sinanju | The Story So Far...

4 a.m., Saturday Got up, showered, dressed, got in the car. Drove to the airport. My lovely and talented wife

snippy took me inside, we got my boarding passes, and I headed thru security while she went home again.

6:40 a.m. United Airlines flight to Chicago took off. I spent most of the flight dozing, not really asleep but not awake either.

1 p.m. (Chicago time) arrive in Chicago. Found out what gate my connecting flight would depart from, then got lunch at Manchu Wok. Not great, but not bad. Waited and read The Impossible Virgin by Peter O'Donnell for the umpteenth time.

2:40 p.m. (Chicago time) Took off for Baltimore-Washington Airport.

5:00 p.m. (Baltimore time) arrived at BWI. Took a shuttle to the rental car facility, rented the car reserved for me by

snippy. Hit the road for the four hour drive to Lynchburg. Getting from BWI to the Washington beltway took a good while, as did driving round the beltway to 66 West. Bumper to bumper traffic as far as the eye could see for much of the trip, and this at 6 on a Saturday evening. A powerful reminder of one of the reasons I left the NoVA/DC area.

Once I hit Highway 29 South, I flew. Despite the slow start, I averaged about 50 mph for the 200 mile trip. So, yeah, at times I was driving at, uh, well above the posted speed limit. It's been a long time since I drove 29 S at night. Rounding curves and popping over hilltops with just the reflectors on the road and the headlights--and the occasion red tail lights ahead of me til I passed them--to light the way. Listening to the radio and changing stations as I got out of range of one or the other.

Got to the hospital about 9:30, just enough time to see my dad for a few minutes before they gave him a sleeping med and various other ritual indignities for the night before surgery. Then I and my mother, sister and one brother left to sleep (sort of) in a hotel until...

5 a.m. (local time) when we woke up, shuffled around like sleep-deprived zombies for a while, then returned to the hospital. Spent an hour and a half or so with dad before they came to wheel him down to surgery. We settled into the surgical waiting area. They said it would be a minimum of six hours surgery, so I don't expect to see dad until late this afternoon at the earliest. So...we're waiting. And I'm posting to my journal(s).