Thursday, March 26, 2009
Day 44 - What's NOT Broken?
I'm in the bedroom on the laptop. Watching a rerun of "Millionaire Matchmaker." Not really a choice. Driven here. By broken things. The keyboard in the office is beyond repair. The 'shift' and 'control' buttons are stuck together with blue raspberry Popsicle juice. So when I hit shift, a third undetermined (to me) function happens. Sometimes the entire page becomes underlined, and other times I'm thrown off the screen I am working on. Rather than clean the keyboard, or purchase a new one, I've become adept at hitting the shift button on the left side of the keyboard. I am now typing with one hand exclusively, and this blog has taken me entirely too long to write. I started writing this on the laptop in the family room, but ended up in my bedroom. After the TV turned off. The 11-year old family room boob tube stays on for about twenty minutes until, without warning, the screen goes completely black. I would be watching one of the chick flicks I checked out of the library in my bedroom, but I can't. Damn player is broken.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Day 43 - Deja vu - Julie, Tim, Toni
Top Picture : March 2006Bottom Picture: March 2009
Damn. I think we all look better now. Julie looks
fresher, Tim appears richer , and I lost my ripcurl. Not bad for the collective stress of three years filled with lawsuits, cancer apprehension, becoming a grandfather, family illness, unemployment, and two preschoolers.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Day 42 - We Can Breathe Again
Poster Boy for Pancreatitis has been released from the hospital.
AMEN!!!! Glory Glory!
After a grueling 20-hour turnaround on the MRI results, my dad was given the all-clear. For now. His film gave evidence of inflammation, so he must retest in 3 weeks, but the doctors did not believe it was cancer.
Which is a darn good thing. At nine-o-clock this morning my mother had him dead, in the ground, and she instantly became a grieving widow with "no joy in her life." Those exact words. Dying is a heart-breaking bitch, so I'm glad we don't have to go through the exercise yet. Joking aside, it was a damn scary agonizing wait and I'm sorry it aged my mother 10 years in one day.
My father is a wonderful man and to have him taken from us right now would lend credence to the saying "only the good die young." He is magnificently smart and kind. The man has had enough health problems in the last 11 years. To spare him any other maladies (isn't pulmonary fibrosis enough?) is the right thing to do.
"Leave him alone," my mom said. "Leave him alone."
Amen.
AMEN!!!! Glory Glory!
After a grueling 20-hour turnaround on the MRI results, my dad was given the all-clear. For now. His film gave evidence of inflammation, so he must retest in 3 weeks, but the doctors did not believe it was cancer.
Which is a darn good thing. At nine-o-clock this morning my mother had him dead, in the ground, and she instantly became a grieving widow with "no joy in her life." Those exact words. Dying is a heart-breaking bitch, so I'm glad we don't have to go through the exercise yet. Joking aside, it was a damn scary agonizing wait and I'm sorry it aged my mother 10 years in one day.
My father is a wonderful man and to have him taken from us right now would lend credence to the saying "only the good die young." He is magnificently smart and kind. The man has had enough health problems in the last 11 years. To spare him any other maladies (isn't pulmonary fibrosis enough?) is the right thing to do.
"Leave him alone," my mom said. "Leave him alone."
Amen.
Day 42- Cruisin'
The cruise was fantastic. Simply simpatico. There were 12 of us. My family, my mom and dad, my sister Julie and her three kids (her hubby had to work) and my brother Tim and his wife.
Every day played out the same. When we had days at sea, we cornered a dozen deck chairs by the pool and used it as our home base. Some people read, others exercised, and all of us went on food runs. Too many food runs. We took cabs to the ocean in port, and walked to local supermarkets for cerveza that washed down the fish we ate on the beach.
We really lived it up at night, when we met up for dinner at 8:15 p.m. in the ship's dining room. By that time of day, we had all had our fill of sun, beer and wine, and our happy state contributed to the lax dining environment. What that translates into are absolutely atrocious table manners. I cannot even recall how many items were hurled, tossed, or rolled across our gigantic table. One evening my brother flung some mysterious looking beet matter at my mother with a fork. All so that she could figure out what the heck the stuff was.
The only ugly moment I can remember is when my brother told our short mom she looked like our old, dead aunt falling over in her dining chair. Don't tell Mary she looks old. Ever. Or you will pay. For days.
We had fun. So much fun. And I hope all 12 of us can do it again soon.
Thanks mom and dad.
Every day played out the same. When we had days at sea, we cornered a dozen deck chairs by the pool and used it as our home base. Some people read, others exercised, and all of us went on food runs. Too many food runs. We took cabs to the ocean in port, and walked to local supermarkets for cerveza that washed down the fish we ate on the beach.
We really lived it up at night, when we met up for dinner at 8:15 p.m. in the ship's dining room. By that time of day, we had all had our fill of sun, beer and wine, and our happy state contributed to the lax dining environment. What that translates into are absolutely atrocious table manners. I cannot even recall how many items were hurled, tossed, or rolled across our gigantic table. One evening my brother flung some mysterious looking beet matter at my mother with a fork. All so that she could figure out what the heck the stuff was.
The only ugly moment I can remember is when my brother told our short mom she looked like our old, dead aunt falling over in her dining chair. Don't tell Mary she looks old. Ever. Or you will pay. For days.
We had fun. So much fun. And I hope all 12 of us can do it again soon.
Thanks mom and dad.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Enjoy this brief intermission....
HELLO READERS! I am back. Sort of.
The cruise was splendiferous. But I must resume blogging tomorrow.
You see, my mind is elsewhere. My father is in the hospital. Suffering from pancreatitis. That is a condition caused by too much drink in a short about of time. Hmm.... like a cruise? While in the shop, they found a growth on his pancreas. We are currently awaiting results from the MRI.
I have so much to share. Lots of pics, and good times.
Stay tuned.....
The cruise was splendiferous. But I must resume blogging tomorrow.
You see, my mind is elsewhere. My father is in the hospital. Suffering from pancreatitis. That is a condition caused by too much drink in a short about of time. Hmm.... like a cruise? While in the shop, they found a growth on his pancreas. We are currently awaiting results from the MRI.
I have so much to share. Lots of pics, and good times.
Stay tuned.....
Friday, March 13, 2009
Day 41 - Over and Out....
This will be my last post for a week. The ship sails tomorrow. I vowed to blog every day for a year, but I can't get wireless for the laptop.
So, it's goodbye for now. Don't cry- the distance will make our hearts grow fonder. :)
So, it's goodbye for now. Don't cry- the distance will make our hearts grow fonder. :)
Day 41 - Ears The Story
Peridot studs, if you please.
Piercing Pagoda is still alive and kicking. Did you know that? I visited the kiosk when I was a baby child of 4, so it was only fitting that
Nora get pierced there as well. But, times have changed. We did her tongue. Even with the promise of dolphin or monkey earrings, Maggie opted out of the whole deal. Here are the live action shots. Only they are not so live action because I'm a real tard with the photo editing.
Piercing Pagoda is still alive and kicking. Did you know that? I visited the kiosk when I was a baby child of 4, so it was only fitting that
Nora get pierced there as well. But, times have changed. We did her tongue. Even with the promise of dolphin or monkey earrings, Maggie opted out of the whole deal. Here are the live action shots. Only they are not so live action because I'm a real tard with the photo editing.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)