Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Back after a long hiatus

Hello all (all zero people who read this thing--but that's not really the point, is it?)

Anyhow, Dad is doing well; he's using the wand to communicate, and it works pretty well. It took me a while to figure out where the sound was inside the buzzing, but it's surprising how clear it is once I figured out the trick. It's kind of the auditory equivalent of staring at a 3D poster.

The computer was a giant hassle, mainly because pretty much everyone involved didn't understand the complexity of (a) putting together a purchase of this magnitude while entirely lacking any kind of agency in the process, and (b) my life at the time. It meant that there were all manner of passive-aggressive phone calls and conversations. Fortunately my Aunt D-- (who is the only one who really understands what's involved) jumped to my defense. She is a wonderful woman who will always have my eternal love and gratitude, not just for this, but for the innumerable times she has given her attention, support, friendship, and love (and also for being the mother to two of the most extraordinary people I've had the pleasure of knowing from birth to adulthood).

Dad's impatience led him to often declare that he would have rather paid for the damned thing himself had he known how long it would take (despite not really having the means to do so). I ended up recommending the MacBook Pro, and A--, a third-cousin-in-law (I think) who was the other technologically savvy person in the equation agreed, and, despite the significantly higher cost, we won the day.

Dad loves the Mac, and my worries that he would reject the unfamiliar interface out of hand turned out to be unfounded. V-- has communicated his delight by proxy, as the wand/phone thing doesn't work by a long shot. Now it's a matter of getting the wireless router set up and getting him online. Once that happens, I can get him onto StumbleUpon, which should keep us in touch, and onto an IM service (which I, too, will have to join (luckily, my new phone has IM interface capability)).

I'm planning to head up at some point to check it all out and see my dad--I have to admit that I've only visited a couple of times recently.

The doctor says that he's leaking, and thus unready to start eating food yet. I know it's driving him crazy, as it's now been crazy long since he's tasted anything at all. He's due for an oxygen tent session following a minor surgery in the hope that the healing process will work out a little better and allow him to swallow properly.

More updates forthcoming

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