Night of the Cheesecake

I don't remember if I've already mentioned this in a previous post, but when I came out of sedation, I had definitely lost a few marbles. I stared at my watch and tried, usually without success, to figure out what time it was. I had no idea how to work my cell phone. My neurologist tells me that there had definitely been some oxygen deprivation to the ol' gray matter somewhere along the way. He also predicted that any damage that may have been done will heal eventually, so I'll be left with my old brain, just the way it was. Gee, thanks...big bargain. Chayie and I had an incident that illustrates just how bizarre my brain was functioning when I first got home. Prednisone can cause the glucose levels in your body to go haywire. Consequently, if someone is on it for a prolonged period of time, it is recommended that he check his glucose level a few times a day and give himself Insulin shots if necessary. Naturally, he should avoid foods high in sugar; candy, ice cream, cake, etcetera. I had been behaving quite excellently, not eating any of those verboten foods. Then, about two weeks after I got home, Shavuos arrived. Shavuos is a very cool Jewish holiday, commemorating the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai (the mountain, not the hospital). It's only two days long and makes very few demands. One of the customs of this festive holiday is the eating of dairy products, with an emphasis on cheesecake in particular. Chayie, of course, being the balabusta* that she is, made a few different kinds. I abstained from sampling any of them during the holiday. I was very proud of my willpower; I love cheesecake...who doesn't? One night at about two in the morning, Chayie came down to the kitchen and found me sitting at the table with four or five slices of cheesecake in front of me. These were not little slivers, mind you; these were gezunta** chunks of creamy deliciousness. What are you doing, she wanted to know. Stating the obvious, I said I was gonna eat cheesecake. I explained that I had been so good over the holiday that I was entiltled to a little reward. Chayie said I should pick one piece and eat it, that'll be my reward. When I decided which one I wanted, she promptly chucked the rest in the trash. Somewhere, a cow was crying. Okay, that story was weird enough on its own. Wait till you hear the punchline. Next time Chayie brought up it up, I had no recollection of the incident whatsoever. None. Nada. Zero. Gornisht. Try as I might, the entire episode had apparently been stricken from my memory. Had I been somnambulating? Or perhaps sleepwalking? Or both?? Bottom line is that I don't remember the Night of the Cheesecake ad hayom hazeh***. This was during a period of time during my recovery when I was talking to myself in my sleep rather loudly. I wonder how many of my brain cells met their untimely demise as a result of my induced coma. I wonder, too, if they'll ever be replaced. Right now I notice a marked inability to focus on one particular task for very long. I like Honey-Nut Cherrios, don't you?

*Balabusta=Excellent homemaker, baker, cook, etc.
**Gezuta=Literally, "Healthy" also used to describe a portion that needs to be lifted with a crane.
***Ad Hayom Hazeh=To this very day.