I started my return trip today. As I write this, I am sitting in the executive lounge at the Chennai Airport. Someone is jack-hammering something, someplace nearby, unfortunately, but otherwise it's a lounge.
The drive back through Chennai to the hospital was far less alarming than the first time I went through. I’m not sure why. Maybe because it was sunny, or because it was a Saturday morning and there weren’t that many people about. Or maybe just because I’d seen it before. I don’t know, but I think the traffic has regained it’s position as the lead topic of concern.
Occasionally I will suddenly see parallels or similarities between what I observe and some other esoteric reference. This happened on the drive to the hospital, twice. These similarities are rooted in the movie Aliens and racing video games. I think of them as pop-culture-inspired epiphanies. Sounds pretentious, doesn’t it. J
“Oops, I made a clean spot.”Remember the movie Aliens? There’s a scene where Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) tries to comfort Newt (little blonde girl) after they find her holed up in this planetary colony. Newt isn’t talking yet, or screaming like she later does, so Ripley takes a cloth, wets it, and wipes it on Newt’s cheek. She says something like, “Now I’ve done it… I made a clean spot. I’ll have to do the whole thing, now.” I thought of this because I wondered what would happen if a professional crew went to work on one of these small little depressing shops and did an Extreme Makeover on it. Redo the sidewalk, clean up the trash, add professional signs and fixtures, the works. Make it real purdy. In essence, make a clean spot. What would happen? Would it spread? Would this inspire neighbors to improve their own properties, thereby making the clean spot bigger? I’m not talking about spending tons of money here, just basic Curb Appeal stuff you’d see on DIY or HGTV channels. Or would the new shinny penny gradually dull back to match that of its bleak surroundings? It would be an interesting experiment.
“Time Extended!”My other thought is that driving in Chennai was exactly like some of those old car racing video games. I can’t think of the title, but it’s the one where you cruise along at 180 mph or whatever, and there’ll suddenly be people on the side of the road that start to walk across the street. It’s usually in the middle of nowhere, too, like an Interstate through the desert or something. Nobody knows why they’re there, but they step out anyway. The diligent driver avoids hitting them and reducing his/her overall score, but usually it’s easier to just hit them. Some games, like that one cab driver game, make hitting those pedestrians a source of bonus points, to be redeemed later for nitrous, or better tires.
Dr. Bose
We arrived at the hospital around 8:10, and Mohan was outside waiting for me. We went up to the room and chatted about stuff. I had a chance to talk with Mohan about the future plans of the hospital. I asked if Dr. Bose ever planned to move back to the other Apollo Hospital versus the “Specialty” hospital that he’s at now. He said ‘no’, but that over the next 3-6 months, starting in December, they are going to begin massive renovation of an entire floor in the current specialty hospital, exclusively for the use of international patients. It might be the 4th or 5th floor, he didn’t know for sure. This is fantastic news for future patients, because anything that can reduce the stress of incoming patients, who usually travel alone, is a good thing. That was Mohan’s goal, too. It’s so refreshing to find a doctor and staff that actually listen to patients’ feedback and act upon it. Kudos again to Dr. Bose.
Dr. Bose arrived shortly thereafter. He seemed very satisfied with my recovery. I told him that I was now able to put on my own left sock and tie my own shoe, a mere 9 days post-op. He changed the dressing and checked the range of motion of the leg, both of which are doing great. I did my catwalk for him too, so he could see how I walk, and he liked what he saw. Who could blame him, really? I’m too sexy for two crutches. ;-) We each took pictures of each other on our respective camera phones (Dr. Bose has a black RAZR), and I departed.
The complementary Fisherman’s Cove shuttle ride to the airport dropped me off about 5 hours early. I still feel bad about not being able to tip the driver. I hate tipping, and I didn’t know that tipping is customary in India until yesterday, but he deserved one. I had literally no money, either dollars or rupees. I think I’ll send something to the hotel to give to the guy whey I arrive in the states. I also need to post-tip Samuel, the guy in charge of my room’s cleanliness. He did a great job, but I had no money to leave him. I spent it all on my backyard landscaping back home.
