Cardiac and Cleaning

Two topics of the day. Rick has his open-heart surgery yesterday and pulled through just fine. They replaced the aortic valve and did a bypass on another clogged artery. They say he will be in for about 5-6 more days and than can come home and needs to rest for about 6 weeks or so. I can't imagine Rick being housebound and dependent. We will all go crazy.

The cleaning is because we having been having record breaking rain here. I woke up at 5:30am and thought I spilled something on the floor. Nope, the basement flooded. That is where my bedroom is. Thankfully I have a lot of shelving that I use to put things I value up on. We are talking water that covered my feet in some spots. There are two rooms down here. My room and than a laundry room. So my day consisted of sopping up water. Our town is pretty much shut down. This house was built in the 1800's. Remember, a lot of PA is historical. Many of the roads are very old. You can almost picture soldiers walking down some streets here. Most of the roads are closed as were schools.

All in all, things are well. My bro-in-law is healing. I didn't float away. Oh yeah, ironically the daughter found out about her father. She called me the night before his surgery to tell me her dad was dead to her. It was her birthday and he hadn't called. I couldn't let that go. So I called her and told her exactly why her dad did not call and wish her happy birthday. I didn't want that that comment of him being dead to her the last thing that came out of her mouth. So, knock on wood (banging on my head), we pulled through the sickness and the flood. I am raising my coffee cup in a toast to all that you and yours may be well. Peace!

Postal Crisis

http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/09/05/postal.default/index.html?eref=mrss_igoogle_cnn

When it rains it pours...

Well, Rick, my brother-in-law is in critical care in the hospital. He had a fever for about 3 days and finally conceded and let us call 911. He has endocarditis, and they said there is a leak in his aorta that is going into his heart. Tina, his wife, is a mess as we all are. Kenny, his brother, died at 51 as did their biological father. Both brothers always swore they would never outlive their dad. Rick is 49 I believe. We are scared. Also, both men abused their bodies terribly when they were younger. I don't mean to sound preachy, but when you are young you feel invincible. The human body can only handle so much abuse. It is also a miraculous thing, capable of healing. Rick has been clean for many years now. His current wife didn't know him during the crazy years. I have know Rick for as long as I was with Kenny, 22 years. I have a dilemma and need some advice. Tina asked me to keep this in the family. I am very good friends with his ex-wife, the mother of his only child, his daughter. She is 22 I think. I really want to call Lynda and let her know so that Ricks daughter can know how sick he is but I have been sworn to silence. Remember, this is where I have to live as well. Morally I feel a man's child has the right to know if he is in CCU in a hospital. Rick and his daughter have grown apart in the last few years. He wasn't the best dad in the world due to the addiction years. The mother always encouraged the relationship. It is what it is. Should I keep my mouth shut? I feel very guilty as when Kenny was dying Lynda (the ex) was very supportive and wonderful towards me. Any advice please? Thanks and have a great day.

I’m Under Arrest for What? Fifty Bizarre U.S. Laws - DivineCaroline

I’m Under Arrest for What? Fifty Bizarre U.S. Laws - DivineCaroline

I thought I would share this article. I can't believe these laws are still in effect. No wonder why the court dockets are so backed up! Have a great Labor Day...Do no labor..:)

This video footage is by Thomas Edison

Have you seen Bruce Richard Reynolds is a song about The Great Train Robbery in England. The caper was actually brilliant and successful. Mr. Reynolds is now a free man and across the pond he is a cult hero. My favorite band wrote a song about him and the robbery story. He stayed on the run for many years. This band that I like so much does alot of work in prisons and they support a group called MOJO. Miscarriage of Justice Organization for people who are wrongly imprisoned. MOJO does wonderful work and have actually helped free some innocent people. The band has flavors of Johnny Cash, along with some techno and rock. The one member of the band is into a form of art called death masks. He goes to death row prisons and makes a mask of the condemned before they die for the family. Remember, before you say phooey on the inmates of our nation, they are some one's child, spouse and parent. We live in an incarceration nation. Building more prison's is not an answer. Starting young with high risk youth is a start. Many people today are not equipped with the parenting skills that our parents and some of us have. Yes, there are people who belong in prisons. Notice how many affluent white collar criminals get off with a slap on the wrist, whereas the young man/woman who is poor with a public defender usually winds up behind bars. Try getting employment as a convicted felon. Yes, there are consequences to every action. When you are in your 40's do you still have to be penalized for something you did at 22? Anyhow, enjoy the video. I believe Mr. Edison made this film in 1905. This was just the footage that was used for the video. Have a great day. Peace!

Another take on the 12 step plan and honesty

Watch Metro Theatre and other great gigs on Moshcam.

Some people might not find the humor in this band's take on the 12 Step Plan, but I do. Sometimes you have to laugh about the past and the pain or you will go insane. Not talking about glorifying the things that we have done, but making peace with the demons and the shame.

Someone commented awhile ago that I don't go into detail about the past that much. My addiction is something that I haven't made the focus of my blog. Oh well, here goes.. I used to be a junkie. I was married to one. I started at 23 with the hard drugs, ie heroin. My late great one introduced me to the opiate wonders. We did everything together. Used, laughed, cried, detoxed, jailed, and all the other good shit that addicts do. We got clean oneday. It took years. We got tired..The biggest irony of his death is that on his death bed he had a junkie's dream of medication. He didn't want it. Kenny wanted clarity and to feel. He died clean and sober June 1, 2009. We had moved to Georgia to start a new life and we did it. Than he died. Ironic huh? Through all the overdoses etc., he died of cancer and the staph infection that had spread throughout his body. He died in our bed with me, Baggy Pants and his brother on a beautiful lake in Ga. Noone thought that two addicts together could make it. Most don't. I remember the fights over drugs/money. I remember doing the happy dance when we got our tax refund so we could blow it. Only another addict can understand how a person can go through $5,000 in 3 days.

So the reason I don't really write about it now is that I am in a totally different phase in my life. I am focused on doing positive things and moving forward. I am not the same person at 44 that I was at 34. So now I laugh as much as possible and try to have fun. I don't always succeed. It's not easy. Kenny used to have a saying about SOBER...he would say "son of a bitch everything's real"...I always got it. I refuse to get caught up with the monster again. I don't have the strength. I value my life..."Sometimes the light don't shine, that's the time we have to open our eyes" "You and me baby gonna get rehabilitated" - A3 RIP KLR....

Argh!!!

I swore I wasn't going to post this weekend, but argh...he is making me crazy with his lack of patience. I am trying to help him learn Excel and also call Verizon and find out why his work order was cancelled. I finally get a tech support person on the phone and he proceeds to scream and yell at them, resulting in them hanging up. I don't think I might be the appropriate person to tutor him with Excel. 74 year old men are not the easiest to teach and combined with his temper it is almost impossible. He told me he had a brain anneurism and they had to remove part of his brain. That is the reason he is subject to fits of rage. I will buy that explanation to a point. He hates this modern world that we live in. He is not flexible and willing to bend. He is like the oak tree instead of the willow. God give me strength. He is going home tomorrow. I enjoy his company, but since his loss of employment he has become very bitter and miserable. I don't recognize the friend that I met at Denny's. I think a part of his soul died when he lost his job. Speaking of jobs I must go to mine at 2pm. I hope everyone has power and is safe and dry. Peace.