Lacie - An Appeal

I've written about Little Lacie of the Enormous Brain a few times. Wanted to update and make a request.

Lacie is going in for her surgery the beginning of December.

Many have been privileged to read and be part of this tiny little woman's incredible journey. Out of her generosity, and let's face it, her need to make sense of this whole process, she let us in. I've known her for, I don't know, going on 10 or 11 years now, and the way she has carried herself throughout has been an inspiration to me as I know she has been an inspiration to countless numbers.

Today's request/plea though is this: I want us to buy Lacie some wigs. She has resoundingly approved of this idea and fully intends to wear whatever we buy her. We can get some lovely things here at a very reasonable price, or you can be more conservative here, but slightly more expensive. While I may look for something in a Scully fashion, I might decide to pander to Lacie's geekier side and get The Matrix Twins Wig. :)

Here's what I would like you to do: if you want in, if you want to in some small way, help support this beautiful woman who has inspired and moved us, email me at wigs4lacie@yahoo.com. I will coordinate the types of wigs so there is no duplication, tell you where to ship them to make sure they get to Lacie so she can smile and feel your love. If you can't afford a wig, which is cool, email me and I'll collect cards, letters, emails, and love for her and deliver them in a happy package to her door.

Cards and words of encouragement for her husband John would be a great idea too. I know what it's like to have a spouse in the hospital. I know what its like to carry the load at home, caring for the kids, working, rushing to the hospital, and worrying all the time.

Let's show Lacie and her family how much she has touched our lives, while she Lives Loves and Laughs.

Melodrama

Last blog, we had Belly Drama, Car Drama, Comedy-Drama Drama and Korean Drama.

I had hoped life was ready to return to normal. We had anticipated family coming in for Meg's play and we weren't disappointed. Adam (Ensign Parkinson) and Rob (Meg's Dad) merged north and south for their favorite girl.

Adam got in town Thursday afternoon and was able to enjoy opening night with my family. He bit his nails with everyone else when we feared Meg would shame herself and vomit on stage.

He then spent a wonderful Friday golfing, singing karaoke, working the room, and hitting on women.

Saturday broke with Adam feeling a bit off. We assumed it had to do with the amount of beers gleefully consumed at the club the night before. We set off to pick up Rob up at the airport.

On the way home, in the furthest of four lanes of traffic, Adam turned to me and said, "I'm going to throw up."

Since this announcement was without warning, I registered surprise, "Are you serious?" Adam turned his head and a torrent was desposited on the floor of my car.

I guess he was serious.

I pulled over the four lanes as I scrambled to unlock the door and open the window at the same time. The boy was trying to find the handle to the door and the Dad was anxiously looking for some way to help from the back seat. Adam finally got the door open, we found a blanket in the trunk to sop up the goo and did our best to console Adam as he continued to rid himself of whatever it was he had in his stomach.

Can't much top that and the rest of the afternoon was something of a denouement as I took my car to get detailed, and we all stuck around home as Adam struggled to feel better. During Meg's final night, the poor guy just wanted to die, but stayed there for his sister.

And so in one day and in one fell swoop, we had belly drama, car drama, and comedy-drama drama.

The weekend of Melodrama.

(More) Belly Drama, Car Drama, Comedy-Drama Drama, Precious Little K-Drama

It is my goal to keep my life drama-free.I like getting up at 6am and putting on my RPI sweatshirt to walk Buddy WhoisImmortal. I wake up my daughter.I check my emails and if I have time, my Facebook. I then shower, dress, and get ready for work.My commute is predictable based on the time of day, and I like to get in to the office a half hour early.I anticipate my routine at night and get irritable if it is thwarted o’er much. Not quite a slave to my routine, but I’m certainly its’ sycophant.

I can make exceptions – and do – life is filled with unexpected color and we have to roll with it when God decides to gild the fresco.

Last Monday morning, 12:33 am. I wake with a gurgly stomach. My first thought, no wait. My first thought was to make it to the bathroom; which I barely did. Gurgly stomach turned into explosive vomit. Sans graphic language: I have yet to clean off the ceiling in my bathroom and I threw my back out as my body rejected what was left of dinner 9 hours before.

My second thought was for my daughter. This week was the big play; she was playing Penny Sycamore in her high school production of “You Can’t Take it With You”. Meg had the largest female role and she had been working for weeks on it. This was obviously on Meg’s mind too as I hear her frightened chirp of “Do you think I’ll get it?” in between yakking.

After scrubbing the bathroom down with bleach,throwing rugs and towels into the wash, showering, and changing, I was able to convince her it was probably something I ate. My subsequent fever and body aches belied this but I decided not to tell her. I’d just avoid physical contact. Belly Drama.

The silver lining for Monday was that I was able to play catchup on all the episodes of The Great King Sejong that I had sitting idle. Good show btw. Precious little, but it was still Korean Drama.

Tuesday afternoon; back at work. My son’s wife called me to tell me that Josh was in a car accident. Not the call you ever want to get. He was ok, banged up a little, sore, car got it pretty bad, but he was ok. Could have been so much worse. Thank you God for taking care of my boy. Car Drama.

Thursday morning (opening night). I was having some pretty weird dreams about being mad at someone at a party and cleaning the ceiling with a mop (heh – just got that - I obviously still had not cleaned my bathroom thoroughly). In the dream several people were trying to get me to stop cleaning the ceiling by calling my attention: “Mom. Mom. Mom. Mom. MOM. MOM. MOM!"

I woke up. My daughter was calling me. “Mom.I feel sick.” Meg had caught the bug. We tried to tell ourselves it was opening night jitters, until she called me at work to tell me she hurled in the girls dressing room at school that afternoon. I told her to take a hot bath (hot bath cures everything) and rest.

Bless her, the show had to go on and she performed flawlessly. Just before the performance, she told me she had alerted the sound guy that if she said, “Could you excuse me a minute? I’ll be right back.” and it wasn’t in the script, to cut her mic because she was going to be puking in the bucket they had handy for her backstage. Family was on horrified tenterhooks when we heard her say “Could you kids excuse me a minute? I’ll be right back.” But thankfully, it was part of the script and the show went on. Comedy-Drama Drama.

A week filled with drama. I embrace the stories, but I’ll be glad when life gets back to normal.

Voting Opera

Shame this wasn't posted before the election - it's cute. Long, but cute. It's a - micro-opera about the undecided voter, the methods used by the parties and the media to present their candidate, and the almost rabid push to get out the vote. An archetypical teen twist at the end lays bare the mind of youth.

Or maybe it's just a bunch of silly kids trying to get a good grade on their school project.

My daughter Meg and a bunch of her friends from high school wrote it, scored it, choreographed it, filmed it and directed it. Her drama teacher makes an appearance as Joe Biden near the end.

It's long and I may be the only person who gets a kick out of this, but I thought it was fun - (Palin's cute).

Bonfire

Went to a bonfire last night with Starbuck. Having been to a few bonfires when I lived in upstate New York, all was as I suspected. A large fire, hotdogs, marshmallows, jello shots. Starbuck had expected a Texas A&M Log-o'-Death-Fest, and so was mildly disappointed.

Started out as tame as could be; quite a panoply of characters to get to know and observe. Let's be clear however: this was coordinated by a "Meetup Group" ~ adults who are in general unconnected looking to connect. To find "the one". To have a good time. To maybe meet Mr. or Ms. Right. To form a relationship. To get laid.

Or to get tanked. Whichever came first. In a manner of speaking.

I'll call character #1 Jack Daniels. Friendly fella, making nice with all the ladies; had brought a tent, as did several others, to camp out for the night and not risk a DWI on the way home. Full of the milk of human kindness, he invited all to doze in his tabernacle of friendship should they find themselves spent and in need of a place to rest their weary heads, a peaceful abode of slumber - all above board, no monkey business, we're all friends here. A grand fellow; a true advocate of the drinking man.

It didn't take long for our champion of bonhomie to size up the herd, lope to his tent and whip out a bottle of Jack Daniels to dangle in front of his prey, one woman, well juiced.

"I don't know. I just don't get it. I find a guy, I like him, and then he leaves me. I just don't understand. What am I doing wrong?"

A friendly rub of the arm, a few sympathetic noises. A soothing bottle of Jack Daniels shimmering delicately in the light of the fire.

"No. Seriously. What am I doing wrong? I just don't understand."

"You just need to talk it out don't you? Come over here where it's quiet," our Lothario, ooozing understanding, willing to open the Secrets of Man playbook to a woman whose tank was 3/4 full smoothed the path to his tent, "You know, guys are just dicks sometimes..."

This was all Starbuck and I heard before the tent was zipped open and our friends were cocooned in it's dark embrace.

Meanwhile, Starbuck was employing her considerable charm on several of the menfolk. In her element, she boldly proclaimed herself a Girl Scout Leader who could make an oven out of nothing but a box and tinfoil, bake muffins, start fires and cook spider dogs after bringing home the bacon, frying it up in a pan and never ever...you get it. Character #2, who we'll call Ted Kaczinsky, was intrigued. He moved in behind her and whispered;

"I'm the king of bullshit and can smell it where it sits. I'm smelling some right here. That was pretty smooth." He moved away smiling with his pole of hot dogs at full mast. It was apparently the remark about being a Girl Scout Leader that captivated Ted. He quietly boasted to Starbuck that he had been an Eagle Scout. In a manly show of dexterity, Kaczinsky deftly balanced the shaft that held his two hot dogs over glowing coals.

I had been chatting with a technical writing enthusiast and so was not privvy to all of Kaczinsky's love talk, but I had a hard time trying to hide my horror as he offered one ash-covered dog to Technical Writer. "Oh," murmured Starbuck, "You got a little dirt on that." Perhaps it was the way of the Eagle Scout to eat his hot dogs with chunks of burning wood embedded, I can't be sure. Always quick thinking and kind, Starbuck cleansed the offering with some of her beer.

Technical Writer ate it. We continued chatting.

Kaczinsky opened up to Starbuck, lamenting that his fondest dream was to retire and learn to fish from his kayak, but when duty called one must answer. Apparently when he was in fourth grade he was chosen for his genius among his classmates to participate in a special program for the particularly gifted (apparently part of the curriculum was his training and eventual soaring to the rank of Eagle Scout) and was eventually culled out of that crowd as well and trained by the CIA, Special Operatives.

Now Starbuck is either a terrific sport, or naively credulous, "Oh! Really? Were you in something like the Navy Seals?"

"Navy Seals wish they were us. They're too busy glad handing and being political. We're the guys who really got the job done. We were before the Navy Seals. My best friend just came back from a mission last week, a mission that had world wide ramifications. He came back to see our country in the shape it's in and has to face the fact that no one...NO ONE will EVER KNOW that he just saved this sorry world."

I guess I could appreciate that sometimes, a guy just wanted to eat coal covered dogs and fish off his kayak. Starbuck and I sat by the fire.

Just then, a married couple joined us our side of the flames. We all immediately launched into a vivisection of Jack Daniels and the poor slob of a woman he corralled in his tent. Married guy was horrified at this bitchy show of bitchiness, "They're just going to talk. Give him break."

What a guy. Defending a brother. We made appropriate snorts of derision and continued with our dissection.

"Yeah, he tried coming on to me earlier," stated Married Chick, "but I told him I was married. He THEN went on to tell me that he had a wonderful girlfriend at home, blonde, lovely, brilliant and they had sex 4 times this week." None of us believed this but it didn't stop us from analyzing him to death.

Married guy said again that they were just talking; that he could hear them in the tent. Indeed, Starbuck thought she heard someone say, "Kinda." This hardly convinced us that all was chaste within. We suggested possible alternatives; "This turn you on baby?" "Kinda." "Was it as good for you as it was for me?" "Kinda".

Women. Are. Evil.

Jack Daniels and Boozy Woman exited not long after. To be fair, they were fully clothed and didn't look like they had spent their time locked in sweet embraces.

The Jello Shots came out some time after Starbuck gave neck rubs to some party attendees but before Jason Bourne offered to show her his "toy". Some guests had never indulged in Jello shots before and required some instruction...which Starbuck gladly provided.

"See? You stick your finger in like this," the crowd of spectators grew as she showed her audience by demonstrating, " And then you stick your tongue in like this and woooops! There you go!" The throng eagerly stuck their fingers in their little cups of Jello in unison, seeking validation of their technique. "Like this? Like this?"

It was during this time that Kaczinsky, suspicious that the other wolves were circling to gorge on his kill, sat in the chair next to Starbuck and placed a territorial hand on her chair, staking his claim. Respecting his alpha status, Technical Writer, Jack Daniels, et al, wordlessly backed off.

A wasted woman next to me fluffed out a blanket and plopped down. "I can't lie down, I might fall asleep. I can't lie back. I can't." Jack Daniels moved in.

"I got a tent right back there - you can go on and lie down - it's cool. All above board, no monkey business." Jack culled another one from the herd.

"I gotta," slurred the latest victim, "I gotta...I gotta...get my shit together."

Jack placed a gentle hand on her back, nudging her toward his nylon haven, "Your shit will be here in the morning," he assured.

"Your dignity?" whispered Married Chick to me, "Maybe not. But your shit? Your shit will still be here."

My other ear heard Ted Kaczinsky speak Russian to Starbuck. "Blabbity blah blah blahski."

I turned and smiled, "Nyet."

His eyebrows raised, perhaps he had been working on the wrong woman. "Ahhhh, bwah bwah bwalosnikov?"

"Da," I said. "It's all I know. Da and nyet."

"Then maybe you should know what the questions are first before you answer," he guffawed. The answer was almost always going to be no, I thought, but I didn't say it. He turned back toward Starbuck. "Can I show you my toy?"

Starbuck announced to me, Married Guy and Married Chick that she would be right back; she was going to go look at Bourne's toy.

Just as I was starting to ponder whether or not I should have taken her keys, we were distracted by a nearby conversation about spray on condoms. Any concern I had about Starbuck and Boris Badinov's toy was forgotten. Starbuck came back moments later - apparently Bourne had shown her his kayak and his van.

"Did you go in the van?" I asked, trying to hide my worry.

"Ew, no. There are nice vans and there are vans and ew. Then there is his van."

"It wasn't a rape van was it?"

"A rape van?" she looked around, "What's a rape van?"

"What color was the van?"

"White."

Married Couple and I looked at each other and gasped, "Rape van!" and proceeded to explain that very often, van descriptions from eye witnesses at the scene of a crime are of non-descript white vans with no windows in the back. Rape vans.

A poor little toad was spied leaping toward the bonfire. Maybe he was lost. Maybe he just wanted to die. I couldn't just watch it happen, so I grabbed the little fellow and took him to the edge of the wood. If he was intent on ending his life, he could do it while I wasn't there to watch. Walking back, I heard the sounds of someone wanting to die ~ Jack's little tent amore was vomiting, I'm pretty sure, inside the tent.

A little while later, I noted a well toasted Jack Daniels was making a move on Starbuck. After a few minutes, she stepped away and told me she needed to use the bathroom and then she'd be ready to leave. Jack Daniels came up to me and asked where my "sister" went.

"Cousin. And she's using the bathroom." I watched him.

He thought. And carefully he thought some more. "I have to go pee."

Jeez.

Jack apparently did make a move on Starbuck as she exited the facilities. It may have included still another invite to the tent (neither knew about the vomiting girl yet) but Starbuck resisted. It was time to go.

We talked all the way back and agreed that we had had a very good time. I berated Starbuck for telling Ted Kaczinsky her full name and where she worked. She agreed that it had been a lapse in judgment but we were thankful she had escaped the rape van.

Not long after she dropped me off and I was snuggled in bed with a book, did I receive a call. Starbuck had gone to pick up her son from a party. She noticed a vehicle behind hers as she pulled away from the curb.

It was a white van.

(Cue Psycho music).

E Comedy

This is very cute.



What it was, was Football.