Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Mindless Distractions From Harsh Reality

My brain has been consumed with issues lately, so I've spent all my free time just trying to find little diversions. I've played a ton of Bejeweled (a Shockwave game) this past month. That and Wii bowling. Is there a better time waster than that? Well, yeah, I guess real bowling, but that costs money and you have to wear the community shoes.

My top Wii bowling score is 226. Not bad, but I can't seem to come close again. My theory is that as the battery power depletes, the responsiveness of the Wii controller changes and alters your shot. Yeah, that's it.

The other thing I've been doing is listening to tons of old favorite songs on Rhapsody. Right now I'm hearing Promised You A Miracle by Simple Minds. Those of you who only know Don't You Forget About Me from Breakfast Club, well, they had a lot more songs that just that one. You missed out.

Ooh! Now a deep cut from Live. They may be a bit goofy, but I maintain that Throwing Copper is a classic album.

Why am I whiling away in a world of whimsy? Well I'm trying to escape when I can.

It looks like my father is winding down. Poor man has bounced back and forth six times between the hospital and a nursing home over the last month and a half. He's in the end stages of Alzheimer's disease and has had a rapid decline recently. He's nearly unable to swallow now, and it's really not practical, helpful or advisable to give him a feeding tube. There won't be any miracles here. He's under palliative care, and he's comfortable. That's all that can be done for him now.

My mother is a mess, but trying to be strong. That's another topic for another day. She's done a heroic job caring for Dad at home over the last many years.

For now, I'm being supportive from afar, trying to decide on a daily basis when I need to get back up there to NY, and distracting myself as best as I can.

Which reminds me, for the first time I'm completely consumed with American Idol. So who are you pulling for? I like Chikeze Eze. Not just because of his name, but mostly because of it.

1 comment:

CountryDew said...

I am sorry about your father. That is very hard, I'm sure. I have no words of wisdom, just sympathy for your pain.