Report of 24 Sept '06
Hello from the world of the working mother (like there are any that don't) -
Laundry hangs on our balcony, Scott is in the recliner doing some work, Naren and Navin are cramming Spanish. Navin vomitted violently last night. He has a nut allergy and when we were at the beach eating peanuts, I asked if he wanted one; my pediatrician sister had said he could be desensitised to nuts and that it was time. So he ingested a part of the kernel whole, without chewing it and seemed ok when we went to dinner, but then out came all of it later. Thankfully, Scott didn't hear it as he otherwise would have; so Navin and I cleaned up as best as we could, and came to the living room to sleep. Massive clean-up ensued this am, and Navin is better.
We were delighted to receive visitors from San Antonio, Texas, this week. My former professor, Vick Williams and his wife, Dorothy, are dear folks and they escorted a big group to the Banyan, en route to a conference in Vellore. The troupe was impressed w/ the B, and the Williamses were kind enough to invite the Weisses to join them for dinner. We had a great meal, the boys gorging on pizza which is normally too expensive for us to eat w/ any regularity (500 bucks for a large). The Williamses get dearer to us every time we see them, and we had a wonderful time. They brought me a package from Kris Rea, also a great friend, and it had some Tylenol and Ibuprofen (I am a snob for these meds) and some extremely welcome craft things (beads, colored popsicle sticks) for our tutoring. This was a really lovely gift, from a really lovely person.
My friend Jeremy Kirk's girlfriend, Ali Floyd, had sent a nasal steroid for one of the drivers here, whom I'd mentioned in talks there: he has constant nasal congestion due to allergies, and could not afford the steroid. So Ali sent Flonase w/ me, Velan has used it and is better. It is awfully humbling for me when the ripple goes out from my friends to their friends and these folks then support the work here in many different ways. Esp to make someone feel physically (and, consequently, mentally) better. Ali and Kirk are warm, loving sorts, not just w/ each other but w/ me as well.
The burns patient, Ms. U, is on the mend. As it turns out, her brother and his family visit regularly and the medical assistant has noticed that their interaction is loving and kind. U also mentions that she set herself ablaze. She is under psychiatric treatment and is variably responsive; still talks obsessively and asks to go home incessantly. The grand thing is that the burns have healed nicely; lovely to have a plastic surgeon at the other end of a phone line.
Chikungunya, a viral illness spread by mosquitoes, is doing the rounds here and one of the B's sous-chefs came to me w/ fever and looking frightfully puny. I started treatment for malaria, and as I looked at Ms. S's swollen fingers, I noticed that the right little finger was bent. I asked how this had happened, and she said that her husband had beaten her; I could feel the sadness combined w/ rage coming into my eyes, and I asked if the beatings were continuing. She mentioned that she had left him 3 years previously, and was living w/ her mother. 2 days later, I saw her again, and she looked lovely - healthy, lively, buoyant. It is nice to play a part in healing sick people. It is also fabulous to have a husband who does not beat.
The veg market had its share of patients, and it was dreadfully awkward for me as the place was uncrowded (2.40 PM - normal siesta time) and I was being treated like a celebrity - everyone lining up, waiting for me, finishing their treatment and then picking the best possible veges for our purchase. Scott said the vendors were just happy to see me after 5 months of my being away, but it was awkward nonetheless. Our tutoring sessions go on well, and the kids enjoy coming. We are occasionally strapped for tutors and I had to teach the other day; I was struck by how nicely the students helped each other, esp w/ sharing supplies. In the midst of their incomprehensible poverty, that they could be kind to each other - this is very gracious. The colored popsicle sticks and beads that Kris sent were so attractive, even I was tempted to do some math.
We got a note from Greg Freeman, a cardiology professor at my old med school (probably a much bigger cheese than he lets on), and a great, genuine friend. Greg mentioned that he was leaving the school and was going into private practice. He speaks of the school fondly, and it was indeed a fine place to be. This news generated much discussion w/ Scott, Vandana and Vaishnavi (V and V being founders of the Banyan) - we decided that there are some people who can say all the right things, schmooze w/ the right people, and get their goals (esp financial and professional) accomplished; then there are the rest of us whose biological makeup simply precludes all practice of the fine art of purposeful schmoozing and who, likely consequently, take a lot longer to achieve our goals. Hmmmm. At any rate, and my classmates reading this blog will agree wholeheartedly w/ this, it is the school's great loss that Greg is leaving.
My husband turned a year older last week - handsomest 45 I ever saw. He had a day off last week, I took one too, and we went out for an uoe (unfortunately obscenely expensive) meal (I end up resorting to thinking of the cost in $, about $30, and justify it thus as I snarf salad and tiramisu). We also saw a Tamil movie - a typical one where the husband can do whatever the hey he wants and the wife tolerates all of it. Scott did not enjoy it at all, and I on the other hand simply went to see the handsome male lead (Suriya). It was nice to hang out w/ Scott. We took the boys out to eat later in the week and cut a huge chocolate cake, gorged, and watched "Bend it like Beckham" and "My big fat Greek wedding," both of which the boys enjoyed - it's nice when they too like our favorites.
"I looked up the word 'politics' in the dictionary. It's actually a combination of two words: 'poli,' which means many, and 'tics,' which means bloodsuckers." - Jay Leno
Unw -
Renu
Laundry hangs on our balcony, Scott is in the recliner doing some work, Naren and Navin are cramming Spanish. Navin vomitted violently last night. He has a nut allergy and when we were at the beach eating peanuts, I asked if he wanted one; my pediatrician sister had said he could be desensitised to nuts and that it was time. So he ingested a part of the kernel whole, without chewing it and seemed ok when we went to dinner, but then out came all of it later. Thankfully, Scott didn't hear it as he otherwise would have; so Navin and I cleaned up as best as we could, and came to the living room to sleep. Massive clean-up ensued this am, and Navin is better.
We were delighted to receive visitors from San Antonio, Texas, this week. My former professor, Vick Williams and his wife, Dorothy, are dear folks and they escorted a big group to the Banyan, en route to a conference in Vellore. The troupe was impressed w/ the B, and the Williamses were kind enough to invite the Weisses to join them for dinner. We had a great meal, the boys gorging on pizza which is normally too expensive for us to eat w/ any regularity (500 bucks for a large). The Williamses get dearer to us every time we see them, and we had a wonderful time. They brought me a package from Kris Rea, also a great friend, and it had some Tylenol and Ibuprofen (I am a snob for these meds) and some extremely welcome craft things (beads, colored popsicle sticks) for our tutoring. This was a really lovely gift, from a really lovely person.
My friend Jeremy Kirk's girlfriend, Ali Floyd, had sent a nasal steroid for one of the drivers here, whom I'd mentioned in talks there: he has constant nasal congestion due to allergies, and could not afford the steroid. So Ali sent Flonase w/ me, Velan has used it and is better. It is awfully humbling for me when the ripple goes out from my friends to their friends and these folks then support the work here in many different ways. Esp to make someone feel physically (and, consequently, mentally) better. Ali and Kirk are warm, loving sorts, not just w/ each other but w/ me as well.
The burns patient, Ms. U, is on the mend. As it turns out, her brother and his family visit regularly and the medical assistant has noticed that their interaction is loving and kind. U also mentions that she set herself ablaze. She is under psychiatric treatment and is variably responsive; still talks obsessively and asks to go home incessantly. The grand thing is that the burns have healed nicely; lovely to have a plastic surgeon at the other end of a phone line.
Chikungunya, a viral illness spread by mosquitoes, is doing the rounds here and one of the B's sous-chefs came to me w/ fever and looking frightfully puny. I started treatment for malaria, and as I looked at Ms. S's swollen fingers, I noticed that the right little finger was bent. I asked how this had happened, and she said that her husband had beaten her; I could feel the sadness combined w/ rage coming into my eyes, and I asked if the beatings were continuing. She mentioned that she had left him 3 years previously, and was living w/ her mother. 2 days later, I saw her again, and she looked lovely - healthy, lively, buoyant. It is nice to play a part in healing sick people. It is also fabulous to have a husband who does not beat.
The veg market had its share of patients, and it was dreadfully awkward for me as the place was uncrowded (2.40 PM - normal siesta time) and I was being treated like a celebrity - everyone lining up, waiting for me, finishing their treatment and then picking the best possible veges for our purchase. Scott said the vendors were just happy to see me after 5 months of my being away, but it was awkward nonetheless. Our tutoring sessions go on well, and the kids enjoy coming. We are occasionally strapped for tutors and I had to teach the other day; I was struck by how nicely the students helped each other, esp w/ sharing supplies. In the midst of their incomprehensible poverty, that they could be kind to each other - this is very gracious. The colored popsicle sticks and beads that Kris sent were so attractive, even I was tempted to do some math.
We got a note from Greg Freeman, a cardiology professor at my old med school (probably a much bigger cheese than he lets on), and a great, genuine friend. Greg mentioned that he was leaving the school and was going into private practice. He speaks of the school fondly, and it was indeed a fine place to be. This news generated much discussion w/ Scott, Vandana and Vaishnavi (V and V being founders of the Banyan) - we decided that there are some people who can say all the right things, schmooze w/ the right people, and get their goals (esp financial and professional) accomplished; then there are the rest of us whose biological makeup simply precludes all practice of the fine art of purposeful schmoozing and who, likely consequently, take a lot longer to achieve our goals. Hmmmm. At any rate, and my classmates reading this blog will agree wholeheartedly w/ this, it is the school's great loss that Greg is leaving.
My husband turned a year older last week - handsomest 45 I ever saw. He had a day off last week, I took one too, and we went out for an uoe (unfortunately obscenely expensive) meal (I end up resorting to thinking of the cost in $, about $30, and justify it thus as I snarf salad and tiramisu). We also saw a Tamil movie - a typical one where the husband can do whatever the hey he wants and the wife tolerates all of it. Scott did not enjoy it at all, and I on the other hand simply went to see the handsome male lead (Suriya). It was nice to hang out w/ Scott. We took the boys out to eat later in the week and cut a huge chocolate cake, gorged, and watched "Bend it like Beckham" and "My big fat Greek wedding," both of which the boys enjoyed - it's nice when they too like our favorites.
"I looked up the word 'politics' in the dictionary. It's actually a combination of two words: 'poli,' which means many, and 'tics,' which means bloodsuckers." - Jay Leno
Unw -
Renu
posted by Renu Weiss at
12:15 AM
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