...

he sat there, blankly. like ... - just like that - ...

the electroencephalograph would actually show long, slow delta wave frequencies. lazy and passively undulating. stage IV sleep type stuff - not so much idle and non-thinking as comatose and non-living. the neurologist would actually pull the electrodes off the scalp, bring them to six or so inches in front of his face to examine quizzically. he'd look at them while turning them back and forth, side to side, like a jeweler turns an examined gem and actually blow on them once or twice. then, not satisfied, he'd shake them vigorously before bringing them, the electrodes, to his ear like one does a broken watch. all before reconnecting them to the patient's lousy scalp.

the celtics were being shellacked in the nba playoffs.

he had unfortunately gotten to this point where all had become trivial. it was a bit of a dangerous spot to be in - 'all is pedestrian' became his mantra but he meant more insignificant than just undistinguished and ordinary but 'all is pedestrian' sounded more highfalutin and pompous than any other mantra he had tried out and that was the effect he was after...frankly, so did 'highfalutin and pompous', sound more hf and pompous.