bulk :: 15st 12
cigarettes :: 0
gym visits :: loads
bananas :: boatloads
apples :: a veritable orchard’s worth
Hob Nobs :: 0
kilos of spinach :: 1.5
comment nutters tamed :: 0
humiliations :: 1
more important things :: 1
This morning Keith knocked on my bedroom door and woke me up with a cup of spiced chai. ‘Time to wake up,’ he said. ‘Wake up and smell the chai.’ I relinquished sleep with all the grace and dignity of a starving man relinquishing a golden doughnut, and slowly, almost painfully, I focused.
Keith was sitting in the leather armchair in the corner of my room, staring and smoking a joint. ‘Jesus,’ I said. ‘It’s a bit early, isn’t it?’
‘It is a bit, yes,’ he agreed. ‘But I’ve had some distressing news and I’m using it as an excuse to smoke skunk at 7.30 in the morning.’
I sat up and accepted the ash-tray. ‘What’s happened?’ I said, wary, on edge. The smoke waltzed through me like a muffling phantom, leaving me nauseous, woozy, instantly befuddled of both bowel and brain.
‘My dad’s had a heart attack,’ he said.
I stopped.
Like a machine that’s had its plug pulled, every part of me just stopped.
‘Is he OK?’ I said.
‘No,’ said Keith slowly. ‘He’s had a heart attack.’
‘How serious is it?’ I asked.
‘It’s quite serious,’ said Keith.
‘How serious?’ I persisted. ‘Is he going to die?’
‘I don’t think so. He’s stabilised since it happened last night. I’m going to go and see him.’
‘I’m coming too,' I said. 'Is that alright?’
Keith nodded.
...
So. In an hour or two, we’re driving to Burnley.
A heart attack is a serious thing, but as far as I can tell, if he’s survived it, then the chances are he’s out of the woods for now, or at least out of the dangerous epicentre of the woods, where the Evil Dead lurk. Now he’s kind of scrambling on the edge of the woods, dipping in and out of sunlight, tripping over roots and sweating, panicking slightly, desperate to get home. But I’m no doctor.
It’s scary. But it does put things into perspective. I really don’t have the gall to feel sorry for myself anymore. At least not for the moment.
This is Serious.
This is Life and Death.
Still, you’ve got to laugh.
Have a good weekend. You up to anything interesting or fun? Go on, let me know…
19 comments:
Breakfast for dinner, Miniture golfing & drinking, supporting a friend in his 30 mile bike ride for cancer, working phones for the Obama Camp, spending time with a roomie, FOOTBALL watching- which of course leads to some more drinking-and somewhere in all that I'm going to go to the gym a couple times.
Good luck to your weekend and my heart goes out to Not Keith and his family. Nothing but well wishes for everyone.
Since the first symptom of 50% of impending heart attacks is death, your friend's dad won the lottery.
I know this because my husband won it too on 3/2/2002. One stent, 45mins of stationary bike, CoQ10 100mg 3x, Lovastatin 5mg, Atenolol 12.5mg, 81mg aspirin, 15 lost pounds, and a reasonable diet later, he's in great shape. Better than before the heart attack, I promise.
I hope that you friend's pop will bounced back after a few months of recuperation, a coronary rehab course, and a number of lifestyle and attitude changes. Sometimes a near death experience turns out to have a silver lining for the lottery winner.
For the loved ones, the whole worrisome experience sucks big time!
Santé!
This weekend I will be blindfolded and filmed.
Hope Keith's dad is on the mend.
You're doing so well with the weight and the exercise and the spinach!
I'm going to Manchester to visit my much younger, much hipper, and much more butterflyesque sister, to remind myself how old and suburban I am. I shall probably wear a cardigan.
Oh my goodness! I hope Keith's Dad is recovering ok. This is quite a shock. My heart goes out to both of you.
It seems very silly to talk about my weekend plans. But. We will be driving The Tribe Called Hall four hours away, looking at apartments, day cares and schools. We are moving for my new job within the month. This weekend is all about getting the lay of the land before we move.
And we will be staying with my parents. This post has put that part of the weekend in whole different perspective.
You both are in my prayers.
Take much care,
Mrs. Hall
funny how point of view makes such a difference... i complained today about not having room in my luggage for the pornographic carving i bought at a peruvian market. and my travel mate - who has not seen his luggage for 2 days said - at least you have luggage...
this weekend? Machu Picchu tomorrow, then Cuzco before leaving for Ecuador on Sunday. same old same old....
Canekit. Hmm, that's one hell of a typo. I meant to type Camelot. In Chorley. It's some kind of theme park. With several children. May be hellish, then again may be fun. After that, Diwali (Hindu festival of lights) (I think) - big pyrotechnic spectacular thing in the early evening. Then I will put my children to bed and read a book, for that is the kind of exciting life I lead. On Sunday I will be doing mucho childcare, while Other Half gets his quarterly magazine ready for the printers.
Did you swallow a poem before writing this post (it's like swallowing a dictionary, but more flowery)? Or something. I blame Bob Dylan. No, I mean, Thomas Hardy. No, that's not it either...
[wanders off confusedly]
Alcohol, football, alcohol, speedway, alcohol, speedway, alcohol, bed.............
Standard meathead weekend.
mmmm sunshine, plenty of sunshine.
Hope notkeiths's Dad is doing well, my dad survived two attacks before the last one carried him off and lived more in those last 10 years than he had in the 60 before. For which I'm grateful.
Hi, how are you both, long drive, where are you?
...x
I'm doing absolutely nothing of interest this weekend.
Hope Keith's dad is ok.
Hope everything works out well for Keith's dad.
Just wanted to say a big, heartfelt thanks to everyone who's wished my dad well. Thank you.
I hope Keith's dad is on the road to recovery.
Sorry this is a nit late, I've just got back fro a weekend in Ireland, seeing my fav band Ezio play
hello people of high expectation ive just came across this site and i find it very amusing, can anyone tell me why it is that all people have no content on here it occured to me that you all need to go out and seek the knowledge you crave and only then will it lead to pure peace within
Wow, Selena, that’s an active life you’ve got there. And well done on working for Obama. I only hope he doesn’t come to office and let you down horribly.
Framéricaine, thanks for your words. They are rather inspiring.
Alison! More information required immediately.
Hope you enjoyed Manchester, TL. Hope you managed to shake off your cardigan and revisit your youth.
Hope you had a good weekend too, Mrs H. Lay off the prayers though.
Daisy, you lead a charmed life. I wish I was with you, in your luggage snuggled up against your pornographic carving.
Sudders, you’re funny. And you too, seem to lead such an interesting life. Theme parks, Hindu festivals, quarterly magazines. You make me feel so parochial.
Ah, Ill Man, finally a weekend I don’t envy. Good for you, you big meathead.
Thanks, Cat. Again, that’s good to know.
Hey, Anon. Don’t be weird.
Dan, I don’t believe you. Thanks.
Sudders, guilty? Don’t be crazy. What have you got to feel guilty for?
Thanks, Heidi.
NK, aren’t they lovely?
Hey, Zoe, thanks. Hope you had a good time in Ireland. What is this Ezio of which you speak. Wanders off into internet… Ah, I see. Cool.
Anon, how is it that all of the anonymous comments these days are from loonies? Please go away. Thank you!
Eek, this is really late but I was offline for over a week as my modem decided to be a bugger.
Sorry to hear about your dad Not Keith, really hope he's improved and things work out. Bete, I've missed your blogging whilst I've been away, looks like I've missed some weirdos too? Oh and 5 stone! That's fantastic, I'm very jealous!
Thanks, Aiko. You wouldn't believe how weird. It's becoming a concern.
Yeah, my weekends are weapons grade..........
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