I'll take Hodge Podge for $200, Alex.

* My cousin called me yesterday morning to tell me that my aunt was in the hospital for an irregular heartbeat. She had passed out while eating dinner at a restaurant Friday night. She then left the phone number of the room that she was in so I called to check on her and other than trying to restrain her usual loud speaking voice in a hospital setting, she sounded fine. Big A and I stopped in to see her later in the day and hung out with her for a bit, discussing politics (as she was being admitted through the E.R., the doctor was checking her coherency and asked her who the president was. She said she refused to say that S.O.B's name. The doctor then said that she was definitely not incoherent) and just their overall dislike of the healthcare system. Before I visited, I was troubled by something that my aunt had said on the phone. She is scheduled to have dye injected into her heart today to see if there is any blockage and she mentioned that my uncle couldn't be there due to work. I told Big A that if something that serious happens to me, I want him there even if it is just to sit in the waiting room for an hour. She also told my other cousin not to bother to visit because who likes to visit a hospital but again, I wasn't raised that way. I couldn't not visit and not feel guilty about it. It was just a natural thing to schedule a stop in while I was out doing errands. She is the type that would tell someone not to bother to visit but secretly want them to. The funny part was that on our way out, I ran into my brother and sister-in-law on their way up to see her. While I think others can see how we were raised more clearly than we can, when I saw him heading up with some flowers, I felt that my parents did well with us even if as a youngster, I told my mom that she shouldn't have had him because she was too old to discipline him correctly.

* Yesterday night, my cousin who called initially and who lives 3 hours away, called me to thank me for stopping by to see her and how much my aunt enjoyed it. She then tried to talk to me about feeling what it's like to perhaps lose your mother because this is the first time that she's been in a hospital. Much like my mother was, they were both in really good health for most of their life. She then tried to express this bond that she feels with me now because of it. I was really uncomfortable with it because losing your mother at 28 is not like losing one when you're 50. Thankfully, the topic of conversation soon changed. I once prided myself on the one positive thing about this was that I was a good resource for my friends when they lost parents. My discomfort makes me think that perhaps that is not entirely accurate.

* I just finished reading the book No Country For Old Men which went on to win quite a few awards at last night's Oscar ceremony. Big A has seen the movie but not read the book so what I gleaned from him, it's quite an accurate adaptation of the book. In fact, I think it won an Oscar for Best Adaptation. Big A thought the movie was great and will be buying it when it's released on DVD. I don't know if I want to see all the gore that was in the book and I wonder if the movie will be as philosophical as the book is. The serial killer was an interesting character in the book.

* I heard recently that there are more guns in the U.S. than adults. I'm rather disturbed by that. It makes me want to watch (and review) the movie, American Gun. A man's daughter is killed by one so he gets on a mission to track the history of it. It's very interesting.

* Another disturbing fact...I'm discovering that I have more in common with Dilbert than I had in the past. Before I know it, I'll be owning the movie, Office Space.