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GRAFFITI -- June 07, 2004 thru June 13, 2004>> Link to the Current Week <<Last Week << Mon Tues Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun >> Next Week Welcome to Orb Graffiti, a place for me to write daily about life and computers. Contrary to popular belief, the two are not interchangeable. About eMail - I publish email sometimes. If you send me an email and you want privacy or anonymity, please say so clearly at the beginning of your message. |
 
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June 7, 2004
0711 - Good morning. Yesterday was shopping, working at a NERDS client site with email problems for a couple of hours, woodshop wall sand and mud, half of Braveheart, and ETS website work. That's Sunday in a nutshell. There's more to show and tell, but I hit the snooze bar too many times. Tomorrow, okay?
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June 8, 2004
0635 - Good morning. A day dawning sunny and bright. Well, pretty bright, what with Venus blocking out part of our sunlight. That should take care of global warming, at least for a few minutes. Sorry for the brevity, but I've got a client with a loaner Sonicwall that needs early assistance. Take care and have a great day! Oh, Tom's back online, too!
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June 9, 2004
0712 - Good morning. Today is the day that official Washington begins to grind to a halt, because of and in respect for Ronald Reagan. The talking heads say that traffic is going to be a nightmare, and some have suggested staying home for the balance of the week. Ehrm, sorry, that's not an option. I won't, however, try to make it down to the Rotunda to be searched before filing past the body. I paid my personal respects in a time of reflection upon hearing news of his death on Saturday. While occasionally the object of considerable scorn and especially criticism over his economic policies and federal budget expansion, Reagan presided over the moderately peaceful demolition of Soviet communism. That's one hell of a resume builder for the next life, eh?
Work and commuting has consumed me these last two days. Yesterday, I was out of the house by quarter to seven. I didn't get back here until 6:30 last night. By the time dog and yard and dinner and chores were done, it was nearly nine and I really wasn't of a mood to sit and dig up the material I wanted to share with you this morning. Then some email alerts started flowing in about a client machine in a hosting center that wasn't responding to our Big Brother monitoring. I did a fair bit of manual checking, then called Larry. He got the hosting center to restart the box, and after a bit, everything came back online. I pulled a couple of log files off the box last night, and Larry will be investigating that today. But it ate the balance of my evening. So sorry.
In other news, my sister-in-law Susan last night went through her third major surgery in a week, fourth in a month. There were spleen problems at first, and she was treated in Bauru. Complications arose, and she was transported to Sau Paulo, where they've been ... pretty busy. She's lucky to be alive, according to the doctors. We're pleased that she is, too, to say the least. But we'd really like to have some days pass where we don't get a call that says she's back in surgery to deal with 'X'. Send some good thoughts or prayers in the direction of Sue and the family - I'm sure they'll do some good.
Microsoft only issued one critical patch yesterday. It's a DirectX patch, where you're vulnerable basically when playing an MS online game. Most of my clients don't have DirectX 9 installed on the corporate boxes, so there's not going to be a frantic air this month, as opposed to the last couple of months. But I'm onsite at one place today to do what patching is needed, AV and spyware checks, rotate the offsite backup media and some requested moves, adds and changes. I guess I'd best get rolling on that, as I need to stop and gas up on my way. Have a great day!
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June 10, 2004
0710 - Good morning. Thanks for all the kind emails. Instead of paraphrasing, I'll just mirror the post that Bill sent for their site ...
Journal Entry: Wednesday night, June 9, 2004
I'm in the hospital lobby at a computer. There's a big soccer game at the stadium right next door between S�o Paulo and some team from Venezuela, and no way I'm going to get a taxi out so will write a short entry. It's been a month since the last entry.
On May 12, Ben and I drove in to S�o Paulo to pick up his dad and brother for a visit. Back home, during the night, Sue started having strong pains in her left side, to the point that she thought we'd come home and find her dead on the floor. By the time we got home, on Thursday, she was feeling better and wouldn't here of my taking her to emergency. By Friday morning, pain was so bad she couldn't get out of bed and we called an ambulance to get her to a heart hospital considering pains on her left side. To make a long day short, she went through three hospitals and a ton of tests and finally emergency surgery around nine at night to remove what was left of her spleen. We were told that if we had waited another twelve hours, she wouldn't have made it. By Sunday she was released and started to recover at home, had stitches removed and began a series of vaccines.
Moving ahead to Saturday, May 29, intense stomach pains returned with vomiting and diarrhea, by Sunday she was back int he hospital for more exams, but released with plans for 24 hour nursing care at home. Monday things got so bad that she was back in the hospital, and by Tuesday the lack of care was so bad that if I could have walked her out, I would have gone to the nearest plane to the states to get proper care. A friend who is a nurse visited that afternoon and seeing Sue's condition called the doctor and said she had to be moved to a place with proper care.
That night she was transported by ambulance accompanied by a doctor and nurse, to the Albert Einstein Hospital in S�o Paulo - definitely a first world place. Getting here at four in the morning we were met by friends Joe and Meta Arthur. Sue was cleaned up (it was a rough trip for her) and immediately taken in for a CAT scan. When the doctors here saw her deteriorated condition, they said she must have immediate surgery but gave little hope for survival.
By noon she was in surgery again. She survived and started recovery with two days in ICU. By Friday she was moved to semi-ICU (a private room with all ICU equipment). Then it was up and down with fever and vomiting and breathing problems.
Yesterday, after more CAT scans, she went into surgery again. This one ended up lasting almost six hours to put two drains in to drain off the area around the lungs and where the spleen had been. It was at that time discovered that in her first surgery, back in Bauru, the surgeon had cut the pancreas during the removal of the spleen. This morning she had more CAT scans since she had a fever and problems breathing, but finally this afternoon, the doctor said things are getting back to "normal" (though I'm not sure what that is anymore).
Now she is back in ICU, very heavily sedated, with two more drains in, but again surviving. Tonight she recognized me and responded to me for the first time since yesterday morning. I've passed my fifteen minute limit on the computer, but that gives you an overview of what's been happening. It's pouring rain out now, but the games started and hopefully I can get over to Arthur's to sleep. So, I'll sign off and see if I can get a taxi and get to bed. Please continue praying, we both need it. But we know so many folks are praying and God is answering in His way and in His time. Tchau.
And we are properly grateful. Last night, instead of watching All Reagan, All The Time, we finally got around to seeing The Return of the King. Yeah, Jackson left some bits out, but not too many, and putting them in would have made the movie 5 hours long... Not that I would have minded, but the studio's would have had a cow. I mean, how can you make money on a film that can only be shown thrice a day? Having now seen the whole series, I can firmly give it a huge thumbs up. For books to movies, this series just outranks the Dune mini-series (SciFi channel production, not the movie). Although I have to admit, there were points during this last of the three that I thought the movie should have been sub-titled, "Sam snivels a lot". And I swear that I heard Gandalf mutter, as he climbed aboard ship at the end, "I think I could teach some of those moves to a young muppet I know, named Yoda... and for fun, wrong to talk, I could him teach. Hah!".
Another day of Windows updates ahead. I'd best be on my way. Have a great day!
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June 11, 2004
1803 - Tired. Long day, no post. However, nothing but good news of Sue's recovery coming from Brasil. Transferred out of ICU last night, she's continuing to improve. That's the silver lining in today's dark clouds. See you tomorrow.
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June 12, 2004
0900 - Good morning. We slept until 8, when Lucy decided that we wanted to get out of bed. She expresses this decision by coming up to the head of the bed and licking our faces. Okay, already, we're up...
The rain of the last day and a half has abated. It came in Thursday night with a bang, literally. Thunderheads rolled in from the west, and lightning was crashing all around. Then one big bolt, possibly cloud-to-cloud, but certainly right overhead, executed a stun grenade action on us and the house. The EMP made me see yellow, and when it was done the TV was static, and the cable modem wasn't online anymore. I checked the house and the behaviour of the equipment. Nothing inside or at the side of the house was smoked, so it must be a street problem. I called and said so ... they wanted to set an appointment. I asked if they were serious about wanting me to take time off when the problem wasn't inside my house. Unfortunately they were. I acquiesced, but made known my displeasure. A short time later, they asked if we would be home for the evening, they had a tech in the area. I allowed that we would indeed be home. Half an hour later came the knock at the door. "It's a problem at the street box, we'll have maintenance techs out to work on it in an hour or so." Bastards, I told them so... But moderately effective bastards, since by 10 PM, some three hours after the event, TV and internet were both back online. Comcast's guys in the street are great, it's the jerks who write policy and scripts for the tier one phone folks that irk me.
Last night I primed the wall, and started prepping the door for the woodshop. I'll do some more work on the door, then a little work outside, getting some lubrication onto the fan for the AC chiller. I probably won't mow or do garden work until tomorrow, as it's still quite damp outside. The balance of today I'll do some web product listings work for ETS. That's the plan, anyway. Have a great day!
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June 13, 2004
1515 - Good afternoon. The shopping's done. Then I had a spot of lunch, hung the door to the woodshop, gave myself a haircut, and mowed the back yard. Just another nice relaxing Sunday around here... Now to spend some time working on the website for ETS. Have a good time, however you spend the rest of your weekend.
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Visit the rest of the DAYNOTES GANG, a collection of bright minds and sharp wits. Really, I don't know why they tolerate me <grin>. My personal inspiration for these pages is Dr. Jerry Pournelle. I am also indebted to Bob Thompson and Tom Syroid for their patience, guidance and feedback. Of course, I am sustained by and beholden to my lovely wife, Marcia. You can find her online too, at http://www.dutchgirl.net/. Thanks for dropping by.
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