Dear Cyndy,

Thank you for your letter and for your sympathy.
My sister seems to be improving. She is much 
more contented with us than he has ever been. I
very much like having her here. It's like a dream
come true.

I don't think we should be overly critical of 
Tufts Medical Center, which is, after all, Klemens'
bread and butter. Many of their staff are very
intelligent, astute and responsible, but the 
institution as a whole is overwhelmed by cultural,
economic, legal and technical issues beyond its
control. Located in a poverty stricken section of
Boston, a large proportion of its patients are on
welfare or Medicare which pay significantly less
than private insurance. Many of the clerical and
nursing staff are only marginally qualified. The
regulatory requirements are often unrealistic to
the point of being destructive, and few if any
of the patients understand which facets of the
services they receive are essential, and which
are mere ritual. If I were starting out again,
I don't know what I would do, and I am at a loss
what advice to give to Rebekah.

As for myself in the present, I have spent much time
and effort trying to write. I've started to translate 
into English the seventh chapter of my first novel.
In the process of writing, my understanding of
literature has undergone a sea change. I no longer
consider my efforts to be attempts at communication,
but rather as confirmation of my own intellectual
existence. As my memory fades, I spend more and more
of my time reading what I myself have written, 
reassuring me about what I have thought, what I think,
and who I am. The ease with which I can post on the
Internet what I have written, makes the issue of
publication irrelevant, - or reveals it to be what it
has always been: a contest for publicity, in which
for better or worse, I never sought to compete.

As for the lawsuit which I am about to lose,  when I
look at the arguments in detail, I conclude it to be
a sophisticated experiment in ethics and politics, of
much value to me, however it turns out. It shouldn't be
necessary for me to tell you, that plumbing is not the
fulfillment of my heart's desires. I have so much to do
other than the Nantucket plumbing, that in a very real
sense, losing the case will be a relief. I've sent you
the URL for my filings in the case, but I see no reason
why you should bother with them.

Please stay well, give my regards to Ned, and send me
a letter when you have nothing better to occupy your
mind.

Jochen