Master and Commander

Greetings from North Tulsa, a.k.a, Anchorage, Alaska.  A fairly decent day...started out partly cloudy but we've now had a couple of evening showers.  A tad warmer though...the low 60's.

Just had another reminder of why I want out of this state.  The political season is heating up.  Our incumbent Republican Senator, Lisa Murkowski, is running her first set of ads.  She's running against President Obama - voted against health care reform, financial reform, and everything else that damn socialist and the other DEMOCRATS have proposed.  She's particularly supportive of small business by the way, although she just participated in the filibuster of the small business tax relief bill.  I can't remember the last time I heard so much stupidity crammed into 60 seconds.

But that's not the funny part.  The funny part is her tea party opponent - graduate of West Point, war hero, constitutionalist- the REAL conservative.  Some Outside outfit is funding the ads and this is their number one race.  They are very good ads and I have no doubt they will get some traction here in Palinburg.  Bet these ads are running constantly on FOX.

Poor Alaska.  Living in Juneau it's easy to forget how savage this state has become.  I am now reminded.

My work here is done.  Let them stew in their own crapulence. I want out.

On a more positive note, dad did quite well today.  He seems particularly fond of his physical therapist and occupational therapist.  I have been diligent in pointing out to him that success with these two are what will get us home.  I believe he understands.  He's especially attentive to the occupational therapist - a delightful late 20 something gal with a most lyrical and comforting Jamaican accent.  She's great - as is the physical therapist.  They both seem taken with the ol' coot who was extremely amusing and charming with them. Both gave me instructions on weekend therapy and I'm curious to see if the ol' boy will be as cooperative with me as he was with them.

Parenthetically, I note that the RNs and CNAs at both Prov and St. Elias seem to be, based on my limited observations, largely the product of the University of Alaska system.  Cool!  On the other hand, the dieticians, occupational therapists and physical therapists seem to be contract employees from out-of-state.  At St. Elias dad's dietician is from New Mexico, his occupational therapist from New Jersey, and his physical therapist from Nebraska.  All have been here since January and all are leaving in a couple of weeks.  All the contract employees at St. Elias strike me as first rate.  I know Juneau needs all three of these specialties and have been lobbying furiously.  Not going to happen me thinks...

Tomorrow morning I will meet my landlord at the airport where he will give me a suitcase with my mail, some of dad's medical supplies, a razor, and a loaf of pumpkin bread.  I am counting on the pumpkin bread to assist me with obtaining dad's cooperation with the aforementioned therapy.

And tomorrow afternoon I expect to see my cousin, Brock, and his family.  Dad is now alert enough to entertain visitors and afterwards I'll take Brock and his family to supper.

Finally, I just finished Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian.  The first in the long series of Napoleonic War/War of 1812 seafaring adventures of the Royal Navy's Jack Aubrey and his ship's surgeon Stephen Maturin.  Good fun!  But there are twenty volumes to the series and god help me if I have time to read them all before we can go home!

So there you have it!  Have a good weekend everyone.