Death, cont’d.

Wednesday February 03rd 2010, 12:59 am

I was planning to write a post just pointing out the new design of this site and some other casual shit like that. And then someone else died.

As I sit here, it’s after midnight on the morning of February 3, which is my grandmother’s 86th birthday. She died a few hours ago. Late last week I came in the house from some lame appointment I had, to find that she had fallen down the stairs to the basement. Actually, the first thing I saw was Darwin crying his eyes out in the living room. I knew something was up. Apparently she had gone downstairs to get something, and lost her balance on the way back up. She fell straight back and hit the deck pretty hard. Now, even by your average 85 year old person standards, this woman was in pretty bad shape. She can barely move around on flat ground, let alone stairs. She always uses a cane to prop her up, and sometimes a walker. She absolutely knew better than to even make an attempt at these stairs. ESPECIALLY while watching my son.

I walked in just shortly after it happened, and I called 911 right away. That was the last time I saw her. She was conscious, in some pain, but it surely didn’t appear to be critical condition. I made several calls to speak with a doctor or nurse about her condition, but as usual, the staff over at the ol’ Crozer-Chester Medical Center proved to be less than helpful. The only update I got was “She had some MRI’s and she’ll be fine”. A little over 24 hours later she was dead.

She and I couldn’t have been more different. Having said that, she was my primary care-giver/guardian from birth through my teen years. She was super old fashioned, relatively closed-minded, and extremely giving despite the fact that her decades as a factory worker left her on the wrong side of middle class. And now her pain is over.

blog comments powered by Disqus

Darwin has autism.

Last week, Darwin had a “full team evaluation” at The Children’s Hospital Of Philadelphia. He met with 4 different therapists and doctors who led him through various tests, engaging him in different ways to evaluate his behavior as it relates to the Autism Spectrum. Today, his mother and I met with the team again to discuss their observations, the diagnosis, and the recommended treatment.

The diagnosis is autism. Point blank, no bones about it. Does an atomic bomb do just as much damage if you see it coming? Yes it does.

Something is up with Darwin

Before Darwin, I’d never spent any considerable time around young children. So once he was born, every day proved to be a new experience, which is still the case. Because of that, I didn’t have a great basis for comparison between him and any other “normal” kid. But once he became slightly more mobile and I started to see him in the context of playing with or near other children, I started to notice differences. Subtle differences maybe, but I saw them. I was told that I was being paranoid, and that he was totally fine.

Yesterday

amazon (feed #10)
11:20pm

September 1st

amazon (feed #10)
9:34pm

August 29th

amazon (feed #10)
11:01am

August 27th

amazon (feed #10)
Wants 2 items.
4:30pm

August 26th

twitter (feed #12)
Machete was pretty damn good. Lots of boobs, and Michelle Rodriguez looked awesome.
11:34pm
twitter (feed #12)
Yo Bobby's Burger Palace is crazy.
9:35pm
twitter (feed #12)
Machete screening in West Philly.
6:48pm
amazon (feed #10)
3:31pm
twitter (feed #12)
The thought that I might never get to have a "normal", meaningful conversation with my son really bums me out.
11:51am
twitter (feed #12)
10:31am
twitter (feed #12)
Still mourning the loss of the old Muxtape? Get familiar with http://8tracks.com/ (via @lendamico)
10:31am

August 25th

twitter (feed #12)
Oh shit, I just got a DVD and flyer in the mail autographed by Dangerous Toys!
10:52am
twitter (feed #12)
Autism is seriously bumming me out today.
10:09am

August 24th

amazon (feed #10)
1:35pm
twitter (feed #12)
Mother Love Bone - Chloe Dancer / Crown Of Thorns - Live 1989 • http://t.co/AwIYoaB
1:28pm
twitter (feed #2)
12:54pm
twitter (feed #12)
I like the Contra album. Whatever!
9:02am

August 23rd

twitter (feed #12)
Awesome. My household income just became $0. No pressure.
5:52pm
twitter (feed #12)
See the Statue of Liberty being built • http://t.co/TNVY6bR
4:28pm
twitter (feed #12)
I hear of an album, google it, and illegally DL it in less than 5 minutes. I love the internet!
1:31pm
twitter (feed #12)
Also, Jason McMaster sounded like a crazy Rob Halford/Kind Diamond when he was in Watchtower.
1:26pm
amazon (feed #10)
12:25pm

August 21st

amazon (feed #10)
10:27am

August 20th

digg (feed #3)
11:14am
amazon (feed #10)
9:22am

Older Entries