Friday - Report from Orlando

Bill the Third (or as some of his friends say - The Bill) had his ear surgery on Wednesday and it went very well. We were at the hospital in Celebration at 6:30am and Bill was taken back to the prep area at 7:00. I am not sure of the exact time his procedure was begun but at 9:00 his surgeon came out to tell me that, is his words, “the results were excellent.” He had successfully dug out the polyps and gook and rebuilt the area next to the brain. Thank you Higher Power.

By 10:00 were had checked out and I drove us back to his house in my rental car, a very nice PT Cruiser. I have to admit that he looked like someone had hit the left side of his head with a sledgehammer. He had a large earphone-like bandage over his left ear. He has in moderate pain. Actually “moderate” is probably not the appropriate word but he has experienced so much pain in his back over the years that this pain was classified as moderate, in his words. I think I would have been rolling on the floor and crying. He was also experiencing dizziness. I was in my Hovering Nun mode.

Later that afternoon Bill had an appointment with a pain specialist to address the recurring problems with his back. Of course I drove him to the appointment and was with him as he talked with the Doctor. They spoke a language I barely understood. Bottom line - beginning a week from Monday he will have a series of three injections in his lower spinal area and he has been prescribed a new anti-inflammatory medication. We will keep our fingers crossed.

So, let me tell you - Wednesday was a long long long day for both of us.

I am happy to report that on Thursday he woke up feeling much better although his ear was seeping blood and gook but that was expected. Later on in the day we discussed his situation and he is comfortable with the Hovering Nun coming back to NYC on Saturday morning, as planned.

I have to say that I have watched more TV in the last several days that I would have watched in 6 months in NYC. I have gotten along well with his giant Rottweiler Zeko - 160 pounds. Bill had to put down the older female Zookie about a month ago. The house feels a little strange without the two of them, it really does.

Tonight I am taking Bill and two of his buddies, Randy Haag (friend from High School) and Ken (a golfing buddy), to dinner at a steak house. I leave on Saturday morning and Bill will go golfing with some of his buds.

THE NORRIS TRAVEL CURSE - ADDENDUM. There is one more thing that happened on my nightmare flight down to Orlando. We touched down at the Orlando airport at 5:40, exactly 4 hours after our scheduled arrival time. When we got to the baggage claim area it was a madhouse with luggage for 5 incoming flights all on the same carousel. Those of us on American Airlines flight 1617 sorta huddled together and our luggage was the last to arrive, or, at least “their” luggage was the last to arrive, my duffle wasn’t. It was just me standing there with my computer case. I couldn’t believe that this was happening to me. What the fuck. Fuck and double fuck!! My duffle is lost.

I asked one of the baggage guys where the lost luggage office was and he pointed it out to me and then he asked what flight I was on and I told him and then he asked when had I checked in and I said I had checked in very early. His response was that the bag was probably in the office. That is crazy thought I.

But, when I presented my baggage claim ticket to the nice young lady on duty she immediately went back to the rear of the office and came out pulling my duffle. What the fuck? This can’t have happened, thought I, I have gone crazy. She told me that because I had checked in so early they had put my duffle on an earlier flight so it had arrived in Orlando before I did. Now that is crazy, isn’t it, absolutely crazy.

I mean, when my original flight was delayed as it was, suppose I had decided to change my mind or go on another airline or whatever? Why my duffle would have already been in Orlando. How can they do that to us? How can they?

OK - I have vented enough.

The Yankees are playing great ball and that makes me very happy. And, how could the Mets management have been so crass in handling the firing of Willie Randolph? No class, no class at all.

Talk with you from The Big Apple.

Go Yankees!!

Billi Pod
wanjr@aol.com