Saturday, January 5, 2013

Saturday Night West Coast Re-Post

So, I'm going to institute a new ritual here on the old blog. It's called Saturday Night West Coast Re-Post, and every Saturday evening, I will post something old from the vast archives of a moon, worn as if it had been a shell. I hope you'll join me and post something from your archives on Saturday night, particularly if you're the type that doesn't go out on Saturday night but, rather, crawls home from a day of watching boy lacrosse and wonders if it will take too much effort to walk up the street with your three children and have dinner at a neighbor's house.

Here's my repost, from the medieval era, August of 2009:


Gallows Humor

I was trying to clean up my computer archives and found this email that I had sent to a friend over ten years ago and that he had saved and then sent back to me.



Dear David:
> >
> > I have been getting your various messages--telephone and email, etc.
> > Forgive me my delinquency in returning them. Things have been a bit
> > hectic here--even more hectic than usual. About a month ago, Michael
> > was hit by a truck while riding his bicycle to work. He was dragged
> > a little but escaped with a pretty messed up left arm. Eighty
> > stitches but no broken bones or head injuries.
> > About two weeks after it happened, the wound got infected so he was
> > hospitalized and had surgery--a skin graft, etc. He is fine now and
> > back at work, just not cooking until the thing heals. In any case,
> > he was lucky. So, on the day he was hospitalized for infection, I
> > set off for the hospital for a visit with Henry and Sophie. As we
> > were leaving the house, Sophie had one of her famous drop seizures
> > and cracked her head open on the floor. We landed up going to the
> > hospital in an ambulance and SHE got ten stitches in her forehead.
> > Needless to say, I've been a basket case.
> > Henry is fine.
> >
> > How has your life been of late? You know, everyone always says to
> > me, "It could have been worse." My silent reply is, "It could have been
> > a whole lot fucking better."
> >
> > Love,
> > Elizabeth



6 comments:

  1. I sure hope you went to dinner. To me, one less meal to cook and the company of good friends. Can't beat that.

    First, Oliver once again is killing me.

    Second, your life,my life, life in general, has got to be laughed at or else, how the hell will we survive it? So at some point did you laugh, for fear of crying, as you re-read that email, did you just shake your head and say can this is my life that I am reading??

    Crazy scary about Michael and as always, always scary with sweet Sophie.Tthat certainly is nothing to laugh about.

    I will join you in the Saturday Night posting. I often think if I tag along with these weekly ritual posts that people do in blogland, that I would post more and become excited and drawn to my blog once again. Hard to say.

    Okay, love. Happy saturday night..

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  2. I always think this is how those Christmas letters should be that people send out...one year I am going to have enough guts to send one like this..ha!..real life

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  3. I love everything about this post. (Except, of course, the fact that your husband was hit by a truck and your daughter had seizure and cracked her head open). I love the way you circle round it all and nail us with a dose of truth and wit. Happy New Year, Elizabeth. May 2013 be a whole fucking lot better.

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  4. I can relate! I hope you have a happier, healthier, and accident free new year!

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  5. A whole lot fucking better. I often think of things, not fuel-related in the slightest but if we could convert them to fuel we could run cars, air conditioning and space heaters for free. Bad ideas is one of them. Well-intentioned platitudes shall be another. Back to the lab. I KNOW this can work. Re-posting, a fine plan. xo

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  6. This is a terrific idea, if only so you can look back to see how you survived these things despite their insanity. I may take you up on the challenge to see if I can dredge up some memories of crazy times past.

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