Pneumonia, driving, tragedy, friends step up

My dry cough persisted for three days in Delaware and Ohio, and my ex-wife insisted I visit the MinuteClinic at CVS Pharmacy. I followed her advice and was diagnosed by the MinuteClinic doctor with pneumonia. It makes sense since the cough was uncomfortable and I've been "under the weather" for a while. The doctor prescribed rest, which is my forte, and gave me six pills. She told me to avoid contact with people for 48 hours so I don't spread the pneumonia. Typhoid Mary ... meet ... Pneumonia John. The doctor also advised me to try to force myself to cough to break up the phlegm. It's been a slog, to be honest. I'm running a mild fever, as if I need to be any warmer, but otherwise I feel pretty much like I usually do -- tired, miserable and angry. The pneumonia didn't alter my schedule in the U.S. and I drove around the northeast, which is one of my least favorite pastimes. I went through Maryland, Washington D.C., Delaware, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New Jersey (right across the Hudson River from New York City). My toughest drive was from Ohio to New Jersey; it took more than 10 hours due to accidents and a thunderstorm as I approached Newark, N.J. 
My lawyer canceled our lunch meeting, which was fine with me because it saved me a drive to Cleveland while in recovery mode. I drove past my house in Yellow Springs, and it looks fine other than the fact it needs a little landscaping love. I arrived in Yellow Springs on the downside of pneumonia, but folks were understandably concerned that they could catch pneumonia from me (WMP -- White Monkey Pneumonia). They could. And unlike some folks, I believe in full disclosure.
The internet wasn't working at my motel, which in a way was nice, but I had to go into town and use free WiFi at the coffee shops to talk with my wife and see my daughter on Skype. I met the fiance of one of my sons, and she's beautiful, bright and engaging. I'm so happy for both of them.

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I was in Columbus, Ohio, at my friend John's when the mass shooting took place in Dayton, Ohio. John recently moved from Dayton, and I would stay at his place there when I visited in the past. I saw the news early in the morning on a friend's Facebook post, and I woke John up. It's difficult to describe the emotions you feel when you hear news like this -- shock, sadness, anger at the situation, and eventually hope. My sincerest sympathies to all the victims, their families and friends.
The U.S. needs larges doses of hope at this time. People seem divided along racial lines, political lines, religious lines, and financial lines.

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Phuong and I are optimistic about her chances to get a visa to come to the United States. I am slightly less enthusiastic about going "home" given the state of the nation and its leadership, but I know our daughter would be more comfortable in the U.S. because she primarily speaks English and it's not as hot as it is in Vietnam.

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 I understand people are nice and creepy everywhere -- they were especially creepy behind the wheel of a car in New York and New Jersey, honking at you as soon as the red light you were stopped at turned green, or honking at you if you actually stopped at a stop sign, or honking at you when you slowed down on very narrow and crowded streets to look for a parking space. But I found that most of the people, especially in Ohio, were very friendly and polite. It's the same in Vietnam -- I've encountered the wonderful and the weird.

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I'm finishing up the U.S. visit at my brother's house in Purcellville, Virginia, relaxing, losing to my brother in tennis and getting my health back. I want to thank all the people who took the time to see me and help me recover, the people who gave me a place to stay, and the people who were just plain nice and accommodating. There's Ron, Andy, Jane, Tommy, John, Robyn, Lynda, Fred, Candace, Jack, Iris, Tom. Thanks for the food, the place to stay and for being good humans. If I left anyone out, I apologize. You know who you are and what you've done. Thanks one more time. And of course I can't wait to get back to Vietnam to see my incredible wife Phuong and daughter Joanna, the people who bring joy not just to me, but to everyone around them.