I apologize to our on-line readers for the delay in uploading articles and pictures to The Citizen's Web site this week. My normal upload day, Friday, turned out to be a busy one here for a variety of reasons.

I spent part of the day at my long-awaited appointment with the orthopedic surgeon, whom I have not seen since I left the hospital six weeks or so ago.

I like this doctor. He is a young puppy, but has very impressive credentials. I have a tendency not to get along with some doctors because they can be very arrogant and not properly respectful of my time or intelligence. Arrogance is not necessarily a bad thing. As any number of former assistant district attorneys could tell you, I can do arrogance with the best of them. There is a time and place for this attitude, though, and that generally is not when you are dealing with the people who pay you. At that point you no longer are using arrogance as a tool, you have a personality disorder.

My surgeon is not necessarily a warm and fuzzy guy, but he's not overly arrogant either -- which is saying a lot for someone who is extremely intelligent...and a doctor...and a surgeon. He seems to have a sense of humor and he never, ever makes the dangerous mistake of talking down to me.

Take this exchange from our meeting Friday:

Doctor: How much weight can you put on your leg?

Me (in my best former-attorney style): Well, you didn't want me to put much weight on it at all.

Doctor: I know what I didn't want you to do, but how much weight can you put on it?

Me (busted): I can put my full weight on it.

The bottom line of our little meeting is that you won't be seeing me in The Citizen offices for at least another six weeks. I will continue to work from home, which is the subject of a whole 'nother blog. Meanwhile, I will be following my very talented doctor's orders to the letter...or thereabouts.