And on a much more somber note, unrelated to my niece
I got a call tonight that an old friend's mother, whom I also considered a friend, passed away tonight. She had been suffering from a form of pneumonia called B.O.O.P., and had been induced into a coma and placed on a ventilator a couple of weeks ago. And tonight, I guess her body just gave up.
This friend is someone I've been largely out of touch with for quite some time. She and her mother were very, very close. I can't even imagine how she's dealing with this. Tonight is probably too early to call her, anyway.
You know, earlier this week, the thought crossed my mind that people just keep trying to fast-forward past this weekend and coming week. On Monday, people were talking about next week being Halloween, and had to be reminded (repeatedly in some cases) that no, next Monday is the 24th, and Halloween was two weeks away. Tuesday night, as we were leaving after class, peregrinekt was saying "See you Saturday" at an event that is next weekend. And I remember thinking, "Why does everybody want to skip from the 21st to the 28th? Why is next week invisible?" Because I had caught myself making the same assumptions several times.
Perhaps the 22nd through the 27th are just going to suck. I really, really hope not. This is enough for now.
Last Saturday it was an uncle I didn't know, whose funeral I ended up attending on Wed. Today it's this friend's Mom, whom I used to jokingly call "Ma" in my teens. I've done this routine before, where in a short span of time the people who die keep getting closer and closer to home. It was over 20 years ago, but I've done it. I don't need or want to do it again. Stop. Now.
This friend is someone I've been largely out of touch with for quite some time. She and her mother were very, very close. I can't even imagine how she's dealing with this. Tonight is probably too early to call her, anyway.
You know, earlier this week, the thought crossed my mind that people just keep trying to fast-forward past this weekend and coming week. On Monday, people were talking about next week being Halloween, and had to be reminded (repeatedly in some cases) that no, next Monday is the 24th, and Halloween was two weeks away. Tuesday night, as we were leaving after class, peregrinekt was saying "See you Saturday" at an event that is next weekend. And I remember thinking, "Why does everybody want to skip from the 21st to the 28th? Why is next week invisible?" Because I had caught myself making the same assumptions several times.
Perhaps the 22nd through the 27th are just going to suck. I really, really hope not. This is enough for now.
Last Saturday it was an uncle I didn't know, whose funeral I ended up attending on Wed. Today it's this friend's Mom, whom I used to jokingly call "Ma" in my teens. I've done this routine before, where in a short span of time the people who die keep getting closer and closer to home. It was over 20 years ago, but I've done it. I don't need or want to do it again. Stop. Now.