The Internet home of Kevin Barrow
We buried my grandma today.
I got the call from my mom on Thursday evening that my grandma, who’d had Alzheimer’s for over 15 years, and who’d been in a full-care home for the last decade, had stopped swallowing (her body had forgotten how) and hadn’t had any fluids in about 48 hours. The end, according to the care workers with whom my mom had spoken, could come in a few days or in a few weeks.
That end came less than 12 hours later.
Two weeks from today I start a brand new job with Military Advantage, a division of Monster.com and the organization that runs Military.com.
Thank you to everyone who sent me happy birthday wishes yesterday! I enjoyed the various messages and e-cards y’all sent, including this pair of YouTube videos that Cindy emailed me.
The first clip features a trio of orange robots/aliens/space chipmunks singing the traditional Happy Birthday song. [1:18]
The second is a clip from one of the times Jack Black hosted Saturday Night Live, highlighting a new alternative to the traditional ditty. [5:11]
As I write this, I’m sitting at a makeshift table in the Albuquerque airport, availing myself of their free wifi, waiting on a flight home that’s been delayed “at least an hour,” according to the fine Southwest folks at gate A11.
(Oh, pardon me: I have just discovered that this isn’t just an airport — it’s Albuquerque International Sunport. No word on the next outbound flight to Alpha Centauri.)
My blogging habit has been, shall we say, a bit spotty since Thanksgiving, but it was my intent to get back in the swing of things over the past week’s trip out to Clovis to spend Xmas with my family.
Obviously, that didn’t happen.
Instead, the bulk of this trip was spent feeling absolutely horrible. Didn’t just have The Sniffle; I had some sort of nasty stomach flu that knocked me off my ass a day into the trip and sent me to the ER in the wee hours of Christmas Eve Day.
At the time, I had no idea what was afflicting me, and my symptoms at 3 in the morning had me concerned that it might have been appendicitis. My dad very graciously drove me across town to the hospital where, after a battery of blood tests and x-rays, they made the flu diagnosis, pumped me full of pain meds, and sent me on my way.
And then I got to come back to my parents’ place and do morning updates while trying to ward off the unconsciousness the meds wanted to deliver me unto. My alternative? Call Patrick or Valli and wake one of them up to do updates. That just wasn’t something I was willing to do.
By all that is holy, how I loathe doing morning updates.
Anyway, I got updates to a bare-minimum level of completion and passed out in my chair, waking just long enough in the next few hours to move over to the hide-a-bed sofa I was sleeping on. Apart from a brief trip out to fill the prescription the ER doc had given me and to do a little last-minute shopping, I slept until about 8 the next morning (Christmas Day), completely missing the big Christmas Eve get-together my mom hosted there at the house.
I managed a few hours of nominal activity on Monday for the big family Christmas day dinner before having to retreat into my cocoon of bedding again. Tuesday, I was feeling better but still sub-par; yesterday, I felt back to normal.
So, for those of you keeping score, I managed about a day and a half of normal activity over my entire week’s trip.
*sigh*
I need a vacation.
The official World AIDS Day website has “virtual red ribbons” (right) that you can “wear” on your site.
Wear a Virtual Red Ribbon
Last year, over 12,000 Virtual Red Ribbons were worn on websites and email signatures. Download one today and help mobilise people to take action on World AIDS Day.
Congratulations to Jason and Kris, who are celebrating their tenth wedding anniversary today. (Or is it eleventh? I don’t think so, but I can’t remember for sure.)
Happy Anniversary, you two!
In your honor, here’s the Bangles’ “Eternal Flame.”
I’d wanted to go out to the Citadel on Friday night, but a craptacular week at work had all but wiped me out, so I decided, at the last minute, to stay in. My intent had been to go to bed early, but the muses picked that night to drop in on me. It’s been a while since they’ve visited, so I stayed up and let them guide my creative endeavors.
And then I looked up to find that the clock had jumped from 11pm to just after four in the morning. Gadzooks.
Bed.
Woke up late on Saturday. Tried to coordinate plans with Jamie, but ended up pushing them to Sunday. (She was in a weekend credentialing class longer than she’d expected; I was moving in super-slo-mo.)
Saw Borat. Let me tell you right now: It is as good as everyone is saying. Star/producer/writer Sacha Baron Cohen really took Faulkner’s advice to “kill your darlings” to heart: All the excess in the movie has been capably trimmed away, leaving it a lean, 84-minute comedic gem. (Are you listening, SNL?)
Oh, and I love the flick’s full title: Borat!: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.
Saturday night, I attended the Lesbian/Gay Chorus of San Francisco’s performance of their fall concert, “Turn the World Around,” an eclectic mix of music from around the globe, most of which was sung in languages other than English.
The show was fantastic. I highly encourage anyone who has not yet done so to take in one of their performances; the next one listed on their website is at the “17th Annual Home for the Holidays” concert hosted by the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus on Christmas Eve.
(Oh, and my friend Remy had a killer solo! W00t!)
Got together with Jamie on Sunday and had a blast. Movie (Marie Antionette; more on that later), browsing through shops (Cost Plus and a nice secondhand book store), and dinner (Olive Garden).
Definitely one of the better weekends I’ve had recently.
As a public service for those of you who might not have received this news already:
Tom Bender is getting deployed to Iraq for four months.
From: Tom Bender
Date: Nov 6, 2006 9:43 AM
Subject: Off I Go…
To: [a bunch of people]Everyone,
Some of you already know, but for those of you who don’t know, I am leaving this afternoon to head over to Baghdad, Iraq. I will be there for 4 months. I greatly appreciate the well wishes people have expressed to me and to Sarah regarding my trip. I am not going over there to be on the front line, and I will be within a secure compound the entire time. I expect Sarah will call on several people for assistance over the next few months, but if anyone is concerned, please don’t hesitate to give her a ring.
I will have internet access in my room, and will have a bed and indoor plumbing. In fact, I will be at Camp Slayer. Camp Slayer is the coalition name for Saddam’s former primary personal residence. Located right next to Saddam International Airport, our living facility is the former guest houses located along one of three man-made lakes. I will have full use of a Post Exchange, workout center, a Burger King, Pizza Hut, and, like I said, wireless internet from my room. It’s practically club med only in camoflauge.
I barely escaped being over there on my birthday, but will be there on Mom’s birthday, Thanksgiving, Dad’s birthday, Christmas, New Years, Valentine’s Day, and Rhys’ 4th birthday. If anyone wants to send me care packages (or care packages for any other deployed soldier, sailor, airman, or marine…I can get lists of names of those most in need) my address will be:
Morris Bender (do not put rank)
MNFI C2, CSG
APO AE 09342Take care,
Tom
You may recall that Tom received his commission from the Navy three years ago next week.
So, if y’all find yourselves in possession of an empty slot on your Christmas card list this year, you might consider sending something Tom’s way. Heck, like he says, there will be many servicemen and servicewomen who would, I’m sure, love to get something over the holidays.
My best wishes to Tom and Sarah and their families.