Feb 28, 2016

Dear Everyone,

I forgot to mention in my last letter that I went to a Blackhawks game with Nicola (what would be around three weeks ago). We met at our seats on the 300 level for a 7:30 game (I was off work that day [Tuesday], and I left the house around 5:45 to meet up around 6:30 - - Cindy went to the last game, and the drive took her over 90 minutes).  We had some Italian beef and beer for dinner, and then settled down to watch the game.  It was very close – it would have been 1-1, except the Hawks had their one goal disqualified on replay (Quenneville, the Blackhawks coach, had a meltdown in the post-game recap).  So the score was 1-0 in the last few minutes, and then the Sharks scored an empty net goal, making the final 0-2.

We have had some very windy days lately, followed by a blast of either unseasonably warm temperatures, or partial blizzards.  I left work early a few days ago because of a big storm moving in.  Somehow it missed Chicago, but just over in northwest Indiana they had 15 inches of snow with road and school closures.  My beautiful Tesla only has rear wheel drive (they now come in all wheel drive), and I only have all season tires.  I have had enough slipping and sticking experiences in the past few years to make me worried about the roads.  Given also that I tweaked my back a couple of months ago in Tai Chi, and keep re-tweaking it lifting weights, I had a lot of early nights at home.  One fun book I read lately is Assholes; A Theory.  This book seems prescient in its description of ‘Asshole culture’.  Donald Trump is mentioned many times.  The upshot is that we can’t do much to stop assholes from behaving as they do, but cultures that don’t have methods to punish bad social and economic behavior can degrade into Hobbesian free-for-alls that are to no one’s benefit.  That is equally not to say that social conformity is a good ideal either (e.g. Nazi Germany, Japan). It’s hard to know where to draw the line. I think we may be beyond it.  Clearly, the Republican-led Senate seems to be having trouble knowing how to behave in a non-Asshole fashion, at least in regards to their job to advise and consent to an Obama Supreme Court nominee (it’s hard to understand who would be willing to be Obama’s stalking horse), and see Donald Trump, above.

Although Jasper swam his last High School meet a couple weeks ago, he has been attending Sectionals and State meets.  The latter was at Evanston this year.  Hinsdale almost eked out a 2^nd place finish, but it was not to be, and they ended with 3^rd.  Lyons Township won their first swim title ever (Naperville Central was 2^nd).  While Jasper was a member of the high school team it has won a 1^st, a 2^nd and two 3rds, a real testament to the depth of talent at Hinsdale.  He just went to open invite water polo game this afternoon; if he likes it, he might play this spring, but otherwise, I think his ten year swim career is probably over. 

I had one really interesting case at work a couple of weeks ago.  I received a brain biopsy from a patient with a large necrotic mass by radiology (she was not very symptomatic).  My first impression was that she had a viral infection, but when I did look closer, I did discern a low grade tumor (kills you in 15-20 years versus 1-2 years).  I was worried enough to call the clinicians, and tell them to get a spinal tap and look for viral infection.  She did indeed have a Herpes infection, and so she is now on anti-viral medication prior to getting chemo radiation for her tumor.  I think if I hadn’t caught the infection, she could have had a debilitating infectious flair-up after her tumor therapy.  It’s not often that I can tell I made a real difference in a patient’s therapy.

Love, H.