Got home from the hospital in time to catch the start of
the Senate impeachment. Watching the ABC video feed with
NPR for the (slightly delayed but more informative)
audio. I lasted about twenty minutes before I lost
attention and put on some music. The video was the
same for some time - old white suits standing at the
lectern, no doubt droning. I suppose it's all very historic,
but I'm completely alienated and detached.
After the anesthesiologist (who I'll call Dr. Nod) began doin'
his thing up at my (head) end, my old chum the podiatrist (who
I'll call Dr. Pod here) down at feet said something about giving
me the local, I think Dr. Nod put me under briefly... then I noticed
the leg twitching all over, and I said "It feels like the DTs!" and
they wondered how I would know about a thing like that. They'd pointed
out the laser as they gurney'd me into the theater, a Lumina 55. As
Dr. Pod got to work aft, I started babbling about James Bond in
"Goldfinger" again, and unlike the youthful Dr. Pod, Dr. Nod knew what
I was talking about. Dr. Pod was very quick, doing up my foot, and
he said that I "...was in rare form today!" No smell this time (said
they have an exhaust now), but the post-op shoe the charming Michelle
gave me is so uncomfortable and unwieldy <1>
that I'm just wearing my Lands End `Teva' sandals (which I call
my Vlad shoes) for the duration, with the
forward strap maxed out on the left one, to accommodate the
dressing on that foot.
Three drives today:
- Before dawn I was standing in the middle of my street, waiting for the taxi. The cab pulled up and the friendly guy with the Indian accent who said little drove us down along the 85 freeway to Los Gatos. Just before the meter hit $30, we were close enough and there was time so I had him pull over, and I walked the last few blocks, thinking how I won't be striding along like this for a while.
- After the surgery and the nice RN Michelle pampered me in a reclining chair, my uncle (who lives up in the City) appeared and drove me home. He announced his graduation to Gentleman of Leisure; yesterday he gave notice that he was retiring.
- After a nap and some lounging around the flat with my foot
raised, I grew bored, violated the orders (no motor vehicle
operations or signing of legal documents allowed, if there's been
[any] anesthesia that day) and hopped into my
vehicle for some shopping. El Camino to Sunnyvale and
back, that's all:
- First the new Nijiya - they're a smaller chain than the dominating Yaohan Japanese supermarket - but all I got was some ginger root and kiwis
- Then to See's, for some chocolate - my current favorites there are the Normandie, Maple Walnut and Maple Pecan Bon-Bon units (even though requesting bon-bons is a little embarrassing)
- Finally at Safeway, for more produce - tangerines, bananas, the daily carrots, a couple lemons and a potato - plus some frozen dinners