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February 28, 2006
Mikey in Day By Day
THANK YOU, CHRIS!
Posted by Da Goddess at 06:55 AM | Comments (5)
February 24, 2006
Friday's "I Don't Know and I Don't Care" Blues
One of the best things about being in a funk is that I have the perfect excuse to listen to whatever music I want.
I suppose I could pick up some Sarah McLachlan or some Susie Sue, but no, they really don't work. Instead, I grabbed a stack of my CDs and started off with some Johnny Shines, Honeyboy, Nathan and Ben, and then, I launched into some Trixie Smith. Her 1922-34 recordings, to be exact. The first few songs are reminiscent of the music you'd hear in those early cartoons - the black and white ones with the scratchy sound.
About halfway through the CD, though, there are a few songs that are particularly fantastic. "I'm Through With You (As I Can Be)", "Take It Daddy, It's All Yours", "I'm Gonna Get You", "Tired of Waiting Blues", "Triflin' Blues", "Don't Shake it No More", and "I Don't Know and I Don't Care Blues".
All the songs feature have a nickelodeon-ish sound, but I don't really mind. I mean, these songs were recorded almost 100 years ago and I'm listening to them right now! It's rather astounding, don't you think?
Then, there's feel of the songs. You can't deny the complete and utter sentiment of the tunes. Some are quite poignant. Others serve as declarations of independence and strenght. If you consider what many of these woman endured at the time -- especially if they were black -- the importance of these recordings cannot be discounted.
I have chills just thinking about all this great music I have around me. If'n I'm gonna have the blues, I may as well have the right soundtrack.
On a positive note, my Flickr account has suddenly seen a jump in activity. One photo went from having two people looking at it to almost 500, What a nice little ego boost!
Posted by Da Goddess at 03:07 AM | Comments (8)
February 20, 2006
Kranky Kluck
The update thing hasn't been happening lately because, doggone it, I'm one Kranky Kluck.
Tired, aching, frustrated, and listless. I'm on the verge of starring in a new commercial for depression and the miracle drug that will cure it.
I probably shouldn't gripe about the little things, but it's all been a bit overwhelming lately and doesn't feel at all little. I'm not talking major depression. It's more like pressure and disappointment mixed with a case of the blues. And not the kind of blues I like.
Grumble grumble, whine whine. The car died on Saturday, the computer needed a reinstallation of Windows, lovelife sucks, ditched the home phone, my rent is going up again (temporary reprieve of $200/month when the condo was on the market), and blah blah blah.
But there have also been good things. Little Dude and I were at my mom's on Friday. We ended up playing cards and having fun. We played Old Maid with a vintage deck - from the 1920s! And, the card pictured above is one of many from that deck.
Little Dude kept losing. The last two games we played, we told him if he lost, he'd have to eat some chili. He doesn't like chili. He lost. Again. And again. Each time, he'd sprint toward the door and yell, "I'm outta here!" Did I mention he doesn't like chili?
Fortunately for my boy, we did not force chili on him.
I've also turned him on to Sudoku. His Valentine's Day present consisted of two books full of the puzzles. Specifically designed for kids, the simple patterns aren't complicated at first. They get more complicated as you get deeper into the book. LD thinks this is the best thing since sliced bread. I'm just thrilled that he likes them. I'm sure I'll have to hide my Sudokos from him in a short time. Oh well, that's the price you pay for having a smart kid.
Despite all the fun and games, there's still a part of me that can't seem to shake the gloom and doom. I'm turning into a socially retarded outcast of my own making. I can't seem to get back to my usual sunny self.
Don't mind me. I'm just going to sit here and stew in my own juices for a while. Carry on as you were.
Posted by Da Goddess at 12:40 PM | Comments (8)
February 15, 2006
Surgery
Mikey's surgery is scheduled for early morning, around 7am.
The bone flap will be reattached.
Say a prayer!
P.S. He really liked the jokes.
Posted by Da Goddess at 01:17 AM | Comments (1)
February 13, 2006
Sunday Evening With Mikey
I finally got to head back to the hospital to see Mikey wide awake and talking for myself. We'd talked on the phone, but that's not hardly the same thing as seeing him, right?
I was gowning and gloving up -- a necessary precaution since he has MRSA -- and saw him looking at me through the door. There was a moment of "wha-ha?" on his part. But, that was totally warranted since my hair is a little darker than the last time he saw me. From a distance, I'm sure it was more than a little confusing to have someone waving in at him like they were old friends. Once I got in the room, he smiled and laughed a bit.
Mikey said, in his hoarse stage whisper-y voice, "I couldn't figure out who the hell you were!"
"It's the hair."
"Yeah, it's darker."
It was my turn to laugh, and I told him "at least it's not a mullet." Less than a half hour before, I had been at his house, giggling over a photo of him from years ago. Hey, it was the 80s. We all made "hair-rors".
I sat down next to him and looked him over. He was definitely much better than the last time I'd seen him. His skin was pinker, he wasn't swelled up like overfilled water balloon anymore, and he was awake. I gave him a bad time about scaring the hell out of everyone. And then I had to turn away for a minute. I was just so relieved to see my friend, talk to him, listen to him talking to me.
After I pulled myself together, I looked him over again. Yep. Mikey was back! He's thinner. He looks very gaunt. Even compared to how he looked pre-stroke. The area where they'll need to go in and replace the bone flap is sunken, but closed. When he turns just so and the light hits it the right way, you can watch it pulsate, kind of like a baby's fontanelle -- except it's in the front of his head.
Like the mullet of yore, his current hairdo is a bit, shall we say, different. He has a rather odd patch that's shorter than a military crewcut. There's a smaller patch that's completely bare. The rest is wonderfully blond and still there.
Another friend of ours arrived at that point and joined us. We sat and talked and compared hospital food experiences. Lame, I know. But, between the three of us, we'd pretty much kept the local hospitals in business over the last six months.
Mikey told us how they keep asking him about current events. They want to know what the next holiday is. They want to know if he knows where he is. He knows what's going on, but he couldn't remember the next holiday. For whatever reason, Valentine's Day didn't register as a holiday. Romantic as he is, that's not a day he thinks of as a holiday. At least, not one people normally take off from work. So it eluded him.
I made a point of telling him that he was probably thinking in terms of Super Bowl and the Olympics, like most men.
"You know that's why you woke up on the 5th, right? You wanted to catch the game."
We laughed. There's pain behind the laughter, though. I could see it.
"How's the pain?" I asked. Our friend and I asked him to rate it on a scale of 0-10, with zero being no pain and ten being the worst pain imaginable.
"It's about a nine," he said.
"That's not good," I said.
"It's better than being dead," he replied.
"True."
"You heard about the protesters blocking the progress of the Olympic torch, right?" we asked.
"Wha-aaat?"
General concern and a hint of common sense kept us from cracking some obvious gallows humor-type jokes. You know, like, "hey, guess you can cancel cable now that you've basically got your own satellite dish." Or, "dude, having a bad hair day?" He would have laughed, but it's still too fresh for everyone and we're still too worried to make light of the situation on that sort of scale.
It seems like utter silliness, doesn't it? But, this is typical banter for us. The only difference is that it's happening in the hospital and my friend has a hole in his head. And he's hurting. I hate to see him hurting.
Mikey is still very weak. He needs help getting up to go to the bathroom, but he can get up. Dialysis is back to every other day. Looming, though, is the surgery to put the bone back on his head. That won't be the end of his ordeal. He must slowly rebuild his strength and voice. He needs to maintain a certain level of good health for a while before the doctors sign off and allow him to go home.
Work? Well, according to Mrs. Mikey, they sent out a memo asking for people to donate paid leave for Mikey so that he doesn't have to go without any sort of income. Thus far, no one has donated time. That absolutely blows my mind. I know that everyone likes to save for a rainy day, but this is ridiculous! I cannot fathom how these people can let one of their valued coworkers...what's the word I'm looking for here? How could they stand aside and watch someone almost die and not lend a helping hand? Mikey's the kind of guy who'd be first in line to help someone else. He's always been there for others. Even people he doesn't know very well. Hell, even for people he doesn't know at all. And yet, his coworkers can't give a single day of paid leave to ease his mounting financial burdens? It's unconscionable.
Mrs. Mikey is doing her best to get the basics paid and keep food on the table and a roof over their heads. It's hard though. I know, all too well, how that is.
Mikey's fighting to get better so he can take care of his family. He wants to be back at school and work. He wants to get back to helping his daughter with her homework (honors classes!) and doing all the things that make his family happy. It'll take time before any of that can happen. He needs to get well first.
Please let others know about Mikey's situation. If they can donate a dollar, or five, or fifty -- it'll help take care of the essentials and allow Mikey and his family expend energy on getting him healthy instead of stressing over finances. Let your friends know that Mikey is a good man in a very difficult situation. Let them know he's the kind of man who would go out of his way to help someone else for no other reason than because it's the right thing to do and because he's just that nice. Let people know. Please.
And don't forget to keep praying.
Thanks.
Mad Mikey
c/o SMASH
PO Box 882353
San Diego, CA 92108-2353
Posted by Da Goddess at 09:11 AM | Comments (4)
February 10, 2006
Personal Update
I've been chastised via email for not updating everyone about what's going on with my back. I guess I figured my back paled in comparison to Mikey's fight and didn't want to bore anyone with the details.
But, since I was prodded, I guess I must oblige.
I will have an MRI next week. They'll be focusing on my thoracic and lumbar spine, checking to see what might be causing the continuing pain. We know there's a problem at T6-7, but is that enough to be a problem? We'll find out.
I'm also going to be starting the steroid epidurals again. They'll target the thoracic and possibly the lumbar. I'm nervous about the injections because I remember what it was like last time. However, I'm sort of looking forward to the possibility of having some significant pain relief.
Sunday, during Operation Thank You, I was there for less than two hours and felt every step I took, every moment of standing. That's not the way I want to live. I have to be more mobile than that!
Pain is not welcome here. I've issued packing orders, but it's not really listening. Distraction helps, but only for a while.
Luckily, I've been able to accomplish a few things. Down days are down. Up days are for playing catch up. I still think my health issues aren't nearly as troubling as those that other people face, but then again, there are times when they trump everything else going on around me.
Can't wait for that MRI. Can't wait for those injections. Anyone available for chauffeuring duties on the 23rd?
Posted by Da Goddess at 03:56 PM | Comments (4)
Step Down
Mikey's finally hit the step down unit!
He has a sitter with him. He needs it. Medications leave him just confused enough for him to not understand that he can't get out of bed.
As he and his wife were talking last night, she asked him if he had any questions for her. Mikey had only one.
"Do you still love me?"
I told her she should have said, "if you'd been in a coma for another hour or so, probably not." Mrs. Mikey laughed and said she wasn't feeling sassy enough at the time to come up with that. It's hard to be sassy when you're a big puddle of goo because your honey's only question is so damn touching.
I wish I could find a man like that. Well, one who isn't quite so dramatic in his attempt to get attention. (Yes, Mikey, I'm going to tease you endlessly!)
I'm going to call the hospital now and read comments to him over the phone. I think I have enough cough syrup on board to keep me from choking and sputtering too much. I'll blame my sinuses for any moments of weepiness, too.
By the way, Mikey says hi.
To make a donation and/or send get well wishes:
Mad Mikey
c/o SMASH
PO Box 882353
San Diego, CA 92108-2353
Posted by Da Goddess at 01:02 PM | Comments (0)
February 09, 2006
Duck Season
I've been fighting yet another sinus/inner ear infection and will not go to the hospital until I am positive I have nothing to pass along to Mikey and his family.
Thus, updates will be provided when I get them from Mrs. Mikey.
From yesterday's phone call:
Mikey and the Mrs. were talking and Mikey kept asking if she saw the duck.
"Where?"
"Behind that guy!"
"I don't see a duck."
"It's right there, behind the guy."
"Okay. I believe you're seeing a duck behind the guy, honey."
Some of Mikey's meds are bringing along hallucinations. That's not unusual. If he's still having them without the meds, I'll worry. Or if Mrs. Mikey starts seeing things...I'd definitely worry then!
Things are moving slowly, as expected. He's still in the ICU and it's a good place for him to be. The bone flap, the lines, the fact that he has a long way to go - I can't imagine a better place for him to receive care. The next stop would likely be a step down unit. He'd continue to receive close monitoring, but not be stuck in ICU.
22 days of unconsciousness. Brain surgery. Machines breathing for you. You don't just jump right out of bed after that.
But he's back.
And it's duck season.
Posted by Da Goddess at 09:20 AM | Comments (5)
February 05, 2006
Off the Vent
Mikey was being weaned off the vent. A gradual thing, giving his body a chance to take over basic functions without stressing his entire system.
Until last night, that is.
Apparently, Mikey'd had enough of the ventilator and ripped out the tubing before the docs could.
He is awake.
Yes. HE IS AWAKE!
And talking. Okay, whispering. But, still...
Mikey is awake, communicating, and just as stubborn as ever.
Posted by Da Goddess at 02:16 PM | Comments (4)
Blogger Caught with Pot in Car
After paying my rent, I stopped by an estate sale the other day and picked up two very inexpensive items.
The first, a belt buckle with dolphins (one of his favorite animals) for Little Dude's next birthday. I'll have to carefully hide this...and then remember where I put it. His birthday isn't until October.
The second item was a Revere Ware pot that's perfect for stovetop popcorn popping. You can't find these pots anymore. Not the same kind I grew up using, anyway. And most new pots and pans are not conducive to good poppage. Needless to say, I was thrilled with my find.
Now, if only I could remember to bring the pot and the belt buckle in from the car.
By the way, I'm going to keep most of the news about Mikey over on his site. Not all, just most of it.
Posted by Da Goddess at 04:14 AM | Comments (0)