You might have noticed that I’ve been MIA the last several days. There’s a very good reason for this that has nothing to do with me falling off the wagon, or anything like that. My mother was hospitalized for the last several days due to an infection, although she is out now and doing somewhat better. So, that’s what has taken up the vast majority of my time and attention since last Friday. I have been tweeting and “gabbing” a little bit, but that takes a lot less time, plus I have people who help me with links to stories, etc.

I don’t think I’ve talked about my mother on this site very much, if at all. She is far and away the strongest person I have had the privilege to know. For four years, she’s been battling Stage 5 kidney disease (ESRD) due to NSAID poisoning. Most of this time, she’s been doing something called peritoneal dialysis, but now she’s on hemodialysis as she moves into the final stages before (hopefully) getting her new kidney. Problems associated with the switch to hemo are what caused the infection and thus, my absence here from the site.

Anyway, as we head into Thanksgiving, one person who I am definitely thankful for is my Mother. I can tell you with near-100% certainty that I could never have made it through life without her help and universal support. I am not nearly tough enough to have made it down the road she has had to travel due to her bum kidneys and it’s something I will always admire her for. But more than that, I admire her for sticking by me no matter what dumb shit I decided to do, or career I decided to pursue. I couldn’t have asked for a better mom. So thank you, Sandra, for making this fucked up life a bit more bearable.

OK, now back to your regularly scheduled programming.