Norlins

My hotel is at the corner of Bourbon and Canal St. and I have to say, I haven't had an opportunity to do any extensive exploration, but I'm disappointed so far. It's incredibly tacky around here, nothing but CVS, McDonald's, store selling junky tourist crap, and yes, strip clubs. Not the New Orleans  I expected at all. I'm sure I'm just in the wrong place.

Anyway, everybody here thinks like I do, which means so far I don't have a lot of revelations for you. But I will say this -- modern medicine is very complicated and it is legitimately difficult for doctors and patients to get on common ground, understand what's important from each other's perspective, and understand each other's explanatory models and reasons for feeling how they feel. And yes, doctors do have feelings -- yes they mostly do care about their patients but not necessarily in a good way from the patients' point of view, because they take it personally when people don't do what they want. Also, when that happens, they usually don't try to find out why.

I'll have more to say soon. At least it's stopped raining.