Oh, I'm throwing up now. Again. My friend in Illinois had that stroke (after the "little" ones the big one was bound to happen). 2 weeks (maybe) to live? You wanna know what's weird? In the midst of all that/this stuff he told his wife that she really should take some time off from him and come spend a week with her good friend Dave. If only I could get over there. Everything is 'regular' in the biggest part of his mind now. Mike and I were like two peas in a pod - we could play poker together, I reckon, even still. Unfortunately I'm not able to get there. Why do people have to endure this stuff? He's only 50. It doesn't seem right.

That's my low point. All the other stuff doesn't matter right now. No more funerals, if I might ask...

Oh Dave, what can we say?

There's nothing to say, Sue, not really. This is now just plain straight ridiculous - I won't turn the computer off ('cause when I do the phone invariably rings). Even at 4AM, which it happens to be. Normally it's my loaded friend but, now, it could be more news than I care to hear. This is so funny, on some level. Naturally Mike (the friend) has family all over him now. And he is systematically telling each what a pain in the butt they were. He tells them he loves them, too, but he isn't sinking without at least some honesty. Or so I hear. His wife is saying "How can he say stuff like that now?" Because that's all there is to say! They hauled his hospital bed into the TV room so he could watch football. The women are aspin about that but I say "Go for it, Mike." Fawning over him now is just senseless. Let the poor dude watch a game. The odds of him seeing next season just isn't there anymore. Every time, when I was with a dying person, I behaved as if it weren't that. They'll all get it, eventually. This from a guy, though, who almost bought his Dad a prostitute as he was going. He felt like "less a man" so I thought a hooker might make him feel better. It wouldn't have changed anything but it would have eased the moment for him.

Many years ago when I was being tested for MS (negative as you will have realised) I had every intention of buying a Porsche if the tests came back positive, I was going to have some fun while my body would still allow it. You have to live for today, and if that means watching a football game then so be it. There is little point in just sitting waiting for the end, it will come soon enough without people fussing all over you. As for a prostitute for a dying man (presumably without a partner or wife), that sounds like a fine gift to me.

Highlight of the last few days, is saving a few thousand (and I am not joking!) photographs onto DVD's and making them into movies in years For me, it is the only way to look at photographs. Dad has to wait another week...so two weeks today...to see the specialist.

You will be glad you did that, one of these days, Jane. Smart idea.

And Gats, it seems that's a pretty natural reaction to death from people who have never dealt with it much. They have this pre -conceived idea of how they saw people die on, say, The Waltons or something. It's not M.'s fault, in a way. I just hope she lets him live a little, finally - with no silliness here at the end, when he desperately needs his loved ones to just be relaxed and straight up with him. Let's hope he can sneak a couple of good games in - and that his team actually wins.

You're right ktstew. This is new territory for them - all of them. M. has managed to distance herself from death but this time she can't. I giggled on your reference to The Waltons since M. has force-fed every episode, every season of Seventh Heaven down her family's throats. Now THERE'S a real slice of reality . Naturally Mike had no part of that and went about his own business. It's ironic. He finally got a male in the family (albeit just a toddler grandson). I'm reasonably sure he had had it with arts and crafts and such. He was looking forward to Little League, Cub Scouts. "Boy stuff". He loves his ladies but that has been his entire family circle for 25 years now. He'd be the first to tell us all that life's not always fair. As for his choices in sports he'd be the first to tell me that the Chicago teams rule (not) for 6 days and 7 nights. I'm glad he gets to watch them lose, though .

Sue, if you ever do buy a Porsche may I have a ride in it?
And, Jane, what a great idea with the photos!

Jane, I spent all my extra time last winter putting all our photos on CDs. It's a lot of work, but is SO worth the effort. My oldest son is 25, and the pictures from his childhood were getting pretty faded. I even scanned the black and white ones from my childhood and that of my hubby. Good going!

It is certainly rewardings - from the early 1920's to 2005! A sort of lowlight, but trying to look on the posative side, the specialist confirmed that Dad has got a tumour on his lung....the size of a golf ball. However, we have to wait for a fortnight before they decide which treatment is best for him. But among the lowlight, there is a hopefully a enormous highlight coming soon, hopefully. My sister and her family (her husband and my two nieces) are hoping to move house....right to next door to us (us being myself and my parents). All depends on houses selling, but it will be lovely to have my sister so close

My low point today is waiting for that phone call to happen. I know it's coming. I wish it just would, really. Upon that time the healing will begin. I'm kinda good at that part, helping everybody. This is tough stuff! Luckily my friend Mari has all the household finances under control (always has) but I just don't know if she's up to telling her daughters/grandkids how to deal with Grandpa's funeral. I'm really not sure how I would, really. I know how I dealt with mine but every family is different. I hate this, all around.

I wish that damned phone would ring and just get us all started. The waiting is killing me. Not that that takes much work to do.

My low point today was getting to class and realizing I'd forgotten all about my assignment, a lesson plan on an activity we did in class. I'll be able to do it, it'll just be counted off for being late.

I had two high points. One is small but still something I love to hear. I came out of class, walked outside of the Education building and heard the music being played from the bell-tower. I am always surprised to hear it. They do the chimes for the hours and half-hours and then at noon one or two songs play after the chimes. it's so sweet to hear.

The other highlight was getting a CD from a storyteller/performer. One of the University employees connected me with her nephew. He called and chatted about how the storytelling business works and how he got involved. She gave me this sample so I can hear what he does! Made my day!

My low point of the day: My brother's best friend got shot last night. Just another in the long list of young people who have been getting shot in my city lately. Last week my friend's ex-boyfriend got shot do death in a park outside of a school. What is going on here?

Don't really have a high point, I'm exhausted from having to be at school at 8am and not getting home until 3pm and then having to go to work until 9pm and doing it all over again the next day... Tommorrow's my day off from work and school... Gonna go for a much needed girls night out with a couple of friends. So perhaps that's my "future" high point.

Shot? How horrible, Gemini!

My low point is now. It looks like the nerve derailment is moving into my brain stem now. I can't hardly remember anything anymore and my speech pretty much stinks. I swore I'd never let that happen. Brakes are there for a reason. Don't ask me how I can still type. Don't ask them, either, since they have no clue. Sometimes they, and I, think I'm the most stubborn man on the planet. I won't go crazy, though. That I promise daily.

<I won't go crazy, though. That I promise daily>
Aww , Gats, if you did , you fit in so well here... XXX S
Seriously though, what a hero you are Gats. An example to us all.

Oh, that's so wrong. Me a hero? At all? (Nice to hear, though ). You don't get to see me crying like a baby each day when I can't walk across the room. Honestly, I'm glad no one gets to see such stuff. I keep wondering how this happened! The runner, the dancer, the "kick butt" guy. Where'd I go? And now there is lifetime friends dying of cancer. I'll say it again: "I'm NOT that old." Not so young, either, I guess. It all smells the same to me. *Just being grumpy - I'm running out of places to be that .*

Quote:

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My low point of the day: My brother's best friend got shot last night. Just another in the long list of young people who have been getting shot in my city lately. Last week my friend's ex-boyfriend got shot do death in a park outside of a school. What is going on here?

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I hope he's going to be okay.
Yes, what is going on there? I live just down the QEW from you in Burlington, and my husband commutes to Toronto every day. It's scary news coming out of that city of late.

Highlight of today for me is starting back at college. Still on Advanced ECDL, Spreadsheets - one more module to go after that one, might take me eighteen months to do it, but I am going to do it in the end!

Spreadsheets? Is that the same as Excell, Jane? Ohmigosh, I had to take that last year... couldn't make heads or tails out of what the lady teaching it was talking about... formula's? Absolute references? Whaaaa????? I got out of the course with a B- I think, (a very flukey B-, I might add) and I don't think I learned a darned thing that whole semester. Hung on to the text book and figured I'd teach it to myself if push ever came to shove and I absolutely had to know it. Good luck with that.

High point: My brother says his friend should be okay. He's all drugged up, but it appears he will be able to keep his leg, which at 18 years of age (or any age, really) is a good thing. My brother said they screwed steel plates and bars into his femur to try and get everything set, so hopefully it goes well for him.

Yes that's it...formulas and absolute references! Not exactly good with numbers so going to take my time with it!

I have to confess to loving Excel. They gave me the workbook when I finished the courses so I can refer to them if I need to do something other than straight forward things.

Excel geek.

It's funny because I didn't dislike(hate's too strong a word; I reserve that one for Algebra) Excel until I realized it was so complicated. I could use it fine from what I taught myself and then little miss smarty pants had to go complicate everything on me... thank god for that text book, 'cause if I'd have gone into the final exam with only what she had taught me, woooo, I would've been dust.

Another Excel know-little here (I wouldn't know it from a truck axel !). But, hey, not too many years ago I didn't know the difference between my screen name [and I'm not kidding] and my password. I've learned a lot, after a late start, but will let you brainiacs figure out the new gadgetry so's that I can ask you questions when I need to .

To understand my love of Excel (and spreadsheets in general) you need to know my history. Many moon ago I was a programmer of electro-mechanical accounting machines, then electronic accounting machines and small computers (they only filled a small room!). With these you had a 'carriage' which was 26" wide and all calculations had to be done within 'stops'. There was a backing sheet with columns for the printed results. There was a great similarity between them and todays spreadsheets except we were far more limited.

I use spreadsheets wherever I can both at work and here at home. As I said, I love them.

High or low? Neither exactly, unless it leads to fame!
Due to the first self-imposed car accident in 12 years, my usual weekend activities have been curtailed while it's being repaired. Having spent day one continuing my painting duties on all the outside doors, I spent nearly all today writing. Firstly my article on suffering (PM for link) which has been sent to the magazine who have taken my last two (plan to publish in the new year). Then as there was nothing on TV I decided to continue my 'failed love stories' for a blog I just joined devoted to the subject. I'd already written my first, which was well received, so followed it with a second, and am now writing the third on my computer to post next week.

The good aspect shows whatever the circumstances I have just about managed to find useful ways of filling them. I love telling stories and writing them, and as long as people like reading them I'll keep them coming!