PhotoDude.com

Wed. Mar 01, 2006

The Dude Is Mostly Out

This has been a very very trying week, and I would expect this site to be fairly fallow for a while.

I’ve spent several days in Mississippi where my Dad has been in serious condition in intensive care. I found out he’d gone back into the hospital about an hour after putting my seriously ill 14 year old “child,” Fuji, into the kitty hospital. And, oh yeah, about a half hour after finding out my truck is dead.

Thank goodness for rental cars and slack speed limit enforcement on American interstates. Note, I did not give thanks for the American health care system. Which is One Big Charlie Foxtrot. No, no, we’re not getting into that now. My BP is finally back to normal.

Today my Dad was moved out of ICU, which is a big step on the way home. But last time, they discharged him from the hospital way way too fast. In my opinion, he needed about three days worth of hall-walking and regaining strength.

[Unnecessarily detailed venting deleted at the last minute. Suffice it to say…]

My tongue has some serious teeth marks in it. But the end result is all that matters; my Dad is getting better, and is already getting rehab therapy, even though he is quite a few days from getting out.

And through the absolutely miraculous care of my wife in my forced absence, Fuji is better today than yesterday. But she is still oh-so-pitiful, as she will not eat or drink, and we’re having to gently force it on her via eyedroppers. She’s always been a petite girl (10 pounds), and the weight loss from this has made her feel like just skin and bones. And this is one of those things you either fully understand, or never will: she’s like my child, my only child, and this simply rips me apart in ways I can’t begin to explain.

This photo, if you knew Fuji, is somewhat of a miracle in itself. If I hadn’t taken it myself, I’d swear it was faked by someone who excelled at Photoshop, because I’d never dreamed my “one man cat” would sit comfortably in Susan’s arms. She’s a little squirmy in mine, as she’s not a cat that likes to be held. Susan and I have been together ten years, and Fuji has always been standoffish with her … at least when I’m around, I hear. As much as I hated not being able to be here with her, though, in a way it was for the best. She and Susan have bonded in ways I never imagined could happen.

Still, when I was there, I felt like I needed to be here. And when I’m here, I feel like I need to be there. Where are those damn flying cars we were promised in the 1950’s?

But I really don’t feel like talking about it much beyond that, nor do I really have time. My energies are focused on getting loved ones better, and what time I have left over will be used taking care of some very understanding clients I’ve had to neglect as a result of all this.

Therefore, this site is officially one of my least concerns, and, other than maybe an occasional quote or link, will likely be pretty quiet. For at least a while. Comments are off because I don’t have the time to monitor them.