I haven't felt much like blogging lately. Really, for more than two weeks I've been completely distracted. Much of my concerns have been centered in work. At least I have that. But the real concerns, those weighing me down, are at home.

Bob

Bob left for the middle east earlier this month. We do hear from him every few days. Right now he is in Kuwait, awaiting his permanent assignment in Iraq. His first call home was a bit disturbing. The first night he was startled awake when a camel spider fell on his face. "Welcome to the middle east". Constant gunfire from the nearby city is "unsettling" according to Bob. Right. His mom isn't too happy about these initial reports.

Still, he may be going for shock value. We spent time on the net, before he left, looking at camel spiders and reading frightful stories. So it seems somewhat amazing that he should encounter one with such a start so early in his tour. He may be trying a little too hard for dramatic effect. No one here is laughing.

Champ

This is the one I'm struggling with. It's hard to even write about it. I'm getting tears in my eyes. A few weeks ago we noticed some changes in Champ's appearance. A trip to the vet revealed a substantial weight loss. Very strange. The vet took some blood samples and sent them away. Last week we were hoping to get the results and start the mending process. But nothing was decided, so more blood tests were ordered. This time the samples were sent to the University of Utah Hospital lab. This can't be good.

Every time I try to talk to the vet I get some very bad vibes. This is probably a wasting disease. No cure. The body starts devouring muscle. So we may be in the position of watching our Champ waste away. It's just not fair. We find out more later today.

Mikey

I was feeling awful when I got a call from Mikey this morning. We talked about Champ, since Mikey is one of his favorite people. I complained to Mikey and wondered why this was happening. Mikey has a way of putting things into perspective.

His dad was diagnosed with cancer last fall. Mikey expects him to last only a short time longer, maybe 2 weeks but certainly no more than a month. He's planning on taking a week after his dad passes to get things in order and sort through things. Our talk helped me. Losing Champ will certainly affect my life, but nothing like losing my dad. I think I will be taking a few days off and going to spend some time with my good friend. Probably within the next few weeks. After all, what are friends for.......
12:31:44 PM    comment []