Tag Archives: illness

Just Give Me a Minute to Catch My Breath

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In the last week:

  • Annie’s grandmother died
  • Zoe spent her first period of time apart from Annie (3 days)
  • Burrito (our cat) is not eating, which is how her sister started deteriorating before we had to put her down.
  • I worked a 66-hour work week
  • Our friend Eric was in a motorcycle accident (he’s got road rash, but is otherwise okay)
  • Annie’s dad and brother Zach totaled a car trying to get to the funeral (they’re fine, the car is not)
  • Annie strained her knee, and is on crutches

Our friends and family have been overwhelmingly supportive, and we’ve managed to scrape together enough money to cover the unexpected doctor and veterinarian bills, so we’re doing well, but are mentally and physically exhausted. Tomorrow morning we’re driving to Walla Walla for the funeral. We’re coming back on Sunday, and then I’ve got a couple days off so we can slow down a bit and try to regain our sanity.

Republicans, Religion and the Triumph of Unreason

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“Here’s what’s actually happening. The US is the only major industrialised country that does not provide regular healthcare to all its citizens. Instead, they are required to provide for themselves – and 50 million people can’t afford the insurance. As a result, 18,000 US citizens die every year needlessly, because they can’t access the care they require. That’s equivalent to six 9/11s, every year, year on year.”
– Johann Hari, Republicans, religion and the triumph of unreason (via powazek)

Everyone is Sick

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Biohazard by Totoro!

Zoe has been sick off and on for about two weeks now. It started with an ear infection, which got bad enough that her doctor put her on antibiotics. Then she got a bit of a cold, threw up a couple of times, and then diarrhea for about a week. Plus she’s been teething.

Yesterday, I stayed home sick with some sort of intestinal bug. It was unpleasant but not horrible, and I honestly didn’t think it was connected. I figured I ate something that didn’t agree with me, but then I found out that:

  • Zoe’s friend Maia was puking so much she’s at the hospital right now.
  • My nephew Milo is sick.
  • My brother-in-law David is sick.
  • My mother-in-law is sick.
  • My mom is sick.
  • Three of my coworkers are sick.
  • Annie is sick
  • Annie’s uncle Darby is sick.

Now, I’m not a medical professional, but it sounds to me like we’re the incubators for some advanced new form of the Black Death. If you’ve been in contact with us anytime in the last three years, I would advise you to go home and take a hydrogen peroxide bath.

Edit, the next day: Added my mother-in-law to the list. It’s spreading.

Edit, three days later: Added Annie and Darby to the list. Will it ever stop?

(photo by Totoro)

DSL, Sprained Ankle, and a Punch to the Face

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We’re going to get a DSL connection here at my parent’s house. This will enable me to do work for my new job (did I mention that it’s a telecommuting position?) without having to put up with the 30-second lag time that I sometimes get when working in a telnet window. Hopefully, it will be in within a couple weeks and I can stop surreptitiously working from the tek room. That’s my news. Now on to the rest of my family:

Annie sprained her ankle at work. It was bad enough that yesterday she went to the doctor, who gave her codeine, a brace, and orders to stay off her feet for a few days. She’s currently doped up and sitting in my Dad’s armchair, watching comedy central. But she does seem to be doing well, and the doctor thinks she’ll be doing alright in a matter of weeks.

Ryan gave us a call a few nights ago, letting us know that one of his so-called friends had punched him in the face to convince him not to get married. Apparently, he has a small group of these friends who are convinced that getting married to Molli is the worst possible thing he could do, and when trying to talk him out of it failed, they threatened violence. One of these friends came to visit, and after letting Ryan buy him a drink, walked outside with him and punched him in the face. Then he ran away, shouting profanities behind him. It’s a big mess, and basically we’re all just confused about what’s going on. I’m sure ryan will post the details to his journal at some point, so I’ll let him tell the story on his own.

Plus, Steve’s been sick all week, Miles is on the verge of being deported, and my Mom’s having troubles with her boss. HAPPY OCTOBER, EVERYONE! Things can only get better from here!

The First Rain

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It’s raining outside. I love rain. But more importantly, I love the first rain after summer. There’s just something great about getting sick of the heat, and then opening your window and listening to the sound of the rain.

I’ve been feeling the itch lately. About once a year or so, I get an urge to redesign all my websites. If I’m really lucky, I end up getting a burst of inspiration at the same time, and I can produce some excellent new designs. At the moment, I’ve got a new idea for my homepage and portfolio, as well as some new skins for all the KillingMachines sites.

Annie’s sick right now. She came down with some sort of nasty cold, and is home sick for the second day in a row. She does sound much better today than she did yesterday, so hopefully, she’ll feel better tomorrow, when we’ve got a day trip to the beach planned with Steve and Stephanie.

Now, that’s truly a Pacific Northwest experience: It’s pouring down rain, so we’re going to go to the beach, where it’s also pouring down rain! People in Portland learn how to have fun in the rain, because if you wait for the rain to clear up, you’ll be waiting a long time.

My friend Daniel Achterman once described the difference between Oregon beaches and California beaches to me. He said that on a California beach, you put on your swim trunks, wade in the ocean, and play frisbee. On an Oregon beach, you put on a windbreaker, go for a walk, and poke things with sticks.