clanMcGraw.com

Some really good news to report today: Diane was discharged from the hospital yesterday. She came home in the middle of all the bad weather that hit Tuscaloosa yesterday.

And now, the frustrating news: About an hour after she was home, she got a call from UAB. They were placing her on alert, that they might have a kidney available. That’s great news, but very frustrating because she had to tell them that she would not be able to receive it, due to the graft surgery that she was recovering from.

The positive things that we’ll take from this are that Diane’s still on the transplant list, and that she received a call about 9 months after the last one. We’re praying that it won’t be another 9 months, and that she’ll be able to move forward with this.

For the past few years, I’ve thought long and hard about participating in a Lenten fast. I know many fellow Believers - both Protestant and Catholic - who participate in this ritual every year. But I always forget about it until the last minute, or struggle with what to “give up.”

This year, I found my sacrifice. From now until after Easter, you will not see me on Facebook.

I have one friend who, yearly, gives up something that is “possibly addicting” (his words, not mine). Those words have always echoed in my ears. I have found that Facebook is becoming, to be transparent, a little bit of an addiction for me. I can access it from a PC. From my cell phone. From my ipod. I love all of your memes, notes, old photos, and just learning more and more about old and new friends. But I’m officially giving it up for 40 days. My goal is to spend the time that I would have spent on FB in Bible study and prayer.

Now, just to clarify, I still plan on blogging at clanMcGraw.com. I’ll also continue posting on Twitter. Both of those activities are set up to show up as new Notes and status updates on Facebook. So you’ll still see activity there. But I won’t see any of your notes, responses, or comments. If you’d like to follow up, you’re welcome to do so here or via email.

Just talked with Amanda. Her mom is out of surgery. The surgeon was able to ‘clean out’ the graft, and actually indicated that everything looked pretty good. Thanks for all of your prayers. Please continue to remember Diane as she’ll need a few days in the hospital to recover from this.

Amanda called a little while ago. There’s definitely something wrong with Diane’s graft. So, she will be headed back into surgery tomorrow (Sunday) morning at 7:30. The surgeon will attempt to repair/remove/replace the graft. It’s definitely a setback from where were hoping she’d be, but we’re praying that the surgeon will be able to get us back on the right track. We’d greatly appreciate it if you’d join us in that prayer.

Amanda got a call this morning from her brother, who said that the Doctor has been unable to hear any blood flowing through the graft. Diane’s had issues with low blood pressure, so we’re not sure if it’s because of that, or if the graft has closed down. If they are unable to get blood flowing through the graft, then they will have to do surgery again, to either try and open it or remove it altogether.

Definitely not what we were hoping for. Please pray that the graft would function as it should.

(To bring everyone up to speed… Diane had surgery yesterday to place a graft in her arm. It just dawned on me that I talked about this on Twitter and Facebook, but not on clanMcGraw.com. The 2.0 wave just keeps growing).

Diane had a good night last night. She was complaining about her arm a little bit, but I think that was to be expected. She’s in the hospital for today at least, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she is kept over the weekend, just observation.

Thanks to everyone for remembering her in your prayers. We’re praying that the recovery is quick and with no complications. That would be a first!

“God is Dead” - Nietzsche

“Nietzsche is Dead” - God

“The Bad News Is God Doesn’t Exist. The Good News Is You Don’t Need Him.” - Bus Campaign

“Really? Good luck with that bus campaign.” - God

(HT: Fish with Trish)

If you find graphs and numbers boring, here’s something for you. It’s US Home prices, adjusted for inflation, plotted as a roller coaster.

Enjoy the ride. Feel free to enjoy The Ohio Players as you watch.

(HT: Tam)

A SQL query walks into a bar and sees two tables.

He walks up to them and says ‘Can I join you?’

(HT: Tom Kyte)