Happy Birthday! to:
George Washington.
My Grandpa.
My aunt Kary.
My cousin Tammie.
My niece Katie.
That's a lot of people in my family being born on Washington's birthday, I think.
In other news, my younger brother (of course he's younger, I am the oldest. All my siblings are younger!) is in the hospital. Seems he woke up Monday feeling a bit under the weather and also in some pain. It went away. He went to work.
The pain returned. But subsided, after it had his full attention.
When it returned hard and heavy for the 3rd time, HE DROVE HIMSELF TO THE HOSPITAL.
PSA - Please don't drive yourself to the hospital. You could be having a heart attack (he was) and end up killing yourself and taking innocent people with you (luckily he didn't).
So my 40-something year old brother goes to the hospital and they said he was "having a heart attack". I guess while they were watching and testing? They went in through the femoral artery and put a stint in and things straightened right up. Then he was moved to ICU and spent 24 hours or more there.
After that he was being moved to an intermediate care room and hopefully released today or tomorrow.
I gotta tell y'all that this is scary. He is young, he is thin, he has a nice fast metabolism and seemed to be in good shape. What business does a young, fit 40-something have going through this? It scared the crap out of me.
Hopefully, they will give him some answers and he will make the necessary lifestyle changes.
In completely unrelated news, it is Ash Wednesday. I have been thinking and thinking of what I am doing for Lent. For the past few years I have been taking a small amount of our food budget and spending it on things for the homeless. I make up little brown bags with a piece of fruit, a handi-wipe, some crackers or granola, different little items and usually a little note with something positive written on it. I take 4 or 5 a day with me when I go run errands or go to meetings or whatever and pass them out.
Our city council in all its wisdom has decided to fine people who panhandle and also people who give to the panhandlers. What dicks. I am so pissed about this I can't stand it.
Needless to say, there are a lot of behind the scenes local politics at play in this and I am going to find myself down there raising all kinds of hell about this.
But back to the issue of Lenten giving. I prefer to make my Lent observance something about giving to others from what I have rather than "giving up coffee, cheetos, wine, chocolate". That's not very meaningful to me. Of course I can go 40 days without whichever of those items, but what will I learn from that? What will I take away from my Lenten experience? I want to make it a little more impactful for me.
And in another turn of conversation! Try not to get whiplash keeping up! : )
My Rachel Pie may be the only person who finds my choice of cake pictures to be hilarious. But honestly, what could be funnier than a My Little Pony birthday cake from Las Vegas?
hee hee (@ the cake)
ReplyDelete2/22 is apparently a great day for birthdays! and just 1 month to go until mine :) Happy birthday, all.
So unbelievable about Michael. My family has been praying for him - hope he gets out today.
Lent.... I have never given anything up but always mulled it over. Tho I have no idea what I'd start with!
I think the cake is fabulous. Cakes should always be outrageous and sugary.
ReplyDeleteAdd my husband's business partner to the list of 22nd birthdays.
So sorry to hear about your brother. Tell him to make sure he keeps up with all the 40-something tests he should routinely have. My dad was 66, a runner, a lean, healthy guy when we lost him to a heart attack. It shouldn't have been that way. Keep up on your tests.
I also focus not so much on the sacrificial but improving myself. This year, I'm trying to always be kind. So that's why I won't speak about your city. My city's trying to do the same thing.