As the tension mounts to the conclusion, things involve…well, more tension. Thomas becomes more and more reliant on drugs due to lack of sleep and excuses for stress. He continues to sleep with his assistant, Doris, and spends extended hours at the hospital to ‘try to get work done’.
He’s not fooling anybody.
Several of his medical assistants are remarking his increasing irritability and tremor…making surgery questionable. I mean, if a guy with really shaky hands did a cardiac bypass on you, your heart would look like chopped beef. Okay, maybe not that extreme. But the point is that the drug addiction is not only affecting Thomas’ love life, but also his career.
As for Cassi, she continues to struggle with depression and concern of her husband spiraling behavior. But, when Robert excitedly finds another SSD case, Cassi is eager to find out more about it with him. This growing epidemic of unidentified deaths following surgery is becoming more and more of a suspicion…
We also get a clue (as if we didn’t already know) that George and Ballantine are behind these deaths : at two in the morning, George’s car is in the hospital parking garage and the light is on in Ballantine’s office…at two in the morning…hmm…
so the whole development of this story’s plot has pretty much run its course if I already know who the culprits are. I mean, is there anything left to say? Or can they just catch the guys and get it over with. Well, I’m sure some justice will come out of the last chapter that’s left. Otherwise I will be thoroughly disappointed.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
okay. now growing up is really scaring me…
Exiting Thomas’ office, Cassi returns to her own desk and sees a few psych patients of hers. The feeling that is repeated by her patients is that they feel ‘hopeless’. Hopeless in the sense that they’ve lived what they could live through and they’ve tried everything to be happy, but its just never clicked for them. Then Cassi’s friend Joan walks in and Cassi breaks down, weeping about her failing marriage and her feelings of ‘hopelessness’…hmm…sound familiar? This freaks Cassi out that she feels the same way as her patients. I mean, I think we all would be a bit concerned if we could relate to psych patients…
Anyhow, Cassi returns home alone after a long day at work…slash dealing with emotion…and relaxes and eats dinner, feeling all teared-out, like all emotion and excitement had been flushed from her system when she opened up to Joan that afternoon. Nonetheless, she still has the strength to search Thomas’ study for more pills and behold: two more kinds of pills. great. Thomas really does have a problem. But so does Cassi when Patricia bursts into Thomas’ study demanding why she’s creeping around her son’s room…
Back at the hospital, Thomas sleeps with another woman to ‘relieve stress’…with the daughter of one of his former patients.
eew.
Thomas is becoming more and more corrupted and disturbing as the book continues…and it kind of reminds me of a very severe case of mid-life crisis…
although if it wasn’t severe…and this is and example of a normal mid-life crisis…
okay.
Now growing up is really scaring me…
Anyhow, Cassi returns home alone after a long day at work…slash dealing with emotion…and relaxes and eats dinner, feeling all teared-out, like all emotion and excitement had been flushed from her system when she opened up to Joan that afternoon. Nonetheless, she still has the strength to search Thomas’ study for more pills and behold: two more kinds of pills. great. Thomas really does have a problem. But so does Cassi when Patricia bursts into Thomas’ study demanding why she’s creeping around her son’s room…
Back at the hospital, Thomas sleeps with another woman to ‘relieve stress’…with the daughter of one of his former patients.
eew.
Thomas is becoming more and more corrupted and disturbing as the book continues…and it kind of reminds me of a very severe case of mid-life crisis…
although if it wasn’t severe…and this is and example of a normal mid-life crisis…
okay.
Now growing up is really scaring me…
Doris is creepy that way…
…and the drama increases along with the marital tension! Thomas is perpetually enraged at this point in the novel. His wife has been snooping on him, and it doesn’t help that Robert, Cassi’s friend from pathology showed up to the surgical meeting and started talking about the patients he’s been finding that seem to have no cause of death…personally, I think Thomas’ anger towards Robert is more of a “my wife tells you everything” deal instead of actual resentment for Robert’s work.
*Pop!*
The plot jumps to Cassi who is at an ophthalmologist appointment about her eye. Her condition has worsened and the doctor strongly encourages Cassi to get the surgery. Cassi agrees, but says she has to talk to Thomas, who has been giving her the silent treatment very effectively since the incident involving Patricia...
So before confirming the surgery, Cassi takes a deep breath and confronts Thomas about the issue at the hospital. He, still being angry, tells her that its an inappropriate time to talk about personal issues when they’re both on call... a.k.a Thomas is just a fed-up guy who exerts his anger on his wife, forcing him to rely on more pills while simultaneously forcing Cassi to rely on herself for comfort. That’s just wrong. Ugh. Yet another reason why drugs are bad!!
Cassi then leaves for home, obviously upset, alone, and afraid of losing her life partner’s care at a time concerning her life-altering condition. As Cassi walks out, Doris pretends to type…as if she really wasn’t eavesdropping on their conversation through the door. I bet she loves it. Taking in information about the wife of the guy she’s sleeping with.
Doris is creepy that way…
*Pop!*
The plot jumps to Cassi who is at an ophthalmologist appointment about her eye. Her condition has worsened and the doctor strongly encourages Cassi to get the surgery. Cassi agrees, but says she has to talk to Thomas, who has been giving her the silent treatment very effectively since the incident involving Patricia...
So before confirming the surgery, Cassi takes a deep breath and confronts Thomas about the issue at the hospital. He, still being angry, tells her that its an inappropriate time to talk about personal issues when they’re both on call... a.k.a Thomas is just a fed-up guy who exerts his anger on his wife, forcing him to rely on more pills while simultaneously forcing Cassi to rely on herself for comfort. That’s just wrong. Ugh. Yet another reason why drugs are bad!!
Cassi then leaves for home, obviously upset, alone, and afraid of losing her life partner’s care at a time concerning her life-altering condition. As Cassi walks out, Doris pretends to type…as if she really wasn’t eavesdropping on their conversation through the door. I bet she loves it. Taking in information about the wife of the guy she’s sleeping with.
Doris is creepy that way…
Monday, January 5, 2009
‘tragedy’ as in Shakespeare terms.
Since Cassi found out about Thomas’ addiction, she decides to talk to Patricia (Thomas’ mother) about it. For some reason she thinks Thomas would listen to his mother rather than his wife…
Anyhow, Patricia initially rejects the idea of her perfect little self-motivated boy being drug reliant, and immediately spits back information about the couple’s love life. This bothers Cassi that Thomas would share these things with his mother, but Cassi continues with her story. Patricia then loosens up a bit and listens to Cassi’s concerns. After a while in Patricia’s part of the house…the garage…Cassi then leaves. Fed up with her mother-in-law. The most excellent part is that as soon as Cassi leaves, Patricia calls Thomas and tells him about Cassi’s visit and her new suspicions.
Back at the hospital, George and Thomas ‘make up’ after their little outburst-fest…and then Thomas gets the call from his mother and is once again, very livid. He goes into a rage and is upset and insecure, then we get an inside glimpse into his life: Thomas drives to Doris’ (his secretary) house and…they…yeah. Denial then envelops Thomas because apparently this affair confirms that his relationship with Cassi isn’t his fault, but hers. And Thomas spirals downward…
This reminds me of ‘tragedy’ as in Shakespeare terms. Because we already have a tragic flaw in the main character, and a ‘fool’ (Cassi) who knows the answers to the problems which makes sense because she’s the psychiatrist. Yay! So maybe this medical thriller is going to end with the death of everybody in the hospital. Except for George.
Anyhow, Patricia initially rejects the idea of her perfect little self-motivated boy being drug reliant, and immediately spits back information about the couple’s love life. This bothers Cassi that Thomas would share these things with his mother, but Cassi continues with her story. Patricia then loosens up a bit and listens to Cassi’s concerns. After a while in Patricia’s part of the house…the garage…Cassi then leaves. Fed up with her mother-in-law. The most excellent part is that as soon as Cassi leaves, Patricia calls Thomas and tells him about Cassi’s visit and her new suspicions.
Back at the hospital, George and Thomas ‘make up’ after their little outburst-fest…and then Thomas gets the call from his mother and is once again, very livid. He goes into a rage and is upset and insecure, then we get an inside glimpse into his life: Thomas drives to Doris’ (his secretary) house and…they…yeah. Denial then envelops Thomas because apparently this affair confirms that his relationship with Cassi isn’t his fault, but hers. And Thomas spirals downward…
This reminds me of ‘tragedy’ as in Shakespeare terms. Because we already have a tragic flaw in the main character, and a ‘fool’ (Cassi) who knows the answers to the problems which makes sense because she’s the psychiatrist. Yay! So maybe this medical thriller is going to end with the death of everybody in the hospital. Except for George.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Thomas freaks out.
As I continued reading Godplayer, new developments both in the relationship of Thomas and Cassi, and in the medical scandal occurred:
After an evening of drama and worry, Cassi decides to confirm her suspicions of Thomas’ drug abuse. So, the next morning, after Thomas leaves for work, Cassi enters his study and takes a look around. The medicine cabinet is clean, but she finds an orange pill on the floor, one Thomas had dropped that very morning. Cassi found the pill to be Dexedrine, potentially harmless but easily abused. Though she tries to convince herself that its nothing to worry about, Cassi then goes to Patricia, Thomas’ mother, to talk about an intervention.
At the hospital, Thomas and George give their grand rounds. Much to Thomas’ distaste, George presents a cardiac case in which the patient has AIDS. This is an outrage to Thomas because it is another OR bed being taken by a patient who will most likely die, while Thomas has a line of people who are perfectly healthy aside from their cardiac condition requiring surgery.
Thomas freaks out.
After grand rounds, Thomas confronts George about this, and almost beats him up he’s so angry. Leftover from the drinking an pills the night before, Thomas’ headache gets worse and has to leave…after he leaves, however, George and Ballantine have a secret conversation…something about George noticing Thomas’ strange behavior lately…they then wonder if Thomas suspects anything…
hmm…
After an evening of drama and worry, Cassi decides to confirm her suspicions of Thomas’ drug abuse. So, the next morning, after Thomas leaves for work, Cassi enters his study and takes a look around. The medicine cabinet is clean, but she finds an orange pill on the floor, one Thomas had dropped that very morning. Cassi found the pill to be Dexedrine, potentially harmless but easily abused. Though she tries to convince herself that its nothing to worry about, Cassi then goes to Patricia, Thomas’ mother, to talk about an intervention.
At the hospital, Thomas and George give their grand rounds. Much to Thomas’ distaste, George presents a cardiac case in which the patient has AIDS. This is an outrage to Thomas because it is another OR bed being taken by a patient who will most likely die, while Thomas has a line of people who are perfectly healthy aside from their cardiac condition requiring surgery.
Thomas freaks out.
After grand rounds, Thomas confronts George about this, and almost beats him up he’s so angry. Leftover from the drinking an pills the night before, Thomas’ headache gets worse and has to leave…after he leaves, however, George and Ballantine have a secret conversation…something about George noticing Thomas’ strange behavior lately…they then wonder if Thomas suspects anything…
hmm…
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Tragically…Like the Titanic.
While I continued reading Godplayer by Robin Cook, I got a glimpse into Cassi and Thomas’ home life. They live in an extravagant home 40 minutes away from the hospital. Thomas’ mother lives in the guest room above the garage, which is separate from the rather large house.
Thomas’ mother drives him nuts. She complains like an old rich lady (which is pretty much what she is) and treats the housekeeper poorly.
At dinner, (the same evening) Thomas is so enraged by his mother (who blatantly pointed out that he used to have a clubfoot) that he storms off to his study, grabs a scotch and takes two pills…a ritual that has become routine in the past few months. Cassi, left alone at the dinner table with her mother-in-law, is worried. She’d seen Thomas do this before. Once she does go upstairs to check on him, he is slightly off-kilter and has slurred speech--also episodes that she had been trying to ignore. She coaxes him to go to bed with her because he looked tired and stressed…but before he joins her, he takes yet another pill...oh dear.
The rest of the evening doesn’t need to be described in detail. I’ll just say their relationship isn’t what it used to be.
This drug addiction that is introduced in this portion of the book gives us a new view of the main relationship of the novel. Not only is Thomas arrogant and short-tempered, but he also relies on pills and alcohol to calm himself down. Once Cassi finds out, her fears of being left will most likely resurface…all in all, this relationship is headed downward…tragically…like the Titanic.
Thomas’ mother drives him nuts. She complains like an old rich lady (which is pretty much what she is) and treats the housekeeper poorly.
At dinner, (the same evening) Thomas is so enraged by his mother (who blatantly pointed out that he used to have a clubfoot) that he storms off to his study, grabs a scotch and takes two pills…a ritual that has become routine in the past few months. Cassi, left alone at the dinner table with her mother-in-law, is worried. She’d seen Thomas do this before. Once she does go upstairs to check on him, he is slightly off-kilter and has slurred speech--also episodes that she had been trying to ignore. She coaxes him to go to bed with her because he looked tired and stressed…but before he joins her, he takes yet another pill...oh dear.
The rest of the evening doesn’t need to be described in detail. I’ll just say their relationship isn’t what it used to be.
This drug addiction that is introduced in this portion of the book gives us a new view of the main relationship of the novel. Not only is Thomas arrogant and short-tempered, but he also relies on pills and alcohol to calm himself down. Once Cassi finds out, her fears of being left will most likely resurface…all in all, this relationship is headed downward…tragically…like the Titanic.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Research Topic
Question: Should euthanasia be a choice between a patient and his/her doctor based on the patient’s condition, or should it be controlled by the government uniformly?
Source 1:
Wolfe, Warren. “Choosing Death: Assisted Suicide_ _Three Lives, Three Journeys.” Star Tribune 27 Feb. 1994, pp. 1A+ . www.startribune.com.
This source provided specific examples of how doctors, in some cases let patients who are dying die, and provide no effort to ease their pain. This contributes to my topic because some would argue that it is the fault of some doctors that patients ask to be lethally injected, making the suffering argument invalid on the opposing side.
Source 2:
Worsnop, Richard L. “Assisted Suicide.” CQ Researcher Feb 1992: 147-163. SIRS Researcher. SIRS Knowledge Source. Edina High School. 8 Dec. 2008 http://www.sirs.com.
This article discusses the motives for providing assisted suicide. Sympathy for the patient and the debate between the legitimacy of the act are addressed. There have also been votes issued on whether or no the doctor could assist if the patient had six or less months to live. Overall, this article explore different factors of what an assisted suicide timeline would look like, and the decisions that are able to be made based on the patient’s condition.
Source 1:
Wolfe, Warren. “Choosing Death: Assisted Suicide_ _Three Lives, Three Journeys.” Star Tribune 27 Feb. 1994, pp. 1A+ . www.startribune.com.
This source provided specific examples of how doctors, in some cases let patients who are dying die, and provide no effort to ease their pain. This contributes to my topic because some would argue that it is the fault of some doctors that patients ask to be lethally injected, making the suffering argument invalid on the opposing side.
Source 2:
Worsnop, Richard L. “Assisted Suicide.” CQ Researcher Feb 1992: 147-163. SIRS Researcher. SIRS Knowledge Source. Edina High School. 8 Dec. 2008 http://www.sirs.com.
This article discusses the motives for providing assisted suicide. Sympathy for the patient and the debate between the legitimacy of the act are addressed. There have also been votes issued on whether or no the doctor could assist if the patient had six or less months to live. Overall, this article explore different factors of what an assisted suicide timeline would look like, and the decisions that are able to be made based on the patient’s condition.
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