Marty April 13th, 2008
Well, we’re back from our trip to see my nephew for his 3rd birthday. I haven’t gotten to see Caleb as much as I might like over the few years of his life, but we’ve been making a more concerted effort to stay in touch and see the little guy. So, for our trip to Georgia, we made an extended vacation that would allow us some time with him and my sister outside of the ‘group’ visits we’ve had (like the beach where there are 8 families, and too little private time). Continue Reading »
Marty February 26th, 2008
This weekend started off on a bit of a down note when I found that I could get to sleep Friday night (I didn’t get to sleep until 4 a.m. Friday night). Finally, begrudginly, I got out of bed and went downstairs to do some work, check out Flickr, work - anything that one can do in the middle of the night. But it was a message I got just after 2 a.m. that really put the weekend into perspective. Continue Reading »
Marty February 19th, 2008
Well, after a scare at the end of last week, things took a turn for the better over the weekend. Grandpop was back to his old self (well, at least he was back to having some strength and liveliness), although he did check himself out of the hospital a day early against doctor’s orders. Continue Reading »
Marty February 14th, 2008
Update
We went to see my grandfather last night at the hospital, and when we first got there I was … well, it didn’t look good. He looked - for the first time ever - feeble. He was sleeping, but his skin was gaunt and he was labored in his breathing. My aunt Fran was there waiting for him to wake up, and so she filled us in on what little she knew, filling in the stories we had already gotten. Not too long after we arrived, he woke up but was disoriented and confused. He couldn’t remember where he was, and sounded horrible - his voice was a bare whisper and he could barely move even to get a drink of water. His answers to our questions about how he was feeling were labored and didn’t always make sense. After a few minutes of consciousness, he fell back to sleep. I was really worried - this was a shell of the man that I have known my whole life.
Later, however, they brought in some saline to get his fluids back up (he had pulled out the IVs repeatedly the night before in his delirium, so they had stopped giving him IV fluids) - and the effect was almost instantaneous. He seemed more alert, his voice got stronger and his color looked better. He still confused Shari with my sister Cara, and needed to be shown the pictures we brought him again (he didn’t remember seeing them when he woke up the first time), but he was able to remember his partners home phone number, seemed to be able to recall things from the previous night and generally seemed much better. Best of all, he looked more like a man who was ready to get well instead of giving up.
We’re going to see him again tonight and hope that consistent hydration and whatever other treatments he got have continued his path to improvement.
Marty February 13th, 2008
I’ve been really busy lately, and I have been meaning to write about a lot of things - product reviews, movies, what I’ve been doing (and not doing), etc. But it’s a worrying event that got me to stop working enough to write. My grandfather is in the hospital again, and it’s not looking good. Continue Reading »
Marty January 28th, 2008
Well, it took almost a month, but here they are - my future broken resolutions for the year (√ = a stretch goal) Continue Reading »
Marty January 6th, 2008
It’s been a long year. I don’t know that I have ever worked this hard day in and day out to make it through a year. But at the same time, I gave me the opportunity to do a lot of great things. Among the highlights: Continue Reading »
Marty October 11th, 2007
Well, it’s official - my wife is a professional photographer. Continue Reading »
Marty August 28th, 2007
Well, we’re back from our vacation in Topsail Island, NC. Every year, my family gets together in August at my parents beachhouse there, and we hang out on the beach, body surf, drink margaritas, play games/cards, etc. Every year, it’s been a different cast of characters, but it’s always been fun. This year was a little more mellow than some of the past ones, but I still had a good time - I just wish it was longer.
Continue Reading »
Marty August 3rd, 2007
I barely know you, so I wouldn’t think of rushing to judgments. I don’t know what happened - it isn’t relevant and is none of my business. What’s done is done. But I had to say, that regardless of everything else in this loopy world we live in, Van is probably the most devoted father I have ever known. Continue Reading »
Well, we’re back from our trip to see my nephew for his 3rd birthday. I haven’t gotten to see Caleb as much as I might like over the few years of his life, but we’ve been making a more concerted effort to stay in touch and see the little guy. So, for our trip to Georgia, we made an extended vacation that would allow us some time with him and my sister outside of the ‘group’ visits we’ve had (like the beach where there are 8 families, and too little private time). Continue Reading »
