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The Sick Room

Finally I am undrugged and feeling half human. It amazes me that I spent two years in the fridge NE and was not sick once. Returning home I have caught three virus in the last nine months! (has it really been that long?). This one about did me in and I stayed confined to bed for two days.

It recalls to mind a time of childhood when I would languish in bed, ill or faking ill because I had not studied for a test at high school, and I would received chicken noodle soup with crackers, ginger ale, jello, Irish tea with milk and sugar. If a fever were involved, I would have a rubbing alcohol ice bowl next to the bed which would have a wash cloth that I would wring and then lay across my feverish brow. Oh Mommie, how I loved the attention.

And I would read.

Which is exactly what I did this time and I finished two books. As of late I have haunted the Best Seller rack at the downtown branch of the library. And I have to confess, they are like potato chips. Taste good, no subsidence.

This week end I have read the best book of the year (next to Memories of a Geisha), The Natural History of Uncas Metcalfe. Wonderful story about a man who is beginning to show signs of dementia, though this is the early 1980's (I believe they only elude to the date once or twice) so Alzheimer's and the signs are not yet so prevalent and obvious to the masses. This guy is a mix between Larry David (Curb your enthusiasm) and every bodies Grandpa. Several lines made me laugh out loud at the end of the story as he replayed his drama over in his head (the second meeting with Carl) and his description of Carl (only in his head) when asked if they were going to be any royalty at the party, "Only Lord Reticent Taciturn (his wives mocking nick name for him) and Baron Carl the Bad." Oh my, how I wanted to share that clever amusing line with Joe, but how and why would he get it? So I savored it and continued on and finished the book.

The movie Once won at the Oscars! For best song from a movie. I was so happy and though, "Job well done". Even Joe commented that "Falling Slowly" was the best song of the lot.