Report of 24 June 2012
Hello from the St. V library -
Nice to sit and read and study. A young man next to me is taking an online class for radiology, and asked what I did, and thought I was a nurse. I respect all nurses, and have historically worked, and continue to work, with some fine nurses; there is some perversity in the U.S. that a woman in the health professions is always considered to be a nurse, not a physician.
I deliberately did not blog last week. Naren is here, and was part of a surprise for his Grandmother's 70th b'day. I thought for sure I would blab something if I blogged/emailed and the surprise would be ruined. He got in safely - thank you, all the Gods - and both boys have not really gushed at each other's presence, but been fairly serene with it. The day after Naren reached, Scott left for Philly, so it was the boys and I, and it was fun. We ate Ethiopian food in our nice multicultural neighborhood, saw "Rock of Ages" and enjoyed it, and got ready to host a couple of parties. The boys are intensely opinionated - where did they get that? - and when I commented on some bawdiness in "Rock of Ages," they defended it as freedom of expression and Naren said he appreciated seeing the flick here, instead of post-censoring in India. I mentioned that as a female, I appreciated the censoring as I did not want the deprived (and sometimes depraved) men in India to get unwanted ideas, and that provoked a lot of discussion. It was cool. We have also had winging arguments, and on discussing it with a colleague, he mentioned that the boys' antics (such as sleeping until 6 when all of us had to be out of the house at 6.30) sounded like typical young people stuff. Therein lies the key: I should likely take some things in stride as "young people" stuff, not "young adult" slacking.
Work has been nice. I had a patient, an 18 yo, with a brain tumor. I did not look up the prognosis, or life expectancy, or other horrid things, as this young man was unfailingly polite and pleasant. Anytime I asked, "How are you, X?," he answered, "Fine. How are you?" How am I, sweet boy? I am okay. None of the adult patients has asked, and you did. I am not the one with the brain tumor, I am the one who whines about being late, you don't say a single bad thing, you are living life and enjoying it. You play the video games, and say you are never too old for a hug, and laugh out loud when I narrate something my sons have done. You are, to me, one of the joys in my every day.
The young man and his family plan on his attending college in the Fall, and one of the physical therapists and I talked about it. In India, all would sit around moaning his fate, and thinking of every nasty thing that could happen, blame his mother for much of it, and prepare for the patient dying; in the U.S., all are preparing for the patient to live. And move on, and study. I like it.
We had several friends over for dinner, and that was fun, but perhaps not so for the guests :). Our apartment complex's numbering system is weird, so several guests got lost. Our teeny apartment was cramped and I worried that the guests would be inconvenienced. However, all appeared to have a good time, and Scott suggested I focus on that; the guests were, to a person, fine friends and colleagues and grand people to hang with. We learnt from our mistakes at this party, and my mother-in-law's surprise 70th b'day party the next day (same place) was a slightly better-orchestrated affair. Scott's aunt and uncle showed up with a box of chocolates for me, and I thought that was extraordinarily sweet (literallly), because though I buy whatever I need myself, that box of chocolates was thoughtful and considerate and a symbol of great affection.
I got to talk to my Dad and that was nice. I had not talked to him on Father's Day as the phone lines were down in Madurai, and I wished him today, and we talked and talked.
Scott is back, and we look forward to doing things as a family again, after Naren returns from spending a week with his Grandmother and Grandaunt and -uncle, which he will undoubtedly enjoy. Yesterday's party, with all the in-laws and an old friend or 2 from my mother-in-law's younger days, was a joyous affair - epitomising all my in-laws.
Unw -
R
Nice to sit and read and study. A young man next to me is taking an online class for radiology, and asked what I did, and thought I was a nurse. I respect all nurses, and have historically worked, and continue to work, with some fine nurses; there is some perversity in the U.S. that a woman in the health professions is always considered to be a nurse, not a physician.
I deliberately did not blog last week. Naren is here, and was part of a surprise for his Grandmother's 70th b'day. I thought for sure I would blab something if I blogged/emailed and the surprise would be ruined. He got in safely - thank you, all the Gods - and both boys have not really gushed at each other's presence, but been fairly serene with it. The day after Naren reached, Scott left for Philly, so it was the boys and I, and it was fun. We ate Ethiopian food in our nice multicultural neighborhood, saw "Rock of Ages" and enjoyed it, and got ready to host a couple of parties. The boys are intensely opinionated - where did they get that? - and when I commented on some bawdiness in "Rock of Ages," they defended it as freedom of expression and Naren said he appreciated seeing the flick here, instead of post-censoring in India. I mentioned that as a female, I appreciated the censoring as I did not want the deprived (and sometimes depraved) men in India to get unwanted ideas, and that provoked a lot of discussion. It was cool. We have also had winging arguments, and on discussing it with a colleague, he mentioned that the boys' antics (such as sleeping until 6 when all of us had to be out of the house at 6.30) sounded like typical young people stuff. Therein lies the key: I should likely take some things in stride as "young people" stuff, not "young adult" slacking.
Work has been nice. I had a patient, an 18 yo, with a brain tumor. I did not look up the prognosis, or life expectancy, or other horrid things, as this young man was unfailingly polite and pleasant. Anytime I asked, "How are you, X?," he answered, "Fine. How are you?" How am I, sweet boy? I am okay. None of the adult patients has asked, and you did. I am not the one with the brain tumor, I am the one who whines about being late, you don't say a single bad thing, you are living life and enjoying it. You play the video games, and say you are never too old for a hug, and laugh out loud when I narrate something my sons have done. You are, to me, one of the joys in my every day.
The young man and his family plan on his attending college in the Fall, and one of the physical therapists and I talked about it. In India, all would sit around moaning his fate, and thinking of every nasty thing that could happen, blame his mother for much of it, and prepare for the patient dying; in the U.S., all are preparing for the patient to live. And move on, and study. I like it.
We had several friends over for dinner, and that was fun, but perhaps not so for the guests :). Our apartment complex's numbering system is weird, so several guests got lost. Our teeny apartment was cramped and I worried that the guests would be inconvenienced. However, all appeared to have a good time, and Scott suggested I focus on that; the guests were, to a person, fine friends and colleagues and grand people to hang with. We learnt from our mistakes at this party, and my mother-in-law's surprise 70th b'day party the next day (same place) was a slightly better-orchestrated affair. Scott's aunt and uncle showed up with a box of chocolates for me, and I thought that was extraordinarily sweet (literallly), because though I buy whatever I need myself, that box of chocolates was thoughtful and considerate and a symbol of great affection.
I got to talk to my Dad and that was nice. I had not talked to him on Father's Day as the phone lines were down in Madurai, and I wished him today, and we talked and talked.
Scott is back, and we look forward to doing things as a family again, after Naren returns from spending a week with his Grandmother and Grandaunt and -uncle, which he will undoubtedly enjoy. Yesterday's party, with all the in-laws and an old friend or 2 from my mother-in-law's younger days, was a joyous affair - epitomising all my in-laws.
Unw -
R
posted by Renu Weiss at
11:07 AM
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