TGIF at long last

I got home about 5:30 yesterday. We went out to eat at Olive Garden, then home for a little tv catch-up. My little tv in the apartment appears to be on the blink, not sure why. I dusted it, and after that, I could not get a signal on my all-powerful rabbit ears. Maybe it's time for the foil bridge between the two ears, the way we used to do it. At any rate, we watched (raced through) both nights of American Idol. There seems to be some excellent talent this year, especially among the women. I predict in advance that a woman will win.

The photo today is one I took a short while ago with my cell phone. I'm learning how to text and send picture messages. We had sun yesterday and now again today, but more snow is in the forecast. Of course it is. It's Michigan. It's winter. In two weeks we'll be winging our way to lovely (and hopefully sunny) Hawaii. Esteemed Spouse has purchased two wild (for him) Hawaii shirts. I still need to get a swimsuit cover-up of some sort.

During the week I've had occasion to talk with several people and communicate via email with others who have expressed their support for what we're going through following the disclosure of our son's mental illness. Everyone has had comforting words and hugs, but I guess the person who most touched me was my student who came up to me and told me that her brother (her twin) was also a victim of paranoid schizophrenia. He seems to be much more ill than my son (as best I know). Her brother has been violent and clearly unable to function in the "real" world (wherever that world is). I've gotten some literature to read to help me understand, and there is hope to be had. People can and do "recover" from schizophrenia. We can only hope. The biology professor in Huntsville, Alabama, who shot six of her colleagues, killing three of them, is now said to have paranoid schizophrenia. Well, her lawyer says it, at any rate. That won't do much for the message that mental health professionals have been trying to enforce, that the mentally ill are not any more violent than others are.

Tiger Woods is on the air now apologizing and atoning (or whatever) for his indiscretions. So far, no clue as to whether or when he'll return to playing golf. Apparently he's re-embracing his Buddhist beliefs in an effort to "cure" his evil ways. I think this speech has been carefully crafted to do him as much good and mitigate as much of the harm as possible. We'll see. John Edwards [sour taste in mouth] certainly screwed up royally and hurt others willy-nilly without remorse. I hope for Tiger's sake, but especially for his family's sake, that he can regain what he tossed away, if indeed he truly does want it back. It will be pretty much impossible to regain that "golden boy next door" reputation he once had.

I've got work to do, so I'd better get started.