Quote de jour

"The world is round, and the place which may seem like the end, may also be the beginning." ~Ivy Baker Priest



Saturday, January 22, 2011

RIP Herb

I just read that Herb died Thursday. We were evicting him because the specialized apartment complex said he continually violated the House Rules. He begged and pleaded with the Court not to allow the eviction and claimed he was very sick. Most recently, I saw a motion claiming he had congestive heart failure. I think I saw the motion on Thursday the 20th, the day of his death.

Indeed it would seem he did have congestive heart failure and it claimed his last breath as family and friends moved him from his apartment. I am not feeling the love and I think I would probably rather teach anywhere in the world than to be a part of the degredation of humans, regardless of their personal flaws. Blech.

Saturday, January 1, 2011

New Year Y2.011K!

1-1-11 New Year Y2.011K!

Numerology rules and reigns today I suppose. Personally, I’m focused on 11-11-11…. Just because I can! Nonetheless, a Happy New Year to us all! I am recovering from double pneumonia and find that not having a rousing good celebration last night has left me feeling a bit empty. My son felt that way last night, and broke out the colored champagne flutes to enjoy a toast together using my brother's famous Root Beer. I loved it….but realized we are more Denver or New York City or “party” people at a minimum.

I am glad I am breathing. I smoked for a number of years, not fully appreciating the beauty of taking a breath without struggle or pain or fear. Now, walking down the stairs to check on Todd’s “room” causes me such tiredness, I find excuses not to walk back up the stairs until some recovery time has passed. The doctor mentioned a follow up set of x-rays to make sure, (“and I don’t want to scare you”) that it isn’t lung cancer. I can’t go there. I can barely get up the stairs.

Guled is recovering fairly nicely it would seem, but certainly this regime of steroids and antibiotics and various breathing machine apparatuses (apparati?) in our home is a clear reminder that when it comes to breathing, there are no sacred days of celebration. There is only breathing.

So, we discussed briefly last night how to increase activity in our lives so that our lungs recover and we get stronger. News from one of the boys in Guled’s band, the one who also got pneumonia, is that he is suffering from dizzy spells and has still not recovered his strength enough to compete in gymnastics. He’s a dynamo out there on the floor at his young age, but is not able to do the things he could do just six weeks ago. We are all wondering what this “bug” is and how to kill it. Todd recommended whiskey, honey and lemon. It seemed to help for that one night, actually!

I think travel is probably the way to go. Todd and I talked about Yellowstone and Glacier National Park and some other sights here in the upper West. I have experienced many places around the world, but I have neglected the fun in my own backyard. Guled and I will be preparing to hike the West. Consider it lung therapy…probably tax deductible in a world where we battle unhealthy lifestyles. But I am going to breathe the air at the top!