with for over 20 years had passed away. Florence Nacamulli was the accountant at Harder+Company, where I worked for over 25 years. She and I worked very closely over those 20 years, establishing a great working relationship along with the love of each other. We shared many great times together including holiday parties, staff lunches, Fun Day celebrations and private lunches when we could really "dish" the other people we worked with...many laughs and lovely memories. RIP, Florence. You were very special to me and my heart goes out to her husband Steve. After she retired, we kept in touch mostly over the phone as they had moved to Eugene, Oregon. At the end of the week, the rollercoaster took an upturn as Martin's younger brother Armando and his wife Elizabeth arrived in town. It was the first time in over 30 years that they had seen each other (we...

 THE VANISHING WALLET I had the strangest day yesterday. I went to Walgreens to renew our Clipper Cards (the cards we use to ride public transportation). His covers both MUNI and BART, whereas my only covers MUNI and it's a Senior Clipper Card (I guess it has something to do with my age...ha ha). After arriving at Walgreens on Geneva Avenue (closest to the apartment), they had a sign stating that the system was down and they weren't doing any Clipper Cards. I hopped on a bus and went a bit farther down Mission Street to the Walgreens across from my bank. Their system was working, so I renewed our two cards to cover the month of March. After I did that, I went to the back of the store to buy some dental products. After waiting in a small line, I got to the register and because of the small purchase price, decided to use cash vs. my ATM/Debit card. I pulled out the wallet and gave the clerk a ten dollar bill and she gave me my change. While waiting for the change, I put the walle...