Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Dreaming

I was going to post something not related to my dads accident, but that is whats going on in my life right now.
Human brains are funny (at least mine is).

I can now talk about him and not tear up, but seeing his closet, or holding my dance teachers hand makes me sad. His closet just smells so much like him, it's like running into a wall of Dad. My dance teacher has hands the same size as Dad, so holding his hands is like holding Dads, which makes me miss him.

I really want him to wake up, not because I want to hug him, but I want him to hug me. Nobody else hugs like my dad, and its been a week since I've had a Dad hug.

Weird things make me think of him. When somebody talks about Myspace, I think of him. Rope, certain pillows, going to a restaurant and hearing someone ask for hot sauce, little quirks my uncles have that are exactly like Dads, all those things make my throat tighten.

Every time we eat out on the patio, my dad is the last one back in the house. So, last night when my uncle came through the door a couple minutes later than everybody else, I almost opened my mouth and fired out some witticism aimed at Dad. Then I saw it was Mark, not Matt. It was like missing the last step on a staircase. You step down and for a split second think you've got it, then comes the sick sensation of an unplanned drop, then the hit.

Everything is slowly going back to normal. The mail keeps coming, the paper continues to be delivered, and Mom still has to go to the grocery store. My brother still goes to school, I got spacers (in preparation for braces) on yesterday, and now my mouth hurts like nobody's business.

Apologies must be offered regarding the lack of posts this last week. It was pretty crazy, but I could have tossed out a short entry. So, I am sorry about that.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Yesterday

When I first saw Pirates of the Caribbean, I was terrified. It took me about a year and a half before I could really get over it and enjoy the movie.

But as scary as that was, it was nothing compared to getting a phone call from your mom, saying your dad got in a motorcycle accident, and is at the hospital.

Yesterday at 8:30am the phone rang, and it was Mom. She made some small talk, than dropped the bomb. "Honey, Dad got in a accident on the way to work. Someone wrecked into his motorcycle, but he's going to be okay." Even hearing "but he's going to be okay", I was scared. What if he wasn't? What if he couldn't walk again, or got hit hard in the head? An hour later, we went down to the hospital to see how he was.

First let me say, everything is fixable. He will eventually make a full recovery, according to what we know. He is going to be okay.

He had broken multiple ribs, twisted and broken at least one wrist, bruised his lung, broken his tibia, fractured his femur in 2 places, cracked where the femur meets the hip in 5 places and his kidneys have shut down right now (they don't like being in motorcycle accidents).

Yesterday afternoon we saw him, he talked to us for a little bit before his nurse told him to shut up and go to sleep. I really like her .He went into surgery a couple hours after we left, to fix his legs and wrists. The surgery went fine, and right now he is resting. When I called the hospital this morning, the nurse said he was on a ventilator and dialysis. The ventilator is because of the bruised lung; he can't yet oxygenate well enough on his own, the dialysis for the kidneys.

After my mom called, I called a bunch of friends and family, letting them now what happened. My uncle and three friends joined us at the hospital that afternoon, and when we went back later my uncle and another friend were there.

We just got home from the hospital, and there is no change really. He was hooked up to a bunch of tubes (including the dialysis and ventilator) and was lightly sedated. He couldn't talk, but he did open his eyes.

During the past 36 hours, we have received more phone calls than we would have gotten all week. People calling to make sure we were ok, did we need food, a ride, someone to talk to, anything at all. I cannot accurately describe how much that support was welcomed. It feels so good to know that everybody is hoping for the best, for him and us. You know who you are, and we cannot thank you enough.

Now we are to the waiting game.

I will post when we know something else. Thank you all so much for everything.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

These are a view of my favorite things...

Okay, I figure since I bemoaned the wind yesterday, today I shall give you happy things! This is but a small list of things I love, but a small contribution of joy is better than none (that or its then. I can never remember). This is in no particular order whatsoever. The only reason it is organized in such a fashion is because it popped into my head that way.

  1. Mexican cookies. I don't know if they actually came from Mexico, but they are beyond good.
  2. Mexican cookie dough.
  3. My moms perfume. It smells like vanilla.
  4. Remembering my friend convincing my other (apparently gullible) friend to try some straight vanilla.
  5. Remembering the time I spent in LA with my friends at a ballroom competition.
  6. My doggies.
  7. My Macbook.
  8. Harry Potter
  9. Star Wars
  10. Twilight (the book series)
  11. All my books, pretty much.
  12. Wearing mismatched socks.
  13. Painting my nails different colors.
  14. Shopping.
  15. Reading.
  16. Chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting.
  17. Reading.
  18. Talking to my friend about Dancing with the Stars and American Idol.
  19. Getting dressed up and going somewhere.
  20. Riding the motorcycle with my dad.
  21. This motorcycle.
  22. And this one.
  23. And this one.
  24. And maybe this one. Sorry mom.
  25. Dancing.
Well, that concludes the list - for now insert maniacal laughter here. Again a short post, but I am a bit sleepy (and now thinking of motorcycles) so my train of thought is going nowhere fast. Night night!

Saturday, April 19, 2008

An Epitome

As I vaguely mentioned in another post, I dislike the wind. Rather vehemently. But I could never figure out why. It was a little frustrating to know you abhor something, but not be able to put it into words. As much as I talk, not being able to put something into words is a serious tragedy.

But fear not! My intellect has pulled through (even if my humility could not) yet again, and I am now able to the fullest extent describe my passionate distaste for the element.

It's rude. The wind is ill-mannered and brusque. It pulls your hair, musses your picnic plans, makes a racket when you try to sleep, chucks dirt and other debris everywhere, makes swimming pretty miserable, blows your lawn furniture over and brings a sudden halt to your ping pong game.

Does it need to do that? No, it could just be a gentle breeze, but instead it chooses to rush through in spurts, leaving you indoors clutching your hands together, hoping fervently it goes away soon. It never does. Tricking you, it slows down for 3.46 minutes, than picks up again with a fevered frenzy.

It's like the person who puts gum on the underside of restaurant tables. No one will ever really know for sure who did it, so they never get punished. It irks me.

Also, it should be stated that I have no editor. Nobody except myself looks over the posts before I publish them, which is the reason for typos. I try to catch as many as I can, but it is inevitable that some slip through, especially on a large post, or one that I have rewritten frequently. I go over it so often the slip ups go unnoticed. I have been alerted by various people that I have made errors, and I appreciate that. Just remember I am the only editor.

And finally, the weirdest competition/sport I have ever seen: Worlds Strongest Man competition. It's just plain freaky.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

A short post

No time for another lengthy post, because Alvin and the Chipmunks is playing in the other room and it is imperative that I bang my head against the wall, repeatedly and with much vigor.

A thought briefly flitted through my head last night - "Should I beg pardon for yesterdays post? It was pretty lengthy, and most assuredly confusing to those unfamiliar with ancient Greek myths". Than I decided it was my blog, which gives me the right to talk about whatever I choose. So, if you were confused, sorry, but hey, your the one who typed in the address.

As this blog is solely maintained by yours truly, what ever I think about at that moment is what becomes published in cyberspace. It is inevitable that somethings come out garbled. The degree of difficultly which is required to translate thoughts on to paper (or computer) is somewhat higher then I anticipated. It did not occur to me that not everybody would understand each thing that popped out of my cranium.

But hey, you understand most of it (I assume), which excites me no end!

Now please excuse me while I go smash my brain pan against something very solid.

*whapwhapwhapwhapwhap*

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Dut-da-daa!! The Olympians!

Ok, today I am going to break down the Olympians (the 6 original gods and the 6 who came later), but first a little back story as to how they came into power.

To dumb it down somewhat, Uranus(the sky) and Gaia (the earth) had 12 children, the Titans. They also had the Cyclopes and the "Hundred Handed Ones", but they aren't crucial to the story.

While the Titans all married each other (I guess they didn't have much choice...), Cronus and Rhea were the "leaders". Cronus was told by his mother, Gaia, that he would sire a child who would overthrow him as ruler of earth.

Being tremendously opposed to that idea, the first time Rhea had a child, he swallowed it. And almost every time there after, he would swallow his children, ensuring he would remain 'king of the hill' forever.

After he swallowed 5 children, Rhea grew weary of watching her babies slide down her husbands throat, and asked her mother for help. Gaia told her next time she had a child, hide it on the far side of the world, and present her husband with a swaddled up rock. Rhea did just that, and thus Zeus was spared from having to slosh around in his fathers stomach acid (thats a wonderful image, isn't it?).

When Zeus grew strong enough, he decided it was time for him to reunite with his siblings and usurp his father. He asked Gaia and Rhea to help bring his siblings "back from the bile". Gaia gave Rhea a herb and told her to mix it into Cronus's drink, for the herb would make him regurgitate all his children right back out (whole new meaning to projectile vomit).

Rhea mixed the drink, and Cronus urped up his offspring. Following that, Zeus and his siblings engaged with the Titans in a battle, the winner gaining control of everything (fun), the loser spending the rest of eternity in Tartarus (not fun).

In the end, Cronus and the other Titans were defeated (except the few who helped the Olympians) and sent to Tartarus.

That was how the Olympians came into power. Now, for the promised break down (bom chika bom chika laka boo bang bop! get it? break down? beat boxing, break dancing? never mind...).

Zeus, King of the Universe, god of sky, thunder and justice. He honestly irks me no end. Yes, he over threw his evil father, rescued his sibs, blah blah blah. You read any tale or story about him, and he always has some consort or lover. Despite the fact he is married. He is also obnoxiously cantankerous, and if anybody so much as looks at him wrong (i.e. men don't worship him, women don't lust after him), he nails you with a thunderbolt. Thats just rude.


Hera, Queen of the Gods, goddess of women, marriage and motherhood. Became Zeus's bride when he created a thunderstorm and turned into a little cuckoo, flying right into her open arms. I don't know how that amounts to "Yes, I'll marry you!", but it apparently does. She has her bad moments, and the occasional good ones. She is pretty entertaining, however, and very creative when it comes to punishments for Zeus's various mistresses. Sometimes comes off as cruel, but I believe her to be intriguing.


Poseidon, god of the sea, horses and earthquakes. Shortly after the city was built, the came time for Athens to pick a patron god. Poseidon wanted it, but Athena also showed interest. It was decided the fairest way to determine who would become patron of the city was for each god to give the people something, and let them decide which was more useful. Poseidon struck the ground with is trident, and up came a spring of water, but it was salt water and had little use for the city. Athena gave the citizens an olive tree, from which they could gather food, oil and wood. It was decided by the people that Athena's gift was more useful, and she was named patron of the city. Poseidon is also believed to be father to the hero Theseus.


Demeter, goddess of agriculture, nature and the seasons. Mother of Persephone, Queen of the Underworld. I am pretty luke warm about her. The only story I can remember off the top of my head about her is when Persephone was kidnapped by Hades. She was depressed and distraught so much so that she neglected to help the crops grow, and as a result a famine settled across the world. Eventually the Earth was in such a state of disrepair that Zeus had to force Hades to give Demeter back her daughter to prevent human being wiped out by hunger. Hades agreed, but Persephone had to go and live with him for 6 months out of the year, because she ate while in the Underworld (if anybody ate in the Underworld, they would have to come back, rather snappish like). That, according to Greek myth, is why we have the seasons. Spring and summer is when Demeter is with her daughter, but in fall and winter Persephone is with Hades, while her mother mourns and neglects the earth above.


Hestia, goddess of the hearth and home. I love her. She is very quiet and calm, never doing crazy things like causing plagues and kidnapping people. Another point in her favor, she selflessly gave up her chair on Mount Olympus so Dionysus may sit among them, and took up her seat by the hearth.


Hades, Lord of the Dead, god of the Underworld and wealth. Husband of Persephone and all around awesome god. He has a bad reputation because of the whole "god of the Underworld" thing, which is often jumbled up, giving people the impression he is the god of death. That is erroneous, as Thanatos is the personification of Life and Death, not Hades. It has been asserted that he tricked Persephone into eating in the Underworld, while others argue that she fell in love and ate to ensure her return.

Well, now that I throughly and completely confused bored you all (I think there are six of you) and just generally ranted, I shall take my leave. Tomorrow (or the next day) I will finish up the Olympians, but at this moment I have developed a severe case of the hiccups, and this must be immediately remedied.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Orpheus and Eurydice

When we were little, my mother had a set of 4 tapes, on which classic Greek myths were recorded. My brother and I used to listen to those for hours on end. Everytime we got in the car, the tape of Greek myths was played. It was a ritual. As a result of that, I have the Greek gods, demi-gods and some very lucky (or unlucky mortals) ingrained upon my memory.

One of my most memorable stories was the tale of Orpheus and Eurydice.

(or-fi-us and yoo-RID-i-see)

Orpheus was the son of Calliope (the muse of epic poetry) and a mortal king. It was said that the music he played on his lyre, along with the songs he sang could make a rock weep with the beauty of it, and everywhere he went creatures would come to hear him play. The most famous of his exploits began on his wedding day.

He was married to Eurydice, the love of his life. He couldn't be happier, and neither could she. On that fateful day, they went to a meadow, where he sat and played his music, watching his lovely wife traipse around, dancing and laughing. In her joy, she never saw the snake that reached up and sank its poisonous jaws into her ankle. She died there, and Orpheus was alone and heartbroken.

Never again did a cheerful song soar forth from his lyre. A happy lyric never again left his lips. He mourned through his music, and the world mourned with him. So sad were he songs that all around him the nymphs and gods wept. When they could no longer stand the grief, they told him to go to the Underworld and beg Hades, lord of the dead and his Queen Persephone to allow Eurydice to come back.

Following their guidance, Orpheus traveled to the Underworld and by his music persuaded Hades to release Eurydice. Hades only had one condition: You may not look upon your wife until you have reached the land of the living, or else she stays forever. Orpheus agreed, and set off up the long dark passage, playing his music softly all the way. He could see the light from the outside world, and could feel a gentle puff of warm air, when he thought he heard somebody stumble. But when he turned to look, the only thing he saw was Eurydice, now slowly retreating back into the darkness, now forever lost to him.

According to some accounts, Orpheus later was ripped to pieces by followers of Dionysus (god of wine) when he scorned their rituals. I prefer to think that he wandered the world, forgetting to eat and drink, only playing his melancholy music until he wasted away. Not as dramatic, and perhaps more depressing, but more romantic.

There is also alternate beginnings and facts; Eurydice was fleeing from Aristaeus, and stumbled on a nest of snakes and Orpheus was the son of Apollo (god of music and healing) and Calliope. However, this is the version I have heard since I was 3, and it's my favorite.

Join me tomorrow for a break down of the Olympians!