everything is going as planned

There have been some interesting developments in my life as of late, Mr. Gregory. While the trip home went fine, I was almost sure the weather/otherwise-stained mattress was going to fly off at any point. a few hours outside of des moines, IA, my mother locked the keys in the car, as well. in her purse. which is fine. it all made for an interesting ride home.

upon arriving home, I checked my e-mail to find a bill from my former roomate, an unspeakably large telephone bill, for calls made to the ever-expansive waistline of our hemisphere, specifically the mountainous capital-city of Quito, in Ecuador. I'm currently slaving, Mr. Gregory, in father's office to pay off said bills. I may break the zero-threshold and have some money for my trip down there to our little cousin continent. That is, if luck is on my side, and it seems it surely is, it surely has been for awhile.

If that weren't enough, Mr. Gregory, I've received advisement from an old orthopedic-surgeon acquaintance that I cancel my plans for said odyssey next year due to a certain torn ACL-muscle in my right knee. Although he's not sure that it's an ACL tear, Mr. Gregory, he explicitly said, and I quote, "If I had 10 chips in life, I would throw 9 of them in on this being a torn-ACL. I would throw the 10th one in if...(mumbling/misunderstanding on my part)". He said something about throwing 1/4th of the 10th chip in if it were divisible...one can't divide such chips so eeeasily, now, can one, Mr. Gregory?

It was quite a performance by the old Doctor. He went on to tell me I would be risking having to take on a series of knee-surgeries and/or replacements and possibly be plagued by early arthritis in my youth by post-poning said surgery. He inquired, exhaustedly, keeping up the performance that has perhaps beefed his income in the past, if it were possible to cancel said trip in favor of surgery and three-month rehabilitation.

Oh, and you know me by now, Mr. Gregory. I assured him it was certainly not possible. There was simply too much at stake, on too many a plain.

Unfortunately, Mr. Gregory, the history of this doctor fellow and I is certainly not over. It has, indeed, only begun. I may have one this first battle, but the doctor has my good health at his disposal. Blasted Doctor and his arsenal! I am to have an MRI tomorrow evening, 10:00 pm sharp, and I can expect you, Mr. Gregory? Or will you be up to more of the same?

In any case, seems things have been going swimmingly, giving me a real love for life.

Hopefully everything will continue going as planned,

X_____________