Update

Aside from book reviews (which have been pretty pathetic) I have been pretty quiet lately... and there's a reason for that.

For most, who don't know, my brother has been back in the hospital for 3 weeks now. He went in with cellulitis (which he seems to go in for about once a year). Then he began not breathing well.

Then he kept getting hit with "bad news".. enough to upset him so much he was rushed into ICU because of his breathing.

Days passed and we learned not much except that his cellulitis was improving.. but his breathing was not. He was put on breathing treatments. Finally we were told they were trying to get his breathing under control (water near the lungs) and then they intended to send him to yet another hospital because they said his heart was "weak" and needed a new valve.

Then one night we went there and we were sent to the visitors lounge to wait.

He had "an episode"... he stopped breathing. They zapped him with a defibrillator and got him back. Tubes down his throat and nose etc and they sedated him to oblivion.

Next evening when we went they said he had had 2 more "episodes". Things are not going well.

It's been 2 more days now.. no new episodes. Some of the 8 things going into him are off. We are down to 4 or 5. He's still sedated. They said they were going to take him off the respirator, but they hadn't. Needless to say I jump out of my skin if our phone rings. I doze at night (not sleeping well) expecting the phone to ring in the middle of the night.. so far, so good. But at this point I'm not sure I know what is good.

So.. that's my story. For the moment I am ok, but I know that's only because the phone hasn't sounded. I am trying to keep my mind occupied when not at the hospital, so I am appreciating all the blogs I read right now, more than usual... and I am thrilled that the Olympics are here to keep me distracted!

As for my reading.. I am almost thru book 3, "In the Coils of the Snake" by Dunkle. My reading has slowed down.. hard to concentrate, but I need the distraction right now. And I had sent for and received 3 used books. (One day I will find someone selling used books that I can get more than one book from...grrr.)

I finally got the last 2 Mary Russell books ( Sherlock Holmes wife) by Laurie R King and to continue on with my newest obsession (not really new, just revitalized) I found a used copy of a book by Lilian Gish (silent/ and talking movie star) called, "The Movies, Mr Griffith, and Me".