hope that i get old before i die…

i spent christmas night in the last place anyone wants to be: the hospital ER. my cousins were on the way to visit and were rear-ended by a motorcycle who failed to stop when my cousins pulled to the side and put their hazard lights on. this is how it happened:

apparently one of my cousins, who has a 1yr old, pulled over because the baby was acting sick. i am not clear whether or not this means that the baby was spitting up, or choking or what. all i know is that he and his wife pulled over to take care of the baby. his father, who was driving a minivan with 5 of his kids in the van, pulled over on the left side of the road and walked across to his son to find out why he stopped. they talked for a minute or so, and the father walked back to the van. at this time, some guy on a 1980’s yamaha motorcycle did not stop or slow down and plowed right into the van. the biker was killed, if not instantly, then very soon after impact. four of my cousins were taken to the ER to be x-rayed, cat scanned, and whatever other tests needed to be run. they were all eventually released when it was clear that there was no lasting damage at all.

the one i really feel for is the motorcyclist. his family had to go to the ER as well. only in his case, they were shown the inside of the morgue instead of getting to take him home at the end of the night. it’s really had me thinking and appreciating just how lucky i have been to have lived to my current age without any major problems (*knock on wood*). it’s also been on my mind that no matter how well prepared you are for life, something like this can happen and completetly change the entire situation. not only that, but it’s completely out of your control despite your best efforts. the one thing i will always take with me from this experience is to savor as many of the moments i have together with my family, because they may not be coming back next time…..

i have heard for many years now about all the people out here in la-la land that get so much plastic surgery that they aren’t recognizable as human anymore. but until tonight, i had never come face to face (literally) with this phenomenon before. i was at the grocery store on my way home and a couple was there buying groceries. she had a decent figure from the back but when i saw her from the front i was completely grossed out. i’m not sure how her husband/boyfriend/significant other can stand to be so close to her. i hope he actually thinks she’s pretty.

the expression “the face only a mother could love” would definitely apply to this lady. her lips were so full that she could barely open them to talk. i heard her mumbling to him a few times when we passed in the various aisles. i’m not sure what possesses someone to alter themselves so much that they literally look like a clown *before* they even put any makeup on! and the worst part of all, she was wearing stripper perfume!