In Eckleburg's Eyes - 4/16/2008

I spent Tuesday night with JTH and his family as his mother recovered from knee replacement surgery.

Our initial assignment was to secure supper for CEH (aka “Homer”) as he hates hospital food. (Who doesn’t?) We first tried one of Homer’s favorites - the Original Freezo since we were in north Knoxville. They were not open though as they open and close the establishment on a whim.

We then went nearby Aladdin’s Time-Out Market & Deli (1428 N. Central Avenue). Before getting our food, I knew it would be good due to my keen powers of observation. First, there was a sign promoting Tennessee Mountain Wrestling by the front door. Second, there was a grabbie machine in the store. I surmized that a dump like this must serve good food! I was correct. My ribeye steak sandwich was superb and Homer liked his hoagie as well.

We then went to St. Mary’s Hospital. It is the most poorly mapped out hospital in human history. I have long said that it would be a great venue for hide and go seek with the rules being the person hiding had to give the seeker her room number. It would still be difficult.

I was, however, very reassured as I walked in the building. There was a statue of Jesus on the outside of the building and immediately upon entering the doors, the visitor is met by a picture of Peyton Manning & a nun. (He did ads locally for the hospital from 1999-2002.) If Jesus and Peyton Manning cannot help you, no one can.

After a mild detour, we found KTH in Room T318. The room was huge, with not only a bed for her, but Homer as well. He threatened to move her from her bed to the visitor bed as hers had a better view of the televison!

After much coercion, Homer shared his secret for creating the most lubricious wood floors I have ever experienced - Pledge. Yes, he waxes his hardwood floors with furniture polish. Brilliant!

KTH was in great spirits and health. Her last knee replacement surgery was a nightmare as she struggled on OxyContin. After this surgery, she was alert and happy. The surgery she had dreaded for so long had been a relative breeze.

KTH had been well supported throughout the day. Two nuns had prayed with her at different times and minister TSC from our church visited. It sounded like the beginning of joke - two nuns and a Baptist minister enter a room...

While there, we learned that the hospital is on its last legs. An outside company bought both St. Mary's and Baptist Hospital of East Tennessee and merged them on January 1. Baptist will be demolished first when a new $600 million downtown facility is completed. When it is open, St. Mary's too will fall. This process is to take three to five years. The nurses lamented that they would reapply for their positions in what amounts to requesting a transfer. This process made sense to no one. So what does one get when mixing a Baptist and Catholic? Evidently, Mercy as that is the name of new facility.

JTH’s brother CEH and his wife SDSH arrived with food for Homer as well. CEH plans on becoming a chef and begins classes at the Culinary Institute at the University of Tennessee in August. The institute is a 10-month intensive certificate program offered by the Department of Retail, Hospitality and Tourism Management of the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences. It opened in November. The program will run for ten months with classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6-10.

The program has good leadership. The founding director is John Antun, assistant professor of hotel, restaurant and tourism management. He founded a similar program at the University of South Carolina. Antun is a certified executive chef with a doctorate in higher education administration and has spent more than 40 years in the hospitality industry. He opened and operated four successful restaurants in the New York metropolitan area. He and other local chefs are the instructors. The brochure can be viwed here.

It was a great visit. When we realized Dancing with the Stars was coming on, that was our cue to leave. I could not watch two days in a row. For the record, Priscilla Presley was voted off.