All quiet on the SE front

Dr. Goff returned this afternoon from her trip to Boston. Although Dr. Tamimi had covered her official duties this morning, she came by just to check in and get a jump on her work for the week. I certainly admire her dedication to both her profession and her patients.

Once again May was our day nurse, which always raises Jamie’s spirits. May has to be one of the most efficient people I have ever met. I don’t know how she cares for (3) patients, yet always attends to Jamie in an unhurried style, with plenty of time for general conversation.

Becky Maffei paid us a visit today, barely out of here herself after having two knee surgeries. She recovered just two weeks ago one floor below where we are now. Becky replenished my cookie supply ensuring that I continue to receive proper nutrition while also having treats to reward our fabulous nursing staff. She also replenished our library and I am grateful for I just finished the book I brought, only to discover that some of our outside guests have been tearing pages out of our magazines.

I had to go do a little shopping and get some Starbucks, so I missed most of Becky’s visit. This is most disappointing as I had hoped we might compare notes on the 6 NE nourishment room and that of our own wings.

We also got a package from Boston today, thanks Lita for the tasty walnut dream bars—they traveled very well and are an excellent complement to my cookie ensemble. I haven’t seen any sugar cookies from New Jersey though. Going to let your sister-in-law show you up?

Reconciled that our departure may still be a couple of days away, I figured I have gotten all the mileage I could out of the two pairs of shorts I had (we are talking outerwear, maybe later I will go into detail about my super-duty travel boxer shorts) and decided that it was time to do laundry again. Luckily the family lounge has a washer and dryer, a stacked unit that reminds me of that in our first apartment, both in appearance and performance. I waited until well into the evening to start, just to avoid disrupting the other guests, but found the lounge occupied when I arrived. Despite several attempts, I was unable to get my load balanced. Re-counting every item, right down to my socks, I tried to apply my engineering skill and place my garments in perfect symmetry, two shorts, four t-shirts, six socks and two pair underwear. Each time the machine came up to speed it started rocking and howling as if it were going to hop across the room and jump out the window.

Whether it was my self consciousness or actually the noise itself, I found the ruckus intolerable. I apologized to the other guests and promptly left hoping they will allow it to run full cycle and won’t leave me with soap in my undergarments.

Although now Okayed to wear civilian clothes, Jamie has developed a preference for her hospital garb, enjoying both their freedom and economy. I have considered making a similar switch; however I am concerned that the staff may not be so accepting and could use it as rationale to revoke my linen room privileges, placing further restriction on my movements.

Jamie has been healing well and is in excellent spirits. With her increased mobility and independence our lifestyle has transformed from one of intense medical care to more like a stay in a Finnish youth hostel or rural Vietnamese motel, the major differences being most of the TV is in English and nobody rides their motorbikes down the hall.

We have both hit the wall with the institutional food, just high grading Jamie’s meal trays and relying more on outside sources. Our family (which includes the Martinez faction) has supplied us with a steady supply of rations, which I supplement with goods from the local QFC. Several times a day I go to the family lounge to change the cold packs in my cooler and rotate the stock with that in the refrigerator. I have commandeered an entire drawer for our cache, keeping things well marked with our name, room number and date in accord with the posted regulations. Several outsiders have asked me if I fear food piracy, but it seems that people here to support family members battling something as serious as cancer are unlikely to engage in such behavior purposefully.