It's easy to find positive thoughts when you know where to look

Tomorrow morning I'll start a series of ECT treatments. It's an out-patient procedure, two to three times a week. They tell me that it won't hurt and I believe them. They say that there might some temporary memory loss and I'll say, of course, "What memory loss?"

Today I've had two calls from the hospital, telling me to report at two different offices and at different times. The doctors are still trying to locate the lab results of the tests that I had last Friday. My definition of bad bureaucracy is that climate in the workplace that causes good, well-intentioned, smart people to do bad or stupid things.

I was told a long time ago about the power of a gratitude list. At its most simple, it's a list of the people and fortunes which I'm grateful. Even on my worst days, I can easily fill a page. I have many blessing, near and far.

In the meantime, the world out there goes along its mega-goofy ways:

• Britney Spears kicked her husband to the curb by way of a Blackberry text message.
• One can get a technical writing job working in on Asset-Forfeiture and Money-Laundering projects.
  
• OK, bring in the violins: a Hell's Angel is feeling bad because the Angels have been ruled a criminal organization (organisation?) in Canada.
• A Wisconsin legislator has a novel idea to protect students against armed assaults - arm the teachers. A high-school physics teacher of mine used to throw chalk at the wiseguys sleeping in the back of the room. How much more interesting would it be if he carried a 9mm?

I'll write as best as I can during the coming weeks.