Mom slipped away early Friday morning. She died in her own bed surrounded by the three people she loved most--her remaining sister and my brother and I. We took strength and comfort from each other and with hospice to guide us we surely were more together than the sum of our parts. I have no regrets ( Read more... )

Today is my birthday. So far the best thing-and I do mean it is a VERY GOOD THING-is that my mother didn't die today. That would suck, not just for the usual reasons, but suck for all perpetuity. Yesterday I would not have bet that she would not die today. She is declining that fast. I came here Friday on FMLA leave and I am surprised at how ( Read more... )

I have just finished reading 'Annals of the Former World' by John McPhee. It is about a 20 year journey along Interstate 80 which roughly spans the center of the U.S. from New York to San Francisco, but also a 4600 million year journey through geologic time. For some time now I have been so involved in the minutia of modeling hydrocarbon ( Read more... )

My brother called last night to tell me that he'd arranged for hospice for our mother. I know we had discussed it when I was there a week ago, but it seems to underscore the fact that our mother is really dying and it's hitting me hard. He said that he had applied a morphine patch which means all that we can do is to try to make her comfortable ( Read more... )

This video is by Perpetuum Jazzile, an cappella jazz choir from Slovenia. They are singing the well known Toto song 'Africa'. At the beginning they simulate an African thunderstorm with their hands.

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Somewhere around the middle of season 3 I got tired of being jerked around by Lost. If they had just solved a few of the 1500 mysteries that they introduced, I would have stayed, but instead it seemed as though the questions piled up for no reason whatsover and I finally said to hell with it. Then last season I saw few teasers that they were ( Read more... )

There's something wonderful about being at work with only a handful off people on the floor, none of them asking me for anything. I'm getting tons done and will probably skive off early. My friend C has invited us to an impromptu dinner after which we will drive to the county limits, buy fireworks, and C and I will drink champagne while watching ( Read more... )

The family and I have just returned from a glorious week at Big Bend Ranch State Park in west Texas. We hiked the desert canyons, rode horses, star gazed and ate. No phones, no TV, no internet, and an hour and a half from the nearest town. My youngest daughter thought the whole idea was horrible until she discovered her inner mountain goat. Did I ( Read more... )

This is my 10th, (count'm) 10th presidential election. The 26th amendment passed in 1972 giving me the right to vote at age 18 in the 1972 election. I voted for McGovern who ended up getting 14 electoral votes. Total. Pretty much every presidential election has gone more or less the same way since. Today I think I finally got it right. But I ( Read more... )

Just when things seem to be getting back to normal, my brother calls and tells me mom is in the hospital and they just moved her to critical care. She breathes through a stoma because she had cancer of the larynx 10 years ago and has emphysema on top of that. I've been worried because she hasn't been feeling well lately and I booked a flight to ( Read more... )