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Slang will eventually be fine. He is still in the ICU, but his condition is no longer life-threatening. He woke up on his own this morning and saw my friend J., his exgirlfriend. He knew who she was, who he was, what had happened, wanted to know the prognosis. Obviously not getting out of bed and doing cartwheels, but at this point we're just happy to have him back.

There is still swelling in his brain, and the doctors will be inducing a coma which will last 24-48 hours. They say this is to watch/controll the swelling and that it is highly controlled; we shouldn't worry. Thanks Doctor Benton - you work on bringing Slang out of the Shadow of the Valley, I can handle the worrying just fine.

Not trying to claim that all is hunky dory or anything, but as long as we're taking 2 steps forward and 1 step back and not the other way around, you won't hear me do much complaining.

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I still come back to the 'why' of all of this. I'm sure it is fruitless - there is no answer, just endless circles of rhetoric. But still I search for greater meaning.....

As I mentioned to someone earlier today, I don't think God begrudges me for asking why they would allow this to happen. Rather, I think I would have something legitimate to worry about if I took this all for granted (or all on faith) that there was a reason and that I didn't need to bother myself with what that reason was. In my mind it is that mental quest for understanding that serves to bring me closer to God. Sorry to wax all theologic there, but personal drama and good pasta will do that to a boy...

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Apparently the prick from Sunspot posted to a new thread apologizing to me and some others for his assumptions and general idiocy. (If you are confused, read the bottom of this "post. Follow the links)

I must admit, I read all the people kissing his ass and saying what a big person he was for recanting. How it took alot of guts to apologize. I almost fell for it. Really I did. I had my reply all typed out: "I agree, blah blah blah, at least you see the wrong of your ways, blah blah blah..." All that was left was for me to hit 'Submit' and all would have been over and done with. But then I realized that his earlier remarks were so callous that any retraction of them would be such a case of too-little-too-late that they didn't deserve to be dignified by my response. Others may be willing to forgive, but I'm reserving my right to not forgive. He may be genuinely sorry. He may also be a coward afraid to stick up for his beliefs (as fucked as they are) Regardless, he has reaffirmed why I don't associate with closed minded people. I see no need to change my policy now.

So there,

Mike