à la Peacock Materials: Glass, Copper, Silver, Lead, Zinc, Maple wood Framing by Against the Grain Studio Built in 2016 and now in a private residence in South Carolina. Who doesn’t love the peacock? The first time I ever really considered these strange birds at any length was on a college trip to study in London. I was awe-struck at the number of birds on royal property, and it was my very first time ever seeing white peacocks. Not only was I struck by how oh-my-geese-over-the-top-ostentatious these birds were, I was shocked at their insolence. “Not everything that glitters is… Read More »
THE I-95.
Having lived on the I-95 corridor, learning to drive inside the Corridor of Hell otherwise known as the Capital Beltway… when I first moved to Buffalo, all of the road names sounded really bizarre to me. And it wasn’t because they were long and had too many consonants (you try pronouncing Scajaquada your first day in town!) It was because they all came with THE in front of them. And there were so many different TYPES of “highways” — THE thruway, THE expressway, THE highway, THE skyway, THE, THE, THE. But there was also none of THE traffic that I had… Read More »
Captain’s Log: Colleen’s AVM Adventures Day 25
1/9/2017 9:30 PM Oh screw it. Burning a candle at both ends? Nay. I am a pro. And pros use sticks of dynamite when they detonate energy/fuel sources at multiple points. It took me about 16 hours to get home with one very miserable E’Clair. Teething. Exhaustion. A cold. She’s just had it with me. She was up at 4a.m. — Then Liam was up at 7a.m. And the day got rockin’ n’ rollin’ — Gotta get the car unpacked, check the oil, have it ready to turn around; I wonder if I’ve paid any bills due in the last… Read More »
Captain’s Log: Mom’s got Jokes…
January 5, 2017 Mom just asked for a Sriracha Turban. “I need a Sriracha Turban.” I’m like… “… you mean, the hot sauce?” She’s still all groggy from the morning and she moans “yes…” And then, still confused, I’m like… “And, like, turban… like, the head covering?” “…yes…” Long pause. “To hold my head together…” she says. And I’m like: “Yeah, but why the hot sauce??!?” “Because that’s how Chris and TK fix everything.” I laughed. Really hard. But quietly. Because, you know, her head hurts. But SERIOUSLY?!?!? This lady’s got jokes. Now. This probably has a plausible explanation. A… Read More »
Captain’s Log: The E’Clair Pose
January 4, 2017 Getting the drain out was really exhausting… And really, really painful. But she was such a trooper… E’Clair waited quietly. Now they’re both resting.
Captain’s Log: Colleen’s AVM Adventures Day 20
January 3, 2017 (finished Jan 4…?) Coming out of a well interrupted night of sleep, Mom’s days since Saturday, look something like this… I think. I could be wrong about the times because… well… nobody is getting much sleep around here. Megan gets coffee. The shuttle doesn’t start until 6:40 so I walk 5 blocks to the hospital. Where I get more coffee. 5:15AM – visit from the residents and surgeons in charge of Mom’s trajectory. responsiveness check (Colleen, what’s your name? What’s your birthday? What day is it, Colleen? What year is it? Close! What year is it? Close!… Read More »
Captain’s Log: Colleen’s AVM Adventures Day 13 Part 1
Wednesday 12/27/2016 12:30PM Already having a synchronized nap this morning… Rehab and excitement already wore this pair OUT! First, a big thank you to Donna for the prayer shawl! Mom loves it. I actually got it to her for Christmas, but I realized I had forgot to say something!! You can also see that she loves the colorful blanket! Second! I am getting many, many visitation requests from all of you. I really appreciate it, I really, really do. I talked to the doctors about it and they would still like visitors to hold off until next week. This is *hopefully* the… Read More »
Captain’s Log: Colleen’s AVM Adventures Day 11
Monday 12/26/2016 ( I guess I should quit apologizing for these being so long… there’s so much going on, let’s face it… they’re NEVER going to be short. And I’m not actually sorry. So… here’s the last two days!) Just turning in for the night… it’s about 11:15PM The weekend passed in a blur. Between what’s becoming the normal of linen changes, early stage therapy visits, basic hygiene tasks, and doctor relays, I managed to get mom to start moving her shoulders more and lifting her head so that I could start washing her hair and putting her back together… Read More »
Captain’s Log: Christmas Day
December 25, 2016 Christmas happens no matter how far away you are from everything that’s normal or expected. No matter how far away from family and friends. As Mom’s progress continues to slowly improve, I just want to take a quick moment to express again how much I appreciate every single kind thought, prayer, and nugget of hope that has been sent our way. He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle, And away they all flew like the down of a thistle. But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight, “Happy Christmas to… Read More »
Captain’s Log: Colleen Watch Day 7 – Pooping Unicorns
December 23, 2016 Oh lord… another day. That’s our miracle. That. is. our. miracle. Hard fought though. Hard fought. There’s so much to say and yet there’s nothing to say. Her situation has changed key, but it’s still the same song. Where to start today? First. Can I just say… how much this sucks? To see your mother, a strong, amazing woman… 7 days now. I guess today felt terrible because she’s just starting to be AWARE when she’s awake that something’s not right. She doesn’t remember the first few days… and then we were adjusting drugs, she’s SO sensitive… Read More »