I have this odd  habit of enjoying my visits to the doctors who come to inhabit the corners of almost every person’s life as they get older.  I’ve complained repeatedly about the tendency of male doctors to obsess on data and rarely bother to talk to me, and yet I keep meeting some male doctors who are extraordinarily nice and empathetic and whom I trust and enjoy.

I’ve shifted my medical doctors to Saratoga, and the doctors attached to their hospital, they are called the Saratoga Hospital Medical Group. They are impressive, professional and have combined to keep this engine running and in tune.

I spent a lot of time talking with Dr. Peter Van der Rief, an ear, nose and throat specialist, about my throat. We also spent a lot of time talking about his 14 year-old geek son, who is, like many geeks, gifted, independent and not all that interested in conventional school curriculums.

I’ve written for Wired Magazine, Rolling Stone and authored a book called “Geeks,” so he and I had a lot to talk about.

People tend to thing of the gaming geeks as being dysfunctional and self-destructive. I think they are one of the most creative and accomplished sub cultures in history, they do things almost no one else can do, and that few, if any adults, comprehend or respect.

The stereotype of the brooding, rebellious and idiosyncratic young computer warrior is deep, and quite often, simply wrong. These are the brilliant kids who grow up to make $125,000 a year when they are 22, and who can live in the most interesting cities in the world in apartments their parents could never afford.

They live in a complex and exciting world of color, decision-making and creativity. In my time, my parents had a full understanding of my culture – it consisted of a portable radio and comic books. We watched the same TV shows, saw the same news.

And we worry about them?

It’s quite different day. Caring and attentive parents like Dr. Van der Riet can only wonder about the world their children live in, and whether they are doing healthy things or not. And whether all that time online is good for them.

The doctor and I had a good talk about it. He told me he appreciated my positive attitude. I appreciated his warmth and care. It was patient-doctor love at first probe.

We also had a good look at my throat, it was a more intensive and uncomfortable process than I wished for, and it will take longer than I thought. I’ve got some fluid to take home and he put me on anti-biotics, he think my trouble might have been sparked by a sinus infection. He took a very close look at my throat.

I told him I’d been having trouble with dryness, coughing, etc. I told him I had a radio show, was doing a podcast, and often gave talks about my books. I need to be able to talk. We had a good talk, he even got to see my voice crack and catch. There are some issues to consider.

So there were tests and I have a special saline solution to inject into my nose, am on anti-biotics and I am once again forced to concede that it is foolish to generalize about people, there are obviously some loving and caring and communicative male doctors.

I met one today. I met another one, an oral surgeon, a few months ago.

My throat is grateful to know him, if these remedies don’t work, we will go onto other things I don’t even want to know about. It’s all about maintenance, I am lucky to have people in life who keep me healthier than I have ever been.

I’m actually looking forward to seeing him again in a couple of weeks. I have a couple of books to bring him. I know I will find my voice and keep it. To me, a doctor who can do that is a maker of miracles.