-
13 Things about Anchorage
I’d never been to Anchorage before my recent 2 week stay. I wish I had been there under circumstances that would have allowed me to get to know it a little better. I thought I might be able to come up with a Thursday 13 about Anchorage, at least about my trip there, and not have any of it be sad hospital things. Let’s see how I do. I have a relative in Anchorage, who I don’t think I’ve met before! How wild is that? My mom’s father was divorced before he married my Grandma, and he had two children from his first marriage. So my mom’s sister, Lori, has…
-
Ode to Wednesday
One of the things I like about Maya’s middle school is Wednesday mornings. In her elementary school, she used to get out of school at 1:00 on Wednesday afternoons, which was nice, but now instead of getting out early, they start late. So, one day a week, we get to have a slower start to her day. Maya sleeps in (and sometimes, like today, I do too). Often we have time to sit down and eat breakfast together, as opposed to her eating eggo waffles while we walk to school (don’t worry, no messy syrup). The morning just doesn’t have that same rushed feeling as the rest of the week…
-
Noodle
Ted came home the other day with free tickets to see the screening of Noodle at the 13th Annual Contra Costa International Jewish Film Festival. I didn’t even know that Contra Costa County had an international Jewish film festival, let alone that it had been going on for 13 years. Shows what I know. Anyway, Ted had free tickets to go see this screening, but he had to work filling in for his brother, who broke his collar bone and three ribs last week in a bicycle accident, so he couldn’t go. So Maya and I invited Cherry and Eric to come along, which they happily did. (It’s smart to…
-
Feeling kinda weird about this one…
But if you’re in a position where it doesn’t hurt your wallet, and if you’re at all inclined, we’ve set up a fund to help pay for Maya’s Granny to move from Juneau to California. My brother Richard is taking this on, and it’s a chunk o’ change, let me tell you. Change he doesn’t have, except on a credit line. So, if you’re interested in making any kind of contribution, run on over to this post, where there is a link to Richard’s paypal account. And if you don’t have paypal, and want to help out with a check, you can email me and I’ll send you a snail…
-
Plainsong
Plainsong, by Kent Haruf, is the kind of book that you read feeling like you kind of know what’s coming…there are no great surprises in plot, no great mysteries. Yet the telling of the story is so beautifully done, the characters so real and true and honest, that you don’t mind that you’ve pretty much figured out how things will turn out. Plainsong is a story told from many different angles and edges. There is the schoolteacher, Maggie Jones, who is a kind and giving woman, who turns out to be the fabric that binds the other narratives together. There is Guthrie, the father of two young boys, also a…
-
Rockin’ Good News!
Blogging from the Seattle airport now, at a chi-chi little place with a cheese plate and a glass of wine, and that feels just about right right now. I went to visit mom early this morning, on my way out. It was just about the hardest thing ever to leave with that tube still down her throat. Her nose itched, and I was there to scratch it. But then I left, and who would help her with that? She couldn’t talk, because of the tube down her throat, helping her to breathe. She tried spelling something to me, but either I was too lame to read the letters, or she…
-
Blogging from ICU
Mom is doing better today than anyone expected, which just goes to prove that she’s strong and determined, even when knocked out cold. They woke her up for just a few minutes today, and she was breathing on her own for a bit, so they feel confident that they will be able to remove the breathing tube in a day or two. I’ve been in here, talking to her and rubbing lotion on her wintery feet, and I think she can hear me. She opens her eyes once in awhile. I know she’s not completely awake, as they said they don’t like to do that with the tube down her…
-
Random Thoughts Meme
I’m so frikkin’ ready to lighten things up around here, and thankfully debra left a comment yesterday, and I peeked over at her blog, and found a meme. That’s about my level of energy to come up with something right now, so yay, thanks debra! Your best friend tells you she is pregnant. What is your reaction? Yay! Let’s make it a girl this time, OK? When is the last time you wanted to punch someone in their face? Last time I saw George Bush smirking while people suffer. What is the last thing you spent money on? Sushi from the hospital caf for dinner last night. Do you think…
-
Good News/Bad News
Good News: The surgery went very well. Mom got 5 bypasses, her heart seems to be tolerating and enjoying them. She got two units of blood, which she is also tolerating well. Her labwork since the surgery all came back looking great. That’s a relief. Bad News: Mom’s lungs aren’t in great shape. The doctor said she might be able to come off of the ventilator tomorrow, which would be great. He also cautioned, however, that it’s entirely possible that she won’t be able to come off the ventilator (tube down her throat helping her to breathe) for several days, a week, even a month. And they’ll keep her unconscious…
-
When it rains, it pours…
(graphic found here…) You all know that my mom had a heart attack almost 2 weeks ago, and is currently (like, as we speak, I’m writing from the waiting room at the hospital) undergoing bypass surgery (the nurse just came out and said, so far so good, just started about an hour ago with the actual surgery, and it lasts 4 – 6 hours). Some of you know that Ted’s aunt passed away a few weeks ago, and LaLunas, CG, and Uncle flew to England for the funeral. Now, to prove the adage bad news comes in threes, Ted’s brother was out riding his bicycle on his birthday, and wiped…
-
Looks like it’s a go…
Mom did great with her walking and breathing exercises, so her lungs are ready for surgery. That’s a relief. Surgery is scheduled for Wednesday morning, first thing. It’s a longish surgery, so I won’t know until afternoon how it went. Alaska is an hour earlier than California. So you may not hear from me until later tomorrow. I’ll let you know asap, OK?
-
Strange Blessing?
This week, my mom is in that limbo area – feeling so much better than a week ago, still working up to being ready for surgery. We spend days lazing in her room. We talk. We read. We watch TV. Throughout it all, she puffs on a device they have given her to strengthen her lungs, and takes walks around the hallways. And slowly, out comes the story, as she realizes how abnormal her behavior has been these last many months, as she got sicker and sicker. Instead of realizing that something was wrong as her health deteriorated, that something was truly, deeply wrong, an insidious voice inside of her…
-
Stress
Through this ordeal thus far, I’ve received some very good advice…to care for myself, to keep good thoughts so my body can stay strong, to take time for myself, to be kind to myself, etc. And I’ve been trying. The hotel has a gym; I belong to an online yoga studio; there are paths to be found around here that aren’t too icy, so I can take a walk when it isn’t too cold. So I’ve been exercising every day. The hotel has a large kitchen that families can use, and my room has a fridge and a microwave, so I’m not stuck eating in the hospital cafeteria. I’m eating…
-
The Book Thief
The Book Thief is a tale of World War II told from a different point of view than any other book I’ve read on the subject…and at the same time, it’s just like the other World War II books I’ve read. I’ve read the Diary of Anne Frank, Number the Stars, The Snow Goose, and at least several others. I’ve seen many WWII movies, including The Thin Red Line and Saving Private Ryan. All of these books and films are told from the point of view of the allies, or that of people fleeing the tyranny and death camps of the Nazis. The Book Thief is the story of a…
-
Latest from Anchorage
Looks like Mom’s surgery won’t be until Wednesday at the soonest. The doctor came by this morning and said she needs more lung strength and so on, before she can have the surgery. So more of that stressful boredom that typifies hospital stays. More trying to get her ready, more her trying to get ready. More blah blah blah. I hope it’s Wednesday. I want to go home on Friday. 🙁