Friday, March 2, 2012

He never grew up. One day he just sort of haired over.

Today I learned the word meme. I'd seen it, just didn't know what it meant. It rhymes with "team" and refers to a bit of information or data that spreads through a culture via the internet. Memes ("teams") may be videos on You Tube, images, or sayings (LOLcat), including spoofs.
Hey, I'm here to help.

Today, Robin Young, on the NPR show "Here and Now," interviewed Glen Campbell and his wife Kim. Campbell is on his "Farewell" concert tour, so named because he's been diagnosed with Alzheimer's and is slipping noticeably. As I listened I felt awkward at times; he's clearly lost a lot of his mental function and his wife had to finish some answers when his mind couldn't. But mostly it was sad. Not him; Kim said he's perpetually cheerful, from the moment he wakes up until he goes to sleep at night. What the disease does is sad.

Ole knew he had Alzheimers and in the early stages did what he could to mitigate its effects. He carried a notepad with him to help him. As it progressed he got increasingly frustrated and embarrassed at his inability to remember. Eventually he slipped into that stage where he didn't know he didn't know. Guni took such good care of him.

Then there's Tony Bennett on Great Performances (PBS) tonight. He's 85 and his voice and vocal skills haven't diminished an ounce. Incredible.

Why is it like that? Why does a very, very smart man like Ole descend slowly into the darkness, unable to figure out even the most simple tasks, while another man grows even older without any discernable diminishment?

The population of Sun City increases by 25% during winter months as snow birds driving Buicks arrive from Minnesota and South Dakota.
Spring training games began this week, and there are two stadiums (4 teams) within 10 miles of our house. Another two stadiums with 4 teams (rhymes with memes) 15 miles out. Thousands of baseball fans come during March from all over the country to escape winter weather and watch their favorite team get ready for the season.
NASCAR is in town this weekend for both the Nationwide and the Cup series. The local news guy says there will be 130,000 people staying in the temporary city set up at the track this week. Monster RV's rolled into the valley all week long.
This is not a good time to drive area roads and freeways.

After working her 12-hour shift Thursday Pam worked from 6 to 10 this morning to help them catch up from yesterday's computer system crash. Things were back up and running in the middle of the night but by then the backlog of paperwork was a foot deep. She has to work a 12-hour tomorrow, and again Sunday. By the time she gets to Monday...think vegetable medley.

In addition to Sunday's efforts I'll do chores and work on the trailer. Coming into the home stretch, it's all little stuff from here on out. Attaching trim, installing the vent, caulking everywhere.... Maybe by early next week she'll be a finished project.
We're ready to go camping!!

3 comments:

Sue said...

LOL That is so true about bananas.

Anonymous said...

Guni was/is a saint.

John

Dave Green said...

If you think memes are interesting check out tropes
http://tvtropes.org
This site is a catalog of common literary and screen devices used by writers. Once pointed out they seem obvious.