Last week, I changed the template and couldn't think of a thing to say. This week, almost too much has happened, and I'm preparing for another significant event.
On Wednesday, Doug's father Mo went back to the hospital. Lois found him groggy and confused -- much unlike him -- and called an ambulance. Her first thought, after his recent heart troubles, was stroke. As it turned out, he had a bacterial infection that flooded his system with toxins. He spent two days in ICU, had some drama over low blood pressure, followed by skyrocketing blood sugar, and at last a return to healthy homeostasis, and then they sent him home again, with both sulfa and a powerful mold-based antibiotic.
The infectious agent was an antibiotic-resistant form of staph called MRSA for methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus. There's a discussion of it here which is enough to worry a person. The mention of the need again to emphasize hand-washing among health care workers seemed like a throwback to the years before Pasteur.
Mo went to ICU Wednesday evening. By Thursday morning, modern medical science had a decisive edge in the battle. Lois said we needn't fly out. Last night we spoke to them, and they were tired and returning to normal.
Meanwhile, last week was also final push for one of my editing clients. Professional No-Limit Hold 'em went to the publisher last night. This one is going to make a difference in how people play no-limit hold 'em. Look for it from 2 + 2 in a couple months. 2 + 2 is a small and agile publisher, as well as holding their products to a high standard of reliability. I'm very pleased to have been part of the project.
Now I gear up for my first science fiction convention as a guest. I'm on three panels at Ad Astra in Toronto next weekend, plus the book launch for Polaris, which holds my first published sf story. I'm really looking forward to seeing the con from the other side of the table. I've done a little research and plan to do a bit more and have my thoughts lightly organized on my panel topics. This will make a relatively gradual introduction to public speaking.
If you're in Toronto this weekend, stop by the Crowne Plaza Don Valley and say hi.
