Report of 5 Nov '07
Hello from Chennai –
It is 3 days away from Diwali – our national festival of lights. Scott is lying on the couch reading “Shantaram” and recovering from his surgery. His weight gain remains a challenge: we have plied the man with meat, which we don’t normally eat much of, and butter and sweets, and nary a gram has climbed on. I checked his thyroid function, which if awry can cause weight loss, and it’s fine. The surgeon is pleased with his healing, and states it will be 2 more weeks until Scott is well enough to embark anywhere near the workplace. I am in awe at the healing: the wound was a gaping hole 4 inches long, 3 inches wide and 1-1/2 inches deep, and in 3 weeks, it has filled up, leaving a surface wound about 1 inch long and ½ inch wide, not deep at all. The body’s tendency is certainly to repair itself and maintain status quo – “homeostasis” (a tendency to stability in the normal physiological states of the organism – says my medical dictionary). It is this awe, I think, that causes me not to bear violence in movies any more. I used to not mind it, in fact “The Untouchables” was a favorite before Mr. Costner embarked on his 3+ hour, self-glorification projects, but now I simply cannot watch someone willfully inflicting damage on another body. My whole being fairly screams, “Yo, that’s a magnificent invention you’re deliberately messing up! Do you know how much it would take to undo what you did?”
So, my entire medical practice is now home-based. It is nice to have this time, and it has caused us to salivate for retired life. We read all day, watch a movie or 2, discuss what we have read, eat, generally have mighty relaxation. Then the boys get home . Actually, both boys have reveled in having their father around. Naren continues to test the limits of parental geniality, pushing and pushing until he gets a rise out of us (he does not have to go very far, really), and then does a turn-around and sits and watches movies with us, laughing at what we laugh at, enjoying what we enjoy, liking the movies we like. “Fargo” was a recent gem, and though violent, all 4 of us wallowed enjoyably in Frances McDormand’s magnificent award-winning performance and William H. Macy’s brilliant handling of his character. Navin has carefully watched his brother’s hormones rage, and has decided to play his teenage years differently, causing us heartburn over his handwriting and apathy at school – instead of the issues Naren has raised.
Tutoring is at a lull. There was a burglary in the complex, ostensibly the hired help did it, and now security is tightened. So the children’s bags are checked on entry and exit, they have been frightened and humiliated, and will not come. It is going to take a little pulling after Diwali to attract them again. The tutoring effort paid off richly this year when all the students passed their exams. As I’ve said often, I don’t know what we do, but it appears to be working.
One of my correspondents recently stated that it must be tempting to consider defaulting on my student loans. Though it was an option suggested by one of the senior physicians during training, surprising me greatly, the thought has not occurred to me. Someone trusted me enough to lend me the bucks to follow a dream, and it is in everyone’s best interests for me to repay the loan: the money was never mine to keep, was it now.
“Retirement means twice as much husband and half as much money.” – Anon
Unw –
R
It is 3 days away from Diwali – our national festival of lights. Scott is lying on the couch reading “Shantaram” and recovering from his surgery. His weight gain remains a challenge: we have plied the man with meat, which we don’t normally eat much of, and butter and sweets, and nary a gram has climbed on. I checked his thyroid function, which if awry can cause weight loss, and it’s fine. The surgeon is pleased with his healing, and states it will be 2 more weeks until Scott is well enough to embark anywhere near the workplace. I am in awe at the healing: the wound was a gaping hole 4 inches long, 3 inches wide and 1-1/2 inches deep, and in 3 weeks, it has filled up, leaving a surface wound about 1 inch long and ½ inch wide, not deep at all. The body’s tendency is certainly to repair itself and maintain status quo – “homeostasis” (a tendency to stability in the normal physiological states of the organism – says my medical dictionary). It is this awe, I think, that causes me not to bear violence in movies any more. I used to not mind it, in fact “The Untouchables” was a favorite before Mr. Costner embarked on his 3+ hour, self-glorification projects, but now I simply cannot watch someone willfully inflicting damage on another body. My whole being fairly screams, “Yo, that’s a magnificent invention you’re deliberately messing up! Do you know how much it would take to undo what you did?”
So, my entire medical practice is now home-based. It is nice to have this time, and it has caused us to salivate for retired life. We read all day, watch a movie or 2, discuss what we have read, eat, generally have mighty relaxation. Then the boys get home . Actually, both boys have reveled in having their father around. Naren continues to test the limits of parental geniality, pushing and pushing until he gets a rise out of us (he does not have to go very far, really), and then does a turn-around and sits and watches movies with us, laughing at what we laugh at, enjoying what we enjoy, liking the movies we like. “Fargo” was a recent gem, and though violent, all 4 of us wallowed enjoyably in Frances McDormand’s magnificent award-winning performance and William H. Macy’s brilliant handling of his character. Navin has carefully watched his brother’s hormones rage, and has decided to play his teenage years differently, causing us heartburn over his handwriting and apathy at school – instead of the issues Naren has raised.
Tutoring is at a lull. There was a burglary in the complex, ostensibly the hired help did it, and now security is tightened. So the children’s bags are checked on entry and exit, they have been frightened and humiliated, and will not come. It is going to take a little pulling after Diwali to attract them again. The tutoring effort paid off richly this year when all the students passed their exams. As I’ve said often, I don’t know what we do, but it appears to be working.
One of my correspondents recently stated that it must be tempting to consider defaulting on my student loans. Though it was an option suggested by one of the senior physicians during training, surprising me greatly, the thought has not occurred to me. Someone trusted me enough to lend me the bucks to follow a dream, and it is in everyone’s best interests for me to repay the loan: the money was never mine to keep, was it now.
“Retirement means twice as much husband and half as much money.” – Anon
Unw –
R
posted by Renu Weiss at
9:30 PM
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