Report of 25 Aug 2019
Good evening!
The laundry has dried, fallen on the balcony floor and been taken in. The sea is a nice, vivid blue; there are wisps of clouds like someone has blown at them across the sky; the greens of the foliage are also vibrant, it having rained yesterday. Good time to enjoy the beauty and write.
We are well. We were in Bangalore last weekend to visit my former school principal and his family. His son was my classmate. We had met during our school reunion last month and had had no time to talk to the parents. So, Scott and I went. We stayed at a Ramada where the breakfast was a small spread but sumptuous. Meeting with Mr. Iyengar and family was splendid: we reminisced, caught up, laughed, talked. Scott and I then had lunch with my former classmate, Clare; that was also a laugh- and talk-fest. The time flew, and then we had an early dinner with my sister-in-law, Susan, and my nephew, Sudhir. It was a fun time, relaxed and full of bonhomie. Bangalore has some good restaurants and getting tasty non-Indian food is not difficult.
We returned to Chennai on Sunday and on Monday, the Internet went down. So no blogging. It's quite edifying to see how much we depend on the Net. We clipped through the data on our phone and kept up with everyone and everything, sort of.
The Banyan continues to be so fine. The more I am around other places of work, the more I am reminded of that. Adaikalam was its usual grand self, and we even partook of the samosas at the cafe run by the patients: tasty fare. Our more chronically ill patients at Adaikalam are being mobilised to at least get up once a day, to prevent bed sores; needless to say, results are variable, with many liking the comfort of their beds. Our nurses and support staff are good, so the prodding to rise continues.
Clinic at Kovalam was crowded, with all the long-standing patients filtering in. A new patient also came: she is taking care of her mentally-ill sister-in-law, who is our psychiatrist's patient. In the course of our discussion of her diabetes, my patient said she had four children; I have low tolerance for large family sizes and asked what the deal was with 4. We urge 2 children, due to the tremendous burden of overpopulation in our land. She stated that after her first 2 daughters, her in-laws made her promise to try for child no. 3 in the hopes of a son, which she got. Then her in-laws wanted another boy to keep the first boy company and girl no. 3 came along. The mother is 55 years old, and as we finished the visit, I asked if child no. 5 was going to ensue. She blushed and laughed and giggled all the way out, stopping at the door to turn around and look at me as though to wonder if I had indeed said what I did.
Perhaps I need to watch what I say. In the U.S. once, when a patient's relative said she had date night that night with her husband, I urged her to head on home and partake in those activities; she, too, could not quite believe I had said it.
But watching what I say is not in my DNA. My sons are teaching me good lessons about discretion and I am trying to learn them.
I attended a conference at a local hospital yesterday, which was nice. We met at the home of my sister-in-law and brother after that for tea, which was fun. My niece is 13 and is delightful, as nieces and nephews are wont to be.
We saw a couple of Tamil movies - "Nerkonda paarvai" and "Jackpot," and enjoyed them. We also saw "Once upon a time .. in Hollywood" and liked it, also; names like "Quentin Tarantino," "Coen brothers," "Guy Ritchie," "Danny Boyle," will quickly draw us to the theaters to watch their films.
I talked to my father last week, which was the fun-fest it usually is, and hope to talk to him again today. Scott has been dispatched to talk to his mother. We hung out with the boys 2 days ago and that was grand fun. We may not see either boy for Christmas due to their commitments, but I am glad the communication channels are open: so many mothers I know - and take care of - do not have this priceless gift.
Unw -
R
The laundry has dried, fallen on the balcony floor and been taken in. The sea is a nice, vivid blue; there are wisps of clouds like someone has blown at them across the sky; the greens of the foliage are also vibrant, it having rained yesterday. Good time to enjoy the beauty and write.
We are well. We were in Bangalore last weekend to visit my former school principal and his family. His son was my classmate. We had met during our school reunion last month and had had no time to talk to the parents. So, Scott and I went. We stayed at a Ramada where the breakfast was a small spread but sumptuous. Meeting with Mr. Iyengar and family was splendid: we reminisced, caught up, laughed, talked. Scott and I then had lunch with my former classmate, Clare; that was also a laugh- and talk-fest. The time flew, and then we had an early dinner with my sister-in-law, Susan, and my nephew, Sudhir. It was a fun time, relaxed and full of bonhomie. Bangalore has some good restaurants and getting tasty non-Indian food is not difficult.
We returned to Chennai on Sunday and on Monday, the Internet went down. So no blogging. It's quite edifying to see how much we depend on the Net. We clipped through the data on our phone and kept up with everyone and everything, sort of.
The Banyan continues to be so fine. The more I am around other places of work, the more I am reminded of that. Adaikalam was its usual grand self, and we even partook of the samosas at the cafe run by the patients: tasty fare. Our more chronically ill patients at Adaikalam are being mobilised to at least get up once a day, to prevent bed sores; needless to say, results are variable, with many liking the comfort of their beds. Our nurses and support staff are good, so the prodding to rise continues.
Clinic at Kovalam was crowded, with all the long-standing patients filtering in. A new patient also came: she is taking care of her mentally-ill sister-in-law, who is our psychiatrist's patient. In the course of our discussion of her diabetes, my patient said she had four children; I have low tolerance for large family sizes and asked what the deal was with 4. We urge 2 children, due to the tremendous burden of overpopulation in our land. She stated that after her first 2 daughters, her in-laws made her promise to try for child no. 3 in the hopes of a son, which she got. Then her in-laws wanted another boy to keep the first boy company and girl no. 3 came along. The mother is 55 years old, and as we finished the visit, I asked if child no. 5 was going to ensue. She blushed and laughed and giggled all the way out, stopping at the door to turn around and look at me as though to wonder if I had indeed said what I did.
Perhaps I need to watch what I say. In the U.S. once, when a patient's relative said she had date night that night with her husband, I urged her to head on home and partake in those activities; she, too, could not quite believe I had said it.
But watching what I say is not in my DNA. My sons are teaching me good lessons about discretion and I am trying to learn them.
I attended a conference at a local hospital yesterday, which was nice. We met at the home of my sister-in-law and brother after that for tea, which was fun. My niece is 13 and is delightful, as nieces and nephews are wont to be.
We saw a couple of Tamil movies - "Nerkonda paarvai" and "Jackpot," and enjoyed them. We also saw "Once upon a time .. in Hollywood" and liked it, also; names like "Quentin Tarantino," "Coen brothers," "Guy Ritchie," "Danny Boyle," will quickly draw us to the theaters to watch their films.
I talked to my father last week, which was the fun-fest it usually is, and hope to talk to him again today. Scott has been dispatched to talk to his mother. We hung out with the boys 2 days ago and that was grand fun. We may not see either boy for Christmas due to their commitments, but I am glad the communication channels are open: so many mothers I know - and take care of - do not have this priceless gift.
Unw -
R
posted by Renu at
5:00 AM
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