Post 100 Already?

I was kind of hoping my hundreth post would be a little more substantial, but that hope, much like some of my hopes for spring break, has been dashed.

First, the good that came out of break:

• Both midterm exams are now finished.  I felt really stupid when I figured out the last problem I was working on.  The solution to the problem I've been working on all week: three lines.
• The weather.  Nothing else to be said.
• The Terps actually won last night and didn't pull a Georgetown, so they face Michigan State on Sunday night.

Now, the not so good:

• Plans to get people together this week--aborted.  Granted, I did wait too late to try to put something together.  But I was hoping something would have come out of it.
• Reports from back home are not so good.  Based on what my mom told me last night, the inevitable phone call is going to be in a week, maybe two; not much more.  On that note, my mom and aunt made most of the funeral plans this week.

Yeah, I almost hate to say it, but except for getting the midterms finished, this year's break was almost a waste.  Well, at least I don't have to spend the summer studying for qualifying exams this year.

Could Have Done Without That Call

Today's update: my grandmother is on morphine (a dose every two hours) to try to alleviate the pain so that she can eat.  Apparently, her appetite had not gotten any better since I saw her on Friday.  Also, her mental capacity has taken a bit of a nosedive, as she hasn't been able to remember things my aunt and mom have told her.
So with my aunt in town this week, she and my mom made preliminary arrangements with the funeral home (picking the casket, naming pallbearers, etc.).

Yeah, today's update from home was bad and a clear juxtaposition with the weather around here lately.

A Needed Respite

Long story short: last week was bad.  After about a week and a half of tests and care, the doctors gave my grandmother weeks to live.  She has left the hospital and is now in a nursing home for the next couple of weeks, and provided she gains her strength back (which is kind of hard considering she is having trouble eating due to stomach pains, probably due to the tumor), she will probably end up in hospice care for the remainder.  Yeah, fun times for my family.

Thus, this past weekend was very important to my mental and emotional stability.  Friday night, after visiting my grandmother in the hospital again, I served as judge for the Frederick County Academic Tournament (congratulations to the team from Linganore).  According to my old ATT advisor, Mr. Koepke, the math questions over the past few years had gotten a bit easy, and he said he noticed an up-tick in the difficulty level mid-season, i.e., when I started writing them.  So if he gets his way, this question-writing gig may last awhile.

But more importantly, for the first time since before the semester started, I saw some of my college friends.  A night out with Jon, Jess, Janice, Janice's friend Jess, Gina, Laura, and Nick was very helpful in taking my mind off family affairs.  So, I thank you seven for helping me out, whether you knew you were doing so or not.

Okay, one last push before spring break (and work on a presentation and a take-home exam).

Things You Don't Want to Hear from a Doctor

"I don't like to put timelines on things like this, but we don't measure it in years, and we don't measure it in months."

--The oncologist to my mom and other relatives on my grandmother's condition