Dad's Still Dad

Dad's resting. Not much has changed, really. He's still not eating, although he did request a sip of Coca-Cola this morning (we happily obliged). The mottling that had appeared on his feet last night (a sign of poor circulation, and not a good sign at all) was a bit better, but otherwise, the situation is the same.

However, my aunt called Mom this afternoon to tell her that one of the nurses had given Dad morphine, rather than the vicoden that he has been taking for days. Mom blew her top, and called the nurse and tore her a new one. Mom's an artist at that, by the way. Black Sash, 5th degree. You see, the plan was to bring Dad home, get him settled, and THEN start him on the morphine. Once you're on morphine, you're staying on it until you're gone, and Mom had not yet approved that course of action. Dad's been getting on fine with the vicoden, she says, and now, he's in another time zone...he may not even care about getting home. In the nurses defense, a morphine IV injection IS on his chart as a prescribed med for his pain...she just didn't know all the details.

What's done is done, though. The next nurse specifically asked him if he wanted the pain pill or the morphine, and he requested the morphine.

Morphine or not, when we came in to see him after all this came down, he asked us to take his BiPAP mask off so that we could understand him. That accomplished, he said that Uncle Henry had come in to see him earlier in the day.

Uncle Henry: "William, do you want me to pray for you?"

My Dad: "Yeah, pray me up a bedpan!"

And Dad laughed at his own joke. He told us that Uncle Henry dutifully hustled off to find a nurse (Uncle Henry's not a licensed bedpan tech like me), and Dad laughed again. Then he asked us to replace his mask, and he rested from the effort of talking with us.

His body is wasting away, but he's still in there, sharp as a tack. The morphine is relaxing him a ton, and we are concerned that he may not make it home...but he's not in pain now. He's been having a lot of anxiety over his breathing, but now, that stress is far, far less. He's much more comfortable than before.

I'm still searching for the proper emotions regarding the 'jumping of the gun' in regards to Dad getting morphine. I know that no nurse would flippantly push morphine into someone's IV without at least looking carefully at the patients chart. If it didn't happen today, we might have put him on it tomorrow. Or the next day. And he'd have been suffering all the while we waited to approve the stuff.

I really think that we've done pretty much everything that can be done, and each day, we continue to do so. I wonder if the universe might have given a nurse a nudge in that direction so that a good man wouldn't suffer for longer than necessary. He might still make it home after all...we don't know. We're just going to continue with the plan of getting him home ASAP, once we can get things ironed out with the Hospice folks. His time is short, and we know that. We're as ready as we can be, and I know that's not nearly ready enough.

It's nice to know, at least, that Dad's still in there. He's fully aware of what's going on, and he's accepted it. He has chosen to face bravely forward, with his usual unflinching strength and wry humor. I hope and pray that when my time comes I can face it half as well as my dear father.

And by the way, to those of you who have emailed, texted, and commented to show your support...thank you. I'll never be able to repay you for helping me be strong right now.

Decisions.

I'll remember today. At least, parts of it. I've recounted most of what happened earlier, including the lung cancer diagnosis. Now for the latest news:

The lung cancer is of a type I've never heard. It's called malignant mesothelioma, and it's caused from previous exposure to asbestos. Amazingly, Dad didn't get it from smoking all those years. No, his prior work history is to blame this time. Long ago, Dad had the opportunity to join a class action suit against Dow, his employer of 30 years, and he declined. "Hell, I knew it was bad back then, but I chose to work. I'm not gonna sue them when I made the choice myself." Typical Dad. It's inoperable, by the way. In his current condition, he wouldn't survive chemo, radiation, and I don't think that surgery can even be done for this crap. Not that he would survive that, either.

Anyway, they found and identified the cancer cells from the fluid that they took from Dad's lungs. They take the fluid out, and it just comes right back. He's on a real Darth Vader mask now, a BiPAP. He's not getting better.

After spending the morning with Dad (and shuffling me around as well) we came back to Mom's house in the afternoon. Then, Mom got a call from the cancer doctor, and we left the house like it was on fire to get back to the hospital to talk with the doc. He was a very nice man, and he spoke with as much tact and clarity as is possible when delivering this type of diagnosis. We discussed options, the difference between Hospice and Home Care, and we talked about what Dad would probably want. Then, it was time to take all that info to Dad and hear his opinion.

We got back in the room and started to talk to Dad about the situation. As soon as we started talking about the cancer, he said, "Take this mask off!" Thinking he was about to jump out of the bed, we quickly helped him get it off, and then he said, "BEDPAN!" Apparently, he just needed to go, and wanted to make that desire perfectly clear.

Fortunately, I'm a licensed bedpan technician, so we were able to take care of him quickly and easily, but the whole effort still wore him out. Afterwards, we got him comfortable again, replaced the mask, and let him rest for a few minutes.

"I suppose y'all want my decision."

What? We were a touch surprised, thinking that he hadn't heard all of our discussion, but knowing Dad as we do, we should have figured that he'd be paying attention. We said yes, we did certainly want to hear his thoughts on the matter.

"Take me home...make me comfortable...and let me go."




...................................................


It was the tone of his voice that broke me. And inspired me. And reminded me why I love my Dad the way I do. I'm glad I was here to hear him say this. I don't think I've ever heard braver words spoken aloud. I'm just grateful that I've been able to spend this time with him.

There are more details, more thoughts and feelings, and yes, even more humorous commentary, but to be honest, I think I'm done for right now. I'll touch base again tomorrow sometime.

News...not good.

Day 4, October 4, 2008

Yesterday was mostly a blur. I chose to stay the night at Dad's room in case he needed anything. This meant no sleep whatsoever for me, but I was able to see that he was passing the night well, and the nurses were taking good care of him. Mom came and got me at 5am, and I crashed for a few hours at her house. Dad didn't improve much yesterday, still gurgling and not getting any stronger. However, I'm now a licensed bedpan specialist.

I did manage to sleep well last night, and awoke this morning to an empty house. I knew that Mom's an extremely early riser, so I called her cell. Things aren't going well this morning...Dad's struggling. She said she couldn't come get me, she was tied up with Dad. I told her I'd think of something.

You guessed it. The scooter. Did I mention Dad's scooter? I've been tooling around the neighborhood on it. I figured that Dad would have just jumped on it and headed out...so I followed his example.

I passed Mom on the way, and she u-turned to catch up with me in the hospital parking lot. Rather than berate me for driving it as I expected, she simply said, "Do you see any other scooters here?"
"No."
"That's because it'll be gone when you get back. Drive it home, and I'll bring you back up here."
"That's crazy! I'm already here!"
"Seriously, it'll be gone when you come out. Get moving."

Have I mentioned that there's no arguing with my Mom? I drove it home. It's a beautiful morning for a drive, anyway.

Now for the news, and it's not good: Dad's got lung cancer. We're going to have a cancer specialist look him over. If there's anything to be done, we want to know, but Dad's too weak for surgery, chemo, or radiation. What else is there to do? We'll find out if there is anything, but it doesn't look like there's much left at this point. If the options are exhausted, we're bringing him home and setting him up in a spare room, to make him as comfortable as possible until the end finally comes. With stronger pain medication, there's a chance he could just slip away before we can even get him home, but we'll just have to take it one step at a time.

Thanks for all your texts, emails, and comments. They really help. Your well-wishes and support will never be forgotten, and they really are helpful during all of this.

Hug your loved ones, folks, and talk to them. There comes a day when all of us deal with this stuff, one way or another. There will be things left unsaid, undone, tales untold, and there lie regrets. There is an awful lot of stuff I'll never know about my Dad...he's too far gone to regale me with tales of his colorful youth, so I'll never know what his favorite pastime was when he was a kid, or who was his first crush, or if he skipped school to go fishing. The stuff I know now is all I'm going to know.

But, I know he loves me. He knows I love him. We've had a good time as father and son, and reached a comfortable companionship over the years. I can certainly live with that.

I'll update when I can. Be well.

Seeing Dad

Day 1, Wednesday, October 1, 2008

This morning began way, way too early. 3:40am, to be exact. That’s when my mother-in-law called to let me know that she was in our driveway, ready to come in and watch Connor while my fabulous wife drove me to the airport. To be honest, I don’t remember much about that time period, other than a quick, dark car ride to Houston Intercontinental Airport for a 6am flight to Chicago, then another to South Bend.

We got my ticket on Priceline, and ended up flying United. Even with the $15.00 charge for my one checked suitcase, I will strive to fly United every time from now on. The plane ride was the quietest I have ever experienced…it was quieter than my car! Seating was spacious, and we were greeted with soothing music as we got on board. Wow. This beat Continental hands down!

So I had a good trip to Chicago, but I still don’t remember most of it. I got to O’Hare on time, waddled over to the gate for my connecting flight, and waited. And waited. And waited. Thought about killing myself, changed my mind, then waited some more. Apparently, there was a ‘maintenance issue’ with our intended plane, so the guys in the hangar were sending another one. Or so we thought. Finally, after over an hour of waiting, the attendant announced that they had no idea of the location of our plane, so they were going to rebook us on another flight, which was scheduled to depart at 12:08pm, a full 2 hours after the original.

I could have gotten upset, but I figured I’d be grateful that they decided to put us on a fully functional plane a bit late, rather than a punctual but “Sanford and Son” plane that might have fallen out from under us. Once on the plane, I was pleased to see that it was a decently sized and comfortable plane with cute flight attendants. Sweeeeet. I dozed immediately, and awoke when the pilot announced our imminent landing in South Bend. I made it!

My brother came and picked me up, and it was great to catch up with him during the ride to my Mom’s. Once there, I jumped into her SUV, and we were off to see my Dad.

I finally found out that he actually turns 80 in 10 days (I was never really sure before), and finally, it looks like the years have caught up with him. I turned the corner to enter his hospital room, more than a little concerned at what I might find, but I was relieved to see…my Dad. Older, more shrunken, and wearing a Darth Vader breathing mask, but aside from that extraneous stuff, he’s still every inch my Dad. He hadn’t really eaten anything yet, saying he’s still too weak, but he lifted my spirits by popping off to Mom when she took a look at his IV insertion point and forgot to replace the covers. “Marr-rry!! Cover me up, I’m freezing!” Same old Dad. I could see the years that Mom and Dad have shared in the way she alternately fussed over him and then harassed him to no end. He’d generally respond with one-word answers until he got snarky right back at her. It was good to see that he still has his spirit. The man’s not done with this world just yet. He’s still fighting. “You know, your mother and I have been married for 39 years…and she’s just as mean today as the day I married her!” That got a smile and a quick retort from Mom.

Worried about bedsores, Mom asked me to help roll Dad on his side so she could check him out (none at all, thank goodness), and then we made him as comfortable as we could by rubbing lotion on his legs and feet, and getting more warm blankets. He managed almost a half a cup of warm broth and some tea before wearing out. Hey, when you haven’t eaten for 3 days, that tiny bit of food is a big deal. We’re hoping that this, coupled with the IV therapy that starts tonight, will help him to get over the hump and get well enough to come home.

There’s more, but I’m finally going cross-eyed from the lack of sleep. I’m going to attempt a shower before bed, and then I plan to count sheep until there are none left to count.

Day 2 Thursday, October 02, 2008

After more hours of sleep in a row than I’ve had in months, we were up and out the door at about 8:20am to see Dad. When we got there, he had his breakfast on a tray in front of him, and was actually eyeing it with some intent. Mom could only stay for a few minutes until she had to leave for her antibiotic shot (pneumonia, remember?), so she put in his teeth, and left me to feed him. We chatted a bit as I gave him a few forkfuls of biscuits with gravy and helped him with the orange juice. After a bit, he paused for a moment, and then said those fateful words: “I hate to tell you this, but I have to use the bedpan.”

Oh crap.

I figured it was urgent, so I hustled to find a bedpan and get it situated. In the heat of the moment, I was a bit nervous…I didn’t want Dad to have an accident because I was too slow, so I was scrambling around in a frantic search. I found one, managed to get it under Dad’s rear, but he kept saying “Is it under? It don’t feel like it’s under.” I tried to adjust it again before the nurses came in to rescue us.

This:
is NOT a bedpan. I don’t really know what it is, but it is not, I repeat, NOT a bedpan. I think it’s something you use if you need to puke.

This, however, IS a bedpan:

And let me tell you how hard the nurses had to try to keep from laughing at me, a nearly 40 year old man who didn’t know what the hell a bedpan looks like. I didn’t blame them…I’d have laughed at me, too.

Everything was OK after that. Using the bedpan was quite enough exercise for Dad, and after the nurse came in and helped him finish up, he asked me to take out his teeth and fix him up so he could take a nap. He’s resting comfortably now, finally getting more nourishment from that extra IV line as well as the few bites and sips of food he’s had. They’re bringing a big chair in so that he can sit up in it, rather than stay in bed the whole time, and start him walking again. He’s weak as a kitten, but that’s just his body. His spirit is just fine.

Although he is improving, we are all finding ways to prepare for the inevitable. As strong as his spirit may be, his body just won’t last much longer. It could go in a day, a week, a month…we just don’t know. All we can do is love him, and each other, and see what each moment brings. I know we’ll get by.

By the way, every single nurse that has seen me since the bedpan debacle has actually chuckled and waved at me. How nice.

A quick update from later that day:



A note about the big chair I mentioned: it’s kind of an industrial grade recliner, but it doesn’t act like the ones I’m used to. We put him in it after his tests, and as we got him situated, I put a blanket over his feet, and the extra weight nearly catapulted him across the room. Fortunately, I was there to catch him, and he wasn’t hurt at all…just a bit startled.

Mom showed up again soon afterwards, and we all spent time hanging out with Dad and getting him whatever he needed. Since Dad’s pretty hard of hearing, Mom bellows at him so loudly that it’s actually funny. Likewise, Dad’s responses are still feisty enough to make us laugh. It’s the same way they’ve spoken to each other for nearly 40 years, and that’s just how they roll.

Dad had ordered a Chef Salad, but was too wrung out from tests and various bedpan escapades to eat it, but Mom did manage to get him to take some broth, pudding, and tea. We sat with him for awhile, getting him waffle boots to keep his feet from getting bedsores, turning him every so often, and making sure he was warm and comfortable as possible. Dad rests a lot…just going to the bathroom tears him up the way the half-marathon whips me, so most of the time, there’s not that much for me to do.

Sometimes, I worry that I should be doing more, like reading to him or talking to him more. I know that I won’t have much more time with him…the hours are ticking away, and I have no idea how many are left. However, he assures me that he’s happy to just know that I’m here, and he’s not up to listening to me reading western stories, or to my typically ridiculous anecdotes. I do what I can, and when I don’t know what to do (bedpan issues come to mind), I call the nurses and ask how I can help, even if it means to just stay out of their way while they do their jobs. When Dad’s gone, how much I did for him here in the hospital won’t matter to him a single bit…but it will matter to me. He’s been a great father, so I feel I should be here to do whatever I can to help him through this time.

After dinner, I gathered up some of my toys and came back to the hospital to stay the night, just in case he needs something. I’ll probably doze off at some point, but I can always crash later in the day if need be. I brought my books, some martial arts DVD’s, music, and of course, my laptop. Even though there’s no WiFi here (CAN YOU FRIGGIN’ BELIEVE THAT??!!), I can still get my thoughts down and work on other projects while I’m here.

By the way, I feel I should mention the fact that I’ve been joking with everyone as much as possible ever since I set foot on the ground here. I hope I don’t upset anyone. Some might wonder at the fact that I can joke at all, with my father in such dire shape. They might wonder if I love my Dad. ”How can he be so…so…happy?” they might ask. Well, let me clarify this for you. I’m not happy that he’s in this situation. I’m not happy that I’m probably about to lose my Dad very soon. I’m not happy that my Mom is going to have to live without him when they’ve been together for nearly 40 years. No, I don’t joke because I’m happy, people.

I make jokes because I love my father very much. He and Mom both taught me to be strong in tough situations, because screaming “Why me?” to the heavens never brings a satisfactory answer. Fathers die…all of them. That’s just a part of life, and joking is how I get through each and every day of mine. Dad taught me that a long time ago, and I don’t see a reason to toss out that lesson now. In fact, now’s probably the best time for me to use it. So laugh with me, please. Dad prefers that.

There Have Been Better Days...

Word from up north is not that encouraging today. Dad’s not eating, and he’s sleeping quite a bit. Add to that the fact that Mom now has pneumonia and a fever. Sheesh. I know that Dad’s illness is stressing Mom to pieces, and stress lowers the strength of your immune system, so….bingo: pneumonia. Of course, she still plans to just tough it out and do whatever the heck she feels like doing. However, pneumonia with a 103.8° fever is a pretty big monkey to carry on your back, and it showed.

My Aunt Linda, and Uncle Robert (bless them) have been in the hospital pretty much the whole time Dad’s been in there, and Uncle Robert managed to get Mom to head home, take a cold shower, take her meds, and get her feverish butt in bed. He did so by simply saying this: “Mary, if you don’t go home right now and get in the shower, I’ll take you home and put you in there myself…and that’s gonna embarrass the both of us. I’d rather not do that, so get moving.” Wonder of wonders, she did. Knowing Uncle Robert, he’d have done it.

So I’ve been a bit distracted today, worried about my parents. Mom’s tough as old shoe leather (that’s just an expression, Mom…I’m not in any way saying that you LOOK like old shoe leather), but she’s still human. My father’s toughness is freakin’ legendary throughout our family on both sides, but he apparently has his limits. I just hate that we may have finally found out exactly what those limits are.

He’s not done yet, though, and I’m not quite ready to start talking about the good old days I’ve had with him as though he’s already gone. That old man is, in his quiet, stubborn way, still kicking and scratching, clawing and biting, even though it seems to the naked eye that he’s just laying quietly in bed, dozing. It would not surprise me in the least if he perked up tomorrow and started annoying the doctors and nurses again. It’s happened before. I mean, the man has kicked cancer in its proverbial nutsack not once, but twice. A death sentence for some has been nothing but an inconvenience to him. This is a man who lost his left hand in an unbelievably painful fashion while in his thirties, and yet never complained about it within my hearing…NOT. ONE. TIME. He’s a fighter. So I think it’s not unreasonable to hope he gets better, even just for awhile. Hopefully, he’ll challenge me to a grappling match this time. I mean, it should finally be a fair fight since he’s only got one hand, right?

Thanks for the well-wishes, folks. I’ll try and keep y’all updated.

Eddie Bravo seminar...cool, dude.

Yesterday, one of my assistant instructors and I drove up to Waxahachie, TX for a seminar by Eddie Bravo. If you're not familiar with Mr. Bravo, he is (according to Wikipedia) "an American practitioner of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu who holds a black belt under Jean-Jacques Machado. He is most famous for his win as a brown belt against Royler Gracie by triangle choke in the Abu Dhabi Submission Wrestling championships the year 2003, and his unique style of no-gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, called 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu." BJJ Black Belt Paul Thomas was cool enough to bring Eddie down for a seminar back in 2004, and I really enjoyed the exposure to his system.

Since then, we've been working through his techniques at my school, so we welcomed a chance to work with Eddie and gain some additional insight into his system... we were not disappointed! Eddie is a funny, personable guy, who is so comfortable with his expertise in his system that he has no problem telling everyone "I'm only at about a purple belt level when attacking this arm. But this arm...different story." I like that. He's open, honest, and willing to help every single person in the seminar, whether they were inexperienced newbies or folks who had been training for years. It was well worth the drive and the money, to be sure. At some point, we might very well end up a 10th Planet affiliate...but that'll be a long way off. A long way. In the meantime, we'll keep training, add more competitions to our plan, and see what we can do.


After the seminar, I enjoyed catching up with my cousin, Robin, and her family. It's hard to believe how her boys have grown! Time flies. Next time, I'm bringing my fabulous wife and son so they can all run around together and cause trouble while I train with Eddie. ;-)

My Dad should be out of the hospital soon. The antibiotics seem to be helping, so he's feeling quite a bit better. Even so, I've already bought my plane ticket to go up and visit for a week. Thanks, Priceline! I've never loved William Shatner so much, until he got me a far-less-than-half-price ticket to South Bend, Indiana! I figure that it's better to go hang out with Dad now, while he's feeling better, rather than wait until there's an emergency and risk getting there too late. I'm looking forward to hanging out with the family, and annoying Dad with questions about his youth.

The weather is cooling down, and there's a taste of fall in the air. I love this time of year!! October, with Halloween, my birthday, our wedding anniversary, the Ren Fest, and memories of the Brazoria County Fair, is definitely my favorite month of the year. Any suggestions for a Halloween costume? Anyone?

Take care, folks. And tell someone that you love them. Who knows how many chances you might have to do so.

Dad Update, and a Survey

The word from up north is that Dad's doing better. Getting around on his own, eating more, and generally being cantankerous, so that's all extremely good news. Hopefully, he'll be up to his old tricks at the bowling alley or with the snowblower before too long.

So...here's a little survey for a lazy Sunday...

Have you had any beer this week?
Nope…that’s some nasty stuff, and it’s just not for me.

Are you happy with life?
There’s always something that’s temporarily out of reach, but all in all, I’m really, really happy with my situation. I have a great family and great friends, food on the table, and a job that I just LOVE.

Could you cry right now?
Ordinarily, I can cry at the drop of a hat, but at this moment, I’m just not finding anything sad enough or moving enough to bring on those tears

Are you a jealous person?
Far less so than I used to be.

Who do you text the most out of your friends?
That’d be BB.

If you could see one person right now, who would it be?
I do miss my wife (she’s at a scrapbooking retreat)…but I wouldn’t pass up a chance to spank Kelly Clarkson, it’s true. She’s naughty.

What were you doing this morning at 6:30am?
Sleeping like the dead.

What do you need to be doing right now?
Housework. I’ve already done the dishes, so I’m taking a break before tackling the rest.

Where have you lived throughout your life?
Angleton, TX, College Station, TX, Lake Jackson, TX, Houston, TX, and Katy, TX.

Where was your default picture taken?
If I remember correctly, in an airport in Minnesota.

Is there anything silver near you?
My digital camera is kind of chromy-colored…does that count?

What were you doing at 1 AM this morning?
I think I was reading in bed.

Do you wear contacts?
I used to, but my eyesight has seemed to improve over the last couple of years.

What color shirt are you wearing?
White t-shirt, and a green apron. Yeah, I know…sexy!!

Song playing right now?
The Warrior by Scandal. Yes, it’s an 80’s kind of Sunday.

Where were you Friday night?
At Jade Mountain, meeting with my assistant instructors, who are an absolutely fabulous bunch of folks.

Do you wear the seat belt in the car?
Oh, yeah. I consider myself a pretty safe driver these days, but there’s no shortage of idiots out there.

Has anyone ever mistaken you for someone else?
Not that I know of, although there have been a deluded few who commented on a resemblance to Brendan Fraser.

Next vacation you're going on?
Hmmmmm…not sure. We’ll probably go see my folks in Indiana at Christmas.

Do you like to text or call more?
I just LOVE to talk on the phone.

Have you ever kissed someone whose name started with a J?
After checking my lists (that took about .8 seconds), the answer is ‘nope.’

Who last sent you a myspace message?
Paula, an old friend from high school.

Whose bed did you sleep in last night?
The usual. Ours.

Have you held hands with anyone in the past week?
Oh, sure. I hold hands with Monkey every time we walk through a parking lot, and I love to hold hands with my wife when we go out.

What's the last book you've read?
The Navigator by Clive Cussler. Lots of fast-paced adventure!

What are you doing tomorrow?
Working out, teaching, making plans and getting stuff done.

Do you like to cuddle?
I really do, but not for hours. I get cramped if I stay in the same position too long, even if it’s a good position!

What are you doing right now?
Now, why do surveys ask this question? If I’m going to answer this silly thing with any kind of coherence, I need to be paying attention to what I’m doing…right now…which is this survey! Geez. Let me insert my own question here to counteract this silliness…

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
I see myself as the head of a small martial arts association that is devoted to the progress of its students, no matter what their skill or talent level. I see myself helping a select few of my students to run their own schools, and gain the joy and fulfillment from martial arts that I have. I see having a slightly larger home due to the addition of another little monkey. And I see myself fending off the almost constant flirtations of Kelly Clarkson and Cathy Dennis. Please, ladies!! There’s enough of me to go around!

Do you have a dog?
No, but I do miss our pugs, Beauty and Beast. They were goofy, snuffling, snorting, fuzzy balls of love.

Three things you feel right now?
Inspired, determined, comfortable. I know…odd.

Are you ticklish?
Why do you want to know? Do you have plans that I should know about? Should I limber up?

Who has your myspace password?
I think just me, but it’s not a big deal around here.

Is the last person you kissed mad at you?
No, my son is having fun and looking forward to part 2 of our Star Wars movie marathon.

Can you last in a relationship for longer then a year?
Let’s check my track record…married my high school sweetheart, stayed together for 12 years. I’m now married to my true love and soulmate, and we’ve been together for almost 11 years. I’m not terribly flaky in that area, folks.

Have you ever had your heart broken?
Oh, yes.

Are you hungry?
That’s like asking me if I’m breathing. Yes, usually.

Does someone like you right now?
Geez, I would certainly hope so!!

Is there a person of the opposite sex that means a lot to you?
You mean, just one person? Yes, of course. There are several in fact…right, Mom?

Have you ever felt replaced?
Um…wow, I don’t think I have. Interesting.

What's stressing you right now?
There have been some organizational changes with my former martial arts association, but I’ve accepted those, so…not really, no.

If you HAD to dye your hair right now, what color would you choose?
What, like the mob is going to waste my family if I don’t dye my hair? Fine…uh…green.

Do your best friends all like each other?
Yep. We all have quite a bit in common. That’s why they are my best friends, and they get along just fine.

Do you remember who you liked in grade seven?
Man, I had probably a crush a month in Junior High…Susan Viator sticks out in my mind, though. I thought she was just beautiful. And like a typical dork, I never said a word to her…just too shy!

Who was the last person you flirted with?
If I’ve flirted with you, would you mind telling me? My skills in that area are quite pitiful, and I’d like to know if I somehow, unknowingly flirted properly.

When did you go back to school?
I’m pretty sure that I’m done with Academia. I love learning new things, so I read a lot, and I love to train and learn new martial arts skills.

How much older than you was the first person you kissed, if they were older?
Is this survey directed at young girls, or what? I was older than the first person I kissed…I think.

What's something that you want to buy, realistically?
A crash pad for my school.

When's your mother's birthday?
October 27.

If you could only see one more artist or band in concert during your lifetime, who would you choose?
Come on…if you know me at all, do you really have to ask?

Who's birthday was last?
Of my immediate family, The Monkey turned 6 last November.

Who's birthday is next?
My darling wife's is this week. Oh CRAP!! IT’S THIS WEEK!!! I’d better get moving…SHOOT!!

What…that’s it? I was just hitting my stride, here! I’m gonna go think of more questions….y’all have a great Sunday.

Happenings, feelings, and my freakin' strong boy...

It's been a busy week around here, in many ways. Hurricane Ike left quite a bit of stuff to do, and many of us were lucky in that we only had to contend with gas shortages and power loss. My ailing father returned home from the hospital yesterday, and is feeling more perky today (more on that later). There have been some major adjustments at my martial arts school that I won't go into here, save to say that I'm looking into the future with renewed enthusiasm and freedom, but there's also a bittersweetness to that whole situation.

Here's what happened with my strong son today. His fantastic Mom is away at a scrapbooking retreat this weekend, so Monkey's been with me. Generally, he's pretty well-behaved at my school, and he was entertaining himself for much of the morning with some DVD's in the office. He got bored with them eventually, and wandered into the school, looking for something to do. He started playing around with the weight equipment that we keep in the corner for strength training. As soon as I saw what he was doing, I watched for a bit to see that he was safe, and then went over there to help him out...and brought one of my students with me to film it. Here's the result:



As I mentioned in the clip, he's only about 64 pounds fully clothed. He was doing a Lat Pulldown with 70 lbs. The ones he did before the video was shot actually looked far better than these, but he was just playing around. Go figure. And before anyone get started on me, let me remind you all that I watched him do this by himself for several minutes before I came over to help hold him down...he was doing it for fun, not because I'm trying to make a man out of him.

------------

As I said earlier, my 80yr old Dad is back from the hospital, and feeling better. When I was talking to Mom today, we spoke briefly about the preparations that are in place just in case his time finally comes. She mentioned that everything's already planned out and paid for, including his trip back home to be buried in the family graveyard near Greenville, TX. He also had firmly refused the casket she had picked out for him. Apparently, he didn't share Mom's taste in final resting vessels...not manly enough. "That thing's too dern sissified...you got any pine boxes back there?"

He's home now, and had a wonderful meal of tamales, refried beans, and buttermilk. "Hey, I didn't plan the meal...that's what he wanted." says Mom.

-------------

Have a fabulous weekend, folks. And don't be afraid to follow your dream. It could be a silly, frivolous thing (singing karaoke), or something monumental (climbing Mt. McKinley in Alaska, North America's tallest mountain peak). But have courage, and do the things that call to you. Make your Bucket List now, and get to work. Life can be unbearably short, you know.

PS I know someone who's headed to Alaska next year...guess what they're doing?

The Best Music Video...EVER!!!!

OK, this made me laugh so hard that I nearly shot Monster (the energy drink) out of my nose. Enjoy!!!

Lots of Stuff...

Wow, I was rereading some of my old posts, and noticed that I used to write pretty long, involved entries. I wondered why I haven't done that so much lately, and then I figured it was because things have gotten more and more busy in pretty much all areas of my life...not as much time left over for blogging. So today, I plan to comment on several topics. Just because I can.

I'm currently sitting at Jade Mountain, enjoying the newly-enabled internet access up here. It's so great to be able to check my email, make equipment orders, and do other stuff while I'm here instead of having to wait until I get home. Larry is teaching a Krav Maga class in the other room, and they've got the music thumping...I'm planning to go in and work out on my own in a bit.

Larry's finally teaching here, and I couldn't be happier. We've been friends forever, and I've always respected him as a martial artist, businessman, and as a person. We have big plans for this place, and I'm looking forward to seeing the results of our combined efforts. We'd like to eventually move to a bigger facility, with two training rooms, locker rooms, and a nicer lobby. It'll be fantastic to have two classes going at the same time! And higher ceilings will be a huge relief.

On the home front, we've discovered that my Dad (in the hospital for pneumonia) also has a staph infection in his blood. They've adjusted his medication to compensate, and his prognosis is looking good. In an attempt to lift his spirits, Mom even managed to smuggle his dog, Ricco, in to see him. I'm not really sure how she pulled that off, but it doesn't surprise me in the least. That's just how she rolls.

Lately, I've been thinking of cataloging my Dad's funny stories somewhere. Although he's probably the toughest old coot I've ever met, I know that he won't be here forever, so I figure I should get to work on that kind of thing while he's still around to correct any mistakes I might make. (i.e. "No, it was a mullet that jumped up and hit me in the belly while I was waterskiing, not a perch.") He's got an awful lot of stories, and I know I haven't nearly heard them all, but I think it's time for that project to get going. I may devote a separate blog to that project...I'll keep you posted.

--------------------------------

I was mightily saddened to hear that one of our instructors has had his home mightily damaged during Hurricane Ike. Mr. Shaun Lawler apparently had his ceilings collapse during the storm due to water damage. I'm pretty sure that means that his roof didn't make it. We're all waiting to know what we can do to help, and I'm really glad to find that many of our students are ready and willing to pitch in. Hopefully, we can help him and his family recover from this crisis.

--------------------------------

Getting ready to head to Waxahachie next weekend for an Eddie Bravo jiu jitsu seminar...I've met Eddie only once, and really enjoyed his techniques and teaching style. Several of us are going, and it should be a ton of fun.

--------------------------------

Well, it's time for me to head in and start my training for the day. It's going to be ugly, I'm pretty sure. Wish me luck!

Yard Cleanup, my Dad, etc.

We waited until today to get started on the yard cleanup, thinking it would be drier. Wrong! It rained like crazy last night!! There were a few parts of Katy that were flooded, but nothing too bad. So after letting it dry up a bit, we donned gloves, workboots, and hats, and got to work.



I hope you enjoyed Connor's dance...he's a natural!

--------------------------------------------

We found out last night that my Dad's got pneumonia in one lung, so he's been admitted to Elkhart General Hospital. He's in room 2110, and should be there for a week or less, in case anyone wants to call. He's been pretty weak for the last several days or so, and we're glad to at least find out what's been causing the trouble. Antibiotics are hopefully kicking that crap out of his lung so that he can get back to being cantankerous as ever.

--------------------------------------------

Parts of Houston are still without power, and flooded. Galveston (as you might imagine) is an absolute wreck. Our hearts go out to those who have suffered during this storm...and I'm grateful that we've escaped unscathed.

Ike Update, 7:15pm

I was not surprised to see that there had been quite a bit of wind damage done to the sign out front. For once, I'm glad I didn't invest in a new sign a couple of months ago! That would have been a waste of about $2000.00. I really feel for the folks who own the store downstairs...their sign was way bigger than ours would have been!

Ike Update, 12noon

I think it should be said that we have been EXTREMELY fortunate out here in Katy. It's so much worse for so many people. We got off lightly, to be sure.

Ike Update, midnight. Windy!

We've had a couple more power outages, but again, they only lasted for a few minutes. We did have a few bad moments when we thought the A/C might be broken, but it's working fine now that I've changed the filter. Wow, that thing was clogged!! Anyway, it's pretty much business as usual around here, except that Monkey's up far later than his accustomed bedtime. Otherwise, Christina's playing Lego Star Wars like a fiend, and I'm surfing the 'net, doing nothing terribly important. If everything's intact in the morning, it'll probably be more of the same. We've cancelled classes at Jade Mountain, so I've actually got a Saturday off. Hopefully, there won't be any big problems to deal with, but we'll just have to wait and see.

Stay safe out there. And find something that makes you laugh. It's good for ya!

Ike Update, 9:30pm. All's well.

So far, so good. Sorry for the lack of light in the video...you can't really see the trees.



My fabulous son was yelling "ACTION!" whenever I would point the camera at the trees...he's full of fun, that one.

I know it's supposed to get worse between here and morning, but I think we may try to get to sleep before too long and if the storm wakes us, then so be it. Otherwise, maybe we'll sleep through the rest of the storm and then wake up tomorrow saying something sexy like..."Is that it?" to which we can reply..."Ah, yeah, baby...that's it!"

(Ahem...if you didn't get that joke, please watch the Business Time video from my Sept 7 post. It might make more sense.)

Ike Update, 5:50pm

Wow, things are not looking good in Galveston, but here in Katy, it's just a bit windy.

For Facebook users, you can watch my blog videos at http://sifuwhit.blogspot.com/




Stay safe out there.

What Hurricane?

Oh...THAT hurricane!! "Ike" is headed our way, and we're hunkered down here at home. Katy is pretty far from the storm surge waters, but that doesn't mean that we won't get a buttload of wind and rain tonight when Ike makes landfall. We're glad that it's just a category 2, rather than something with a bit more "stank" on it.

Everything's closed up, more or less, but we've already made our preparations. We've got tons of DVD's (and a portable DVD player with a battery, thank you very much), books, flashlights, batteries, food, bottled water, and yes, Mom, we will be filling up the bathtubs so that we can continue to flush the toilets if the water service goes out.

Here's a bit of vid from outside...




To be honest, I'd prefer that this be an entirely UNexciting experience. I don't care for that kind of excitement. Here's hoping that everyone makes it through Ike safe and sound. I've got a lot of time on my hands just now, so don't be alarmed if I suddenly start writing some really ridiculous posts.

"I said "WE!!"

OK, this just cracked me up...I don't know how long it'll be available, but here's Kristen Wiig and Seth Rogen on Saturday Night Live.

Funny Half-Marathon video

OK, I think I finally figured out how to load this video. In January of this year (2008), my dear friend Brian was kind enough to come down here and support me during my run of the Houston Half-Marathon. However, this particular event was more troublesome than usual...at least, trying to reach the event was more of a challenge than expected.

Here we go...

Just a little update...

It's been awhile since I've posted, so I figured that I'd sit down and write something. Things have been going pretty well lately...just busy!

First on the list of topics is the fact that Christina and I have decided that it's time to try for another baby. Ah, yeah...it's Business Time.



Now that my schedule is much better (I'm not working at a dayjob plus running Jade Mountain), and she's not working, we feel like the time is right. We want Connor to have a brother or sister, and yes, we miss that baby smell. Not the poo smell, no we miss that powdery, sweet, good-baby smell.

In other news, we just had a huge graduation ceremony at Jade Mountain where we promoted a few of my assistants (congrats on the Brown Sash, Amy, and same to Mark and Renee for their Green Sashes) along with around 30 others. I've been told that there are videos and pics on the way. Seeing everyone at the ceremony was a truly wonderful thing. We've come a long way from a handful of private students who trained in my garage. Now, it feels like we're a huge family, and I'm just thrilled to see how we've grown.

On another martial arts-related note...did you see Chuck Liddell get knocked out last night? WHOA! He got knocked into next month! Rashad Evans, my hat's off to you. Great job. I love to watch Chuck fight, but last night was Rashad's night.

So...that's about it for now. It's Sunday, and we're taking it easy today. I do have plans to take Connor to a local game place, or maybe the laser tag place today. Have a fabulous week, folks!