Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Stubernic

Last night Daniel performed, along with two others, a piece called Stubernic.  Although a very difficult piece they did a wonderful job.  It's on the Marimba (which I don't think I really ever had heard).  They had put in many hours of practice.

Sunday, January 22, 2012

My Book Group

This is not necessarily a daily delight, more like a monthly delight, my book group.  I really do enjoy all of the women in my BG.  They are smart, thoughtful, kind and Democrats!  More and more I've come to realize that if my political views don't align with those with whom I am in contact not worth bickering over.  And it's best we aren't friends.  But for the most part I like ALL of my BG mates.  They pick intelligent books, read them, and we really do stick to discussing the book, most of the time.  Lucky me!

Fine Art of Healthcare program

Our program, at the University of Miami, which includes the incorporation of looking at art, with medical, nursing and physical therapy students, is taking off. On January 19th, we had a meeting, and we now have a student advisory committee ( one student from each graduate school). So included in the mix are deans, professors, museum educators and students. The consensus is that the program's strength is the inter- disciplinary component and the smal, group work. Students really like getting out of their stressful, clinical environment, coming into the museum, and participating in looking at and discussing art works.

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Pedicures

The Torrent's girls: Sophie, Elisabet and Hope went for pedicures today. Fun. Then we stopped for a frozen yogurt. What a glorious day! I'm sad Elisabet goes back to school tomorrow. I will miss her. She's a delight, daily, to have around; thoughtful and funny, up for fun and curious about the world. What a joy and I feel so lucky to have three wonderful children. They are growing into adults I am looking forward to having as friends.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Cleo

Ah what could be better than a 65 degree, sunny, Florida morning and a walk with Cleo?!  Now that things have calmed a bit I am back to my routine of walking in the early am, with my faithful Golden Retriever.  She is truly man/woman's best friend.

Now I am ready to face the world.

Monday, January 16, 2012

Family

As crazy as our lives were,around the holiday, with lots and lots of family members flying into Miami and Jordi in the hospital twice, I can't say I would do it any other way. I don't know what I'd do without all of them! They have helped in times of trouble most of all by bringing laughter into our house. Laughter really is an unbelievable healer. And I am so fortunate to be surrounded by funny and smart people. 2012 is here and even tho the new year started with problems knowing I can count on the love and support has given me the boost needed to get through.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Drag-Hospital Visits

Between 2010 and 2012 Jordi has been in the hospital a total of 10 times.  This last visit, January 6, 2012, was one month and a day post-surgery.  The surgery was supposedly a "success" eradicating the source of his recurrent infections.  So he hasn't been cleared of infections.  As a matter of fact they came up with two, brand, new infections; two that have never appeared before, in the five times before, that he's been to the hospital for blood infections.  It's all pretty surreal and it's hard to process what's happening, when it's happening.  Just when I think that I've got 'it' in my brain, they throw a curve-ball, at me, and I'm dealing with the processing of entirely new information.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

McDonald's French Fries

Never in a million years would I have thought I'd be grateful for McDonald's french fries but when I asked Jordi, in the last couple of days, what he might like to eat, during his lonely stay, in the hospital, he responded, "McDonald's french fries....the large ones and make that two".  So I happily trotted across the street.  There is a McDonald's on every street corner is there not?! The smell of that place is overwhelming; the combination of sugar, fat and salt, practically melts melds to the skin, as soon as you enter.  Everyone behind the counter has a bad case of acne (which proves my point) and they all looked as if they'd stepped out of their car seats days before.  When I ordered the "2 large fries" they wanted to know "will that be all?" as if I'd committed some sacrelig by not ordering an entire 'meal'.  When I walked into the hospital people stared.  They really did.  It was as though I had just transported a WMD.  I wanted to tell them that the fries "weren't for me.  They were for my husband who has been in the hospital six times, for blood infections, and that he'd already had two surgeries; one to remove a malignant tumor (but he didn't have cancer) and the other to remove the cause of his recurrent blood infections.  But that surgery didn't work.  So he's back in the hospital because he had two (not one) blood infections.  And that they really have no fucking idea where the infections are coming from.  That they've done every damn test and radiated and scanned him to what might be his death.  And he's really got a great appetite.  And the nurses keep commenting on how "healthy and funny he is."  And he is healthy and funny but the entire situation is far from funny.  But when he asks for french fries I am happy because I am able to do SOMETHING for him.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Post-Surgery (definitely a Daily Drag or Yearly Drag)

So Jordi had surgery on December 5, 2011, with the hopes of finding the source of his recurring infections.  The surgeon told us that he'd actually "fixed the problem" and that Jordi wouldn't have any more infections (or at least that's what we heard).  However, Jordi's infectious disease doctor wasn't convinced and sure enough, almost a month later, Jordi landed back in the hospital, with not one, but TWO blood infections.  I won't even use the word 'frustration' because that doesn't begin to fit.  It's devastating!  It's been over a year and six hospital visits.  They continue to run tests that have been run over and over and over again and they continue to come up with bubkas.  It's a "medical mystery" and truth is I'm tired of hearing how "rare" his case is.  Because I'm afraid.  I'm afraid that they'll run out of antibiotics or that he'll develop a resistance to them or that he'll wait too long for the infection to take over his body.  The fucking shitty part of it all is they got the damn cancer.  Right now he's cancer free but these blood infections....they could kill him.

A Day Without Floods

So since Christmas, 2011, we have had four (4) floods, in our bathroom, off of the kitchen.  It's been a real mess.  They've had to rip out our wood floors, because mold began to develop, and now it looks as if they're going to have to dig out these faulty pipes, to try and find the source of the backups.

The septic tank people were here a couple of days and ripped up our front lawn.  So this place is beginning to look like the house in the movie, The Money Pit, except we don't have the kind of money they did in the movie so we may just have to move!

As far as a daily delight I would say having clean bathrooms; free of shitty water, and the ability to wash our clothes, without backup.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

2012

Looking forward to a new year. One which is without visits to a hospital and one in which my children and mother obtain comfort in the small gifts. I am hoping for a raise.