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At Saint Sophia

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Details of Mosaic at Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral

This was the second Greek Festival at Saint Sophia since the end of the Covid-19 lockdown. It wasn’t like it used to be before the epidemic hit. Nonetheless, Martine and I enjoyed ourselves with some excellent spanakopita (spinach and feta cheese in a pastry).

We spent an hour in what is the most beautiful church in Los Angeles, whose building was spearheaded by American movie executive Charles P. Skouras. During services, Skouras controlled the lighting in the church from his reserved pew in the left aisle. Never mind that he was a bit of a control freak, but his splendid church is worth visiting. It sits on Normandie one block south of Pico Boulevard.

As America turns from being a country that welcomed minorities to one that imprisons and deports them, it is inevitable that, as time passes, the celebrations will become less ethnic, the food less authentic, and the parishioners more English-speaking. Also, we miss Father John Bakas who served for twenty-seven years as Dean of the Cathedral, but who retired in 2023.

I’ll still try to show up at the festivals, even though I am Hungarian and Martine is French. We love Greek food and find Orthodox Christianity more genuinely welcoming.

Saint Sophia’s Greekfests used to be held during the summer. The temperature today was perfect (in the mid-seventies).

A Moment of Adrenal Insufficiency

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Lethargy Struck Yesterday

It happened a little differently yesterday. After breakfast, I started feeling extremely lethargic. Instead of doing anything, I just sat on the couch staring at the wall … at the television which was off … at my feet. At one point, when Martine came into the room, I told her I was suffering another adrenal episode, meaning that I was not getting any adrenaline.

Usually when that happens, my digestive system goes out of whack with explosive vomiting and diarrhea. Followed by blacking out. Not this time. Fortunately.

I knew what to do. I was able to stand up and walk to the kitchen, where my 10 mg Hydrocortisone HCL pills were stored. I took three tabs with cold water and returned to the living room couch.

After several hours of s-l-o-w-l-y diminishing lethargy, I got all better. But I took it slowly. There’s no way of rushing the cure.

Because I have no pituitary gland, there are times when my body is just not getting the adreno-cortico-tropic hormone (ACTH) it needs. In the past, I was usually admitted to the emergency room when this happened, and I had to hang out there for several days while the cardiologists who usually run the ER tried to puzzle out what I had and how it affected their specialty. (It doesn’t really.)

This morning I felt good so I went downtown and attended the Thursday Mindful Meditation session at the Central Library. After, I went across the street and had a big bowl of pho at the Downtown LA Pho Restaurant. I was back to normal.