I've been extremely disappointed in the quality of drug prescribed as pain medication after this surgery. Oh, the drug is fine for decreasing pain, but its only side effect is sleepiness. I have been taking only one of a possible two, but I'm afraid that two will lead only to the side effect described on the label: POSSIBLE DIZZINESS.

I had a bout of dizziness the night I returned from surgery, which resulted in Lyman manhandling me back into the wheeled office chair, and rolling me across the living room and down the hall to the bedroom, where there were only a couple of unsupported steps until I could ease myself into bed. Nothing broke, far as I can tell, but it's not an experience either of us wants to repeat.

Instead of pleasantly spacing out on drugs, I have opened my second-hand copy of James Joyce's Ulysses from Half-Price Books in Dallas. My brother picked this copy out for me because it was prefaced by the court ruling that judged the book was not obscene and should not be banned from the U.S. market. He also said it was the best English translation he could find. (Silly snot. Surely he could have found a better one.) This is my first reading, and I'm doing it cold, without any supporting materials. Which is another reason I am taking frequent naps.

Today I'm going to make myself useful by rolling change, which is falling out of the dishes provided for it on the dresser. One of our sons took a pile of change to one of those machines located in grocery stores and lost $10 on $100. I asked, "Michael, when have you become so well off that it's not worth an hour of your time to make $10?" Neither of these boys grasps that 100 pennies still make a dollar, and dollars aren't all that easy to come by, regardless of how prosperous you are. They'll learn the day they're hungry and 7 cents short of the cost of a Sonic burger. In earlier days, I've turned out every pocket in the house and searched every crevice in the furniture for a nickel. I hope those days are past, but if they aren't, I'm ready.