Can’t sleep, so I am sitting here watching a documentary on Netflix about Ricky Jay, the guy you have basically seen in every con movie that was not over produced Hollywood crap for the last few decades. And some that were. I think my favorite was House of Games.
It has been a while since a Holly update, so here is the latest email from her SO:
Just a quick one today, since I only have good news to share, along with a Holly-ism or two before I head off to the NFL draft for work.
So, Holly has had two good days of TCD levels. The vaso-spasms appear stable and there is a collective sigh of a relief among family, friends and hospital staff. Holly is in a bit of pain today, but nothing too terrible.
She also earned herself one to one detail overnight because she’s been so….spirited. Think of a security guard watching over you so you don’t touch what you’re not supposed to. As the night wore on, I think she exhausted her nurse by constantly trying to get up or touch one of the numerous wires and cords attached to her body. I asked her this morning, “What did you do ?” She said, “I don’t know.” I said, “Really ? There’s a rumor going around here that at 5 am you gathered up half a dozen patients and lit torches and stormed the nurse’s desk demanding to be let out so you could have a bath.” She smiled and said, “You know me too well.”At one point as I sat next to her holding her hand this morn, I heard someone yell “Holly ! Don’t touch that.” She was touching her drain with her other hand, a definite no-no. Holly turned to the woman and said “Nancy, I’m not a bad person. I’m really a good person, who likes to follow rules, but I just don’t think we’ve properly established what those rules are yet. Now I should let you know that once you tell me what the line is, I’m going to go right up to that line because that’s the type of personality I have, but I promise not to cross it. So, can you tell me what the rules are ?” The nurse looked at me like Holly was clinically insane and I just smiled and said, ‘You want me to answer that ?”
Holly also managed to confuse one of her doctors when she began replying in Spanish to his questions to amuse herself at one point. I had to tell him what she was doing. Same doctor, different question, he asked to see three fingers. Holly, lifted one hand, flipped one bird, then flipped the other on her other hand, then her pointer finger, and said, “That’s three, right ?” I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. At least she’s still a bit feisty after 17 days of lying in a bed.
I am starting to feel a bit better. It’s been a good last two days. I think we’re making some good steps towards getting out of the ICU and into a rehab facility. She’s skinny and worn out, and just can’t grasp the hospital concept but she’s doing well.
Give ’em hell, Holly.
The forecast for the next ten days is all in the 60’s and 70’s, so it looks like we are done with the frost, and I am going to put my garden in tomorrow.
What are you all up to?
*** Update ***
Forgot a funny story that happened today. Went to the lumberyard to pick up a bag of sand (I dunno wtf home repair Shawn is doing, he just said we needed it), and we had the guy outside throw a 50lb bag of sand in the back of the family truckster.
I went inside, walked up to the cashier who was standing there alone at the computer, and said “I need to pay for a 50 lb bag of sand.” He said alright, started tapping away at the computer. Shawn then walked in to hang out and look around. Unbeknownst to me, the cashier was working on a quote for another guy who had wandered off somewhere and was not near the counter, so I had no idea he was there. The cashier, without looking anywhere, loudly said “Looks like it’s gonna be $170.37.”
Again, remember, I had no idea anyone else was there, so I blurted out “For sand? You have to be kidding me. Shawn, get that shit out of my car,” all while thinking I can drive to the shore for less in gas money and bring home all the sand I could ever want and probably pick up some good seafood, too.
The guy just got hysterical and told me “Not you, him,” and I looked behind me and the other dude was there cracking up. So that happened.
Mnemosyne
It might turn out afterwards that she’s having a bit of that ICU psychosis that other people talked about in the last Holly thread. Since it’s fleeting it’s not worth freaking her S.O. out about it, but don’t be surprised if she tells you she thought something else was happening.
Also, too, this is why our vet has a sad whenever Keaton has had to be hospitalized overnight. First he pulled the line out, so they put it back and put an E-collar on him. Then he wiggled out of the E-collar and pulled the line out again, so they tied the E-collar around his neck. Then he howled for 12 hours straight. He is not a good patient.
Steeplejack
It got up into the 80s here in NoVa today, and the inside temp got up to 77° this evening, so I thought, especially since I am too lazy to take the flannel sheets off the bed, that I would test-drive the air conditioning, which died a lingering death late last summer and was replaced a couple of weeks ago. So an hour or two ago I set the thermostat for 70° and fired it up. It’s working like a charm—so much so that I may turn it off and open the windows again before I go to bed. Currently 67° outside, although there is a pollen alert. Hmm . . .
Just got done watching Ferguson on DVR buffer delay and will probably pack it in shortly. The housecat is in deep theta sleep at her workstation beside the computer, but she will easily transfer to the bedroom when she picks up the going-to-bed cues.
lahke
Obsessively playing Candy Crush instead of going to bed in prep for long day tomorrow. So glad that I can’t stand the taste of alcohol, because I would be such a lush. You take your self-destruction the way you find it, I guess.
Steeplejack
@Mnemosyne:
That definitely sounds like ICU psychosis.
specialed5000
Love House of Games. Haven’t seen it for years. Now I’m gonna have to find it streaming somewhere and stay up longer than I planned :)
Sondra
I am up with you and watching they EL REY network which plays all of the most wonderful old Chinese Kung Fu movies ever. They are dubbed, and sometimes the subtitles are in Chinese, but they are gorgeous to watch.
The choreography is amazing and the actors are almost all gorgeous. Every once in awhile you can catch a glimpse of Jackie Chan or another big star before they got big.
It’s lots of fun and cheers me up when I’m feeling down.
Sondra
@Steeplejack:
I too had to replace an airconditioner and my guy told me not to set it below 74 degrees because it could freeze up. I live in Florida and it’s usually set to 74 or 75…and leave it on auto so it will go off and on as needed.
NotMax
Good thing: Water heater replaced today, so can now shower again and also wash dishes. Been almost 2 weeks without hot water and a few icy navy showers, so things are somewhat ripe.
Bad thing: Plumber does not take the old unit away. (I did not choose the plumber, that is landlady’s bailiwick.) He was just going to leave it on its side in the grass of the far back yard, but I got to him before he drove off and insisted he move it with his hand truck to under the carport of the main house on the property. From there, I can use a wheelbarrow to take it down the hill to the street whenever one of the county’s once per quarter free pick-up days rolls around.
Suzanne
I am all frustrated about work stuff. There is a lot to be done for an upcoming deadline, and the staff that was supposed to be on it with me flaked out. Now no one wants to help me with it because of Mothers’ Day. Which means that I will probably be working on Mothers’ Day.
lahke
@Sondra: Check out the old silents. I can’t find the clip I was hoping to online, but there are some great old silent kung fu pictures out there. They were doing wire work even back in the 1920s.
NotMax
BTW, anyone else watching Fargo? So far, swims right up to the shark but does not jump it. Enjoy that everyone in the show has one foot firmly planted in an alternate dimension. Also liked Colin Hanks’ acting way back when he had a short-term role in Roswell, so it’s nice to see him again.
Steeplejack
@Sondra:
I haven’t heard that. I don’t usually set mine so low, but I wanted to take it out for a spin and see what it could do. I haven’t used the A.C. mode at all since this new unit was put in.
This building (six apartments) was built in 1962, and the HVAC systems were retrofitted sometime later. I have one vent in each room, and the main unit is up in the ceiling above the short hall. Kind of weird, but it works well. My previous place, also built in the early ’60s, had what was essentially a big window air conditioner built into the wall below a window, and it sucked. Needed to be replaced, but my landlord was a dick.
lahke
@NotMax: Two weeks and no hot water? That’s got to be some kind of violation, right? Landlord’s are usually required to maintain certain standards of habitability.
Steeplejack
@NotMax:
I love, love, loved Hanks and Bradley Whitford in The Good Guys and was extremely bummed to see that show die. It started off a little shaky but improved by leaps and bounds, but it was too little too late.
lahke
@lahke: Here we go:
http://www.kungfucinema.com/electric-shadows/the-return-of-red-heroine-1929
Steeplejack
@lahke:
Cool.
srv
You can’t sleep? I just had 3 hours with George Clinton & PFunk.
On the damn Mothership.
NotMax
@lahke
No biggie, and didn’t really inconvenience me all that much. Was several days before I even told her about it (have to wait for the right moment, as she’s nearly 90 and panics about stuff like this*) – and emphasized that it was not an emergency and there was no great rush. I’m the most easygoing tenant on the planet. If there was any urgency on my end, would have just had it done myself and paid for it, then deduct from the rent. Told her about it when I was driving her back from an appointment at her eye doctor and she was captive in the car so I could have her full attention.
*She kept insisting that the old unit was installed less than 5 years ago – took me about 2 days to kickstart her memory and convince her that her husband was living and not yet sick when it was put in, and he died a decade ago.
SiubhanDuinne
Good to see a nice, positive — and funny — Holly update. Thanks for that.
askew
Thanks for the update on Holly. Nice to see that she is recovering.
@Steeplejack:
I thought I was the only one who ever saw this serious or loved it. I still watch it on Netflix streaming about once a month.
mai naem
@NotMax: you could put it in craigslist under the “free” section. You might get somebody who’ll take it for the scrap metal.
OzarkHillbilly
The last time my wife and I went out for a movie, the first time in a long time, she ordered a soda. The clerk gives it to her and says, “That’ll be $4.75.” She said, “WHAT?!?!? Does it come with a straw???”
Good news on the Holly front. As a bad patient I can sympathize… Especially the flipping off the Doctor part. I once threatened to kick an anesthesiologists ass. Before the surgery.
BillinGlendaleCA
@OzarkHillbilly: The last time I was in the hospital, I was an awful patient. I felt bad for the nurses, the doctors, not so much.
NotMax
Sad, sick world.
Mustang Bobby
@Sondra: I’m in Miami and I have mine set at 78 when I’m home and 82 when I’m at work. In late night it goes back to the 82 setting so it sometimes runs in the summer at 2 a.m.
The house was built in 1972 with a white tile roof. After Andrew and the roof ended up in Naples, some genius replaced it with black shingles (or should I say shingles of color?). The A/C unit barely keeps up with it, but my power bill isn’t outrageous, and cross-ventilation on cooler days really helps.
NotMax
@Mustang Bobby
Been an unusual year here – tonight is the first night since last October that haven’t had to shut all the windows because it was too chilly.
BillinGlendaleCA
@NotMax:
We’re getting October weather now. Last week and next week Santa Ana winds making it hot and dry.
JoyceH
I was just reading about the latest right-wing freakout. Seems that HGTV has cancelled an announced new show upon learning that the house-flipping brothers are anti-gay activists. FIRST AMENDMENT!!!11!
Geez, anyone who is unaware that HGTV is the most gay-friendly network on television has obviously not watched it at all.
NotMax
@JoyceH
Not Logo TV?
JoyceH
@NotMax:
I’ve never even heard of Logo TV.
NotMax
@JoyceH
Been around since 2005. Wikipedia page.
JoyceH
@NotMax:
Huh. Okay, so HGTV is ‘one of the most gay-friendly’ networks. Anyway, the right is screaming about censorship. And I figure someone at HGTV dropped the ball and didn’t do their due diligence. I suspect that if they’d know about these guys’ political activities ahead of time, they never would have greenlighted the show in the first place.
MikeJ
@NotMax:
Got them all recorded but haven’t watched yet.
Just started Silicon Valley last night. It is perfect. Every last detail is accurate. So far it’s great. I have grave doubts that they can maintain it through multiple seasons though. It’s just too easy to slide back into standard sitcom-ese. I’m going to enjoy it while it’s great, and I’ll probably be amused by it as it starts to slide, and then I’ll want to guillotine everybody involved with it when it it ultimately sucks.
Mustang Bobby
@JoyceH: Their dad is Flip Benham, one of the most hateful and virulent “pro-lifers”/Jesus-shouting homophobes out there.
And the twins are too cute by half. One of them’s gotta play for the other team, so I suspect they’re covering something.
I always thought Bravo was NBC’s gay younger brother.
NotMax
@MikeJ
Hope your recording device/scheduler/whatever is smart enough to take into account that some episodes don’t run strictly one hour, but a little more.
OzarkHillbilly
@BillinGlendaleCA: I am always a bad patient. I hate hospitals. I hate Doctors. I hate nurses. I hate med-techs. I hate x-ray techs. I hate lab techs. Paramedics? EMTs? Yep, hate them too. Hell, I even hate the cooks, (the crap they serve for food, no wonder) No, I hate ’em all. Can’t they all just leave me the F’ alone? “How’s your pain today Mr. P?” she says with a cheery smile. “Oh it’s just grandilorious! I’d like some more if you have any in your cart!” First off, I feel like sh!t and you coming in here all smiles and happy happy feel good does NOT make it any better. “SHUT THE F’UP AND GET OUT OF MY ROOM!!!” Worst patient in the world.
I take it back. That title goes to the needy patients who won’t leave them alone.
Botsplainer
@JoyceH:
My posit was that since these two assholes are the sons of asshole anti-abortion terrorist Flip Benham (Operation Rescue founder), the title wasn’t a fluke and they were chosen to help mainline the right wing puke funnel.
The last few decades, there’s only been a pubic hair’s distance between the terrorist right and the mainstream right. When you look at the sweet deal that Eric Rudolph got (no real questioning about co-conspirators, aiders and abettors – the Bush DOJ failed to keep the needle on the table until he flipped), the sudden outgrowth of Middle Eastern conspiracies to link to McVeigh, the lionizations of Randy Weaver (who should have died) and Vernon Howell, the deep roots between Jeb Bush and Randall Terry during Schiavo, and you see a movement that occasionally wields serious political and cultural power.
Iowa Old Lady
Glad Holly’s doing well. I’d be psychotic in her situation, lord knows.
dr. bloor
Saw “Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants” years and years ago. Jay, a deck of cards and the occasional member of the audience for two mesmerizing hours. Superb showman.
OzarkHillbilly
@Botsplainer: I see you have a hard time differentiating between True American Patriots ™ and the vile scum-sucking leeches that inhabit our inner city slums.
Thunderbird
@dr. bloor: Amen. I’ve tried to find it on DVD, but have had no luck.
Ash Can
It’s great to hear more good news about Holly. Thanks for the update.
currants
@Steeplejack: Yes, but could also be cognitive impairment from the aneurism. Former classmate of mine had one in Feb, and after a long time (several weeks in induced coma), and when she came out was doing much the same thing–and had no short term memory so it had to be explained every time. She had physical rehab and now looks and physically acts perfectly normal, but every single day is a new day–you have to explain why she’s where she is. They were going to release her to go home, but she’s in no way ready to take care of 2 kids on her own–she could burn the house down because she didn’t remember to turn the gas off. So now she’s in 2 weeks of intensive cognitive therapy for that aspect. Long story short, it’s a long road, but all the signs are good (for her and for Holly both).
sharl
Yay for Holly!
JPL
Things that make me mad…
It’s not federal government that is the problem, imo, but unleashed state governments that pass laws that endanger us. NBC.com has an article about a female who stopped taking heroin during her pregnancy and on the advice of her doctor, took suboxone. That’s when the fun began. link It’s lucky she doesn’t live in Tennessee.
WereBear
Great news about Holly!
I don’t mind rules. They just have to be explained, and not stupid.
Botsplainer
@JPL:
I don’t have a problem with opening a dependency case (differs in nomenclature from abuse, but not in terms of court power to supervise) in order to put a governing structure into place to avoid consequences from a relapse.
Fact is, she’s an addict, and brought this on herself, affecting her fetus (plus, when mommy was high, and first spending resources on pills before going into the truly dangerous escapades of scoring smack, she probably wasn’t much of a mommy). The courts are right to intervene for her kids, because clearly, their father is too weak-willed to do so.
The faster she ditches the suboxone, the better – I’ve heard the excuses time and again – “it’s hard, it hurts, boo hoo me”. The clinics will keep an addict going forever – they don’t care, the treatment is expensive and they make a pile from it.
Grab a pair and suck it up.
After this period, she should be working overtime to tail off the dosage.
Poopyman
Must be late night somewheres.
Alex S.
It’s a good day for a Glenn Greenwald thread.
Omnes Omnibus
@Alex S.: Why would you say something like that? Are you just mean?
Eric U.
I tried to buy a couple of clearance battery packs from a big box store once. They had a hand-written price tag for 50 cents, but they rang up as $25000 each. I tried to get the person to void the ticket and give it to me, but no joy. I suspect those packs are in a landfill somewhere, because neither of us wanted to waste any more time on them
Sherparick
Thanks for the update on Holly. She is to fine a soul to lose, but it is difficult road and uncertain. Keeping fingers and toes crossed for her.
Since this is an open thread, I will just remark that the political class has been picking at the President’s poll numbers for the 1st quarter of the year and seek some meta explanation about how he is simply “not manly enough” and has failed to drop bombs on various foreigners. But if you go to blogs like Calculated Risk and Economist View, you discover that the economy actually contracted in the 1Q 2014, (gee just six months after the Fed caused 100 basis point in long term interest rates by announcing the intention to taper – what a surprise, not). Presidents, whether it is their fault or not, like Kings get the blame when things are sour and winter does not end. It will be interesting to see what happens to his poll numbers as the weather warms and the economy, recovering from the Fed’s interest rate shock, also warms up.
Finally, my fellow McCarthyites, I found this link at our fellow witch hunting site, LGM, about the latest kerfuffle from our Conservative brethren (and it is almost always men) having a sad because people are pointing out that racist, misogynist, and homophobic statements are racist, misogynist, and homophobic.
“… This is a very familiar whine. But step back and look at what people actually object to in Vox Day (& Orson Scott Card) and others: Racism. Misogyny. Homophobia. Religious bigotry. The very things Wright unsuccessfully tried to minimize in his protagonists. I will charitably assume that Wright deplores racism, misogyny, homophobia, and bigotry of all kinds.
So why, oh why, do these right-wingers so obligingly associate support for equality with the Left, and identify so readily racism and misogyny etc. with the Right? It is fine with me if they want to draw the dividing line that way, and it’s true enough that the Right has done a wonderful job of shackling themselves to inequity and discrimination and oppression, but I can still imagine (with increasing difficulty, I admit) a conservative wing of American politics that doesn’t necessitate despising every segment of society other than white men.
And now not only is the Right carrying a lot of unpleasant obligate baggage, but we’ve got a political party afflicted by and ideologically dominated by the Tea Party — and they call us the “Lunatic Left”.
It seems to me that the real problem here is that wingnuts don’t want to be held accountable for their ugly views — they want to be racist and sexist, but how dare you call them racist and sexist, and worst of all, how unfair to actually penalize them in the court of public opinion for being bigoted scumbags.
But it’s actually quite fair. You’re free to accuse me of being a feminist, an egalitarian, an anti-racist, and I won’t deny it — I’ll actually take pride in it.”
http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2014/05/08/i-would-be-embarrassed-to-be-associated-with-these-goons/
G
TMif
Alex S.
@Omnes Omnibus:
Sometimes I watch Nascar for the crashes.
Botsplainer
David Duke’s good friend Tony Perkins (currently a prominent conservative Christian cultural scold and frequent talking head across all networks) has some funny things to say about what kind of Christians are proper Christians worthy of civil rights about their religious viewpoints.
JPL
@Botsplainer: Since she was under a doctor’s care, I disagree with you. Hopefully, she can withdraw from all drugs at some point. There are addicts that are alive because of methadone treatment. In my opinion, it’s the one thing that Nixon got right.
Paul in KY
@srv: I saw them play in 1975. They opened for Isaac Hayes. Quite a show.
MomSense
@Alex S.:
Wonkette did have a few things to say about him re: the stolen Nigerian school girls.
Sondra
@lahke: @Sondra:
Thanx. I will.
Sondra
@Steeplejack:
I live in a single family townhouse so I’m not too sure what that changes or how it applies to your apt.. I’ve used the same guy for many years and he kept my old unit going for about 3 years after he first spotted problems.
I’d say the first thing to do is to find a guy you can trust and ask him what you should do. In the meantime if you rarely use airconditioning, I’d just set it at a comfortable level for you, put it on auto and then forget it. Good luck.
Steeplejack (tablet)
@currants:
Sorry, I meant the cat.
Sondra
@lahke:
Great. It sounds fantastic and I was able to use your link to get to the site.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
Honest to g*d, I await your posts like this when I need cheering up. Also I’m quite happy to hear a good Holly update.
Sondra
@Mustang Bobby:
Wow, you live in an older home so once again I don’t know the answer: mine was built in 1999. I do know that I bought a newer, larger, more cost effective unit which my guy recommended and I got a nice big deduction off of my taxes. I reseached many companies before I bought the Rudd.
The biggest problem was that it was my condenser, (on the 2nd floor) that went bad and none of the companies would give me an estimate on replacing just that part without installing the main unit outside.
I didn’t want to buy both units (money) but my guy was able to install a new condenser unit inside and jerry rig it to work with my existing unit outside.
When I had the money he then replaced the outside unit and took out the jerry rigged gizmo and inserted the correct one. And he was willing to accept 2 payments a few months apart. I’m pretty sure he offered me that perk because we’ve known each other a long time.
The other important factor was that none of the other companies would even consider giving me separate estimates – it was buy both items or nothing. The only way I could find out was to use my guy’s estimate for the condenser repair/replace and then substract that from the other estimates I did get.
I was told (by the manufacturers) that all the local AC companies have serparate contracts for pricing their products with the manufacturers and those contracts cannot be revealed to folks like us. Also, they all charge extra to install the units and take the old ones away – those costs are usually added into the entire bill so you’ve got to be aware of how many extra charges you end up paying them.
rikyrah
Glad for the positive Holly updates
John Weiss
Glad your friend is doing well.
I noticed the mention of considering sand from the shore. I don’t know what sort of shore you’re talking about, but if it’s a seashore forget about it; the salt will kill most plants. Washing it is a pain in the butt. No good for making concrete either.