I haven't really written about my dad who was experiencing kidney failure due to agent orange exposure in Vietnam, but he was scheduled for transplant surgery in August. I'm not sure how to explain it. It was like I didn't want to jinx anything. Anyway, my brother volunteered to be the kidney donor. No one else in the immediate family was a viable candidate or had the wrong blood type. Anyway, the surgery was rescheduled, postponed, and then finally happened. It was a long day, but my brother and dad came out great. They were both released from the hospital in less than a week. The transplanted kidney immediately began urine production, and my dad is feeling the positive effects. My brother is in the process of adjusting to only one kidney, but he is doing well.
With all of this going on, our vacation plans were stunted. Our original plans were pushed out because of the surgery being rescheduled, so we rescheduled. Unfortunately the surgery was postponed because of problems at the hospital, and again we pushed out the vacation. When the surgery happened our vacation was too close, and we (my wife and I) just couldn't reschedule the vacations again. So, we just dumped the Florida plans and spent some time in the Erie Islands to stay close to home. I just wouldn't have felt right traveling thousands of miles away with my brother and dad fresh home from the hospital and still recovering. We had a good time anyway. It was nice to get away from the hustle and bustle for a few days. (Of course, I still had to my homework.)
I'm finishing up my summer classes in about 2 weeks. I believe I have a short break before the fall quarter begins. I only have a few classes left to obtain my associates degree. It doesn't really matter - my final destination is a Bachelors of Computer Science. With the price of gas increasing, I'll need a new job to afford to drive. Onward I go . . .
