New York State has taken a lot from me over the last few years.  I could start with the sales, school and property taxes we pay or the increased fees we pay for everything from fishing licenses to DMV renewals.  I could highlight the nice trooper who caught me speeding on I-90 this past Summer, a mistake that cost me close to $300 when everything is said and done.  But the worst was this morning when I was called to sacrifice something more valuable, my time.  Every six years the residents of New York State are asked to set aside a week of their life in the service of their community in the form of Jury Duty.  This is a dreadful experience made only worse by the fact that this morning’s call to duty forced me to miss Ryan’s appointment with Dr. Nichter, the man charged with the task of analyzing his brain and helping to control his seizures.

It turns out that Ryan’s appointment was a success! The medication that Dr. Nichter has prescribed has seemed to control the seizure activity and we’ll begin the long process of waiting a year from now to do further tests to see if Ryan has developed beyond this disorder.  That is all very good news.

At the end of the meeting, Dr. Nichter mentioned he’d caught wind of an earlier post on this blog where I mentioned his bow-tie was “clown-like” and he’d like noted that the bow tie he was wearing today was much more subdued.  Had New York State not taken the opportunity away, I would have told him that Ryan seems to be doing much better because of his expertise.  If that level of expertise requires a clown-like bow tie, well so be it.  In fact, the bow tie seems to exude a level of confidence seldom seen.  It’s as if the tie says, “Back off, I know what I’m doing.”  That’s a really refreshing feeling to have.  Perhaps more people should be wearing bow-ties?  I’d like to see a politician or two with one.  Doubtful they’d have the confidence to pull it off.