Dr. Joy Browne

last nite, a really cool organization called face to face that does plastic reconstructive surgery on women who have been beaten honored me which was lovely. getting there was not....the driver who collected me how no idea how to get there, nor did i and he kept hollering at me to give him a street address (it was at a hall in eisenhower park in fresh meadows or something...i live in nyc...i need a shot and passports to go thru a tunnel or across a bridge...) i told him he should call his dispatcher to find out directions. it took nearly a half hour to get him to at least get on the l.i.e. he spent fifteen minits telling me i was rude. i ignored him for ten or so, then called his dispatcher and said i didn't need this. we got stuck in traffic for three hours with the event planners calling every half hour to figure out where i was. it became clear, that not only did he have no idea how to drive or navigate, but also, couldn't see, so i was directed to the place via by cell phone by our hosts and telling him when to turn. he kept missing turns and we were nearly wiped out by an suv when he swerved after missing yet another turn-off. the only reason i can blog today is that there was a grassy median rather than cement or it would have been good nite irene.

lamentably, he waited to take me home and even tho returning included a gps and well marked signs, he again kept missing clearly marked turns. i had decided to sleep on the way home until the gps kept saying, "recalculating". figured if i wanted to arrive home in one piece in this century, i'd best navigate.

just before he dropped me, he said, let's be friends. right....as long as i never have to get any where near your car ever again.

i promise my blogs will become a bit more upbeat as soon as the packing is finished, next week.

oh btw, if you're trying to find me, they switched the time i'm played in nyc til nine and nite on 710 wor, tho i still record from noon until three, so feel free to call at 800 544 7070. relatively easy to get thru these days. you can still download me for free to your ipod, go to drjoy.com and i'm streamed online nearly 24/7, on wor710.com from noon to three and six to nine and then nine to eleven, so don't be a stranger.

human beings are homeostatic by nature; i.e., we tend to be change abhorrent, even those of us who see ourselves as thrill seekers. for those of you who are used to hearing me in nyc from noon to two, you can still hear me on line and call me, but the program will now be carried in ny from nine to eleven p.m. so you can call in and then hear yourself later. for those of you who listen in different markets, you hopefully will continue to listen and to call. the downloads to your ipods are still free and i'll be streamed from noon to three and again from nine to eleven. never a bad idea of check drjoy.com for upcoming events including a bunch of personal appearances, movie and theatre reviews and my latest spa experience to recover from the dreaded moving experience. it never rains, but it pours.

ok, i admit it; i'm incredibly whiny today. the cause? i love my apartment and i'm moving...where has all this junk come from and and how did it get so filthy...people have been asking if i'm sure i want to move and i have been ambivalent 'til now and today, i would happily burn the whole place to the ground. talk about your basic letting go! clearly packing was invented to allow you to move on.

people's reactions in my building have also been fascinating, especially if you're a psychologist, which i happen to be. one of my neighbors came and gave me a hug with tears in his eyes and said what a friend i'd been, a couple of the guys said they won't help me pack 'cause they don't want me to go -- and then there is the insult scenario: you'll hate the new place, you'll never find a better building, the building won't be the same now that your eccentricity is gone...eccentricity...? i wash, don't own even one cat the don't hear voices coming out my faucet. i felt like i'd jilted him.

the local thrift shops adore me, and the idea of nice and clean and new is fun. but man, the boxes and the tape and the purging, ain't.