Columbus OH

OK. I paid perfectly good money (most of it not my own) training to be a physician, and it wouldn't be fair to hold me responsible for the result - time for another medical report.

Bobbi got a new hip Friday, while Paul took care of the pets and the house, and Lew sat in un-orthopedic chairs putting extra strain on his back. Part of my sick perspective is that Bobbi got the best part of the deal - except for the orthopod who got paid a substantial sum, and the appliance manufacturere who got paid a whopping big sum - both out of the 15% of my salary that was set aside for 50 years just for this occasion.

Bobbi came through it in fine shape, sitting up and smiling when at the end of the day the authorities finally let me into her room. It did not require any part of that expensive training to tell that she was feeling no pain. In fact, the staff got her up and out of bed, and she walked a short distance that very afternoon. So the many people who offered up prayers for her are rewarded.

Paul traded off with Lew for the evening shift, and in fact the staff found him a nice rollaway bed so he could sleep in Bobbi's room that night: private duty nurse, unpaid.

Unfortunately, the day of standing, walking long distances, or sitting in unorthopedic chairs left Lew (neurotic that he is) with what he was convinced was excruciating pain in his legs. Paul was kind and understanding enough to wheel him downstairs to the valet parking to pick up the car (driver's seat fortunately very supportive). Back at the house he serviced the pets, ate, and fell into bed.

On Saturday morning Lew did the necessaries (like picking up more medication for one of the dogs), then relieved Paul for the afternoon.

Bobbi was even better than the previous day, sitting, smiling, trying to relieve her boredom by reading the paper. There was business to settle and emails to answer (of course the hospital had WiFi). And after supper, Paul once again took the night shift.

Lew had a restless and painful night, but the pain eased some after he got up to take care of the pets and eat. And that's where we are at the moment. Bobbi is scheduled to return home today, though I've heard nothing more from the hospital. That works on Lew's neurotic insecurity, since there are all sorts of arrangements that need to be made to ready the house for her convalescence - not the least of which is a hospital bed. Neurotic Lew distracts himself by writing this note and chews his fingernails (figuratively) and obsesses about whether he will be the next surgical candidate.

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Completely unrelated, but I think a caution well worth passing on. While all this was going on OSU announced that their computers had been hacked, and someone made off with the personal records (including names, birthdates and even SS numbers) for 730,000 faculty and contractors, present and former. The hack was made and discovered in October, but OSU waited until now to reveal it so they could hire "experts" (remember, OSU has a large computer sciences department with a relationship to IBM that extends back into the early 1950's) to verify the damage. The university then backpedaled furiously with platitudinous and utterly impossible reassurances that no one's identity had been compromised - but even though the university was confident that no one's identity had been compromised, someone would pay for identity insurance for the 730,000.

I know the lessons are obvious, but bear with my stating them explicitly: (1) no computer that ever attaches to the internet can ever be secure; corollary = there is no way to make one truly secure; (2) Google knows everything.

Merry Christmas and a happy 21st century to everyone!