Report of 6 September 2011
Hello from Greenwood, Indiana -
It has been several weeks (5!) since I blogged and I have missed it. Blogging is a tad complicated by the fact that apparently a relative uses it to keep up with the whereabouts of the spouse and they then get into huge fights. This is bothersome and has taken away my love of writing, but this love is slowly returning. I have never seen a point to fighting or to snooping around, checking cell phones and messages, etc., for people's activities. One of my aunts has called it "cracked." To each their own, I imagine; it is nice that neither Scott nor I has to resort to alternate means to locate each other.
We left India on 8 August and spent 2 grand weeks at the home of my residency classmate and rheumatologist, Kris Rea, and her husband, Gabe Soukup. These are some of my favorite folks and Gabe owns a franchise of "2 men and a truck." Both K and G have battled some tough times, and have cores of steel and hearts of gold, and I wanted Navin to work with Gabe. Gabe promised no favoritism, which I welcomed, and Navin passed the movers' test and started working. He worked with some tough young men, including those who had once been incarcerated (he liked that Gabe gave them a 2nd chance), and learnt some invaluable life lessons. He wisely kept his mouth shut during arguments - a skill his mother is yet to learn - and earned some good money. I took him out for lunch one day at "Applebee's" and he looked at the menu and said, "This is so expensive." I liked it. He is paying for himself now, and knows the value of cash. K and G's young daughters, Isabella, Rosalia and Gabriella, were their usual loving selves, and Navin and I had a great time there.
We did visit the farm and catch up with relatives, including ailing ones. It was nice to sit outside and shoot the breeze with folks.
Scott came on the 25th, after I got teary on the phone with him. Navin and I had been at McDonald's, and some very scantily clad young women came by, then sprawled sexily on the Ronald McDonald figure to take photos. This was core-rattling - the culture or abject lack of it - and I requested Scott's presence. The nice thing is that Scott is set up to work from here and that has been therapeutic. We took Navin down to Rose-Hulman, enjoyed the orientation and magnificent speech by the president; among listing the students' achievements, these words: "You may be gay, you may be straight, you may not know. Differences are not a threat here, they are learning opportunities. We are Rose-Hulman." I was thoroughly impressed. There were upper-class students available to carry incoming students' things into their dorms, and I thought that was a nice touch. Navin beamed from ear to ear when meeting his chair and his advisor, and seemed happier than we have ever seen him. The welcome at R-H was palpable and we left feeling that Navin was in a great school, and I with a lot of relief that Scott was alongside.
I oriented at Community Hospital South, and started work last week. It is fabulous. I have not done hospitalist medicine before, i.e., taken care of inpatients. It is grand fun, though. It is nice to take care of the truly sick. As I left the room of a young (21 yo, not much older than my sons) ex-heroine addict who was admitted for a serious kidney infection, I heard a faint "Thank you, Dr. Weiss," and she had my heart rightaway. How fortunate are we who have robust family support, loving and guiding, so that we did not have to resort to intravenous substances for our joys.
Naren is well and enjoying his solo time in our apartment in Chennai. He is 20 and sensible, and so we have not had to lay down ground rules for him. He went over and wished a beloved neighbor on his b'day, and our friend's wife emailed and told me how kind that was.
We had a bunch of my colleagues over for dinner and it was a blast. We have also caught up with the entire Taber family - who are our home away from home. I love both Taber kids - Melinda and Christopher - dearly. We have also seen the Sparzos, Carolyn Scanlan, Mary Remster and Shilpa Mallur and their families. All lovely people, all dear to us, all wanting the best for Navin (and indeed, the entire Weiss family), all part of the support that ensures joy from their being and not through IV.
Unw -
R
It has been several weeks (5!) since I blogged and I have missed it. Blogging is a tad complicated by the fact that apparently a relative uses it to keep up with the whereabouts of the spouse and they then get into huge fights. This is bothersome and has taken away my love of writing, but this love is slowly returning. I have never seen a point to fighting or to snooping around, checking cell phones and messages, etc., for people's activities. One of my aunts has called it "cracked." To each their own, I imagine; it is nice that neither Scott nor I has to resort to alternate means to locate each other.
We left India on 8 August and spent 2 grand weeks at the home of my residency classmate and rheumatologist, Kris Rea, and her husband, Gabe Soukup. These are some of my favorite folks and Gabe owns a franchise of "2 men and a truck." Both K and G have battled some tough times, and have cores of steel and hearts of gold, and I wanted Navin to work with Gabe. Gabe promised no favoritism, which I welcomed, and Navin passed the movers' test and started working. He worked with some tough young men, including those who had once been incarcerated (he liked that Gabe gave them a 2nd chance), and learnt some invaluable life lessons. He wisely kept his mouth shut during arguments - a skill his mother is yet to learn - and earned some good money. I took him out for lunch one day at "Applebee's" and he looked at the menu and said, "This is so expensive." I liked it. He is paying for himself now, and knows the value of cash. K and G's young daughters, Isabella, Rosalia and Gabriella, were their usual loving selves, and Navin and I had a great time there.
We did visit the farm and catch up with relatives, including ailing ones. It was nice to sit outside and shoot the breeze with folks.
Scott came on the 25th, after I got teary on the phone with him. Navin and I had been at McDonald's, and some very scantily clad young women came by, then sprawled sexily on the Ronald McDonald figure to take photos. This was core-rattling - the culture or abject lack of it - and I requested Scott's presence. The nice thing is that Scott is set up to work from here and that has been therapeutic. We took Navin down to Rose-Hulman, enjoyed the orientation and magnificent speech by the president; among listing the students' achievements, these words: "You may be gay, you may be straight, you may not know. Differences are not a threat here, they are learning opportunities. We are Rose-Hulman." I was thoroughly impressed. There were upper-class students available to carry incoming students' things into their dorms, and I thought that was a nice touch. Navin beamed from ear to ear when meeting his chair and his advisor, and seemed happier than we have ever seen him. The welcome at R-H was palpable and we left feeling that Navin was in a great school, and I with a lot of relief that Scott was alongside.
I oriented at Community Hospital South, and started work last week. It is fabulous. I have not done hospitalist medicine before, i.e., taken care of inpatients. It is grand fun, though. It is nice to take care of the truly sick. As I left the room of a young (21 yo, not much older than my sons) ex-heroine addict who was admitted for a serious kidney infection, I heard a faint "Thank you, Dr. Weiss," and she had my heart rightaway. How fortunate are we who have robust family support, loving and guiding, so that we did not have to resort to intravenous substances for our joys.
Naren is well and enjoying his solo time in our apartment in Chennai. He is 20 and sensible, and so we have not had to lay down ground rules for him. He went over and wished a beloved neighbor on his b'day, and our friend's wife emailed and told me how kind that was.
We had a bunch of my colleagues over for dinner and it was a blast. We have also caught up with the entire Taber family - who are our home away from home. I love both Taber kids - Melinda and Christopher - dearly. We have also seen the Sparzos, Carolyn Scanlan, Mary Remster and Shilpa Mallur and their families. All lovely people, all dear to us, all wanting the best for Navin (and indeed, the entire Weiss family), all part of the support that ensures joy from their being and not through IV.
Unw -
R
posted by Renu Weiss at
8:21 AM
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