Complex Numbers

Power

The wind has been crazy here, today. It started sometime during the night, whistling between the houses and threatening to spin my attic vents right off.

When I woke up, at around the crack of noon, it was still going on. I figured I'd grab some breakfastlunch and go write this week's Comedy newsletter.

That, of course, is when the power went out.

Now, I don't have my truck this weekend. A friend of mine is using it to move. My wife was out in her car, so I was stuck. I worked some crosswords for a while, but then started feeling antsy about getting the newsletter in. So I called my wife to drive me to my office. I figured my office is on a buried line, with less chance of getting knocked out.

Indeed, the lights shone bright as I entered the office. I booted up my computer, checked some email, started looking for items to include in the newsletter (funny things about romance, mostly - it's the Singles Awareness Day issue of the Comedy newsletter), and the power went out.

Fuck.

I called my wife, and eventually she showed up to pick me up. "Power's back on at home," she says. It figures; I could have waited. Slept some more, or something. Had a cigar. Whatever.

Before we went home, though, we visited the hospital, where my dad's still being treated for his UTI. In the room, golf is playing on the TV, so of course my dad's sound asleep. I asked the nurse if there had been any changes or anything; she paged the doctor.

When the doctor called back, she said, "I don't know too much about that patient. UTI. Tested positive for influenza. Going to have to keep him at least a couple more days. Did they make you wear a mask in the room?"

What? "No. This is the first I've heard about the flu. I just walked in the room. There wasn't any sign about masks or anything." Besides, some grossly obese guy was wheezing in the room's other bed.

"Oh, and there's some question about whether we can send him back to assisited living or if he'll have to be moved to a nursing facility."

Crap. Well, things are what they are, and I'll have a chance to verify all this with his assigned doctor tomorrow.

But I got home and did the Comedy newsletter anyway. Sometimes you just have to be funny, even if there's nothing left to laugh at.