The Latest on The Greatest :c)

Greetings all! It is Cass again.

Apologies for the delay between posts; it has been quite busy in my little corner of the world. (Mostly good, thankfully!)

Concerning "The Greatest" in the post title...

April had a very, very difficult time over the weekend, I am sorry to say.

Happily, though, she is feeling better.

Finally.

Before writing this post, I asked April what she would like me to share with all of you.

"I don't think I can quite put it into words yet," she replied.

Instead, she asked if I could post the following clips in lieu of her own thoughts for the time being:

Those were somewhat tongue-in-cheek, needless to say. :c) (I hope!)

But poor April really did go through an extraordinarily difficult ordeal last week.

While still weak, she is feeling much better the past few days, happily.

I can always tell because her sense of humor is back. :c)

Here is a small sample from late afternoon yesterday.

To set the stage, you need to know a few things:

April is obsessed with zombies.

She is somewhat conservative politically.

I am from Boston, a/k/a Moscow on the Charles. lol

(That's OK; we love each other anyway!)

And with that:

April: Off for my pre-dinner zombie shuffle around the outside of the clinic, sis.

Cass: Think of it as good practice for the real thing, when you need to blend in.

April: It is inevitable.

Cass: Sad but true.

April: Not too late to join the NRA, Cass.

Cass: Disqualified; I live too close to Harvard.

***

I will conclude this with a brief personal note.

April endured excruciating pain and discomfort for most of last week.

I can scarcely imagine how difficult it was for her.

(Although she has vowed to do what is necessary to make her laugh as I apparently made her laugh:

"When you are here," she told me, "I will make it my solemn duty to tell jokes, dirty limericks, perform physical comedy... whatever is takes to double you over.")

("Also, I will bring chips and creme soda too. :c)"

(Hey, we may fight like sisters... but creme soda trumps all!)

Yet she not only persevered, she did so with what I have come to recognize as her singular combination of grace, determination, and courage.

She is one tough cookie.

And I am proud to call her my sister.

Love you, hon!

Steve the Monkey & Piggy Wiggly Meet the Queen of Pain

Hi everyone! It's your substitute blogstress, Cass, checking in once again with another April update.

I am pleased to introduce Piggly Wiggly and Steve the Monkey, respectively, in the photo above. April's daughters insisted that they tag along so she would have company in Montreal. In turn, April loaned *them* her teddy bear, Virgil Exner - which seems only fair, really. :c)

April suggested the focus of this post be... pain. :(

She has had to endure a great deal of it in the past few days, I am afraid.

It comes in waves; it recedes somewhat after she is medicated, but returns yet again as they wear off.

Consequently, she has had very little sleep following her surgery. (I have the text messages in the middle of the night to prove it, alas.) And what sleep she can manage is fitful at best.

Her sense of humor is intact, fortunately, which is always a good sign. Several readers were concerned - quite rightly - about making her laugh unnecessarily. Needless to say, the instigator is - you guessed it - April!

I have mentioned that this may not be advisable... but the girl cannot help herself! Nonetheless, I shall try to refrain from following her lead. (Bad April! Bad April! lol)

She has said that the other girls there are wonderful, and they get along well. In fact, one went out for a walk and brought April back her beloved Doritos yesterday! I expressed awe - both that April can eat Doritos *and* that her roommate can venture outside so soon after her own surgery! Kudos to you both, ladies!

I will end with a self-portrait provided by our girl, taken yesterday:

"This is the only portrait *anyone* will have of me while I am here, Cass," she texted me. I must note that her fingers look quite fetching in spite of her fatigue, do they not? And that blue johnnie no doubt complements her blue eyes perfectly. Even in pain, she is hopelessly fashionable.

I will sign off for now. Here's wishing everyone in the States a Happy Fourth of July, and a Happy Thursday to everyone else!

Stay tuned for more!

***

Per April's request, a song from her favorite band, The Cramps:

The Day After :c)

Hi everyone, it's Cass again with another quick April update!

She had a difficult night, unfortunately. She was in a great deal of pain, and consequently was unable to sleep. 

We just chatted via text; she feels a bit better, but is still quite uncomfortable. Hopefully it will be short-lived.

In positive news... she took her first steps today! Yea!!! 

"Three laps around the room, sis!" she reported. I told her how proud I was of her... but she had fallen asleep again. :c) (I will forgive you, sis... *this* time. lol)

Her father stopped by today before departing for his return home. (Another friend is taking her home when she is discharged.) Once again I am so, so impressed with how wonderful he has been this entire journey. Why, I may even lop off one or two years of *my* Christmas list that they rightfully owe me, as their Irish-American daughter.

OK, probably not. But the fact that I was considering it speaks volumes. :c)

No doubt this is what everyone would expect from our April, but her sense of humor is intact, Here is one exchange from yesterday:

April: On waking after surgery I requested Doritos and Diet Pepsi... stat

Cass: And... ?

April: Received two saltines water.

Cass: Be sure to tell them you're never coming back.

April: I m sure they will lose a Michelin Guide star as a result of this.

Cass: No doubt. Logging on to Yelp right now to express my outrage on your behalf.

And one more from last night - this one a bit more adult (i.e. what constitutes 99% of our conversations). :c)

April: Hi sis. Waiting to get a shot. In considerable pain.

Cass: I'm sorry, sweetie. :c( Hope it is temporary. Please let me know when you feel better.

April: Will do. Remember that scene in Alien?

Cass: I was thinking of Scanners, but your reference also works.

April: Not my head that hurts, actually. lol

Cass: :D

April: APB - missing hot dog, short furry man, Identified by witness.

Cass: He goes by Dick. Dick Hertz.

And just in case we hadn't thoroughly revealed ourselves as the degenerates we both are, here is the video I promptly sent April... as soon as I finished laughing, that is. :c)

More updates and depravity to follow! Not necessarily in that order, of course... ;-P

Bonjour, Mademoiselle Avril!

She's out of surgery!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yea!!!!!!

She is very tired, but feels good.

Naturally, my priorities were in order.

First I said congratulations, and told her I loved her.

Then I started making fun of her. :c)

(Hey, she would do the same if the situation were reversed (someday, I hope!)) :c)

Here is a sample:

April: "Sorry. Hard to text with one hand."

Cass: "I am afraid to ask where the other hand is right now, to be honest."

April: Ha, Ha, ha. Smart ass. :-P

(For the record, she had no trouble firing off that last reply! lol)

I also sent her the following Far Side cartoons, based on seconds of careful research as to what they were doing while she was under:

And on that note, dear readers, I shall bid you adieu for now. On behalf of April, thank you for all of the warm thoughts and kind words!!!!

More details later tonight if April is up to it. :c)

Congratulations, sweetie!!!!!! Love you, girl!!!!!!!!! :c)