Saturday, January 22, 2011

Weekly Link Round-Up-- Counting Down to Blast-Off


This week has been an interesting, busy and eye-rolling experience. I had my first appointment with my oncologist, and I was immediately shipped out for another battery of tests. Denis's GPS was worth its weight in gold because the oncologist-- and the hospital where my surgery is being done-- is clear over on the other side of the Valley of the Sun in Scottsdale.

The hospital? I'd swear someone swapped the sign with the one on the Ritz-Carlton because it's like no hospital I've ever walked into... or been wheeled into. 64 beds, all private rooms, sleeper sofas, no visiting hours, wi-fi, online meal ordering.... I'm not entirely kidding when I say I'm nervous about staying there: I'm afraid someone will take one look at me, yell, "IMPOSTER!" and throw me out! (The plebian in me isn't really comfortable with the vast disparity in the levels of healthcare in this country either.)

I've had to schedule more tests, shake my head over the lack of knowledge of some of the folks answering hospital telephones, and more. All this is leading to the date of my surgery, January 27. I don't know how long I'll be in the hospital because a lot depends on how much whacking the doctor has to do, and just in case I don't feel like getting online, I'll probably have Denis post something to my wall on Facebook for anyone who's also there and wants to know how the surgery turned out.

Whew! Let's get to those links!


Bookish News & Other Fun Stuff
  • People in the UK are facing having many of their libraries closed due to budget cuts, and opposition is springing up in many places, like The Bookseller.
  • Stieg Larsson's partner plans to complete the final Millennium novel. I wish her luck.
  • Steve Hockensmith, author of the excellent Holmes on the Range historical mystery series, has a free copy of one of his short stories available for our e-readers. If you've been meaning to read one of his books and haven't yet, this would be a good opportunity to give his series a trial run.
  • Speaking of Sherlock Holmes, the Conan Doyle estate is having Anthony Horowitz write a new Holmes novel.
  • Famous literary mentorships.
  • Something very rare for me: an ad that I love-- Reading Means Resisting.
  • What happens when a mom unplugs her teenagers for six months?
  • Top Ten dead bodies in literature.
  • A new law in India may put readers in a bind worldwide.
  • Want to walk and read at the same time without falling over anything? There's an app for that!

Blogging & Social Media Tips

Around the Water Cooler in the Book Blogosphere

New to My Google Reader

Hopefully you found a link or two that tickled your fancy.

I may be taking a few days off post surgery, so don't be surprised if there's no round-up for next weekend. Normally I'm a fast healer, so I'm hoping that's not the case!

15 comments:

  1. Cathy - Thanks, as always, for the update. I know exactly what you mean about disparities in levels of health care. I don't like that, either. I'm glad that your hospital is such a fine place, though. Oh, and thanks for the links!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Cathy, I will be thinking about you this coming week! Should I send a gift pack from The Poisoned Pen? LOL

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wow, that hospital isn't like the ones we grew up with. It sounds impressive and I hope you have the very best care there is! I'm sending all good wishes and special prayers for you. Be well! :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I know what you mean about the disparity in health care, but frankly, I'm glad to see you're getting the top of the line stuff. I'm sending positive thoughts your way even though I know all will go well.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Cathy, Will be thinking of you during the next few weeks and sending many good vibes your way. Wow, the hospital sounds wonderful - languish in the luxury lol. We will miss you while you are away but I'm sure Denis will keep us posted.

    ReplyDelete
  6. That hospital does sound a bit on the "fancy" side, but I'm sure you will be well taken care of. Positive thoughts will definitely be coming your way. Don't worry about the blog. Take care of you and we will be here waiting when you return!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I will be thinking of you, and hoping all goes well with the surgery and recovery :)
    That hospital sounds quite something.

    Thanks so much for the link to the Steve Hockensmith story download. My husband loves his books, and is currently downloading the story as I type.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Wow, sounds awful fancy. None of that craziness up here in Canada ;) Or less anyway!! Best of luck and I will be thinking of you.

    ReplyDelete
  9. As always, a wonderful list of links for me to peruse.

    I wish you all the best in these upcoming weeks, Cathy, and I will be giving special thoughts and prayers on Thursday.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Enjoyed the links as always. Good thoughts going your way for a successful outcome and a speedy recovery.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wishing you all the best of luck in the coming couple of weeks, make the most of having somewhere nice and clean to recover in, it will make all the difference.

    Yvonne

    ReplyDelete
  12. The hospital sounds awesome! I've seen good and bad hospitals, but never anything like that. I hope that your care is excellent too and that you recover quickly!

    When I was a teenager I had jaw surgery in a poorly staffed hospital in a large city. There was only one nurse on duty in our wing that night (I don't know if there was a strike going on but I do know there was some issue causing a nursing shortage). When I was having trouble breathing we buzzed the nurse and she told us not to call her again unless I was dying. I thought this was normal for hospital care until my 20s when I had my babies, and then also when my husband had surgery on his arm this past summer. He had excellent care and nurses checking on him all of the time.

    Oh, I almost forgot - thanks for the link to my post!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Good luck Cathy ... the disparity is dreadful, but like others here I'm glad you will be in a comfortable place. I'll be looking out for news ... go well, my friend.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Here's hoping Denis will post something on FB for all of us waiting to hear how you are. I'll certainly appreciate it. I'm sure you will enjoy the comforts of your private room but be out of there quickly. Don't worry - no one will stop looking for your blog whenever you're feeling good enough to come back to us.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Margot-- You're welcome!

    Kay-- Don't be teasing me now! LOL

    Debbie-- Thank you!

    Kathy-- Thanks!

    Barbra-- I hope he will!

    Shelly-- Thanks. I'm honestly not worried about the blog. If I feel like posting, I'll post. If not, I won't! Right now I guess you could say it's all about me! LOL

    TBG-- It does, doesn't it? I'm so glad one of my links came in handy!!

    Amy-- Thanks!

    Molly-- Thank you!

    Leslie-- Thanks!

    Yvonne-- I'm sure it will. :)

    Alyce-- You're welcome! My mother once had a hospital stay in which the place was so short-staffed that she had to keep getting out of her own sick bed to take care of an elderly woman with dementia, among other things. In this hospital, I was told several times that nurses would be checking on me every hour on the hour. Sounds like I'll be holding court and not resting! LOL

    Sue-- Thank you.

    Barbara-- I haven't mentioned it to him yet, but I'm sure he'll do it.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking the time to make a comment. I really appreciate it!