Always October

Always October.

That's the theme for the Major League Baseball playoffs and World Series. It's pretty good, too. The level of play is definitely higher in October as teams are fighting off elimination and hoping for the World Series. And this year my Giants are there, so that's cool. I know the rest of the country is rooting for Kansas City because the Giants have won twice in the last five years. If I wasn't a Giants fan I would be doing the same thing. But I went from 1962 until 1989 between World Series, and they lost BOTH of those, as they did again in 2002. So even if the rest of the country is tired of the Giants winning, I figure they are just making up for a 27 year drought which included my entire childhood.

Besides, it feels good to feel good about something, even - or especially - baseball.

I think this month has been particularly tough. It's October. It's Halloween time. This time last year, and every year for the past decade Maggie had elaborate Halloween costumes. Maggie and I were the idea people and Steve made it happen. She would delight in whatever scheme we came up with and loved the trial and error of making the costume and wheelchair design work. It had to work in such a way that she could still use her talker, the wheelchair would fit through doorways and the bus driver could attach the straps to keep her safe. It was not an easy task, but Dad always came through. He would grumble and stay up late and make something so great it always surpassed our expectations.
Last year's covered wagon was probably the most elaborate.

 We would be heavily into that by now, but instead we try to ignore the upcoming holiday. Oh we will dole out candy and play nice; by the time the trick or treating started Maggie was done. Her fun was preparing, and then getting to unveil her great costume on the bus and at school. She was so excited by the time she came home, she was generally asleep before the first candy seeker arrived.  

Adding to our Halloween heartache is the loss of Tyre, Maggie's friend that I wrote about last week. Knowing I will be spending a day next week at his funeral service makes a tough week even tougher. There is a crowd funding site set up to help his family deal with the expenses involved. If anyone is inclined to donate, here's the link. http://www.youcaring.com/memorial-fundraiser/tyre-duffin-a-celebration-of-life/248753#.VEKC9Oxuxq4.facebook   I already shared it on facebook, but I don't think you have to be on facebook to contribute.

So with all that, I am going to hope the Giants win the world series and let me focus on the good parts of October. Maggie loved baseball. Well that's not true. She loved watching us love baseball. She loved hanging out with Tim while he watched and gave her the play by play in the big green chair She loved our occasional outings to the ball park with either family or her group of friends. Tha girl had fun.

Perhaps the Giants will win and keep me distracted for another week. Perhaps not. Either way, November will come. And I will be glad when its not Always October anymore.

Toddlin Town

Our brief getaway to Chicago was great. The weather was cold and the wind was blowing, but we really had fun. I just wore everything I owned and kept moving.

 Of course the focus of the trip was to visit Tim, our 22 year old son who moved to Chicago in January. He lives right in the heart of Wrigleyville - just two blocks from Wrigley Field and the 10,000 bars and restaurants that surround it. We stayed in a hotel about a mile away which was a perfect location. We were close enough to walk to see Tim but away from the noise of the nightlife.

We planned to go that particular weekend because the San Francisco Giants were playing the Cubs in Chicago. Steve jumped on line to get the tickets and we were surprised how easy it was and how reasonable the price was. Then we got to the game and understood. It was freezing, it rained and the wind was howling. There just wasn't a lot of demand for these seats in mid April. At least half the stadium was empty. I bet those same seats in the summer time are a tad more expensive. There was a four game series. The Giants won 3 out of the 4 games. We went to the only won the Giants lost. That didn't stop us from having fun.

We met our Friends Austin and Dee at the game and had a quick meal with them afterward. They went home but we kept going. Tim took us to an Improv show so we could experience his comedy world. If you find yourself in Chicago on a Friday night, check out the "Improvised Shakespeare at the IO (Improv Olympics) in Wrigleyville. That was hilarious.

 We did make it to the Magnificent Mile on Saturday morning and walked around while the snow fell on out heads. The tulips are really trying to bloom but the snow and cold keep them at bay.  I understand it's flooding there today, but assuming things survive that, you can tell the City of Chicago is about to burst into spring.

We also traveled a bit North of Chicago to Austin and Dee's house to see how people lived outside of the fraternity atmosphere of Wrigleyville. It was great to catch up with them too. Steve and Austin have been friends since college days, so there were lots of laughs.

Meanwhile, back in San Francisco, Maggie was entertained by my sister Joni and her husband Vince. The nurses were here to do all the medical things Maggie needed, and Joni and Vince were here as grounding forces for Maggie. She thought that was hilarious. In fact, that really deserves its own post.

It was fun. Exhausting but fun. I told Steve the next "vacation" we take will involve a hammock, a beach, and drinks with little umbrellas.














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Sweep!

Maggie is a Giants  fan. And she is excited that the Giants Swept the Tigers. This was taken about 10 seconds after the end of Game 4. 

She is a lucky charm. And that settles it. She can stay!

Lucky Lady

Today we leave post about bad manners, international incidents, broken wheelchairs, and strange comments from strangers behind. Those will undoubtedly be back, But today there is something bigger.

The Giants are in the World Series and today is Game 1!! 

The world stands still for the next week or so. Everything revolves around game time. All focus in this house is on baseball. Especially for Maggie, who left for school this morning decked out and ready.

(For the uninitiated, the Panda hat is for Pablo Sandoval, the Giants 3rd baseman, known as The Panda)

Maggie  loves that we are all excited and focused and cheers right along with us during the games. It is the only time she doesn't complain about the TV being on. She doesn't really watch it, per se, but she watches us watch it, and that's good enough for her. She waits for the high fives or for the occasional expletive. Those really make her laugh. 

Baseball is famous for the superstitions that players and fans practice. Some players won't shave or wash their socks or whatever if they think it's lucky. Fans will sit in the same seat, eat the same food and hang with the same friends for the same reason. Maggie is now part of it. During the 2010 playoffs and series, I started posting this picture of Maggie on facebook. 

My cousin Dennis was the first to note the Giants successful days correlated with the days the picture was posted. He insisted I post it every day, so I did and the Giants won the World Series in 2010. I did it off and on during the playoffs this year when the Giants had their backs against the wall in the Divisional series stopped when the championship series started. Then the Giants went down 3 games to 1 in the Pennant. and  couple of different friends/fans asked me to post Maggie's picture with the orange hair. So I did for the next three games and the Giants won three straight and now head to the World Series. 

I assure you the picture will be posted on my facebook page about an hour or so before game time for every single world series game. Hopefully that won't be too often. 

My prediction, giants in 5 games. 

Showers with a chance of Baseball

First real rain of the season started lat night and continued through the night. Rain on the windows and roof is such a wonderful sound to hear when you are snuggled up in bed. But then you have to get up and get Maggie to the bus in the elevator that is open to the elements.

The elevator is slow - it takes about 90 seconds to go from the deck outside Maggie's room down to the backyard. Most days it's a pleasant minute and a half that Maggie and I are cut off from the world. We joke and laugh and have a great time during our ride to the ground level. We really don't notice how slow the lift is going because we have so much fun. When it's pouring down rain, the focus is centered on the very s l o w ride down. 90 seconds in one place during a downpour is a very very long time indeed.

I did grab an umbrella to shield us from the worst of it but it is difficult to hold the umbrella and hold the button to make the elevator go at one time. Also I have to keep shifting the umbrella to avoid getting it caught on the shaft as we descend. And there is no way to cover everything, so Maggie had a dry head and wet knees. We made it down in one piece, but Maggie was less than amused.

It didn't help that I didn't get a chance to feed her. Her nighttime feeds are turned off around 6 and I always give her a feeding in the morning before she goes to school. My plan was to feed her when we got downstairs but the bus was already there waiting for us. The school nurse promised to feed her as soon as they arrived at school, so she would only be about 30 minutes late.

Now the rain has stopped. It is supposed to shower all day today and with our luck those showers will hit just as she comes home and has to come back up the elevator.  But she will survive this indignity with her usual grace and aplomb.

We just need the rain to be gone by game time. The Giants play the Cardinals in Game 7 of the NCLS today and I don't think any of us can tolerate a rain delay.

Maggie will be ready:

(Lest you think I'm neglectful, this picture was not taken this morning. She does not wear shorts when it's raining. This is from a sunny day in September.) 

Go Giants! 

Orange October

We have Giants fever here. It's Orange October and we are Giants fans.  I just spent the entire day watching a baseball game while (sort of) doing various paperwork for Maggie. It was quite a roller coaster ride. Tim was home today and we were watching the game together. In fact he refused to leave for his class until the game was over, so he was 30 minutes late for a 3 hour class. But he left happy.

It was nerve wracking. Game could have gone either way for most of the game and especially at the end. Maggie's bus arrived in the bottom of the 9th with two men on and the tying run at the plate. I ran down to get her and get the report from the school nurse as quickly as I could because I wanted to see what happened.

Maggie had her school pictures with her. When I saw the orange shirt in the pictures, I figured it was a good omen for the Giants. And indeed about 30 seconds after she arrived upstairs, the game ended and the Giants won the Divisional Series and now proceed to the National league championships.

I think the Giants owe her.

Christmas in April

                                                                          Palm trees in front of AT&T park


On Friday evening, we used our Christmas present from Eddie. He gave the rest of the family tickets to the Giants-Padres game. It was a great gift and he took care to make sure the tickets were in a wheelchair accessible place and  included a parking pass so that Maggie could be part of the fun.  Quite generous and very thoughtful.

There was a slight hitch in the planning when I realized a couple of weeks ago that I  lost the tickets he sent, but with all these new fangled computers and bar scanning, the tickets were easily replaced. Of course I had to come clean with Eddie that I lost his generous gift before I could get the information I needed to get them replaced. That was embarrassing, and I was on the receiving end of a lecture I have delivered many times about being careless with my things. Turning my words back on me was a little bonus for Eddie.  When the new tickets arrived I carefully placed them in a very safe place - this time one I could remember.

Friday was a PERFECT day in San Francisco which was great because the nights can be very cold at the Giants games and I was concerned about Maggie. She was fine, though, and we were off.  Maggie was excited to be in all her Giants gear and hanging with Tim as we prepared to go.

This is how gorgeous things were when we arrived, beautiful views and big smiles.

Maggie did get a bit cold in the 5th and we added the stocking cap to complete her look

Our seats were on the club level which has an indoor area where the food vendors are. She and I went inside for a bit and she had a meltdown. I think it was just sensory overload, the crowds, the cold night air (which was very mild by SF standards), the constant noise punctuated by the cheering, etc. We also had an obnoxious drunk in front of us who ended arguing with the usher for an inning or so before getting ejected from the stadium. That was distracting for us and I'm sure Maggie picked up on that. (We had good laughs at his expense later, though.)  After she recovered from her meltdown, we went back to where our seats were but stayed inside so she could get used to the idea of going back out.

When she saw Steve and Tim sitting there she wanted to join them. (you can see the space for her wheelchair there)

Maggie made it until the 8th inning, which is far longer than I expected. She and I slowly made our way to the car and Steve and Tim watched the end of the game. By the time I got her out of the stadium, fed and loaded into the van we probably only waited 10 minutes.

The Giants lost the game, but it didn't matter, we had a great time. While driving home we decided we have to do an annual family trek to the park. We all go to several games a year, but we don't all go together and we almost never bring Maggie. It's a lot for her, but she had a great time.

Now I just have to get Eddie to pony up a gift like that every year. Better yet, we have to do it when he and Grace can join us.

.

Blast for the Past

I have been going through old pictures and cracking up.  I found this one of Maggie in probably 1997 or 1998, making her three or four years old. We are at the Giant's Game - and this is in Candlestick, before the new stadium was completed. She was having a great time.

I should probably wait to post this for opening day of the Baseball season next month,  but I will likely forget if I don't do it now. I do miss those curls. That's Eddie with his ever present buzz cut in the foreground.

Grandpa Frank

In my father's retirement years he was "discovered" by a talent agent while walking through a mall with my mom. He started an acting carer which consisted of occasional commercials and several "extra" roles in movies. Generally he was in the background somewhere and you never really saw him unless you knew were to look (which we ALWAYS did). There was one movie, Angels in the Outfield  where he had a real role, though no speaking lines. He played the third base coach in that movie. He was visible numerous times and actually had one frame with just his face. I can tell you it is very strange to see your dad's face on a movie screen that's as big as a house.

The movie came out in 1994 (the year Maggie was born) and was filmed in The Oakland Coliseum. I remember going over there after a court appearance all dressed up like a lawyer and watching the filming for a while. It was fun for everyone, but no one more than my dad.When the movie came out on video the boys used to watch it over and over shouting "There's Grandpa" whenever his face was on the screen. They knew when it was coming and each tried to beat the other by yelling it first.

Eddie recently happened upon the movie on DVD and bought it. He watched it last night, while wearing the very same  hat Grandpa wore in the movie. He kept texting me lines from the movie. I was sitting at the Giants game with Tim and Steve and we were all laughing at the lines which were especially ridiculous out of context. .

Then he must have stopped his movie to take a picture of the one shot featuring my dad's face. which he sent to my phone. The message that accompanied this picture from his television screen. 


"Miss him. But he sure does look Gangster in that hat." 


I laughed out loud. My dad was many things, but "gangster" was not one of them.


My dad was told to look shocked as a runner is bearing down on him. After raising seven kids, nothing really shocked him, but he pulled it off. He was a natural

Eddie said he stilled yelled "THERE'S GRANDPA!" every time he came on and wondered if that was weird. Not to me, but I know his girlfriend was a bit confused. 


Eddie said in a later text that seeing Grandpa (who died in 2007) moving around on the big screen kind of bummed him out - but I told him he completely make my night. . 

Timmy's pitching

Maggie does not watch television. She cannot see it very well and cannot process all the moving parts. Tonight she was right next to the tv and was fascinated by the Giants game. I shot this short video  because she wouldn't take her eyes from the game. Once she realized I had the camera, though, it was a different story. (Ham). We did put in her "yes" and "no" signs at the beginning so people would understand what she is saying.

Right now the Giants are down 2-1 in the bottom of the 9th. So I can't tell you for sure if her prediction came true

Dynamite

This video has been every where the past few days. This kid, Keenan Cahill has a number of videos and he just lip syncs and makes hilarious faces. (find his version of Teenage Dream - it's hilarious). 

This one features two of the SF Giants, Brian Wilson (fear the beard) and Cody Ross (Ross is Boss). Lou Seal, the Giants mascot is also prominently featured. They are donig a fundraiser for Keenan, who has a rare genetic disorder called Maroteaux-Lamy Syndrome, also known as MPS-VI. This disorder, which affects one in 25,000 people, has no known cure. Those with the disorder usually stop growing at about age 8 and are characterized by a shortened trunk and restricted movement.  Keenan, who's 16, is using his unusual looks to make people laugh and now he's raising money. This video has over a million hits and they just showed parts of it on national tv. 

Good for all of them. 

It's bizarre - as are all of Keenan's videos, but it makes me laugh. There's a short outtake at the end that's pretty good too. 

http://youtu.be/iwYZ3LHHERI

Be the Change and BEAT LA!

This blog is Maggie’s world and I do not usually use it for anything else, but Maggie wants a day off and there is something else on my mind.

The dreaded Dodgers come to town Monday night.  The Giants lost 3 out of 4 games to them last weekend and need to even that up with this series.  It could be a bitter battle, as it always is with these two teams.  However, that battle has to be on the field, not in the parking lot or on the street surrounding the game. The battle is between the players, not the fans.

Last weekend San Francisco Giants fan Bryan Stow was critically injured in a beating at Dodger Stadium. He was beaten by two thugs simply because he was a Giants fan.  He is still in the hospital and I hope he will make a complete recovery, but he may have life altering injuries because of brain damage sustained in the beating.  There are websites devoted to information about Bryan Stow, which I encourage you to check out. (www.support4stow.blogspot.com and http://www.support4bryanstow.com )

This is not baseball.  Baseball is fun. Baseball is wide-eyed kids watching the game while eating hot dogs and peanuts.  It is America’s pastime. It is a lazy summer evening  sitting in a bone chilling thick fog, wrapped up in a blanket while drinking hot chocolate.  (Note: That last one may be different outside of San Francisco.)

 This is criminal and if it continues, no one will want to go to baseball games.  For the safety of the fans and the good of the game, it has to change.  Ghandi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”  San Francisco fans can change it today and we can show the world what champions really are. You don’t want Giants fans to get beat up? Then don’t even think about revenge.  Rise above it.  Be the change.

This week San Francisco has an opportunity to show the dreaded Dodgers and those thugs what we are made of.  San Francisco is not seeking revenge or pay back for Bryan Stow. No one wearing any Dodger blue will be harmed in any way. They will be jeered and booed; insults will fly along with peanuts and beer. However, no one will be hurt because this is San Francisco and we are classier than that.  We will not stoop to that level.

I am pretty sure Ghandi HATED the Dodgers, but when he said, “beat LA” he was talking about the field.

  

Giant Getaway

Maggie was a little better on Friday and Steve assured me he could handle things here, so I decided it was ok to take my 24 hour trip to Los Angeles.  I was leaving early Saturday morning. I wasn’t 100% confident about leaving Maggie.  My stomach hurt terribly from what I know was a case of the nerves.  I can be my own worst enemy.  I tried to ignore it, but it definitely made sleep difficult on Friday night. 

We went. Tim and I flew to Orange County to meet up with Eddie and his girlfriend, Grace. The four of us headed to the Giants Dodgers game at Dodger stadium. I never get to spend any time with the boys so this was very unusual.  We had a great time. Check them out in the 2d inning.

We were aware of the violent incidences at Dodger Stadium on opening night. It seems some Dodger fans do not appreciate fans of other teams – or at least Giants fans – coming to their park. One individual in Giants gear was badly beaten on Thursday night simply because he was a Giants fan. (there is a blog and facebook page to offer him well wishes or donate to help with his mounting medical bills at support4stow.blogspot.com) This wanton violence leaves a man fighting for his life and it seems a little unclear on the concept of competition to me. There are thugs everywhere, I suppose, but all he did was go to a baseball game.  We were going to a day game and certainly did not expect to witness it first hand. But we did. Nothing in comparison to the attack on this man, but violence nonetheless.

The four of us were waiting in line to enter the stadium when Tim was violently shoved by a dodger fan who said “Hey, you’re in Dodger Stadium now.”  The guy simply barreled through the line targeting Tim apparently because of his Giants shirt. He lowered his shoulder into Tim’s chest and shoved, pushing Grace out of the way in the process. Tim has both class and common sense; he refused to respond and, thanks to that, nothing happened.  In another show of class, the guy behind Tim in line just shook his head and apologized to Tim on behalf of Los Angeles. Tim’s sore chest hurt a little less with every run the Giants scored in their 10-0 rout of the Dodgers. (The only game the Giants won in a four game series).

We made it back to the car without incident. Of course there weren’t any Dodger fans to be found by then. They had all left the game several innings earlier because their team was losing.  Look at all the empty seats around us in the 7th inning. We headed back down I-5 to Orange County, went out to dinner, and went in the hot tub.

I checked in at home. Maggie was better still and saying over and over on her dynavox “Mom, come see Maggie.” 

 The stress was replaced with guilt, but  THAT I can handle. 

My Heart Grew Three Sizes that Day

How is it that I spent Tuesday afternoon at UCSF Benihoff Children’s Hospital spreading Holiday cheer and came home with gifts for Maggie, who is not even a patient? How is it that I came away more in awe of the brave children in the hospital and the tired families who support them?

Mostly it’s due to my young friend Justin, who is stuck in the hospital for Christmas. I met Justin because his mom and I are both on the Family Advisory Council for UCSF. Both of our kids are “frequent flyers” or regular patients at UCSF. Now that we have everything set up at home, we are able to keep Maggie out of the hospital more than in past years. We are up there a lot, but it is mostly as an out patient.  Justin totally wins the frequent flyer miles, and he can HAVE them. Apparently he is now donating some of those points he’s racked up and giving away his swag. What a kid!

Like many kids in the hospital at this time of year, Justin is receiving gifts from several sources; he is benefiting from the kindness of various groups and individuals who remember the sick kids at Christmas.  One of those gifts was a stuffed Grinch, which is pretty cool. He insisted I take the Grinch and give it to Maggie because she would enjoy it more than he would. Wow. That’s some kind of generosity.

Justin has cystic fibrosis and he has been in the hospital more than he has been out this year. He had an opportunity to go home on Tuesday, but this very mature 14 year old boy opted to stick with the original plan, finish the regimen he’s on and try to avoid (yet another) return trip to the hospital in a week or so. That means he will be there over Christmas, but it doesn’t matter. He wants to get better and do everything to make that happen. His parents Tina and Rob hang out with him as much as possible taking shifts away from their business and do what they can to make it work.

The three of them are a team fighting this disease with all their might. They fight for Justin specifically and raise money for research to cure cystic fibrosis (CF), which is a gruesome disease. There is a lot of progress and advances in fighting CF and this family won’t stop until there’s a cure. In addition to the cool Grinch, Maggie got a t-shirt with “Climb for the Cure” to fight CF, one of dozens they were giving away.  This family is tireless in their fight. This picture was taken when we stopped in for a visit after the CF walk that took place at Crissy Field in May. Justin's family was barbecuing and about half the nurses from UCSF were part of Team Justin helping to raise money.  

In the hundreds of hospital admissions and stays Maggie has had in her life, we have never been in the hospital at Christmas. She spent her first Christmas Eve in the ER and I had to fight to take her home, (see Maggie World: No Admission), because after all she and her brothers had been through that first year, I was not going to have her in the hospital at Christmas unless she needed the ICU. I managed to talk them out of admitting her, went home for Christmas and I think she was admitted on the 26^th of December. Seeing all these families facing the Holiday in the hospital was surprisingly difficult for me. I know how it feels to be stuck in the hospital; you are exhausted, worried, tense etc. You want to make everything great for your child and you can’t. Top all of that off with missing the Christmas festivities and it is too much. 

As fun as it sounds, my attempt to spread Holiday cheer at the hospital was not just going into kids’ rooms and stealing their gifts. There was a cookie party planned for Tuesday afternoon. Many of us brought cookies to offer a short break to parents whose children are admitted to UCSF Benihoff Children’s Hospital for the Christmas Holiday.  It’s nice to offer something nice at what is such a low point for so many families.

 The cookies were great, but they turned out to be just the dessert. Brian Wilson, pitcher for the SF Giants (FEAR THE BEARD) took the whole party up several notches and donated an entire turkey dinner with all the trimmings for the families stuck in the hospital. A meal like that is an incredible gift at any time, but to do it now, at Christmas, is amazing.

 I have to tip my hat to Brian Wilson because unless you were at that party or you are reading this blog, no one is going to know he did that. Well, Brian, I know. And I think it’s very cool. Fear the beard? Pshaw! You’re just an old softie.  Oh and by the way, Bri, I know a certain Giants fan with the same generous spirit as you. His name is Justin. Pop in and say hello.