to 'pepper' fish in a barrel

after ignoring the Cheney incident for several days because i find it infuriating and doubt he will be held to the same laws as the rest of America, i simply must point the way to my two current favorites. first, Felber excellently sums up why the Cheney shooting is 'no big deal.' NB: his comment section is always worth special attention. after that, pop on over to PMI for the newest edition of Keyboard Kommando Komix.

sadly, no new post on Ask Dick Cheney. well, you can't win a trifecta everyday...

something really nice

i just received my evaluations for one of the classes i taught last semester:

-Dr. Whittemore is an excellent lecturer!
-I assume Dr. Whittemore has a removable hard drive hidden somewhere
because she knows too much to physically fit it all in her brain. The only
question is... where is it stored? And where can I get one?
-clearly knows her stuff, and is able to filter it well and help us mere mortals understand stats
-Funny funny funny
-Appreciated info on utilizing stats effectively
-great lecture
-Good current review

i have started a write-up for the NYC trip but all the other stuff is slowing me down. for those interested, the pictures are up and available here.

when life gives you poop

in a startling break from previous luck, my plane got in 20 minutes early which through a strange confluence of events meant i arrived home two hours early.

although some people know of the manmade wrinkles of the past few days, they really aren't worth sharing with 'the group'. the important point is that i really thought we had rounded out a 'three'. i thought that perhaps i would get a day or two to catch up on sleep and make arrangements for my return trip to TN to help go through Grandma's things, arrange for the move, and finish sorting out the nonsense regarding Mom's accident report with the lawyers.

this stroke of good fortune seemed to support that assumption so i was unprepared for the dried sewage all over my bathroom when i arrived home. too tired to deal, i crashed. today i woke up early for a dental filling and now am waiting till i can feel my face so i can eat something. after that, time to tackle the bathroom before my next doctor's appointment.

i think they sell a card on this subject. something to the effect of, 'when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. when life gives you poop, DON'T.'

'uncle'

i thank everyone for the email and text messages. i spent pretty much the whole day on the phone with doctors and in the hospital. Grandma almost made it home but not quite. eventually we headed back home to get ready for a 'birthday celebration'. there was a note that i had been sent a package that the postal service would not leave and that cannot be picked up till after my plane departs. quite a birthday.

i was blessed with dinner at 'the Club' with Bill, Kelly, Mom and Rol. unfortunately, i was so exhausted and disheartened, i really couldn't enjoy it fully but it was wonderful to be together regardless of the circumstances... tomorrow will probably be another full day of hospital time and doctor calls. actually, i anticipate the entire next month will be more of the same, both from CO and on return trips here.

i think i am not going to have birthdays anymore. at all. i haven't the stamina or emotional fortitude for it all...

so here officially i cry 'uncle.'

shoulda, coulda, woulda

[i know i am behind on content but am going to skip the middle for now.]

so i shoulda known.

i woulda if i had given it a moment's thought, but i didn't.

it coulda been obvious to anyone [else].

but its me. and i didn't so there you go. ma calls as i am waiting to disembark the plane for our celebration of life (we aren't calling this the anniversary of almost dying and it isn't really about my birthday) to say they are waiting in the bar and would i like a drink. being an idiot still somehow full of niavete in spite of everything, i say sure and figure they are trying a new approach to waiting for checked bags.

i meet them and say the flight was good. Rol's stomach is upset (this comes out b/c i brought pastries from Long Island-more on that later) and how are you Mom? Rol says, 'well, actually, i am alright but' and does the Johnny Carson hand thing...

long story short- Grandma just admitted to the hospital. nothing critical. just has a blood oxygen saturation incompatible with life. doh. so we have a drink and collect the bags and go to see Grandma at Vanderbilt. somehow not surprised and also amused on varying levels by my true gut level reaction (well, of course she is, it is so 'us').

so Grandma went in for a recheck and was supposed to have pulmonary function testing. but after the nurse took her sats, she said, 'maybe we should go back and talk to Dr. Miller first.' she was running at 88% max at sea level. next thing you know she is in a private room, has had like 12 tests and is on O2 flowby.

her comment--'you know, my vision got a lot better after they gave me my treatment (5 minutes straight O2 if i understand correctly).'

if things go well and the tests don't show anything, she will be transferred to our old friend Stallworth for pulmonary rehab in a few days and will probably also go on chronic O2 supplementation. so far, she is in fairly good spirits though she was a mess initially.

quite humorously, Dr. Miller was surprised by her emotionality, thinking it was unusual for her. when Mom told me that, i had a hard time stopping laughing. my Grandma is many things and being mercurial is one of her specialities!

soon we will be off for a Celebration of Life as today marks the 1 year anniversary of Mom's accident. it should be very affirming though we are uncertain how we will need to change plans now that Grandma is in hospital. watch for pictures and stories!

with love we ask you all to truly enjoy this day. take time to appreciate the little things, to smile at a stranger, to pay someone else's highway toll, to commit a random act of kindness, to call a loved one just to say you care!