D-Day for The Hippster Blues: Wednesday, September 14th!

Those who are incapable of committing great crimes do not readily suspect them in others. -Francois de La Rochefoucauld, aphorist (15 Sep 1613-1680)

Details from A Reading from Homer

Art: Lawrence Alma-Tadema (1836-1912)

Hi Chloë! Just a quick note as we are walking out the door to UBC. I have been scheduled for 6:00 am admission so pleased about that as the sooner I have the operation the longer I'll have to recover in terms of being ready to be discharged on Friday, one trusts! Much love to you and Miss Etta and Devil Duke! Cheers, Dad! Hi Ayn! Thanks for best wishes! Much love to you and Los Horridos! Cheers, Dad! 

[She look innocent but really....]

Hello Dear Friends! Thanks for best wishes! Chat soon! Cheers, Patrizzio!! Best of luck, Paprika! I am leaving early on Friday to go and take possession of our Qualicum abode. xoxo Hola amigos!!! Hi Patrick and Corinne: How's everything around you?? Whenever you can, send a message. Regards, David/Vicky

Just got back from hospital. Patrick is doing fine freezing is coming out and he will be up tomorrow. Corinne

As of this writing, (and as Lady Dar may well have reported), I am more than delighted to say that I underwent a very, very successful and almost completely pain-free hip replacement. I experienced a fair bit of "nagging ache" once the spinal anaesthetic wore off, about 4:00 pm, today, day of surgery, but regular, [every three hours], Hydromorphone and regular Tylenol which was prescribed soon had that under control by 8:00 pm. Basically, since then I have experienced no pain or any other discomfort whatsoever.
 

I enjoyed a very good sleep that first night, funnily enough, usually waking up just a few minutes before it was time for nurse to check my vital signs, (blood pressure and temperature), and bring me my next fix! Aside from that I even managed to do without a catheter as I was able to take advantage of the plastic bottle provided. Much, much relief as I knew my basic bodily functions were starting to return to normal. Turned out I even knew the bed-mate across from me as Brad Johnston played badminton at VRC where I played squash. [Chooch, he thinks he went to school with your brother at McGee!] I didn't know him well but we certainly knew many close, mutual acquaintances. As one might suspect, he knew Bill Dempster, the bartender during most of the '80's and when I said I was still in touch with him, Brad found him on Facebook, "friended" him and sent greetings from the joint recovery ward!

Brad had a full right-knee replacement so he has his rehab cut out for him. Added to that he is off to Nicaragua on October 6th, or so, where his pregnant, (five months), second wife, (She is 23, he is 60!), is living. She is from the Philippines and cannot obtain a visa for Canada. He is in the process of building a small, boutique hotel on an island in Lake Managua, "(also known as Lake Xolotlán). The Spanish name is Lago de Managua or Lago Xolotlán." The capital, Managua, is on the southwestern shore of the lake and she is living in an apartment there while he is away. Might well be a great place to visit, at some point.


Flamin', Sarge and Bradley, Sarge's nephew, popped by for a visit so I had fun telling them that I bumped into Selim-Bey, Nicolina's Iranian boyfriend, both in Newfoundland and Vancouver. They split up in 2010, just after Olympics as his parents could not accept a non-Muslim. He is an engineer and now working out of Hudson's Hope on the rehabilitation project of the nearby W. A. C. Bennett Dam. 
 

He was in town to be with his family while his mother underwent surgery. I recognized him in the waiting room before I was called for pre-op preparation. He is still in touch with Nocolina so knew about her marriage to Marvinator and their son Jaxon. As chance would have it, she called while her parents were visiting so she heard about our meeting that morning. Ragin' Bull dropped by later on so we had a good visit. Unfortunately, his own health, (both mental, [His father, 92, is in hospital and Branko is embroiled in a nasty lawsuit with his youngest son about power of attorney, estate, etc.,) and physical, [Heart and severe arthritis issues.], so I felt he should have been the one in bed, lying down, receiving pain medication!