Now I know what a ping pong ball in a Rube Goldberg device feels like

Three hours at the hospital this morning for pre-op stuff. Insurance, anesthesia, pharmacy. blood draw, urine sample. Then 1.5 hours of What To Expect After the Surgery, which would have been fine if two of the other joint replacement patients hadn't been complete Entitled Snowflakes.

The one next to me (left hip, Monday), kept bleating "I'm allergic to codeine!". Yeah, lady, so am I. I told the pharmacy nurse and the anesthesiology nurse and they made notes and it's OK. Why did you feel the need to bring it up with every person that came in to talk to us? The physical therapist? Really?

The one to the right of me (left hip, Wednesday, and coincidentally the only man having surgery in this bunch), kept muttering "Well, my wife is an RN. And MY doctor said.." You know what? My BROTHER is a DOCTOR and while he's a great family practitioner, he's not a surgeon. Yeah, he and his wife (an RN, buddy), have given me some great tips. But I'm here to listen to what the hospital nurses have to say. Since they, you know, specialize in this stuff. Please, both of you, quit interrupting every two sentences to ask questions they're going to answer in a few mintues! Lord love a duck, they were annoying.

Then I had to wait for 30 minutes for the X-ray tech to come down and shoot film of my chest. I treated myself to lunch at Central Market afterward. With cake.

That's over and I have to be there at 7am Tuesday. Apparently, like flying, you have to be at surgery 2 hours early. The Amazing Sister-in-Law will wait for me with my computer and my iPod and my books so I don't go insane for the 2.5 days I plan on being in the hospital. Feel free to call me starting Wednesday morning and if you're in the neighborhood feel free to stop by.

I do have a show in Burnet tomorrow and Saturday, then I get to see nwhepcat ! Whee!