Sitting at the ER, the looniest woman came in. I think the cops sent her here because she's high functioning but not right. Which is entirely disrespectful of the population of people suffering mental disease, but...she was at the hospital because the computer said that her phone number was the only way to communicate with her dry alcoholic son (she's a dry alcoholic, her husband is functioning). But her phone had been stolen along with her Jag, so she couldn't call him (she's fairly elegantly dressed). The computer told her so. She kept lapsing into badly accented stock French, explaining she spoke French and Italian, but there was a diversion into Spanish.

Okay, it looks really sad when I type it out, but...she was just so convinced. So motivated. Insisting that she knew who was in Pretty Woman because she'd lived the story. Just weird.

Hrm. Who neglected her clocks? But it doesn't matter because the internal clocks override all fancypants congressional settings and the existence of weekends? Mneh.

My okay-you-can-finally-go-to-the-ER alarm didn't go off anywhere except in my head. Turns out Chocky only alarms at the second one thirty. My taxi calling app wouldn't work (how cool is that? Another way not to speak to anyone in order to exchange money for gifts and services). I wonder if that was because it was the twilight zone hour? Apparently it messed up some bits of the ER computer system. Nothing important, I hope. And my Android devices were waiting at 0:59 until I started using them.

My nurse asked how my mother was doing (she saw me on my first trip to the ER after coming back from Jamaica). And then she sent positive thoughts. Man, the people here that I like, I like so much. I'm really going to miss them when I get better.

We're getting ready to drive the 8 hrs home. HPF met a 2nd cousin yesterday who is a year older and they became inseparable. Which was good, because yesterday was a long day. All family things, and almost all of it good in the long run - many remembrances of great-grandma, lots of storytelling and a 4-hour dinner with more meeting-of-family. It's hard that things like this and weddings are meeting places for so many people we wouldn't see otherwise, but it's good to see everyone. ION, clearing out the apartment is no fun. My MiL and FiL have been working at it all week and they're exhausted. Oh, and HPF does not hold with the current "fall back" scheme for the clocks. ::YAWN::

Heh. I just waylaid an orderly for a quarter hour to talk about patients who come to the ER and need someone to talk to. Totally not me, no sirree. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

I managed to sleep in until 8, even though cats' stomach do not observe the time change.

In other news, I am in pathetic shape. For a couple of hours yesterday, I helped paint a new alternative cinema that has been running in Halifax. Two hours, maximum, of painting. This morning my left elbow is stiff and sore. I really need to start doing yoga again.

So I DID set my clock back, And it sets back automatically. This is the one time I will say, thank dog for the cats, otherwise I would have slept through church.

Well those clocks are pushy little fuckers, aren't they?

Alright. Time to go home. Poor ER doctor is new here, and I guess he was dubious about my regimen. Had to run it by the attending first. Luckily the attending is cool, and on my side, so it went smoothly, just a delay in my treatment.

God, I'm really transparent in obsessing over this shit right now. Whatever. Let me send Mummy an email telling her that Nurse Bridget is thinking of her. Hospitals, mang. What can ya do?

Timelies all!

Sue, I understand about cats not recognizing the time change. Got up before 6 because Her Royal Furriness was scratching and meowing at the door.

Our latest book share is Hugo Cabret. It's beautiful to look at and written exactly at Franny's level. She described it the other day, tears running down her face, "this book is creepy and sad and a little bit scary, but it's beautiful." For a book, that's pretty much a home run, right?

Aww, I love to hear that. Discovering a good book at that age is pretty magical. FYI, the author (Brian Selznick) has a new book that just came out a month or two ago, if you need holiday gift ideas...