The drama never friggen ends. I began Wednesday dealing with a failing starter on my car. A brief spark show later, my oft-mentioned little buggy has a new starter and I'm shopping at Aldi's for the next two weeks. If life could have been quiet there, I would have been fine with it. You never like getting stuck, but you could do a lot worse than the ring road in Delaware Park.

Never thought I'd pass for the picture of health, but I'm starting to wonder. I already wrote about my Father-in-law's cancer battle. Poor dude can't get a break. He had a reaction to I think anesthetic so he was getting rushed over to Buff General, who made sure there were no other obstructions or obstacles to overcome. An MRI later today should confirm that. They brought him down the tunnel to Roswell thursday night. The Ex hung out there whilst I pinch-hitted with the kids. Thursday night stretched magically into Friday morning in that regard.

While all this was going on, my mom was in the emergency room at Suburban. She has been undergoing a treatment regimen for what consensus believes is vascular arteritis, featuring an unhealthy amount of Prednizone. Apparently, it can have some graphic side effects. One of which was a nose bleed. Not one of the "ooh, I bumped my nose" types of bleeds. It was more of the "Who died here" kind. To get it to stop, staff there used a liquid form of cocaine.

Now I have officially seen and heard everything. After a childhood of hearing my mom say things like "tilt your head" and "hold that washcloth still," I can now respond with "Mom, did you do your coke."

Meanwhile, back in Elmwood Village, we had "the talk" with the kids about their grandfather being unlikely to recover. That went about as well as can be expected considering we were making it up as we go.

I had my first day at the Zoo of being devoid of caring, just waited till 5. I swear this being a grownup doesn't look anything like it does in the brochure.

If I wasn't so bill laden this week, I would so be having Guitar Hero plugged into the PS2.

Weekend, anybody?

Got to love the Onion



Funny because it could be true if it wasn't for those tricky amendments

I just completed spending a god awful amount of money for billboards for the zoo beginning in June. What follows seemed appropriate.

So, I have this nagging feeling of helplessness that won't go away. My Father-in-Law (I guess former since the divorce, but we don't really think in those terms) has been battling cancer most of the year, complete with two very invasive surgeries over at Roswell Peep. He went back over Friday to get the latest report and it wasn't good. The talk of more chemo is too manage pain for a "few more months." If long term terminal is a term, I think I discovered the definition. Since the holidays he was having a rougher go of it. He is one of those who never feels sorry for himself, always wanting the best for everybody and such. Seeing this twist isn't fair under the best of circumstances, but it's been a tough one to swallow. He did everything right. He was a smoker and managed to quit that. He doesn't drink, no red meat, no chicken, heavily into fish and veggies and still Karma decided to say "Fuck You."

Be enough to test your faith, as if mine isn't shaky enough as it is. Got the news yesterday that a distant cousin passed away from unknown causes. She was the daughter of my mom's eldest sister. The sister has long proven to be bonkers so I hadn't them in over 25 years. She was a whack job but I wouldn't wish that on anybody. Even whack jobs deserve a little peace.

So, the yuks aren't exactly plentiful.

I know Dad-in-law doesn't want us all sitting around feeling sorry for ourselves and that is the message my ex and I are going to try and convey to our kids later. At 13 and 16, I suspect my daughters are pretty aware. He's essentially dying, but trying to explain the vast amount of what isn't definite to a 9 year old (The aformentioned number one son). So, what isn't known is what any of this means because we're at a point where everything is just a guestimate.

Depressed yet? I know I am.

Came home from a rare exasperating day at work to that news and my time has been haunted by it ever since.

Next stop, Broadway.



I'm such a company whore