mike3k

Prius
Originally uploaded by mike3k.

I just got it yesterday and I love it. I feel like I'm driving something out of the Jetsons. Instead of a key, you start it by pressing the power button. I don't even have to use the key - I just need to have it in my pocket with the smart entry system. The built-in screen shows whether I'm running on gas or electric power and a backup camera lets me see if any kids or animals are hiding behind me when I back up.

Mom just died this evening around 9PM. Thankfully I got to see her a last time just two hours earlier, along with a good friend who came with me. I told her not to worry about me and that everything would be OK even though she didn't wake up. She also didn't wake up when I was there earlier today. I'm thankful for the great friends I have who I can depend on for support.

My mom seems to have taken a turn for the worse. She's now getting hospice care & they're trying to keep her as comfortable as possible & relieve her pain rather than treating her cancer. When I saw her today she slept the whole time and didn't seem to realize I was there. Yesterday she was awake and talking to me.

My mom is back in the hospital. This morning I got a call that she was being sent to the ER with possible congestive heart failure. I started freaking out because that’s what my father died from. I was at the ER around 10AM and they wouldn’t tell me anything or let me in until about 12:30. When I finally got to see her, she was awake & alert, so I asked how she was and she said “my backside hurts from laying here”. Thankfully it wasn’t life threatening, but they had to drain a lot of fluid from her lungs. She’ll be in the hospital for a few days. The last few weeks have been very difficult & I’ve been spending most of my time doing errands for her.

My mom has lung cancer. She just had to move into a convalescent home where she'll get 24 hour care and she has to have oxygen at all times. Because of her age & general poor health, the doctors can't do much. Today I brought over a lot of her clothes and other items. Visiting her empty apartment and going through her stuff is very depressing.

Tomorrow will be the first Thanksgiving (and it also happens to be my birthday) when we won't be able to go out to a nice dinner together.

I was without phone service for two weeks and my DSL was out since last Thursday. Both just started working again this afternoon, so at least I got that nice birthday present.

My mother has been in the hospital since she lost power after Wilma because she had difficulty breathing and needed oxygen. They had to drain fluid from her lungs, and when I visited Saturday, the doctor told me they found abnormal cells in the fluid. He still didn't tell her.

Yesterday she had a CAT scan and today she got the results and it wasn't good (I still haven't talked to her doctor). When I saw her today she was pretty upset and seems to have given up hope. I'm not a religious person, but she needs all the prayers she can get. It certainly can't hurt.

IMG_2842.JPG
Originally uploaded by mike3k.

I had no electricity for 9 days but thankfully we had no injuries & no serious damage. This was the worst damage we had - a tree that fell on one of the buildings.

I spent most of the time cleaning up the mess & removing the trees that fell. Every day we had to go on quests for food, water, ice, and gas. We had a cookout every night by the clubhouse.

Flooding
Originally uploaded by mike3k.

Wilma didn't hit us yet, but we already got some pretty bad flooding from the rain we had Friday night.

You fit in with: Atheism Your ideals mostly resemble those of an Atheist. You have very little faith and you are very focused on intellectual endeavors. You value objective proof over intuition or subjective thoughts. You enjoy talking about ideas and tend to have a lot of in depth conversations with people. 60% scientific. 100% reason-oriented.

Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com

You Are a Seeker Soul

You are on a quest for knowledge and life challenges. You love to be curious and ask a ton of questions. Since you know so much, you make for an interesting conversationalist. Mentally alert, you can outwit almost anyone (and have fun doing it!). Very introspective, you can be silently critical of others. And your quiet nature makes it difficult for people to get to know you. You see yourself as a philosopher, and you take everything philosophically. Your main talent is expressing and communicating ideas. Souls you are most compatible with: Hunter Soul and Visionary Soul

Damaged tree
Originally uploaded by mike3k.

We didn't have any major damage from hurricane Katrina, but we had lots of trees & branches down, including this large palm tree. We never lost power although much of the surrounding neighborhood is still without power.

Orchids blooming
Originally uploaded by mike3k.

The orchid I planted last year is blooming again. I tied the root ball with some moss to the side of a tree and the roots have now penetrated enough that it will stay on the tree.

William FUCKING Shatner!

My friend's cat Toby, who was missing for 6 weeks, is home! Someone found him a few blocks away from here. He lost some weight and needs a bath but he seems healthy.

Rainbow
Originally uploaded by mike3k.

This is what I saw today when the rain finally stopped.

Midnight just dropped a palmetto bug at my feet. He looked so proud of himself as he brought it over to me.

I love this picture - he looks a bit like Midnight:



This is from a weird Japanese site that sells costumes for cats. I could just imagine trying to get a cat to wear that.

No, not one of mine. My neighbor's cat has been missing since Sunday night. We've been looking for him since yesterday morning and still no sign of him. She called me early yesterday morning, just as I was getting out of the shower, and she was crying: "I lost Toby".

We put up lots of signs and have been searching all over the neighborhood. Toby was a very friendly cat. When you call him, he'll meow loudly and come over to you. If he was around, he'd reply when we called him. He gets out occasionally but has never been away for more than a few hours. When he comes back, he announces his presence loudly.

Here's the artwork I made for Jimi's album. It's now being sold through CD Baby and should be in iTunes Music Store as soon as it's approved for digital distribution. Right now I'm burning the CDs and printing the labels to send CD Baby whenever they run out, but I expect to have them mass produced soon.