Where do I begin?

Introducing "Gerry the Robot". What you are seeing, are 26 electrodes glued all around my mom's head. They have wires coming off of them, which go to that black pouch you see hanging on her. As you can imagine, she was less than thrilled with it all, as she did look crazy and somewhat like a robot.

I wrote down what she was doing throughout the day, and I'm frankly shocked at how well she handled the whole thing. After installing this on her on Monday, we returned to their house and I began "Operation Archive", i.e. instituting some type of file management system into my father's office files...half of which are strewn about in boxes in their house. I was successful in reboxing them all into 34 bankers file boxes. Next step is this Sunday, when Leonor and I clean out their den to make room for them.

Anyway, my friend Marie picked T up from school, which allowed me to stay and monitor my mom. T was very excited to be sleeping at grandma and grandpa's house having a "slumber lumber party" and a pizza party all rolled into one.

I must say that it was a strange experience, to be sleeping in a bedroom of my childhood (Aunt dot's room that I shared with her when I was real young), but now with my daughter. I slept in Aunt Dot's bed and T slept in mine. It was also a CHORE to get her to go to sleep. New surroundings and all. She spend an inordinant amount of time looking out the window with a bird's eye view of the hood...the bedroom is on the 2nd floor.

Anyway, all was going a little too smoothly...I should have known.

We wake up, and T wanted to go downstairs and surprise grandma and grandpa. Next thing I know, she comes tearing back up the stairs saying that "Grandma and Grandpa need help". I go tearing downstairs and what do I find????

My insane father is cutting the electrodes ...wire and all...out of my mom's hair b/c "she wants to take them out". Good lord. Out of the 3 of them, only T had a lick of sense. She knew the dire consequences of putting scissors near your hair. I've lectured her at length about that. Add to that grandma says ouch...and she ...a frickin 4 yr old...knew enough to be concerned. I lecture them both, tell them to stop, the doc will have special stuff to take them out, and they comply. I go to drop T off at Marie's. Before leaving, I lecture them again not to mess with the thing.

You see where this is going, don't you?

I return home to find them both in the kitchen, my dad with the scissors. Now about 5 or 6 have been cut. I couldn't believe it. They didn't even comprehend the fact that they were ruining this medical machine, which I'm sure is expensive. Can't wait to see if they get a bill for that and what their reaction will be.

So, got her to the doc, who was not pleased with the state of the machine, and they took the things off my mom...using some type of solution that smelled similar to acetone. Poor thing was an absolute MESS after they were pulled out. Her hair was all harem scarem, like she stuck her finger in a socket, smelled of chemicals, and had glue in it from the electrodes. We return in a week for the results. Off we went to the Audiologist.

Not much happened there, as my mom's ears are FULL of wax. She tolerated him taking a dime-sized in diameter ball of wax out of one ear, but couldn't stand him do the other, which he said was markedly worse and more fully impacted in her ear canal. Besides her general loss of hearing, no wonder she can't hear a thing...her ears are full of wax! Why in the name of god any of the other docs didn't clean her ears out is a mystery to me. They're forever looking inside. sigh. The doc gave us some drops to put in her ears 3 times a day...which I'm sure they'll forget to do, ...and ordered us to return next week for a hearing test.

I couldn't stand looking at my poor mom like she was with her crazy hair. She's gone to the beauty shop..same one...for over 30 years like clockwork. Every. Saturday. Her hair is ALWAYS fixed. So, called up Margie to see if I could bring my mom by for a wash and set...and let margie work on getting all the gunk out of her hair. I dropped her off there, went to my sister's to check her mail, and returned to pick up my mom and take her home.

I then came home and slept.

I can't wait to go to work tomorrow, and relax!