Found out yesterday that Chelsea has heartworms.  The vet did not seem to think pursuing treatment is a good idea because of her Collie mix, age (6 years old this month)  and because treatment is $750.  The other option is to give her the preventative and kind of wait it out but they added we don’t want her to suffer.  For now, we aren’t ready to let go of her just yet and she doesn’t seem to be suffering.

#2 was holding a quarter yesterday and asked me how many quarters it would take to make 750 dollars.  He also mentioned having him a lemonade stand to get money to get Chelsea treated.  Pretty sweet. 

Chelsea’s been hanging with me the last couple days.  I didn’t realize how much she loved me until I brought her here.  She follows me from room to room and even #2 said “I think Chelsea really loves you.”

The bad part of having pets is stuff like this….

When I saw this Thursday evening, it like to have tore me right on up. All the media circus, hoopla, “he was a weirdo”, opinions, pontifications, all that…here we have a guy devastated at losing his little brother. Not a thing to do with the “King of Pop” but it was a real reminder to me that this is a real person and a real family.

The Jacksons may not be the typical family down the street, but, then again, maybe they are. A twist of fate, an ambitious father who gets a TON of flack for being hard on his kids. Abuse is bad but let’s face it: Had Joe Jackson not been a hard ass, would we even have ever known his children?  Would they have opened lots of doors for African Americans like Oprah, Obama and others?  Doubt it. Without him, the Jackson Brothers would probably still be living in Gary, Indiana, operating a crane in a steel mill or who knows what else.

I LOVE me some Jackson Five…one of the earliest cartoons I remember as a little person was the Jackson 5 and Jackie’s big, animated afro. 

Them Jackson Boys are some good looking sons of guns.  It’s always been so mind blowing to me how Michael jacked up his face like he did when he was so gorgeous.  I can understand fixing the nose but geez….you see how handsome those guys STILL are and how Michael could’ve looked….very sad.

Amd for your dose of useless trivia…didja know Brother Marlon had an identical twin who was stillborn?  And that Marlon is the only Jackson brother to not get divorced?  Still married to the same girl for 34 years.  

Jermaine’s first father in law (heh) was none other than Berry Gordy himself…

All of it’s just so sad…geez.

I can’t add nothing to what all’s being said about Michael Jackson.  I was and am a huge fan of the KOP from the early music all the way up to Black and White. A good way for me to resurrect my Feel Good Friday here is to let the music of Michael Jackson speak for itself.

I know lots of people in my age group are thinking the same thing tonight: How bizarre is it that TWO of the major, Pop Culture icons of our generation died on the same day?

We knew Farrah’s time was short but Michael Jackson?  This afternoon, my sister texted me about Farrah and made the statement about Ed McMahon, Farrah and who would the third be?  Unreal.

As a little girl in the 70’s, I looked at Farrah as the epitome of physical perfection.  I mean, she had the hair, the teeth, the body, she could play tennis AND she was married to the Six Million Dollar Man!

Amazing to me that Farrah died of a type of cancer that is almost embarrassing to talk about and had to be somewhat humiliating to her, yet, she was so open about it, sharing her journey and being so real about the whole thing.  There she, the embodiment of all that is physically perfect…I appreciate her so much for allowing us in such an intimate part of her life.  Farrah suffered so and I’m glad she’s not suffering any longer.

Michael Jackson was on the soundtrack of my life from birth…I can’t even wrap my head around him being gone.  Hands down, he was probably one of the most incredible songwriters, singers, producers, visionaries and good grief…his performing….I wish I could’ve seen him live.

Yeah, he was odd.  Most geniuses have some sort of weirdness about them.  I wish he would have had some people in his life who could’ve kept him closer to the ground but my word…like his former father in law, nobody has experienced that kind of fame.  The kind of fame Elvis and Michael Jackson had is unsurpassed.  There’s no manual on how to be a celebrity on that level.

Thriller is the best selling album of ALL time.  ALL TIME.  That’s pretty mind blowing.

I nearly cut off part of my big toe when I was about 14 trying to emulate MJ’s dance moves.  Holy crap, that hurt.  That little kick thing he does here…

Amazing…

A weird day…both of these people passing brings home, yet again, time is marching and we’re all getting older…

Both of these passings make me really, really sad…

We’re going to break from the Mom Is Sickly blog posts and I’m gonna tell a funny story. 

I had a very brief career at the cable company recently.  I can tell this now cause I don’t work there no more.  I’m telling this story as a public service announcement.  I’d like to think my brief trip into cable company hell was worth something.

Take it from me, if you choose to order “Adult Entertainment” on your Pay Per View, it’s like this…I’m not one to point fingers.  I mean, I love Jesus but if you so desire to watch a buncha nekkid people romping around in the privacy of your own home, I have kin people who gave their lives so you can enjoy that.  Have at it.  It doesn’t bother me one iota. HOWEVER….do keep in mind that there is a spot on your account at the cable company that tells every single title you’ve ordered.

I was sitting out on the floor listening into calls while training.   A call comes in from this young woman.  She’s making some sorta change to the account and says “Hey by the way….how come my bill is so stinkin’ high?”  (She didn’t use those words, of course).  The rep looks into the account and tells her there’s some Pay Per View movies ordered.  She claims over and over she didn’t order them and her husband is in the background (betchya a buck his name’s Bubba) and he’s saying “I don’t order porn!”

Yeah. Right.

One of the titles Bubba ordered was that classic “Bad To The Boner.”  This poor girl is trying to convince the rep and herself that her perfect husband wouldn’t want to watch something called “Busty Cops On Patrol” even though the account plainly shows that this is not the first time he’s run up the cable bill buying porn on the Pay Per View.

Once I saw “Bad To The Boner” on the screen and heard this bozo trying to say he had no idea who ordered it, I broke into my infamous, pee in my pants, couldn’t-stop-if-I-tried  giggling fit. 

Of course, I see “Boner” and no, I don’t think of a male erection but that fabulous former Nashville Mayor Bill Boner (remind me to tell the story of how he tried to pick my friend up and pursued her relentlessly) and his harmonica.  (Whatever happened to Traci Peel????? Good grief that was a moment in Nashville history that made me proud.)

Anyhoo…there’s this thing called “Parental Control”.  You can use it to control husbands too, I reckon.  Oh and if you think your charming, sweet little kid would have no way of figuring out how to order smut on Pay Per View, think again. 

I had a call from a grandfather.  His 9 year old grandson lived with him.  He was on his way to pick the little darling up from school when he got his mail and had a HUGE bill. Why?  The kid had ordered TONS of porn. 

Now, I’d like to sit here and tell you my 10 year old son would NEVER attempt to order something of a smut nature if he knew he could.  I also live in the real world and know if he had a chance to watch “Desperate Housewives In Bondage” he’d be ALL over that.

Paw Paw tries to convince me his grandson had “no idea” what he was doing.  It was all I could do to not laugh.

And that is my Public Service Announcement for today.  You’re welcome.

So I sign onto Twitter and am greeted by Mr. Cuomo….

 

I love the idea that Chris follows me back.   (This is my fantasy. Leave me alone)

 

 

1. MizCollie@busymom what? No shells?????2 minutes ago from web
       

2. 

   ChrisCuomoYes, i mean “US”. Sorry. Leaving show 2day to go to jail. trip inside world of juvenile justice. Will tweet 3 day trip. Can we fix kids?about 1 hour ago from TwitterBerry

       

3. 

   ChrisCuomoGood Morning #iranelection update abt prospects for reform, UD prez stmt enough, too much? Also DC mayor intv re acctblty for old trains.

Hey Y’all….

We’re still alive and kickin’ over here.  Mom is doing ok.  She had a little “spell” and had to make a detour back to St. Tom’s last week for some chest pain.  An arteriogram was done and she had some blockage but they’re going to watch it for the time being.  She’s back at the Rehab Place.  She’s bored outta her skull.  I tried to get her to go find her a rich widower.  She’s not enthused.

She has a couple people over there at the rehab place that are just the coolest.  One is a nurse named Sandra and the other is a feller named Insa who is from somewhere where they have beautiful accents.  Even when he says the word “Diarrhea” it sounds pretty.  Heh.  Dia-dee-uh.   Insa is the color of black ink and is unbelievable.  Mom calls him her “Pool Boy.” 

Thanks for your prayers, good thoughts/karma/vibes.

My life this week has revolved around St. Thomas Hospital. 

I know St. Thomas really well.  We’ve been hanging out there off and on for about 30 years, beginning with a surgery my Dad had in 1979 and then with his cancer diagnosis in 1983 through his death in 1992.  Mom’s husband after Dad spent a great deal of time at St. Thomas between 1997 and when he died in 2004. 

It still smells the same.  Some of the decor is the same.  When Mom went into her room night before last, I was instantly taken back…this scene right here

The ugly paneling on the closet and the sign for patients about to be discharged…one of those scenes you don’t think about when you go years without seeing it but then, when you see it, it’s like jumping in a time machine. 

I get the same, Time Machine effect when I walk down the hallway….the clocks…same ones they’ve had since forever.

I wandered downstairs for a few minutes today while the nurses were doing some stuff with Mom.  I’ve always loved the chapel at the hospital.  Even as a kid, I thought it was a most peaceful, lovely room. 

They have a prayer book in there where people can write their prayers.  What a neat touch.  I’ve been one to write my prayers for a long time.  I blame the ADD for not being able to focus when I verbally pray, although I do verbally pray a lot, I like writing them.  Like C.S. Lewis said, prayer doesn’t help God, but, it sure helps me. (Or something like that)

Day 4 at the hospital with Mom….

Physically, she’s doing pretty good.  Her anxiety issues are sorta what’s running the show and making it hard on her, and us.  I think she’s having major nicotine and caffeine withdrawals myself.  Last time she was in the hospital for something major, you could still smoke in your room.  And smoke she did.  Not this time.

Her vitals are good…she’s healing nicely….the Urologist wouldn’t give her any anxiety stuff.  He wants her to get up and walk and I think that’s a big part of it too.  Urologist says her kidneys are working better than his are. 

I won’t go into the thing of me having words with the Dude Nurse I have lovingly nicknmed AssTurd.  AssTurd has not been back.  It had to do with me telling him he would not talk down to my mother.  Period.

I know nurses are overworked and the hospitals are understaffed.   They have the most thankless job around.  I appreciate all the work they do.   I know they lose a sense of “real” really quick doing this day in and day out and might forget these are people in here. 

Just tough to be stuck in a hospital room, attached to junk….she’s a hoss.

I’m pretty worn out from this long day, but, wanted to get a couple things outta my head of stuff I saw and experienced.

First, Mom came through her surgery fine.  She underwent a cystectomy.   It probably took about 5 hours, a little longer than expected.  A couple of the lymph nodes right by the bladder had some cancer in them, but, the doc said the good thing about lymph nodes is they can be removed.  Her liver, spleen, etc all looked good.

We were kinda expecting some issues coming out of the anesthesia and breathing on her own (have I mentioned here that if you smoke, you might oughta think about quitting for times like this especially??).  We didn’t get to see her until about 10:00 tonight but when I saw her, she looked pretty good, considering.  They were giving her some blood and she was still out of it. 

I just got a text from my sister that said that the fun has begun…she was waking up a little and sitting up and not realizing she was sitting up, wanting to sit up.  Ahh…the joys of post-surgery conversation….Sandra’s staying there tonight and I’ll get tomorrow night. 

Thank you to the coolest Reverend around, Matt, who came by and it was about more than we could stand for our good friend Dean/Geega to show up.  Dean has been helping his wife of 52 years fight Multiple Myeloma.  That he sat with us in the waiting room today for a few hours….no words.  Thanks also to so many friends and family members who kept in touch, largely via Facebook, and offered support and prayers for us today.  It DOES make a difference. 

I’m a People Watcher and a hospital waiting room is the perfect place to engage in such activity.  There’s pockets of families waiting all over the place.  We had the Clampetts right in front of us and I swear, I couldn’t hardly look at them without breaking into laughter. (Yes, I’m bad. Youda laughed too if you’da seen them)

There was another family sitting across from us.  Didn’t really notice them at first.  A little after Matt left, I saw a doctor come in.  I could tell by the way he was walking and the look on his face that he was not walking in there to bring good news.

The doctor sat down and began talking with a man who looked to be about 55.  Suddenly, the man broke down and the young man sitting next to him, who I presumed to be his son, also broke down. 

Nothing gets to me like seeing a man cry.  These two men had their arms around each other, trying their best to comfort one another…then the other family members present began to cry.  The man told the doctor “I know you did all you could….”    

It was totally gut wrenching.  I felt like I was totally invading their privacy but you couldn’t help but look and feel the pain of what these people were feeling.   There was a guy sitting next to us, with his head buried in his laptop, but, he made the comment later how horrible that was. 

The doctor stayed and talked with this family a long time.  I didn’t see this, but, my sister said that when he got up to leave, he hugged the man and wiped tears from his eyes as he walked away. 

Throughout the afternoon and into the evening, other people congregated with this family, most of them in tears.  There was a lot of hugging, crying and even in the midst of the sadness these people were experiencing, I could not helped but be moved by the fact that they had each other.  You could see the strength that the man was drawing from whoever all those people were.  The two, grown sons also were strengthened and held up by everyone around them. As sad as it was, it was also a beautiful scene.

You could tell that major decisions were being made right there.  They’d alternate from being totally broken down to business-like. 

Then, a young woman came in carrying what looked to be about a year old baby girl on her hip.  This baby looked like the Gerber baby…beautiful little thing, just learning to walk.  When the baby showed up, the husband who was told devastating news about his wife, melted.  Why?  This was his grandbaby.  Everybody in the group went from crying to smiling when this baby came in.   Babies teach us a lot during times like that.

My own Manchild was such a baby when going on 18 years ago, at the very same hospital we were in today, we brought him directly from Centennial Hospital to St. Thomas to meet his dying grandfather before we even took him home to our house.   When death looms…babies are a reminder that life continues.   Just like the Manchild was for us back in 1992 (and STILL to this day because the Gene Pool dumped a lot of my Dad’s genes onto him)  this Baby Girl is a unique part of the grandmother who lay upstairs breathing only because of a machine.

At one point, the whole bunch gathered, baby included and all went upstairs together.   We all knew what they were going to do. 

I have no clue who these people are, their names…none of that, but  I can tell you this…I will never forget them, their faces, their pain, their tears, their love, their joy…Them.