Good news, good news, bad news, horrible news

Good news! I have been selected to fill the role of PLAN coordinator. PLAN International is the philanthropic organization that our company has chosen to work with. We have selected a project that will build a water purifying aqueduct in a small village outside of Managua, Nicaragua. As a coordinator, I will help organize fund-raising events and such for the project and to help fund sending 8 to 10 employees from Genscape to live with the people of the village for a week. I'm so stoked!

Good news! I don't think this has been published yet, but Genscape has been selected as one of Kentucky's Best Place to Work. How awesome is that? I certainly had glowing things to say about them. And I'm proud to work there!

Bad news. Zelda Rubinstein passed away. If you are sitting there thinking to yourself, "That's too bad... who the hell is Zelda Ruinblahblah?" Maybe this will ring a bell: "This house is clean." If that doesn't do it, maybe this will: "Carol Anne - listen to me. Do NOT go into the light. Stop where you are. Turn away from it. Don't even look at it." That's right. She was the actress that played Tangina in the Poltergeist movies. Very sad.

Horrible news. My wife has a friend at school. He has a baby mama that he has ended his relationship with but they had an 8-month old child. Well, they've been arguing a lot ad she seems to be acting pretty psycho. Wednesday morning, around 1AM, she allegedly took the baby with her into the bath. She left him there to get a bottle and when she returned the baby had drowned. Sounds fishy to me. And Jooj's friend calls bullshit (more importantly, instead of "bullshit" he is saying "murder"). Regardless of what the police find, it is a most tragic tragedy :(

Weekend Update

* Farewell, Wendy - Back in the day, I used to help watch a grrrl with Down Syndrome named Wendy. She was in her mid- to late-twenties. She loved playing with Barbies, loved listening to pop music, and had a bit of a crush on me (although Elvis was her *MAN*). Well, my ol' pal Twinkie called yesterday and conveyed the sad news that she has passed away. As Beth tells it, she was in her room dancing to Elvis. She came downstairs and said that she didn't feel well. She began choking and then, they think, she suffered a stroke. She was rushed to the hospital but never woke up. My condolences go out to her family and friends.

* "Caprica" - The new series from Ron Moore, one of the masterminds behind the rebooted "Battlestar Galactica" (one of my favorite shows of all time), premiered Friday night on the SyFy channel (I like the new branding from "SciFi"... it's cute and witty). I can see why some of the fanboys weren't too impressed. The show was pretty light on the action and heavy on the drama. But it is showing some serious promise. I can't wait for the next episode.

* "The Hurt Locker" - I *finally* had a chance to watch one of my three most anticipated movies of 2009 last night. Wow, it was good. I've never been on the edge of my seat like I was in this movie (yes, more than Cloverfield... although I didn't have that fatigued feeling after Hurt Locker). After watching it I can safely say that my top three most anticipated movies were, in fact, mostly in the top three movies released in 2009. I would rank them as...

1. District 9
2. Avatar
2. Moon
3. The Hurt Locker
4. Star Trek
5. Watchmen
6. Up
7. The Hangover

Other mentions go to :

Night at the Museum 2 - worst piece of shit movie I saw last year

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - one of the best to date. I'm always confused by the HP movies. This one had less magical action and more story, which made for a much better movie all around, IMHO.

Coraline - this is supposed to be a kid's movie? This flick is downright creepy.

Drag Me To Hell - what a great little horror flick! It's good to know that Sam Raimi hasn't lost his touch.

I have not seen "A Serious Man", "Fantastic Mr Fox", "Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus", or "The Road". Those are, I believe, the last 4 of 2009 that I want to check out.

* GO VIKINGS! - the Vikings play the Saints today for the NFC championship. Yay!

Hungry

This Biggest Loser thing sucks. I'm always hungry. And I think it is making me kind of cranky. On some days, when I'm right around 1500 calories (with no plans to add too many more on), I get a slight headache. I've lost 6.2 pounds and I'm not sure how much more I can lose. I went into this thinking that I'd love to drop 10 pounds. Three weeks in, I'm over half-way there and I'm facing some pretty drab motivation.

So I'm sitting here, way past my bedtime, watching terrible acting in Star Trek: The Next Generation reruns, craving a Twinkie or Ho-ho or... a delectable Hostess Lemon Cupcake. It's too late to eat even a bowl of cereal. Besides, Fatty McFatterson here went overboard today and ordered a Giant #43 from Jersey Mike's. What is a #43? Well, believe it or not, it's about 1730 calories. Can you believe that? That's, like, a day's worth of calories. In one meal! And I'm still hungry!!! Hahahaha... boohoohoo.

Suzanne turns 50! (and I'm a loser)

And I have photographic proof...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/82306288@N00/sets/72157623120852467/

I am so fuh-reakin' lazy when it comes to uploading pictures (hell, I'm actually pretty lazy in general actually) so I am quite impressed that I uploaded these so soon after Saturday. Fun was had by all. I did my best to watch my calories but couldn't help myself from stopping the samiches, sushi, guacamole, meatballs, and Miller Lite from going into my belly.

It all turned out okay though. I weighed in today for the official Week 3 Biggest Loser weigh-in at work. I lost another 1.2 pounds. That means I've lost 6.2 pounds, or 3.38% of my body weight, so far. I started this wanting to lose 10 pounds. I can't believe that I'm already over halfway there. W00t!

Oh, and while I'm typing this, I'm enjoying watching The Biggest Loser on our new 32" LCD. We picked it up yesterday. I picked up a 4-piece wrench set and wall-mounted it myself. It's awesome. I finally succumbed to the fact that TV-watching will happen in the bedroom. Now, at least, we can do it in style. Yay!

This and that and a little bit more of this

* GO VIKINGS!!! - The Minnesota Vikings (my #1 favorite team in the NFL) just finished beating the Dallas Cowboys (my #32 favorite team [i.e. #1 hated] in the NFL). They are going to New Orleans to take on the Saints next week for the NFC championship. The Super Bowl awaits two weeks later if they win that.

* Fantasy Football Recap - "Has there been a bigger disappointment in fantasy football then Forte?" This was the quote from one of the analysts at NFL.com. Matt Forte, the aforementioned player in that quote, was my #1 draft pick and the biggest stinker in the league (well, as far as first round draft picks go). That said, I *did* manage to eek out an 8-5-1 record and only missed the playoffs by 1/2 game. It was a crowning achievement for good coaching moves and pick-ups throughout the season. Overall I am very happy with how the season turned out.

* "Stop. STOP. STOP!!!" *crunch* - Kelsey got in a little fender bender while driving in traffic the other day. We were stopped in traffic. She started creeping up on the car in front of her. The next thing that happened was pretty much the first line you read in this blurb. The situation could have been a lot worse. Everyone was okay. Our car was not damaged. Her car had a small nick. The other driver was very cool. And the cop was very nice in that he did not issue Kelsey a citation for not having her permit.

* The Cards suck - They had Pitt beat. They choked. They suck.

* Biggest Loser - I am participating in the Biggest Loser program at work. I seriously doubt I am going to win but would be very happy if I could shed 10 or so pounds. I'd be dead sexy, baby! I weighed in at 188.6 pounds initially. Wow, who's a little piggy? After the first week I clocked in at 183.6. Five pounds in one week? Sheesh! All I've done so far is cut out colas, cut out candy, and watched my caloric and fat intake. At this rate I'll have to start exercising to continue my loss.

Funeral in the Snow (200th post)

We headed down to Muhlenberg county this morning at 7:30 AM. We arrived at the hotel where everyone was staying and handed out morning greetings. Mom and dad sprung for breakfast at Huddle House. We hung out at the hotel for a bit longer before caravanning over to the funeral home.

Granny looked so good. The memories of the past week or more of her physical appearance during her weakening condition were erased by the familiar face that peacefully laying in the casket. It was good to see her again for a last time.

I held it together for a good while. But when the organist played "Jesus Loves Me" I completely lost it. It brought back so many wonderful memories of me and my Granny as a kid. I was sitting next to my cousin Rachel and she was a balling mess. Seeing my loved ones upset only upset me more. I cried pretty hard.

The service was short and sweet. Uncle Paul sang two songs and did a tremendous job with each of them. I was a pall bearer and was so, so proud to be able to participate in bringing her "home".

The burial was very short. It was so cold. And snowing. I am positive it is the coldest funeral I will ever attend in my lifetime.

Mom, dad, Melissa, Jeremy, her kids, Jooj, Will, Kelsey, and I all went to the Dockside Catfish House (I have no idea what the place was called but that's what I'm calling it). We shared a great, deep-fried meal and then hit the road.

I'm home and I'm so tired. It was a long day. It was a day I will never forget. It was the last day I will ever lay an eye on my Granny. She's been with me all of my life. She was more than a grandmother to me. She's been a second mother. No one will ever replace her spot in my heart. I will honor her memory by trying to live a she lived by offering compassion and patience to any who ask for it.

Oh yeah, and this is my 200th post. I wonder how long I'll keep at this? It's been a fun ride so far so I guess I'll keep it rollin' :D

I love you Granny

That's about it.

Granny passed away today a little before 5PM. Her suffering has ended. Her children and grandchildren (except for my kids - they were at their dad's) met up over at mom and dad's afterwards and we did our best to laugh. We celebrated her life by going through old pictures and telling stories. The sisters took it as hard as can be expected but everyone was there for everyone else.

I love my family. I love mom's side. I love dad's side (well, mostly :). I love Jooj's side. I couldn't ask for a better group of family.

I'd hate to be a hospice rep

Good news! Granny left ICU this morning and was back in a posh room in the oncology unit. And Granny is coming home as early as tomorrow.

The bad news is... pretty much everything else about the situation. Her monitors and IVs were removed. The nurses have confirmed that she is in, what they call, the Active Phase of Dying. According to the literature I read, it appears that this phase lasts about 2 days on average. I mean, it can't be reliably determined so we don't know how long Granny has. But the realization that there is precious little time left is hitting pretty hard. With luck, she'll last the night and be able to get home - if hospice can make things happen as fast as they claim.

We spoke with the hospice rep today. Aunt Nancy and mom were both upset. The rep said that she was at her sixth hospital for the day. Ugh. I can't imagine being the person that discusses all of these end-of-life decisions with people. How horrible. I mean, she must have a big heart and Gawd bless people like her. I'm just saying that I couldn't do it.

I will probably ramble on if I don't stop. I'm sure I'll have more to say tomorrow.

CRV died, Granny did not

So, as my last post reported, Mom called Sunday morning and the feeling that I got was that I was going to be going to the hospital to see my Granny for the last time. More on that in just a bit.

On the way to pick up my sister my car (not the Jeep, but the CRV... so weird since "my car" has meant "the Jeep" for the last 12 years) sputtered a bit. Engine lights lit up (and I imagined klaxons blasting in my head). I was in Mimi and Poppy's neighborhood so I pulled in front of their house. More on that later - back to Granny.

We got to the hospital and Granny was on a ventilator. She was awake but she looked so bad. Her poor arms were swollen and cracked. They were bloody from her attempts to pull out her IV and the nurses' efforts to reinsert. It was just too much for me. I held it together for a moment but my sister's voice cracked and I lost it. I cried like a baby. Sheesh, I cried (not as much or as hard at Matt, though... he won the award). A lot of family was there and it was good to have everyone so close. Mom and I told Granny to keep on fighting and she would be able to go home and relax in her own bedroom. Were we lying to her for hope's sake? I didn't really know. I was buying into it. Now back to the Jeep.

I had it towed and was fearing a four-figured bill. Based on what I had read and heard it may have been a problem with the transmission. They called back and said that they needed to run a full diagnostic. They said that not always, but most of the time, that meant that there was something majorly wrong with the car. When they called back, I was tickled to hear that my problem fell in the aforementioned "not always" category. There was oil blockage but nothing mechanically wrong. My oil was low and very dirty and that was the culprit. I had them fix me up (and also had the rotors smoothed and new brake pads installed) and walked out of there for a fraction of what I thought I was going to have to pay. Back to Granny.

They sedated her all day long yesterday because they wanted to keep the breathing tube in. She was breathing on her own but they wanted to be sure. She had the tube removed this morning. Her heart rate is steadying. It's not strong, but it's steady. And I think she is producing more output (that's hospital lingo for "she's peeing"), so those kidneys aren't done yet.

I'm going to see her after I swing by the house and pick up Jooj. That old lass has some fight left in her still! With a little luck, we'll get her back home to live out what days she has left! :)

Going to the hospital...

Granny is dying. Her heart is slowing down and her kidneys aren't working. Mom just called. She's not making it out of ICU. I'm going to go pick up Melissa and we're going to see her for the last time. Mom says she looks bad so I'm keeping the wife and kids at home. I want them to have a nice, last impression of Granny and they all have that. I don't want them to see her hooked up to machines and such.

I love you Granny.

Granny is not good

Granny had a minor surgery this morning to get a colostomy bag installed. She has developed pneumonia so she wasn't going to receive anesthesia for her operation. She was instead going to receive a saddle block. This technique was unknown to me but apparently was a common step in the child birth process years ago. For those as ignorant as me, it is a procedure where a needle is inserted into the spine and the lower half of the body is paralyzed. Yipes!

Anyway, word on the street was that all went well and she was recovering.

Well...

Dad called just a bit ago and said that things are not going as well as we had hoped. I don't know much, but I know that she is in ICU on a ventilator. And I was told to not go up to the hospital. So I don't know what the day holds, much less tomorrow and beyond. As I have said before, I just hope that any suffering she goes through is kept to an absolute minimum.

In much less important news, the fam is going to go see Avatar in 3D today. And the UofL Cardinals play the UK Wildcats. So, yeah, go Cards.