It started, like so many other tales of woe in my life, with a decision by my wife and kids. They wanted to go scuba diving during Spring Break. The only problem is that none of us are certified divers (my wife was one once upon a time, but that was three decades and two kids ago). So the past two weekends have been spent in classrooms and water. We finished the certification course last Sunday, and are leaving next Saturday.
Of course, the regular weekend workloads were put aside, so we're trying to get out from under that this week.
This is also the week before Spring Break. The kids are busy with projects and tests. I've got my own mid-terms to deal with, along with a heap of administrative nonsense that's been continuously put off until it can't be put off any more. In addition, the dean was hospitalized last Friday, and remains there to date, leaving a gaggle of department chairs, assistant deans, and other administrator wanna-bes arguing and issuing contradictory directives.
To top things off, both my wife and my 16-year old son were involved in auto accidents this week. No one was seriously hurt, thank God, although my wife did get a small cut over one eye that bled all over the car's interior and required several stitches. She was rear-ended by a 21-year old (no jokes, please, I've heard them all at this point) who was driving a brand new Corvette that still had the dealer tags on. The poor guy has to explain to all his friends that his new 'Vette is in the shop because he hit a soccer mom in a minivan. Not a very exciting story.
(As an aside, my wife has been receiving treatment for a shoulder problem. The treatment involves Arrosti therapy, which includes deep tissue massage that is not only quite painful, but results in widespread bruising. Her upper arm is a lovely tapestry of blues, greens, and yellows of various shades. Combine this with her black eye and stitches from the accident, and I get a large number of very dirty looks when we go out together.)
My son hit a deer as he was driving home last night. Not much of a contest - his '96 Crown Vic versus a scrawny hill country deer - but the critter did manage to break a headlight and parking light.
So we have two vehicles in the shop at the same time, leaving me to serve as full-time chauffeur. This will last until Sat. when we leave for our dive trip. By the time we return the two vehicles should be repaired and ready to go (knock on wood).
Oh yeah, I've had to schedule a hand-holding trip at the end of this month to help a good friend deal with some lingering grief over the sudden and unexpected loss of her fiance. I don't mind helping her out, but it's added another layer of activity and complication on a month that already has more than its share.
Of course, things could be worse. I could one of the public sector union members in Wisconsin who just got served their just desserts.
The Wisconsin Senate voted Wednesday night to strip nearly all collective bargaining rights from public workers, approving an explosive proposal that had rocked the state and unions nationwide after Republicans discovered a way to bypass the chamber's missing Democrats.All of a sudden I feel a lot better...
All 14 Senate Democrats fled to Illinois nearly three weeks ago, preventing the chamber from having enough members present to consider Gov. Scott Walker's "budget-repair bill" - a proposal introduced to plug a $137 million budget shortfall.
The Senate requires a quorum to take up any measures that spend money. But Republicans on Wednesday separated from the legislation the proposal to curtail union rights, which spends no money, and a special committee of lawmakers from both the Senate and Assembly approved the bill a short time later.
The unexpected yet surprisingly simple procedural move ended a stalemate that had threatened to drag on indefinitely. Until Wednesday's stunning vote, it appeared the standoff would persist until Democrats returned to Madison from their self-imposed exile.
2 comments:
Your life is starting to sound like mine, in the constant-family-drama department!
My oldest did the Airrosti thing last fall for her shoulder. It truly seemed miraculous to my kid and she has had ZERO issues since. Our orthopedic surgeon referred us and I am thinking of giving it a try. Keep us updated on how it works out for your wife.
Are they using any Kinesio tape? That could really up the ante on the rainbow of colors.
I hope your wife, son and cars are all mended soon.
Sharing in your agony, our police chief's 20-year old daughter rear-ended the mayor last week, pushing him into the path of an oncoming vehicle that also hit him. She was doing 50 mph, the mayor was stopped, waiting to turn, in his Mini Cooper. The other car was also doing 50 mph, not much left of that Mini, but all are okay. Well, maybe not the Chief's auto coverage or job security.
Yeah, the missus got the tape job as well. The royal blue tape clashed with the bruises but the black was quite stylish.
The Airrosti treatment has helped a lot. She's not 100% yet, but she's getting much better. I suspect the difference in recovery rates has something to do with the difference in ages.
I'm impressed that the Mini took those two hits and the driver walked away. Those things just look too small to be safe.
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