Last night I watched possibly the funniest show ever. Funnier than the Office, My Name is Earl, 30 Rock and even my beloved Scrubs. I knew Nick Park had a TV scheduled since I glimpsed a bit of it on a commercial on CBS and surprisingly I remembered it was on. Within the first 30 seconds I knew I needed to record it, it was that good. I also knew that brother Frank could probably use a larf so I called him. He was roaming the halls so I spoke with Elaine. She told me they were watching House. I said, who wants to watch a hospital drama, when you’re in a friggin’ hospital? She agreed and changed the channel.

I also called up Rand and Annemarie and told them to catch the show, Rand was recording it already, Annemarie knew about it it years ago since I sent my nephew Earl Wallace and Gromit, another one of Nick Park’s creations. They also had a tape of Creature Comforts, but I think that may have been from the BBC. But what was the best was a phone call I got from my brother Frank, thanking me for telling about the show. He and Elaine were laughing hysterically for the 30 minutes it was broadcast. I knew he needed a larf. I told Frank to be strong and that I loved him. I know he was probably scared since he had an operation scheduled for this morning, so I was glad I was able to take his mind off that, if only for a little while.

It helped me a great deal. After that I watched the New Adventures of Old Christine, which was good, but paled after Creature Comforts. I think Creature Comforts is so good, it probably won’t last long. Then I watched a documentary on Sundance called, Gay Sex in the 70’s. How nice. Not funny at all. Quite sleazy. All about NYC in the seventies and all the gay sex that seemed to be going on everywhere. It was most un-erotic. Various talking heads would tell of their experiences, ultimately saying that they were lucky to be alive, since so many died soon after the seventies from Aids. It’s a good thing I was unaware of what was going on then, being so young and all, so I can sit here and write all about what I missed.

Today I woke up, with one eye on the clock. Frank was scheduled for his operation at 7:30 and I sat on the bus chanting silently to the universe to do the right thing. On the way to work I played Brian Wilson’s SMiLE which starts off with Our Prayer. I saw Brian Wilson perform the album with Frank in 2005 which was a good memory, and I know we’ll have plenty of other good memories to come. Annemarie was on standby with her cellphone always within reach. Brian too was reachable but for what seemed like forever, no news was forthcoming. I assured myself that no news is good news. Bill had enlisted the deacons in his church to pray for Frank’s well being

Every time my phone rang I was fearful but the news eventually came, Frank was out of surgery and that was done. They found more of the infection than expected and I trust they took care of it somehow.
I called Annemarie and Brian and Bill and told them the information. Frank is in ICU, probably playing the part of mumbly Joe, so I’ll see him tomorrow, if the hours permit.

I did have work to attend to and that was interesting and frustrating. Greg Steven’s mother in law has been gravely ill lately and she too had gone under the knife last week. Over the weekend she had a heart attack. So Greg has been sympathetic to what’s been going on with Frank, and I in turn have been sympathetic to his plight as well. I also had a visit from a Chinese woman who had sent me an email, blank, no subject, no message. I just sent it back to her the same way. Surprisingly she showed up in the office asking for me. I introduced myself to her and she was confused, expecting the other John Ozed. Apparently she had done the same thing a few months ago, only looking for someone else, not me.

One of the tasks that I’ve been working on since I started was getting rid of certain phone lines that no one uses anymore. It took a few weeks to track the lines down and figure out what was what. Yesterday, I called up Verizon to take care of the mess. Out of 16 lines, we kept four, saving the company hundred of dollars. Today, someone who has phantom ties to my company came up to me and asked why his phone wasn’t working. His main line worked, but the line he hadn’t used in months, wasn’t. Ridiculous. This guy is hardly in the office, maybe four days a month. He’s trying to extricate himself form our company, lot’s of financial dealings interweave between his company and mine. I sent him an email explaining what was done, then I left for the day.

I walked to the bus terminal, enjoying a Padron and trying to maintain a positive attitude, if only for Frank’s sake. It’s not easy, but he’s worth it. Good thoughts, vibrations and prayers are still needed in his direction so please keep it up. Thanks.