One Week In

The school year is officially only one week old and it's been great and exhausting so far. In order to mark the beginning of my second decade as a teacher, I have finally joined the modern world and upgraded my cable box to one with HDTV and DVR. Wow! who knows what will happen next as I edge closer to a debt-free life.

Dilemmas

August 7, 2007
probably the most difficult day in my life that didn't involve me personally; in other words, there was nothing personal nor tragic about this day... it was about being torn apart by having to be in 3 places at once...

all day I had to consider where was i going to be on this night

option 1:
the first game for our teacher softball team (I actually showed up for the practice for 30 minutes)

option 2:
opening of Avenue Q, the musical i've been wanting to see more than any other for the past 3 years
seats Orchestra center, third row

option 3:
a chance to watch Barry break the all-time home run record

and as many of you would expect
i went to see the musical

some of you are in disbelief right now
but if you have a chance and doubt mind your musicals having provocative R-rated themes and humor, you need to see it...

look at these song titles...

. The Avenue Q Theme - Company
2. What Do You Do with a B.A. in English? - John Tartaglia
3. It Sucks To Be Me - Jordan Gelber, Stephanie D'Abruzzo, John Tartaglia, Rick Lyon, Ann Harada, Natalie Venetia Belcon, Jennifer Barnhart
4. If You Were Gay - Rick Lyon with John Tartaglia
5. Purpose - John Tartaglia & Company
6. Everyone's A Little Bit Racist - John Tartaglia, Stephanie D'Abruzzo, Natalie Venetia Belcon, Jordan Gelber, Ann Harada
7. The Internet Is For Porn - Stephanie D'Abruzzo, Rick Lyon & the Guys
8. Mix Tape - Stephanie D'Abruzzo, John Tartaglia
9. I'm Not Wearing Underwear Today - Jordan Gelber with Ann Harada
10. Special - Stephanie D'Abruzzo with the Guys
11. You Can Be as Loud as the Hell You Want (When You're Makin' Love) - Natalie Venetia Belcon, Rick Lyon, Jennifer Barnhart & Ensemble with Stephanie D'Abruzzo, John Tartaglia, Jordan Gelber, Ann Harada
12. Come True - John Tartaglia, Stephanie D'Abruzzo with Rick Lyon
13. My Girlfriend, Who Lives in Canada - John Tartaglia
14. There's a Fine, Fine Line - Stephanie D'Abruzzo
15. There Is Life Outside Your Apartment - Jordan Gelber, John Tartaglia & Company
16. The More You Ruv Someone - Ann Harada, Stephanie D'Abruzzo
17. Schadenfreude - Natalie Venetia Belcon, Rick Lyon
18. I Wish I Could Go Back to College - Stephanie D'Abruzzo, Rick Lyon, John Tartaglia
19. The Money Song - Rick Lyon, John Tartaglia, Natalie Venetia Belcon with Jordan Gelber, Ann Harada, Jennifer Barnhart
20. School for Monsters/The Money Song (Reprise) - Rick Lyon & Company

ahhh... and if you saw the musical episode of Scrubs, these are the same people who wrote that


now, i am a tad sad that i didn't have my regular bleacher seat at the ballpark to witness history... and i find it out that i'm ok with it... i suppose i feel lucky that i have seen a lot of baseball history for a lifetime and what i really want to see is a world series win... and if it were game 7 of any playoff series i would've been at the park... but i will likely see Bonds hit another homer and that will be the new record... plus, my nephew Miles at 5 years old got to see the moment and that will likely live on in his memory much more than it would in mine...



oh yeah, the softball team had a great game even though they lost 16-11... and will and I weren't there... and will is, like, the best shortstop ever... this means we just might have a better record than last season when we only had one win... ahhhh… our first team picture

maybe things are getting better...

wait... maybe not...
a distant aunt of mine, Rose Pedro, was found tied up in Manila killed by some criminal-her body beginning to decompose... if you believe in prayers, karmic retribution, or what have you - keep positive thoughts that the killer be brought to justice

Happy Bastille Day-best & worst of times part 3

happy bastille day!
i'm going to put my head in a guillotine now after watching another giants loss to the dodgers!

oh yeah, i attended all the all-star festivities in san francisco and spent a few too many hours intoxicated. the good and bad of that is because of my diabetes medication i can now get drunk after 2-3 drinks instead of 15-20...

fanfest was cool... i'll post a picture soon of me on a wheaties box or on the front page of the chronicle... got some autographs-hall of famer rollie fingers and three giants who helped teach me baseball-robbie thompson, darrell evans, and hac-man jeffrey leonard...

but if you want the real story of what happened and how the 138 family has been torn asunder, you need to read my brother's blog (a story so crazy lance started his own blog)...
www.randomlanciness.blogspot.com

and the other story he refers to at the end is a doozy as well, with possibly more repercussions to follow...
so leave here and visit my brother... you should, at least he can say he owns a house...

best & worst of times part 2

too good to be true

why can't people have common courtesy? especially friends... and worst of all, family

last weekend started out wonderful... attended the birthday bash of the year.... saw many old friends... revisited the 80s... went to AT&T park for every game of the 9 game homestand that started with the yankees... and sunday night comes to a crashing halt... literally when our softball centerfielder and friend Ramil runs head first into a chain fence about to catch a home run ball that would have saved the game... he's fine with 25 stitches over his eye... since that moment... life in many other aspects has gone to hell for me and the people around me... i'm upset and can't do anything about it... i need to let go of so many things... holidays are so fricking depressing (sorry S, i know you love the 4th)... i swear i feel this need to destroy the world around me... and this is supposed to be my vacation...

summer arrives

i finished the planner yesterday and finally submitted the damn thing...

today was the first day that felt like summer vacation to me
went to the giants game with Sheena and Stephanie (my 6th straight day going to a game)
hung around the city a little and chilled with loved ones, that should be what it's all about
got a ticket for Avenue Q in August when it comes to town
need to write a letter of rec now
i haven't been to work for two days in a row...
feels good

time for me to start catching up on all the blogs i owe:
the revelation
the wedding
the party of the year (that's about to happen this weekend)

Tale of Two Cities Pt. 1

best & worst of times Pt. 1

“It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.” Part 1 (Epilogue to the May summary-forthcoming)

Good news first!

Benitez is gone… cheer the Messenger!

I went to see my doctor yesterday. Dr. C was impressed with how I have been able to maintain a better quality of health since the vein explosion in February. She claimed I had the best sugar levels of all her diabetic patients. I average 107 everyday. Next week I go in for some new tests. The problem is the fasting 14 beforehand, so I’ll have to do it after finals, for I don’t want to be lacking nutrients while stressed out over grading finals. She’s also going to look into trying to get my compression stockings paid for by Kaiser, which is about $80 I pay for the pair every six months and I’ve been wearing them since high school. Here is a current picture of my leg… still looks bruised but it’s a lot prettier than three months ago…

Look there’s no more bullet hole… just a depression in the leg…

By the way… this is me laying on the Ihilani beach resort… hopefully, I will collect all the best pictures from Hawaii and put them in the wedding blog entry that I will get to in a couple weeks…

So with all this good news, what’s going wrong?

The second family cat has passed away this year. Fritzy the orange tabby had a tumor in her throat. Her teeth fell out and the gums blackened. The vet put her to sleep yesterday. Thankfully, Robbie (who is now 15 years old) is still lounging around.

Also, my grandma Rosing’s health has been fluctuating and improving since my aunts arrived in the Philippines to help keep an eye on her, but they are not going to be able to stay there… my parents will likely be following soon to assist…

Here’s a copy of my aunt Shirley (yes, that auntie Shirley) update in which you get to see a serious side to her…

So where to begin?!?

Mom spent a total of nine days in hospital (4-1/2 days in ICU and another 4-1/2 days recovering in her own private room). She had "beginning pneumonia" as well as a bacterial infection in her stomach.

By the time Brenda and I arrived in the Philippines, she was on her way out of ICU, and into a private room that boasted a fridge, private bathroom, air conditioning and cable tv. On the downside, you have to bring your own toilet paper and bring your own drugs as well.

The hardest part about that hospital experience was watching Mom as she struggled while the feeding tube was inserted. I was there for the last two attempts; Carlos was there to hear her scream the first time. I imagine inserting the catheter wasn't fun either.

But the feeding tube is ESSENTIAL because without it, Mom won't eat enough to maintain her health. She was having problems swallowing, she didn't like the taste of certain foods, she didn't like using her dentures, she just wasn't eating enough.

So the feeding tube is the only answer. Sure, it doesn't look good seeing her with a tube up her nose but she needs it to survive.

She also has an oxygen tank that she uses as needed. This allows her to breathe easier, and it also gives her some much-needed energy.

Before I go any further, I have to give a lot of credit to EMMA for her devotion to our mother. She is the one who is at our mother's side day and night, who slept there in the hospital, and who is with her at home right now. At some point, the family will need to discuss hiring additional help because Emma cannot do it all, although she's very willing. There is of course Bembol, Carlos and Janet pitching in but Mom is going to need more professional care sooner than later.

The latest "scare" was a drop in Mom's blood sugar level, which we have been carefully monitoring for the last two days. Carlos is giving her fresh-squeezed orange juice and carrot juice and that is making a positive difference.

We really do have to take this day by day.

There's no doubt that Mom is a SURVIVOR. She celebrated her 87th birthday in hospital but, God willing, she and Dad will be celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary at home, surrounded by family, relatives and friends. (I imagine this will be a very small, intimate affair - as opposed to the big bash Dad wants but Daddy can't have everything... Again, I'll save talk about Dad another time, maybe even never... did I mention that he is cooperating?!?)

As I mentioned before, Mommy is STRONG and she's feisty. She also has a habit of giving Brenda and me the "pinch test" and informing us that we're plenty fat. (Thanks, Mom.) She talks to us in English, and shows her appreciation by saying "thank you" and "I love you" (when prompted!). When she doesn't remember who we are, we'll remind her, and she'll say something like "Oh, I have a daughter named Brenda (Shirley)." And when she does know our names, it is MAGIC to our ears.

I could go on and on about her medical condition, and what her doctors said, but I won't.

The important thing is that she is HERE with us today, and so we're enjoying every moment we spend with her.

In so many ways, she's like an infant again. She has to be fed every four hours; her diapers unfortunately need changing more times than that.

But, hey, wasn't she there for us when we needed her as babies, as children, and later as adults?!?

We should be thankful that she's being well taken care of here in the Philippines. So, if you want to spend some quality time with her, book that flight and show her you love her. Shower her with kisses and hugs even though she might whack you back for showing too much affection!

And if you can't, that's okay too because there are plenty of us here who'll deliver your hugs and kisses for you. (The last thing I want to do is make anyone feel guilty. We all have our reasons and we all have our own separate lives.)

One last sobering thought: After spending nearly two weeks here now, I have come to the realization that our mother is alive because we can AFFORD to keep her alive. At some point, we'll have to let her go, but until then, we'll cherish her and let her know how deeply she is loved.

If there is anyone I've forgotten to include on the Distribution List, please kindly forward to them. Thank you.

Peace,

Shirl

winding up and down

so much has happened in the past days since the wedding...
here are the headlines for upcoming topics
but i have to survive the second reception this sunday with 400 guests I don't know...

wedding was the happiest one I've ever been to
BUT I ALMOST MISSED THE CEREMONY
and i don't really remember my speech
nor the 24 hours after that
only to reawaken to sickness that lasts nearly a week
LAST WEEK I BECAME A SOFTBALL WHORE PLAYING IN 4 GAMES
wednesday i thought my grandmother in the Philippines was near death
because my family there wouldn't take care of her properly
but AUNTIE SHIRLEY & BRENDA flew out there
and grandma is stabilized in the hospital

finally did what i promised myself i would do
and nothing is resolved as usual...

hopefully i'll have wedding pics by the time i have the wedding blog ready...

3 months until the first day of school next year...
i'm a sick bastard! really, I am

this is what happens when you teach Catcher in the Rye twice a day every May for 8 years...