All Now Mysterious...

Friday, June 29, 2007

No Entiendo

So, the much anticipated Immigration Reform Bill died an ignominious death in the Senate this past Thursday. Disappointing, but not surprising, I guess. Too many people had too many fears about what the bill would or wouldn't do. Ultimately, our esteemed Senators decided to do nothing.

I'm a little torn on this one. On the one hand, I generally agree that if you're going to do something, you might as well do it right. On the other, I also think that a good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow—if there is such a thing as a 'perfect plan', of which I'm not entirely convinced. Apparently lawmakers think 'no plan' is better than either of these options. And, according to what I've read in the past two days, it now looks like the issue is unlikely even to be seriously discussed until after the 2008 elections.

I guess it wasn't that big a deal after all.

Meanwhile, in the absence of any sort of useful Legislative action on the issue, the government continues to build the fence between the United States and Mexico. Alas, there's a problem:
COLUMBUS, N.M. - The 1.5-mile barrier along the U.S.-Mexico border was designed to keep cars from illegally crossing into the United States. There's just one problem: It was accidentally built on Mexican soil. Now embarrassed border officials say the mistake could cost the federal government more than $3 million to fix.

That's right, the big, metal-pipe fence protrudes anywhere from 1 to 6 feet across the border into Mexico. And the Mexican government understandably wants its land back.

Maybe the Feds should have spent the $3 million on GPS units instead.

So what will probably happen is that the protruding parts of the fence will be extracted and re-sunk, this time on U.S. soil. How long it will take is anyone's guess, but despite the mix-ups, it looks like the wall will go forward. (But not too far forward.)

I know a lot of people don't like the idea of a wall between the U.S. and our neighbors to the south. Personally, I don't really have a problem with it. I think that kind of a wall would be very effective.

In worked in Berlin for all those years.

Word of the Day

This arrived in my e-mail this morning, compliments of the fine folks at A.Word.A.Day:

ataraxia (at-uh-RAK-see-uh) also ataraxy, noun

A state of freedom from disturbance of mind.

I'll take an order of that, please.

Double Meme Goodness!

Part I: Friday's Feast
Friday's Feast for Friday, 29 June 2007:

Appetizer How many pieces of jewelry do you wear most days?
Just the wedding ring. I've never been into jewelry very much.

Soup What is your favorite instrumental song?
You want me to narrow it down to just one? Sorry, I can't do it. How about four with different energy levels?
Deeply relaxing: "Watermark" by Enya (from the album Watermark)
Slightly more energetic: "The Southern Cross" by David Arkenstone (from the album In The Wake of the Wind)
Mellow rock: "Nether" by Rocket Scientists (from the album Brutal Architecture)
Hard rock: "Crushing Day" by Joe Satriani (from the album Surfing with the Alien)
I've even provided links to samples, if you're not familiar with any of these songs. You're welcome.

Salad Who has a last name that you like?
My wife! :)

Main Course Name a popular movie you've never seen.
Fahrenheit 9/11. The way I see it, why would I pay $8.50 (or take up a slot in my Netflix queue) to watch an infomercial? It wasn't even a very effective infomercial, considering that George W. Bush got re-elected anyway....

Dessert Fill in the blank: Nothing makes me ___________ like ____________.
Nothing makes me feel exhausted like temperatures in the mid- to upper 90s—which is what we've had for most of the last two weeks here.

--

Part II: Top 5 On Friday
Top Five on Friday from The Music Memoirs:

Top 5 "Musical" prized possessions...rare CDs, autographs, instruments, etc.
I'm going to go with CDs. They're not all 'Rare', per se, but they were hard to find.


» The Music of Cosmos
The original version is long since out of print. It has since been replaced by an extended version, which is also now out of print. Filled with beautiful, moving, and diverse music, it's well worth having, if you can find it. This version looks to be very close to the original, perhaps even the same.


» Dune by Toto
Yes, that Toto, the same band who did "Rosanna" and "Africa". I owned this album on vinyl originally, but it became scratched. It was basically impossible to find it again once that happened. When I saw it on CD where I was working, I snatched it up immediately.


» Kingdom of Desire by Toto
Even as a fan of the band, I didn't know about this album for a long time, because it either wasn't released or didn't get at lot of publicity in the US. For my opinion of the disc, read the "Great, if you can find it" review at the link. I wrote it.


» GTR by GTR
Back in the days before Amazon.com and the like, this was hard to find. Lord Mhoram found it and ordered it from a record store in South Africa, if I recall correctly.


» Mike + the Mechanics (M6) by Mike + the Mechanics
Again, I don't know if this CD was ever released in the US—which is too bad, because it's one of the band's better albums. I particularly like "Ordinary Girl", "All the Light I Need", "What Will You Do?", and "When I Get Over You".

And one bonus item:

Yes, that's a $1 bill signed by Ted Nugent. I met the Motor City Madman while working for an archery manufacturing company several years ago. He was one of our corporate spokespersons, and he stopped by for a tour of the plant. After his introduction and speech, most of the other employees had The Nuge signing catalogs for that year's product line. Me, I wanted something a little more unique.

Bonus Question: If you could give your Meme Mistress one musical thing for her b-day on Monday what would it be?
How about a mix CD of music guaranteed to relax anyone under any circumstances?

As soon as I find that one myself, I'll send it along. :)

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Witch Hunt

I heard this song this morning as I was puttering around in the kitchen. For some reason, it seemed particularly timely. Hard to believe it was written over a quarter of a century ago...
The night is black
Without a moon.
The air is thick and still.
The vigilantes gather on
The lonely torchlit hill.

Features distorted in the flickering light,
The faces are twisted and grotesque.
Silent and stern in the sweltering night,
The mob moves like demons possessed.
Quiet in conscience, calm in their right,
Confident their ways are best.

The righteous rise
With burning eyes
Of hatred and ill-will.
Madmen fed on fear and lies
To beat and burn and kill.

They say there are strangers who threaten us,
Our immigrants and infidels.
They say there is strangeness too dangerous
In our theaters and bookstore shelves.
Those who know what's best for us
Must rise and save us from ourselves.

Quick to judge,
Quick to anger,
Slow to understand
Ignorance and prejudice
And fear walk hand in hand...

"Witch Hunt (part III of 'Fear')", from the Rush album Moving Pictures. © 1981.
Music by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson. Lyrics by Neil Peart.

The Banana Problem

We bought half a dozen bananas on Saturday. The peels were almost completely yellow, with just a hint of green at the stems. They were firm and just a little short of the peak of ripeness.

This morning, the remaining bananas are starting to get soft and the peels are completely covered with brown spots. Another day or two, and they'll be squishy and inedible.

I've never known bananas to go bad this quickly, but in our current apartment, it seems to happen all the time. Is there something fishy going on, or has it always been like this and I just haven't been paying attention? What's the deal?

Ideas, anyone?

Saturday, June 23, 2007

Interesting Results

I was led to these two quizzes via a link over at Gentle Breezes.




You Are 20% Democrat



If you have anything in common with the Democrat party, it's by sheer chance.

You're a staunch conservative, and nothing is going to change that!






You Are 32% Republican



You're a bit Republican, and probably more conservative than you realize.

If you're still voting Democrat, maybe it's time that you stop.



I loved some of the questions in the two quizzes.

Democrat:
* George W. Bush is a criminal.
* Anti-abortion protesters are practically terrorists.
* You think Bill Clinton is a charming guy - and was a great president.
* People who are anti-immigration are probably just racist.
* The greatest president of the 20th century: FDR
* Michael Moore is an American hero.

Republican:
* You don't have a lot of respect for public school teachers. Those who can't do, teach.
* We gave peace a chance - and it didn't work.
* Bill Clinton was a criminal and probably a sociopath.
* PETA and Greenpeace are practically terrorist organizations.
* Greatest president of the 20th century: Ronald Reagan
* There's no way you'd listen to the Dixie Chicks after what they've said.

The really scary thing is that there is no shortage of people—very intelligent people, in all other respects—who believe these kinds of statements.

So my results seem to indicate 20% Democrat, 32% Republican, and 48% "A pox on both your houses. Quit your grandstanding and get to work already!"

Yeah, that sounds about right.

(And for the record, the greatest president of the 20th century was Roosevelt—Teddy Roosevelt.)

More Crazy Credits!

I heard two new names in the credits at the end of Car Talk this morning.

Customer Care Expert: Haywood Yabuzzov
Undergarment Inspector: I. C. London

I love this show.

Limericks

At the end of the Babylon 5 pilot episode, Commander Sinclair and Ambassador Delenn are talking about the episode's events and the station itself. Sinclair mentions something about Tennyson, and Delenn inquires as follows:

Delenn: Poet?
Sinclair: Someone who writes poems. A story in meter or rhyme.
Delenn: [with a look of dawning comprehension] Ahh. "There once was a man from Nantucket."
Sinclair: [chuckles] You've been taking to Mister Garibaldi again.
Delenn: Yes. How did you know?

And thus the limerick is carried on to civilizations across the known galaxy.

Here are a few of my favorite limericks. Yes, they're all safe for work.

A young canner, exceedingly canny,
One morning remarked to his granny:
"A canner can can
Anything he can can,
But a canner can't can a can...can he?"

There was a young lady from Wight
Who traveled much faster than light.
She set out one day
In her relative way
And returned on the previous night.

A mosquito cried out in pain,
"A chemist has poisoned my brain!"
The cause of his sorrow
was para-Dichloro-
Diphenyl-Trichloroethane.
(Also known as DDT.)

And here are a couple of nontraditional (at least in form) limericks:

There was a young lady from Crewe
Whose limericks stopped at line two.

There was a young man from Verdun.

And finally, a Roman limerick:

A young Roman named Marcus Valenti
Had troubles and anguish aplenty.
He'd been beaten and plundered
By Huns by the C
Before he had even turned XX.

Friday, June 22, 2007

I Never Thought I'd Live to Be a Hundred

Stolen from Team Gherkin

Chance You'll Live to 100: 63%

100 is looking pretty likely for you right now. You've made your health a priority.
So kick back, keep doing what you're doing, and enjoy the great life you've made for yourself.
And you might get to see what the world is like 70, 80, or even 90 years from now.

Back in the Swing of the Meme Thing

Part I: Friday's Feast
Friday's Feast for Friday, 22 June 2007:

Appetizer Name a funny habit you have.
I'm very habitual about eating. That is, my menu choices aren't very creative. It doesn't seem to occur to me to try new things, or especially to look for new things to try while shopping for groceries. So when I look for something to eat or cook, I find I've always got pretty much the same things to choose from.

Soup If you could instantly know how to play a musical instrument, which one would you pick?
"I should'a learned to play the guitar, I should'a learned to play them drums...." (Mark Knopfler, 'Money for Nothing')
"You can learn to sing lead if you need to be a star, but the only way to groove is on a bass guitar...." (Todd Snider, 'Joe's Blues')
Actually, I played bass in high school jazz band for a year (my junior year, as I recall). I haven't touched one since. I wanted to play drums when I signed up for band in 6th grade, but they wouldn't let me because I hadn't taken piano lessons. (?) And I think guitar would be a lot of fun. If only I could find the time (or make the time, is what it really comes down to). Also, I have an autoharp I never play.

Salad How long is your hair?
I generally wear my hair pretty short, and I just got it cut on Monday. It's about 4½-5 cm long on top, and shorter around the sides.

Main Course When was the last time you forgave someone, and who was it?
I was initially really angry with my brother, but after seeing him in the hospital, I couldn't help but forgive him. I realized that being mad didn't help either of us.

Dessert What is your favorite kitchen appliance?
Does a dishwasher count as a kitchen appliance? I suppose it's a moot point, since we don't have one. So I'm going to say, waffle maker. We have a professional grade waffle maker that we haven't used in several weeks. Got to do something about that.

--

Part II: Top 5 On Friday
Top Five on Friday from The Music Memoirs:

Top 5 songs that mention things in the sky in the title. (This could be anything...stars, planes, birds, clouds....etc)

» "Wheel in the Sky" by Journey
From the album Infinity (1978)

» "Giants in the Sky" by Stephen Sondheim
From the Braodway musical Into The Woods (1987)

» "Eye in the Sky" by Alan Parsons Project
From the album Eye In The Sky (1982)

» "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky" by Johnny Cash
From the album Silver (1979)

» "Sky Is Falling" by Rocket Scientists
From the album Revolution Road (2006)

Thursday, June 21, 2007

Blathering Infrequently

I haven't blogged much in the past couple of weeks. The fact is that other than the situation with my brother, it doesn't seem like there's much interesting going on these days. So I'll just put together a couple of random observations and call it a post.

First, an update on my brother. As previously noted, he was moved to a long-term care facility in Denver last Wednesday. He's showing slow but apparently steady progress. He was awake and aware the last tome Mom & Dad went to see him. He recognizes them and follows their movements. He can't talk (in large part due to his broken hard palate), but he mouths words. And he seems to understand what people are saying to him. When the parents told him they were leaving at the end of their last visit, he took hold of Mom's hand and was pretty insistent about holding on. He's not ambulatory at the moment; they have him on a 'no out of bed' order due to agitation (not uncommon for people coming out of a coma, apparently). The whole process has been pretty hard on his wife, since she now has to drive an hour to see him. How long all of this will last, I don't know. It'll take as long as it takes, I suppose. We'll just keep praying for him and for all the rest of the family. We're all in this together.

--

We don't watch a lot of TV at my house, except for TV shows on DVD. Since we got married, we've watched all five seasons of Babylon 5, all of Firefly (and the 'series finale', Serenity), seasons 1-8 of Stargate SG-1, the first four seasons of Scrubs. We're in the middle of season 9 of Friends. And our most recent TV adventure, thanks to my Mother-in-law, is Wings. We love it. I'd forgotten how funny it was/is.

I've no idea what we're going to watch after this. Maybe Farscape, maybe something else. Recommendations, anyone?

--

While we don't watch a lot of TV, I listen to the radio quite a bit. Usually I listen to the local news station (except from 1:00-4:00 p.m., when Sean "Hang up on callers I don't agree with" Hannity is on) or the classic rock station. But on Saturday mornings at 11:00, I tune to the local NPR station to listen to Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!, billed as "NPR's weekly current events quiz". For the unfamiliar, it's part weekly news show, part variety show, and part celebrity quiz show. Host Peter Sagal asks three celebrity panelists (last week's were Tom Bodett, Paula Poundstone, and Mo Rocca) questions about the past week's news. They have other segments like 'Bluff the Listener' and 'Who's Carl This Time' (read by scorekeeper Carl Kasell), and 'Not My Job', where they bring on a guest and ask him/her questions about things they know nothing about. Last week's episode aired from Kingsbury Hall in Salt Lake City, and the 'Not My Job' guest was Donny Osmond. Most guests get three questions about one topic; Donny had three topics: Dentures, Hangover Cures, and Being An Only Child. He got two of the three questions right, which brought on a little ribbing from Paula and Mo. It was really funny, and Donny was a great sport about everything. You can download the podcast or listen to audio clips at the web site, if you're interested.

--

While waiting for "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!" to start, I often catch the end of Car Talk. I'll often tune in for the last 5 minutes or so, mostly to catch the closing 'credits'. I've known for a long time, for example that the show was sponsored by the law firm of Dewey, Cheetham, & Howe (sound it out....). But I've never really been able to pick up a lot of the other credits, except for the occasional thing like "Russian Chauffeur: Picov Andropov". I'd always wondered if there were a list of these credit on the Web somewhere.

Well, the other day, I found it. Here are a few of my favorites:

Assertiveness Training Coach: Lois Steem
Assistant Director of Strategic Planning: Kent C. Detrees
Back Seat Driver: Veronica Lizzioncourse
Biblical Scholar: Vera Lee Isay
Breathalyzer Administrator: Eureka Garlic
Business Forecaster: Luigi Bord
Car Stereo Installer: Carlos Antenna
Car Talk Ice Rink Manager: Sam Boney
Chairman, Underemployment Study Group: Art Majors
Co-Chairmen of Apathy Study Group: Ben Thayer, Don Thatt
Computer Hardware Specialist: C. Colin Backslash
Conservative Political Commentator: Eileen Tudor-Wright
Director of Alpine Choir: O. Leo Lahey
Director of Delicate Electronics Repair: Anita Hammer
Director of Ethics & Honesty: U. Lyon Sack
Director of Pavlovian Research: Isabelle Ringing
Employee Refrigerator Monitor: Carmen Dating
Fact Checker: Ella Fynoe
Fact Checker, Mexico City Office: C.S. Verdad
Father-in-Law Liason: Royal Payne Diaz
Footwear Consultant: Susan Shocks
Graduation Coordinators: Val and Dick Torian
Guest Accommodations: The Horseshoe Road Inn
Head of Working Mother Support Group: Erasmus B. Dragon
Leo Tolstoy biographer: Warren Peace
Liaison to the British Isles: Isaiah Oldchap
Liaison to the Space Program: Roger Houston
Loan Officer: I.O. Silver
Mother-in-Law Liason: Stella Payne Diaz
Official Spokespersons: Howie Vasive, Lou Scannon
Pension Fund Manager: Dot Comstock
Personal Makeup Artist: Bud Tuggli
Ralph Kramden Impersonator: Mohammed Ahamana Hamana
Regional Director, Atlanta: Frank Lee Scarlett
Physics Graduate Student: Laura Vernersha
Russian Vacation Specialist: Ivana Veekoff
Safari Planner: Sarah Anne Getty
Senior Citizen Driving Instructor: Tonya Blinkeroff
Special Liaision to the California Energy Commission: Tanya Lightov
Speechwriter: Audrey Marx
Staff Cardiologist: Angie O'Plasty
Suppliers of Insurance to Dewey, Cheetham and Howe: C.F.I. Care
Tax Consultant: Lou Pole
Teenage Daughter: Sasha Royal Payne Diaz
Two Year Old: Ariel Payne Diaz
Wardrobe Assistant: Joaquin Closet

--

The Colorado Rockies baseball team is playing well. Very well, in fact. This is news; the Rocks don't usually start playing well until it's too late in the season to matter (if then). They have the best record in the major leagues over the last 30 days (19-7), they've won six straight series and are 8-0-1 in their last nine series. It's the best run the club has had in its 15-year history. In the past eight days, they've beaten Curt Schilling, Josh Beckett, James Shields (who took his first loss of the season that night), Mike Mussina, and Andy Pettitte. They've won series on the road against Arizona, San Francisco (a three-game sweep), Boston, and Baltimore. They're three games over .500 at 37-34. They're on fire.

They're currently in fourth place in the National League's Western division and tied for sixth overall in the league. They're four games out of a playoff spot and four and a half out of first place. Halfway into the season, they're starting to look like a playoff contender.

Yeah, I know. A great record in June means nothing. But you can't help but feel a little hopeful if you're a Rockies fan. By this point in the season, they're usually at least ten games out and well under .500.

--

I could write more about Champions, the upcoming Rush concert, the Salt Lake Arts Festival, or last night's irritating bout with insomnia, but I'm tired. I'll write more later.

Friday, June 15, 2007

There and Back Again

We spent most of last week in Colorado. Here's a recap.

Ever since my brother fell down the stairs on May 30th, we'd had regular contact with my parents on his condition. We talked to them on Friday and Saturday, and each time things looked stable. We didn't talk to them on Sunday, but given that things had seemed to be moving in a positive direction, we didn't worry about it much.

On Monday morning (June 4th), I got a phone call from my Mom. She said that things had taken a turn for the worse with A (my brother's first initial, to protect privacy and all that). Still in the coma, he had become unresponsive, and an electroencephalogram (EEG) taken over the weekend showed practically no brain activity. To all appearances, the life support machines were all that was keeping him alive. "If you want to see him," she told me, "you'd better come now."

So Nancy and I made all the necessary arrangements with our respective employers—I was supposed to have started back with the market research company that afternoon as their new Quality Assurance manager—and left Salt Lake City at about 2:15. The drive across southern Wyoming was all I have come to expect it to be. Let me just borrow a bit from S. Morganstern and say that what with one thing and another, eight hours and 495 miles passed. We rolled into Mom and Dad's house around 10:30.

It was too late to see A that night, and to be honest, I just wasn't ready. So we went to the hospital with Mom & Dad the next morning. A's wife J was there and looked like she had been for a while. She's been really strong through all of this. I know it's hard for her, but she's handled it amazingly well. Anyway, that's when I finally got my first look at A. He didn't look good. Of course, all the tubes in his mouth and nose and all the wires attached to him didn't help, but I could hardly recognize him as my brother. His whole face was red and swollen, and his left eye was bruised shut. His face was still and expressionless. About the only thing I did recognize was that moustache he's had almost continuously since he was about 13. It wasn't easy to see him like that.

Fortunately, he was in one of the newest and best hospitals in the state of Colorado, the Medical Center of the Rockies. It's kind of ironic; a couple of years ago, he was working for the engineering company that was designing the hospital. I remember him showing me plans for the electrical systems and ductwork. Now he's staying there.

When we visited him again that afternoon, someone was already there preparing him for another EEG. We watched in a sort of morbid fascination as the lady attached dozens of wires all around his head, then in quiet curiosity as she administered the test. I'm no expert in electroencephalography, but he didn't seem to be very responsive to me. On several occasions, she took a few moments to type something into the computer after a round of stimuli were administered. I didn't see any of it, but Mom told me later that she saw her type in 'Optic nerve damage' at one point. Anyway, we left once the tests were concluded. A was scheduled to go into surgery later that afternoon for a tracheostomy and to get a feeding tube inserted.

He looked a lot more familiar On Wednesday when we went to see him. With the trachea tube and feeding tube in place, his face was clear of all obstructions. The swelling had gone down, too. And the news was encouraging as well; A was now breathing on his own. He was still receiving oxygen from his tube, but he was no longer being ventilated. It was the first good news we'd had in a couple of days. Mom and Dad were in Colorado Springs that day for Dad's aunt's funeral, so when Mom called to see of we'd made it to the hospital yet, I gave her the news. She was amazed, and a few minutes after hanging up with her, Dad called back just confirm what I'd told Mom.

We spent that afternoon with A's daughters (and my nieces) M and J. They were leaving with their mom and stepdad the following day for a weeks-long trip to see other relatives, so this was the only time we could really see them. We went to the Cozy Cow Dairy for ice cream and cheese curds, then took the girls to see Shrek the Third. We got back to my folks' house just after they did and had dinner with them, my brother S, his girlfriend K, his longtime friend and business partner AC, and AC's son T. We had dinner together, then the kids (including me) got out the Legos and built spaceships and other vehicles. Fun.

My uncle Cal and my aunt Liz came up to see us and A on Thursday. Uncle Cal is one of the few other members of the LDS Church on either side of my family; in fact, Cal was the one who baptized me when I joined the Church in 1982. I had talked to J the night before about giving A a priesthood blessing. I explained the process to her as best I could, and once she had been reassured that we wouldn't be giving him Last Rites, she said she wasn't opposed to it. So Cal anointed him and I sealed the anointing. It was an honor to stand there and exercise the Priesthood with him, knowing he was a large part of the reason I could do it at all. I've had the opportunity to give blessings to Granny and Mom in recent years, and it's always hard for me to do. I have to be very, very careful to listen for promptings from the Spirit and not just to say what I want to say. This was the hardest one I've ever had to do, I think. I never really remember what I've said once it's over, but Mom told me I'd blessed him with rest and patience. We stayed and talked for a while afterwards, and the Liz and Cal had to go on to other obligations. It was good to see them again, despite the situation. It was also nice for them to have a chance to meet Nancy. Nancy got to meet several new people this trip.

By the time we saw A on Friday, he was off all pain medication and was no longer being sedated. He was still not awake, but was showing increased signs of activity. J told us that Thursday evening when the nurse was giving him a sponge bath he opened both eyes. Then when he was being shaved, he opened one eye. When the neurologist tried to get him to open his eyes, he was unsuccessful. J told him, in so many words, "You're not a girl giving him a bath. Why would he open his eyes for you?" That sounds more like my brother. A also seemed to react to the shirt my Mom was wearing that day. Whether it was the stripes or the movement, or whether he just sensed that it was Mom, I don't know, but his movements seemed more pronounced and purposeful. We saw brother S and presumed future sister-in-law K again Friday night and introduced them to Ticket to Ride. Nancy won, and I finished second to last. People kept building where I needed to build, so I lost a lot of points for uncompleted routes.

By Saturday morning, A's condition had improved to the point that Nancy and I felt we could safely go back to Salt Lake City. So we made plans to return that afternoon so that we could have Sunday to recover before jumping back into the routine on Monday morning. Before that, however, Nancy had the chance to meet someone else new to her, my old friend Dilliwag. He and his family were making their annual visit from Iowa to Colorado, so we got to see them for a couple of hours. In addition to seeing D and his wife STK, we finally to meet TLO. Cute, cute kid! He slept through most of our visit together, which D tells me is not the usual case, but nonetheless, a cute kid.

Once D, STK, and TLO were on their way, we packed up our stuff and headed to the hospital for one more visit with A. He was much more responsive that day. We spent about half an hour with him, taking turns holding his hand and talking to him. He still wasn't speaking, but his eyes would follow our movements and he would look from one of us to the other. He would reach out to each of us and switch from one to the other every so often. He played with my watch and even walked his fingers up my arm once. He was much more like my brother than the broken, motionless stranger we'd seen just a few days before.

After a quick visit to Qdoba for lunch—the Colorado stores no longer carry the chicken mole burrito, to Nancy's great disappointment—we were on the road. We took Highway 287 from Fort Collins to Laramie, where we stopped to top off the gas. As I was filling the tank and washing the bugs off the windshield, I noticed what I thought was a bead of water that had run down the side of the left front tire. Closer inspection revealed a 6" gash in the sidewall of the tire. We were fortunate to spot it, because that tire would never have made it the remaining 400 miles to SLC, and a blowout at 75 miles per hour (~120 kph) would have been catastrophic. So we took about 45 minutes and changed the tire. Thank heaven Granny'd kept a full-sized spare in the trunk! A donut would have left us in a real lurch, as there's no way it would have taken us all the way to Utah. After that, the trip home was long but otherwise uneventful. We got home about 12:15 Sunday morning.

Since we arrived home, we've heard more updates on A. Mom told me that J gave him a kiss at the end of her visit a couple of days ago, and he kissed back. He's been even more responsive to Mom than last week. And on Wednesday, they moved A out of the ICU and down to Denver into a long-term rehab facility.

It's going to be a long road back for him. He landed on the left side of his head, and he hasn't had a lot of movement on the right side of his body. It's impossible, at this point, to predict how long rehab may take, or how much of his functionality he'll be able to recover. He may never—probably will never, if the doctors are to be believed—be 100% again. But at one point, the doctors didn't think he'd even make it this far. Long story short, we went to Colorado expecting to go to my brother's funeral and ended up not having to do so. Better yet, in the wake of all of this, our family is closer and more united than we've been in a long time. Miracles really do arise from tragedy.

Many of you have expressed hope and good wishes and prayers for my brother and my family over the past couple of weeks. Thank you, thank you, thank you all so much. I don't have the words to express how much that has meant to us all. We are blessed to have so many good people who love us. We couldn't have made it through all of this without you.

Friday, June 01, 2007

First Friday Feast

Friday's Feast for Friday, 1 June 2007:

Appetizer Name something you think is “the best.”
My friends are the best. You know who you are.

Soup On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 highest), how stressed are you today?
It's only a bit after 6:00 a.m., so today's not too stressful yet. Yesterday was easily a 9½.

Salad What kind of cleanser do you use to wash your face?
I just use whatever soap I happen to have in the shower. Right now I think it's some flavor of Zest. [checks] Yep, Zest it is. And I need more.

Main Course Tonight is a blue moon! What is something that you believe only happens “once in a blue moon.”
Seeing my family. They all live in Colorado. Sure, it's only an 7-8 hour drive to get to where they are, but we never seem to have the time or the resources.

Dessert When was the last time it rained where you live?
It's been a week and a half, as I recall. And based on the forecasts I've seen, it looks like it'll be at least another week and a half until we see rain here again. Ah, the joys of living in the barren desert.