If we barge, our hearts won't forget it

Is the video 'From Yesterday' by 30 Seconds to Mars supposed to be funny? Because it makes me laugh. I'm surprised Jared Leto's head can actually fit on screen; his inflated sense of self-importance is palpable.

I'm procrastinating. I've got a huge wine assignment due and a test this week and I can't be bothered with either of them, so I thought I'd pay some attention to my neglected blog.

This is always a weird time of year for me. The second week of February usually finds me in hospitals, waiting for word on people who are very close to me.

Three years ago, I got home from seeing the Kings of Leon with Dancing Rob and Todd in Osaka (they were absolutely amazing) and found out that my dad was going into the hospital for bypass surgery. My friend, Andi, came down to visit from Tokyo and helped me make the decision to go home. Within 2 days, I had a ticket (thanks, Wayback Gwen) and I got home the night before my dad's surgery.

I remember talking to him on the phone as they were preparing him for the operation. Over the sound of the razor, my dad was explaining to me how he was going to set up an appointment with his lawyer for me. I was planning to go to the Middle East that summer and my dad was worried that I didn't have a will. I didn't want to tell him that I was no longer planning to go because of his health, and the fact that I wouldn't be able to afford it. (Dad later got me an airline ticket with his air miles, which allowed me to go to the Middle East).

It was tough with Dad undergoing major surgery. His sister would call and cry; I was the one who usually answered the phone. We had lost my grandmother the year before and I wasn't going to lose my dad. No way.

I remember sitting in the waiting room with my mom and Beulah (Mads was flying up after the operation). General Hospital was on the TV (which just about drove me nuts) and there were other families waiting for news on their loved ones. Not everyone got the good news we received.

Dad came through the surgery without a hitch. He was sitting up, discussing the shift in medical politics in the past 30 years with the doctor... 2 hours after coming out of the OR.

I didn't cry while he was in the hospital. I just remember being afraid to touch him. I was afraid I was going to hurt him or accidentally knock a tube out of him. That's what I remember the most; being afraid to touch him.

He came home from the hospital just hours before White Juan, a blizzard which dumped a metre of snow overnight. We were snowed in for days, until Dad had to go to the hospital to get his leg incision checked out. Our street rejoiced when they saw the snow plow coming down the street, only to be followed by an ambulance.

It's been almost 3 years and Dad is doing very well.

Two years ago, I got a text message from T.S. saying Andi was in the hospital. She'd been rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery. I didn't go into work and spent the morning trying to find out what happened, which hospital she was in, calling her parents, sorting
out arrangements for Andi. T.S. and I went out picked up some toiletries for Andi and went to visit her.

Andi is one of my oldest friends. I've known her since my first day of university. She knew me before I wore make-up. before I became an REM fan, and loooooooooooooooooooong before I could cook. She moved to Japan after I had been there for a few years and it was great to have an old friend in a foreign country.

Andi had been rushed to the hospital after a cyst had ruptured in her ovary. When they brought her in, they told her they were going to operate immediately so she wouldn't die. She was in good spirits when we made it to the hospital (she was as high as a kite). I sat down next to her and started to cry. She started to laugh at me telling me she was fine.

It wasn't until a week or two later she actually realized how close she'd been to dying.

Again, I'm very happy to report she's doing well and hasn't had any problems since.

So, if you decided to get sick on my watch, do it now. I'll be prepared for it and you'll be fine.

iPod pick ~ 'Everybody's Talkin' at Me' Nilsson. I watched Midnight Cowboy last night. I had forgotten how much I love this movie. This song is probably the best theme song for a movie ever ~ it suits the story perfectly.