My Weak in Review (and other nonsense)

Here in the good ol' Mid-West, we've been experiencing an awful lot of weather lately, and I think somebody should do something about it. Just a few weeks ago, we were treated to a delightful spring surprise of nearly 14" of snow that blasted my crocus and tulips clear back to the ice-age (not the movie) (though that prehistoric squirrel is pretty awesome). 

Then last week we received rain of such ferocity and duration that not only are we no longer in a drought, but water is still standing nearly a foot deep in the crawl space. Oh, and I forgot to mention the tense afternoon we spent hunkered down in the tub (with cats) while the tornado siren went off (again). 

Cats hate sirens. And tubs. And just about everything else that doesn't come in a can with a picture of a damn salmon on the label. 

Anyway, I am glad to say that my laptop is (kinda sorta) up and working again. The little ^%$#@! crashed 6 weeks ago and the ipad just doesn't cut it. Yet, deep in my heart I know the laptop's doomed to a slow and painful (for me) death, because there's some issue with the hard drive and I 
hate all this electronic crap anyway. My adult son is the programming savant, and even though he patiently trouble shoots and slowly explains the hard drive issue to me over and over again ... I have the childish urge to stick my fingers in my ears and go lalalalalalala - hoping it'll all go away.

But it won't. Welcome to the technological revolution, kiddies. AS we speak (metaphorically), computer scientists and theoretical physicists are earnestly puzzling out how to garner enough computing power (even beyond the yottabyte) to experimentally determine if our physical reality may actually be a simulation (ancestral simulation is the best contender thus far). 

Not kidding. Heck, you can't make this kind of stuff up, and I should know since I try a lot. 

And yet, I can't get my laptop and Windows Vista to play *nice* with each other... (bangs head on keyboard). 

So anyway, my (birth) mom and one of my brothers died a couple of months ago. Ironically, right after I wrote my happy little post on health/nutrition. It really knocked the wind out of my sails and has had me in a minor funk these last two months. 

I have probably already made mention of just how rampant heart disease runs in my family. And when I say *rampant*, I mean that out of the 17 of us siblings (full siblings) ... of the fifteen of us that I have information on ... TWELVE of that fifteen have either dropped dead with heart attacks or undergone bypass surgery. 

My recently deceased brother, David, was just 13 months older than I, in apparent good health, a martial arts enthusiast, non-smoker, slim build, etc - and he dropped dead out of the clear blue sky at age 56. 

Two years ago, I lost a sister at age 41. And so on and so forth. Some of my siblings have died from heart attacks before they turned 40, and the sister born 11 months AFTER me died at age 5. 

What's really scary is that there's been no early warning signs. My brother Jason went to the ER, only to be sent home as *fine*, where he then suffered a major heart attack and was dead by nightfall. I mentioned to my physician my concerns regarding the heart issue. He took out his stethoscope, listened to my heart and told me I was fine. 

Wow, huh?! And silly me thought he might actually give a shit order some tests run. 

The upshot is that I have been rather pensive lately. Life is what it is, and what will be will be. Maybe I'll be a familial anomaly and live to a ripe old age, dance fast and drink sloe gin at my granddaughter's wedding (if only I had a granddaughter) (I've got all these grandcats, but they're not big on ceremony lol). 

I'm still going to read zombie books, get Low with Flo Rida, plant posies and potatoes at my new house, and treasure every single second of my beautiful, blessed life. Because that's what matters in the end ... quality not quantity. 

I'd like to be the best soul I can possibly be, and always remember to avoid being an unnecessary asshole. I'd also like to help cure cancer, heart disease, to feed the poor and eradicate animal cruelty. I'd like to write a book to inspire the world to be a better place, but I may have to settle for spreading smiles here and there. 

So whether I'm able to write very much or not ... who knows what this stupid laptop is going to do next? Right now it's sitting here blinking in that ominous way ... I just don't trust it. 

PS - How many of you are practically on pins & needles waiting to see WWZ?! 
PSS - I've been in the mood to read more Sci-Fi and Ye Olde Haunted House stories lately. Any recommendations? 
Stay Groovy :D
M.A.D.