Memorial Day Thoughts

On this Memorial Day holiday, while it is important to remember those who have died for our country, it is also appropriate to think about how good we have it in this country. The following is an excerpt from an e-mail that was sent to me by a South African friend from high school. She lives in Port Elizabeth, South Africa:

I am not sure if you are aware about the shocking crime in our country at the moment. We have been a bit better in Port Elizabeth until about 2 year ago. We have a new breed of criminal now that feel nothing to break into your home while you are sleeping. They have absolutely no value on life.

I am getting to the end of my tether with the crime in our beautiful country. It crept in a little to close to home on early hours of Friday morning. I'm not sure if you remember me talking about Sheena while I lived in Taiwan. She is my oldest and dearest friend still to this day. Sheena is single and therefore lives alone. She has just had major renovations done to her home. It is absolutely stunningly beautiful - looks like it belong on the pages of House and Leisure. Anyway during the early hours of Friday morning, she was shaken awake by a black man demanding "where the money was." She doesn't keep money at home so obviously didn't have large sums to give him - so the bastard just stabbed her - in her bed!!! She was able to raise the alarm (she has a very sophisticated alarm system which she failed to set when going to bed) and she phoned Carey, her sister, who lives within 5 minute drive of her.

Sheena was rushed off to hospital where she was stabilised and operated on. She spent 2 days in ICU, and I was able to see her on Saturday afternoon. She was stabbed in her neck area, in the region of her left clavicle. It was a large wound that had to have arteries and veins repaired. Yesterday, she was much better - was moved to the general ward and was able to sit up and move to the loo. She will hopefully be home tomorrow. Carey will stay with her until she is able to cope mentally and physically. The police have been marvellous (unusual with our new government...), they have sent a councillor to help her, an inspector to see her, and were at the scene at the same time as the independent alarm company. (quite miraculous really...)

The criminals broke in by lifting roof tiles and cutting holes in her ceiling. I cannot believe how brazen they were. Apparently a hole was also found in her back fence between her and her neighbours and they had set up a observation place. Sheena has a large property with an enormous back garden. She has had large fold away doors fitted to the back off her house - and doesn't have curtains etc as it is so private. She is beside herself now, wants to get curtains etc so that she can close herself in. She is understandably very freaked out as they have been watching her. They have been sitting in the dark of her back garden and monitoring her. It is so scary. Makes me want to pack up and leave like any other sensible person with half a chance.

She does have 2 dogs, 2 fiercely protective little Scotties that sleep on her bed with her. They apparently barked and performed but she didn't wake up until this man shook her. It is too bizarre. Sheena does sleep deeply - always has. Makes me wonder if they didn't let some kind of gas off or something. She remembers Aggie (the dog) jumping at this man, but he just shoved Aggie off. She may have to get a bigger fiercer dog. One thing for sure, she is definitely going to have to set her alarm more vigilantly - she is also looking at electric fencing and garden beams.

She has had large fold away doors fitted to the back of her house - and doesn't have curtains etc as it is so private. She is beside herself now, wants to get curtains etc so that she can close herself in. She is understandably very freaked out as they have been watching her.

I have just spoken to her briefly, she has just had physio, and says her shoulder and chest are very stiff, but the pain is more bearable.

Whatever you think of the foreign policy of our American government, take a second to reflect on how relatively safe we are in our own homes, compared to the rest of the world.

Happy Memorial Day!

Dogs

Well, just when you think your life has gotten as weird as it can, along comes something you never expected. This morning when Cathy went in to check on the girls, what to her wondering eye should appear but regurgitated panties...wait, what? That's right, one of our dogs, who had kind of been off her food for awhile, had barfed up a pair of parially-digested little-girl panties...now, I've seen dogs eat a lot of things: dead birds, plastic sunglasses, dental floss (which is pretty disgusting when it comes out the other end), but panties? They really are animals, no matter how much we regard them as "human family", and they remind you of that fact periodically.

Their World

As some of you know, Cathy works every other weekend nights, so I have the kids to myself. Today, I played "Polly Pockets" with Sara. She's so fun to watch...just to have a little window into her world. She gets words and facts wrong, but I don't dare correct her...not yet. She has her way of playing and the way things should be. I just sit there watching, hoping that I'm never the one to bring her little world crashing down to cruel reality. The wonder of her expressions and the things she comes up with...such an imagination. Today, I just had to stop and visit "Sara's world" for awhile.

Report from the Mid-Life Crisis Front

I have loved George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic since I was in high school. So, when I heard that they were playing the newly-opened House of Blues in Dallas. I ate at the restaurant, and met Dan Akroyd! I was feeling pretty cool, pretty smooth...a happenin' dude...then, I stood and danced for 4 hours at the concert...I could barely walk the next day. The concert was Thursday...it's Sunday...I'm still sore. I'm an adult now ouch!

One Scared Citizen

Now this is the kind of thing that will keep me awake at night!

My Funeral

It's probably weird to be planning my funeral now, and I'm not, really. I'm just planning the music. Anyone who knows me would know that music is the only part of my funeral that I would care about. It's not that I obsess about it or anything, but I've always been jealous of sports stars who get "introduction music" that plays as they take the field. They get to choose one song to represent them at that moment. If I were a sports star, I'd probably choose this song to take the field. But I'm not, and it looks pretty certain that I won't ever be. So, my version of that will be my funeral. I've thought about this since I was in high school (and those of you who knew me then, know that it would have been a really weird, loud, silly funeral). As I have grown, I have realized the gravity of the event for those who attend should preclude most silliness (funerals are not for the dead, after all). Anyway, I thought about stealing the opening sequence to the movie Big Chill ("You Can't Always Get What You Want" by the Rolling Stones (can't find a link), but, as I got older, I thought about who would be there and how long it would have been since I saw them last and the message that I would want to leave them with...my last wish...and this would be it The beauty of this song is that the writer (Warren Zevon) knew that he was dying when he wrote it and that makes it all the more poignant...and I think the song kind of echoes what we all want after we die...to be remembered.
As for the rest of the funeral, it really doesn't matter to me. Whatever is easiest on the ones left to deal with my remains is fine. If everyone is graveside (or whatever) and there's a boombox there that plays that song, that's fine. Believe me, I started out with an entire funeral album of songs that I wanted...most of them entirely inappropriate for a funeral and some of them beyond bizarre; but I realized that it would fall on the ears of people that I love and respect and that a certain decorum was in order.
Well, that's what was on my mind this Saturday evening. I don't know if blogs count as wills or any sort of directive after you die, but there it is.

By the way, please add Cinco de Mayo to the days that you should avoid Wal-Mart if you can.

Doctors Reading X-rays (or not)

Long story short - I was in an accident back in Feb, and my left elbow has been hell ever since. VERY sore. I went and had X-rays done, but they were negative (x-rays always are, aren't they?...x-ray, negative...ha,ha?) Anyway, the pain was getting worse, so I asked them to do an MRI, which, they said, showed a possible ligament tear. Okay. Scheduled me with an Orthopedic surgeon (he's good, so it took a month to get in to see him). Meanwhile, I'm icing my elbow down and tried to rest it (those of you with children will know how well that worked out...). Finally, yesterday, I got in to see the Orth Surg. He points to a spot on my elbow on the MRI film and says, "Yeah, you've got a crack in the bone in your elbow". WHAT? Wouldn't that be pretty obvious to someone who reads these things for a living? Apparently not. Anyway, he shot some cortisone into the joint (and THAT was a joy), and wants to see me in a month to, "See if it worked"...how in the world do you go from "torn ligament" to "cracked bone"? Needless to say, it hurts more today than it did yesterday (which will happen if you shove a needle into the joint and shoot a thick liquid in there). He assures me that this will feel better soon. After all of that, I would hope so.