Category Archives: All About Wyatt

I’m Tired

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My oldest son’s wrist was placed in a full cast yesterday, guaranteeing he will miss his indoor soccer playoffs, and a chance to three-peat with his team. My middle son has been violently ill for the last three days, and is just now getting back to normal.

By the end of this week, I will have buried three friends in as many months. I keep thinking God is testing me, and I know my faith is failing. Now I find myself beset with the inevitability of my mortality: at 43.

Looking back on my life, I am unimpressed. I expected more, actually. Not from my family, of course – that is my constant bright spot – but from my achievements. My career is going okay, I guess, but I am not the division’s best detective. I’m more like a secretary with a gun.

I’m a published author – well, co-author – of a book we had to get self-published. Truth be told, it is not selling well, and I’ve actually lost money on the venture. And speaking of losses, readership here is down – by about 1,000 visits a day. Blogs cannot compete with Twitter/Facebook, and I’m never getting rich and/or famous by doing this. Believe it or not, blogging is hard work, and it takes an inordinate amount of my time.

I’m not quitting, but I’m not putting much effort into posts this week. At least not until after Babs’ funeral. I’ve adopted a laissez-faire on life. Just leave it alone. Go to work. Go home. Repeat.

My goal for the rest of the week is to sit home all day with the family and only break out the computer to play World of Tanks.

That said, I understand I have a responsibility to the readers who haven’t jumped ship, so I’ll still throw out three posts a day this week and see what sticks. Know that my heart will not be in it.

I just need a break; even if it is name only.

Stupid Blogger Tricks

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Target Shopping Cart

My two days off were jam-packed. On Sunday, Kyle had a soccer game – they won, 3-1 (their fourth win in a row) – and Kyle also made his Confirmation in the afternoon. We had family over on Sunday for dinner and a little celebration.

On Monday, I had court at 8am, then Kyle had soccer practice at 6pm. I started night work today, and I needed some Lean Cuisine microwave meals for dinner. My division has a kitchen-in-name-only; it’s basically a sink, fridge, and microwave, so you bring what you can. So, I had to run to Shop Rite after practice.

(Oh, I also was carrying the soccer goal with Kyle when he dropped it. The steel post hit me below the left eye, and it felt like someone hit me with a baseball bat. So no, it hasn’t been a good start to my week.)

Any hoo, I pull up to Shop Rite and pick the first shopping cart I see. It was the only one near my car, so I grabbed it. I didn’t notice anything special about it because it was dark, and my eye was rapidly swelling. I grab it, enter the Shop Rite, and immediately notice people staring at me. Now this is nothing unusual because I’m such a handsome devil, but this time was different. They were looking at me, then the cart, then muttering.

And that’s when I noticed it…

Continue reading →

Mom’s Out!

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Mom’s out of surgery! The surgeon just came into the waiting room and said everything went well. They performed a double bypass instead of a triple, because the third artery wasn’t deemed a big enough risk. She is being transferred to ICU and we’ll be able to see her in a few hours.

Thank you all for your prayers during this stressful time. Regular posting will resume soon.

A Mama Earp Update

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St. Michael the Archangel, Patron Saint of the Sick.

St. Michael the Archangel, Patron Saint of the Sick.

We brought the kids to see my mom this morning, and she was in really good spirits. After the initial heart attack – yes, she told me she had a minor heart attack on Thursday night – she hasn’t had an issue. She is passing her tests with flying colors and said she feels terrific.

That said, the doctors told her she is getting a triple bypass instead of a double. I guess the bright side is that at least they’re aware of all the issues with her heart, and want them fixed in one shot.

The kids want her to get an arc reactor like Iron Man has, but that’s probably not covered under her insurance.

I’ll be out all day tomorrow. My podiatrist appointment – the follow-up to the Achilles tendonitis – is scheduled for 9am, and I’ll be in the hospital for the rest of the day. Mom’s surgery is set for 7am. The doctor said we should know what’s going on by noon, and should be able to see her around 2pm or so. I’ll put out an update when I can, but I fear it’ll be a very long day.

Mom also asked if you could send a few more prayers her way tonight.

Because It’s Been So Long

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Mom And Allison… since I asked for prayers, I figured I could ask again. My mother rushed herself to the hospital last night with pain in her chest and neck. The ER doctors said they found an ischemia in her heart, but said they didn’t think she was having an “active heart attack” – whatever the frak that means.

Today she received catheter in her heart to check for possible issues, and one of her arteries are 90% blocked. They can’t put a stint into it, because there’s an aneurysm at the end.

So, she’s scheduled for double bypass surgery on Monday morning.

So far in 2013, we’ve had to deal with the loss of my co-worker’s daughter, my best friend’s aortic valve replacement, and my wife’s diverticulitis. I really can’t take much more of this.

Obviously, posting here is on hold until Monday afternoon at the earliest.

A Personal Life Update

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Archer Cast

As you may have read – or not, since most of you come here solely for the pictures – last week was a nightmare for us. Mrs. Earp was laid up in the hospital for a few days and my friend Kevin had aortic valve surgery. In all the confusion, I don’t think I put out an update.

Mrs. Earp was diagnosed with diverticulitis, which is a stomach/intestinal disorder. After pumping her full of antibiotics and terrible hospital food, she came home late Friday. She is feeling better, but has a strict new diet now. It is similar to the one she had when she was diagnosed with gestational diabetes while carrying my son Kevin. The new diet will take some getting used to, but she’s up for it.

My friend Kevin came through the surgery okay. He had a rough time the night afterward, where he was on the brink of death, because he caught an infection. Ever the strongman, Kevin got through it and was able to come home on Sunday. It’ll be a long road back to health, but the fact that he’s still here with us is all I need.

Thanks again for the prayers and well-wishes. They are much appreciated.

An AZ Kevin Update

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Erik Kyle and AZ KevinKevin had his aortic valve replacement surgery on Monday morning. It seemingly went rather well. However, on Monday night, an infection developed in the area. It got so bad that Kevin’s wife was thinking of calling everyone out to Arizona to see him one last time. Thankfully, he made it through that more or less intact.

Kari called me on Tuesday morning and told me how bad Kevin’s night had been, so yesterday our family was pretty much just going through the motions of life. Late Tuesday evening, Kari sent me a text saying he had a better day and was off the respirator.

Yesterday, my phone rang, and when I picked it up, Kevin was on the other line. After saying a few silent prayers, I told him how great it was to hear his voice. He admitted he went through a rough patch – and still had his chest tube in – but the doctors think he’s going to fully recover. We talked for about five minutes, and when he hung up, I lost it.

Despite my assumed popularity in the blogosphere, I don’t many friends. Part of that is my fault – the sarcastic tool you read here every day is pretty much the sarcastic tool I am in real life – and part of it is the fault of others – like my high school/college circle of (ex) friends. (Have fun at the US Pond Hockey Nationals – again – dicks!)

I only have two very close friends; Bill (who is local) and Kevin (who is thousands of miles away). So naturally, when something happens to one of them, I panic. Lord knows I can’t afford to lose anyone else.

Thank you for your prayers. And thank you, God, for answering them. Kevin’s not out of the woods yet, but he’s getting there.

UPDATE: If you can, throw a few out for Mrs. Earp, too. She’s in the ER with severe stomach pains. Docs are just now getting to her. (She went in at 6:30am.) In the meantime, I’m Mr. Mom today, so I won’t be around much,

Getting To The Heart Of The Matter

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Kyle and Arizona KevinABOVE THE POST UPDATE: Kevin made it through the surgery okay! The next few days will be touch and go, but he made it. Thanks for the prayers!

Three weeks ago, I mentioned that my friend Kevin was in ICU with pneumonia. The virus spread to his heart, and the doctors told him he needed an aortic valve replacement.

The doctors scheduled Kevin for open heart surgery tomorrow morning.

Kevin is a young guy – only 39 – so the surgery is less risky than it would be for a senior citizen. That being said, we’re all concerned here because Kevin, his wife Kari, and his children are part of the family. If you could throw a few more prayers upward, we’d appreciate it.

A Beg For Prayers

Erik Kyle and AZ Kevin

One of my oldest and best friends, Arizona Kevin, is currently in the ICU. Kevin (seen here with a very young Erik and Kyle) was battling the flu this week when he contracted pneumonia. He was admitted into the hospital, and his condition worsened. Kevin’s wife Kari called me this morning with the details, and suffice to say, she’s having a rough time with it.

I’d be on a plane to Tucson tomorrow morning, but Erik is making his first Penance this week. Lord knows Kari could use an extra set of hands out there.

You know, I don’t have many good, close friends. I’d put the count right now at two: Kevin and my friend Bill. Both are more than just friends; they’re family, so you can imagine the panic that’s setting in right now.

If you can find a moment or two, Kevin and Kari could really use some prayers.

UPDATE: I talked to Kevin yesterday, and he said the virus went to his heart. The docs say he will most likely need an aortic valve replacement. Thank you for your continued prayers.

Happy New Year!

2013Well, a new year is upon us. Hopefully, you all made it through last night without making a drunken walk of shame.

2013 will see a few changes here. Some noticeable, some not so much. The first change will be the implementation of a Philadelphia Homicide Tally. Captain America had one at First In, but since he quit his blog, I’m stealing his idea The counter will appear in the sidebar. I’m doing this because the PPD site is almost always incorrect. On Monday, their count was 329. The actual count was 335. I don’t believe in fudging numbers, so the accurate count will be posted here.

The same posting format will continue, and there will usually be three posts a day here. The only exception may be weekends, because my site meter tells me traffic is way down on Saturdays and Sundays.

Speaking of traffic, the readership as a whole is down about 600 a day. The blog went from 2,000+ visits to 1,400 sometime in September, and never recovered. I’m going to try to build those numbers up be varying posts as often as possible. When you do this for so long – 7 1/2 years and counting – you get into a rut. I’m trying to avoid that.

Oh, and I am definitely taking a vacation this year. I usually bring the laptop on vacation and post from the Jersey Shore, but not this year. I’ll suck up my control issues and ask a few people to cover for me while I’m away, but I’ll worry about that before summer.

Finally, I want to thank you all for reading, commenting, and lurking. This blog wouldn’t exist without you, and while I put a lot of work into getting this thing to run smoothly, it’s worth it to see you coming back day in and day out.