Update on Mom

William,

Just a quick update on Mom, I took her to Kaiser yesterday evening. She is back on the antibiotics, so the saga continues. She has a follow up appointment on Monday. She is a bit bummed out about the recurrence, but other wise fine. The good news is no hospital, no IV drip, and it is beginning to look better after a few doses of antibiotics.

Not much else new. The car is giving me problems – something to do with the heat. I always have problems in the middle of a hot afternoon. I got stuck in the parking lot in the Randolph Hill Shopping Center on Boiling Brook Parkway. To top it off, in my frustration I locked the keys in the car. AAA came to tow the car, but forgot the kit to break into the car. They sent another truck with the kit, so it wasn’t too bad. The kit was interesting. First they tape the hinge of the door to protect the paint from the wedge. They pyre the door a little, then feed an air bag into the crack. They pump up the air bag, and presto the door opens enough to feed in a hook to pull open the lock.

OK, that’s it for now; I just wanted to fill you in on Mom.

Love you, miss you, and take care down there.

Dad

A Joke

Hello William,

Greetings from the center of the universe, or rather the fantasy land of the Bushies, although my mother holds firmly to the belief that the sun revolves around Pittsburgh.

So, how is your adventure going?

I have a joke for you.

Two women meet at the pearly gates waiting to be admitted to heaven. The first one asks the second, ‘How did you die?’ The second woman responds, “I froze to death, and how about you?’

The first woman answers, ‘I came home early from work because I suspected that my husband was having an affair. I found my husband on the couch calmly watching TV. Still suspicious I ran around the house like a mad woman; I checked the closet, the basement, and under the beds, and finally I ran up to check the attic. While running up the steps I had a heart attack and died.’

The second woman responds, ‘That’s a shame, if you had check the freezer we’d both be alive.’

It’s early Saturday morning, Andrew has SAT practice in a few hours, I am planning on a bike ride to Capitol Hill. I rode down last week, but this week I want to explore. I want to ride all the way back to RFK Stadium. It’s a fairly large area. But with my trusty Bianchi Volpe distance is not an obstacle.

Einstein had it first football game last night – they beat Wheaton – 20 zip. In fact, Wheaton conceded with five minutes left in the game. Sounds strange, doesn’t it? Twenty to nothing is a thumping, but conceding with five minutes to go?

We think Mom’s infection is back. The spots are back and her leg is swollen. She started the antibiotics again – what a pain, but hopefully she caught it in time. We are waiting to hear from the doctor. No need to worry, the doctor had given her a prescription for the antibiotics with instructions to begin them immediately if the infection raises its ugly head.

Thanks for giving me permission for Facebook. It was actually a mistaken request. I joined Facebook because one of my Spanish practice groups just set up a Facebook page; and in the setup process I accidentally sent out invites or requests to friends in my address book. Andrew has ignored me, but I’m actually glad you didn’t ignore me, because Mom and I were able to see the photographs your fellow students posted on your page from Chile. Nice shots! Mom was thrilled. The photos give us a real sense of what you are up to and the environment in which you are studying. The desert is impressive; we topped it off last night by watch Motorcycle Diaries, with scenes shot in the Atacama.

Chris and Raven have accepted our invitation for Thanksgiving; so the Shields’ Shire will morph into MaraNation. I’m sure that Rob and Jeannie will come; Vickie usually goes to visit her relatives in Ashville for holidays. I’m sure the Bill, Jennifer and Nora will be here, if we’re in town and Mom is cooking; they will be here. Neil and Robin will probably be in Charlotte. Robin’s Mom is on death door. She has returned from the hospital, and they have arranged hospice care at the house. It is especially difficult on Neil and Robin since her mother has advanced Alzheimer’s so she doesn’t know where she is – I’m not sure whether or not she recognizes Neil and Robin. As difficult as it is for everyone concerned it is better the hospital, and when she understands where she is, Robin’s mother is happy.

So, that’s about it for today. Write soon, and with my usual adieu…

Love you, miss you, and take care down there.

Dad

Welcome Back from the Desert

Welcome back from the desert. I can imagine the stars, once I was out on a boat and the sky just happened to be filled with stars that night; but still, probably not like what you saw. Was there shooting stars?

Anyways, glad to hear you had a good trip. It gets quiet in the middle of nowhere, doesn’t it? Thanks for the Cameron help; it never came to me.

I have never heard the expression ‘Que fome’ can you translate. It is either a unique Spanish expression or I just missed it somewhere along the way.

Andrew got his cast off.

Everything is quiet here, oh, by the way, James has a web site on the wedding. It is www.jamesandjulie.org. Not much else new, just was saying hi. I’ll write later.

Love you, miss you, and take care down there.

Dad

Skype Is Working!

William,

Skypes should be working, your account is open and you have $10.00 of credit let me know when you need more. You also have a Paypal account.

Love you, Miss you, and take care down there.

Dad

AmEx

Hi William,

I hope all is well, and that you are having a great time in Atacama.

I can’t find the copy I made of your Am Ex card. I need the info to finish setting up your Skype account. Please send me the #, the expiration date and the security code. The security code is on the front in the upper right hand corner – it is a four digit number in white. For security purpose please send the information in three separate emails; i.e., the number in one email, the date in another, and the code in a third.

Thanks, I will write more soon. Love you, miss you, and take care down there.

Dad

By the way, check out www.williamjohnshields.blogspot.com for the sights and sounds of the Kensington Labor Day Parade.

Labor Day & The State Fair

Hi William,

Just a quick note to let you know we are thinking of you on Labor Day.

Mom went to the State Fair in Timonium yesterday with Rob and Vickie, spent the night, and dined at the Owl Bar in the Belvedere Hotel on Charles Street. From Moms description it reminds me of a shabby version of the Algonquin Hotel in New York City. She got back in time to meet me at the Labor Day Parade in Kensington. The parade was the usual and fun. We went with the Ivories, and meet the Doherty there. Nora just returned from a visit to Marquette University in Milwaukee. It’s Catholic, Jesuit and in the Midwest. It also has an excellent program in speech therapy.

Andrew spent last night at Daniels, so he sort of met us at the festival after the parade; actually, he meet his friends and said hello to us in passing. He is doing well. He is in the throws of the SAT course. He is finally getting serious about driving. He is now in a hurray to get his license. Of course, he has to renew his learners permit first. On Thursday he will have his cast removed.

I spoke to Chris today. He is having a tough time of it, Raven, lack of work, exhaustion. He sends his greeting. He may come to Washington for Thanksgiving. It looks like this year will be a Mara Thanksgiving. The Maybe the entire clan will descend on Wheaton for the Holiday. It will be a strange Thanksgiving for you. Chile does not celebrate Thanksgiving, at least not our Thanksgiving. But I imagine your group will have some sort of celebration.

The only thing else going on today, the grass cutting – in the back yard it was more of a dust storm; it’s been so dry.

Anyway, as I said, just a short note. And remember…

Love you, miss you, and take care down there.

Dad

Atacama, and El Norte

Hi William,

Good morning. I assume you are viewing the wonders of the Atacama today. Viewing the salt mountains; the flamencos; feeling the driest place on earth suck the moisture out of you, what is the agenda of these trips? Do you have any free time to explore? Do you have classes? Tell us about a typical day of your adventure.

Not much new here. Labor Day weekend, I have an intercambio in about an hour with a Spanish professor of electrical engineering; he is currently doing research at a university in England. I jokingly call him the ‘spanish nazi,’ a la the ‘soup nazi.’ I like him but he is very intense – very anxious about learning English. Actually he is doing great. It is his second stint in England. This time for six months, the first time he only stayed three months. My intercambios with him are not very relaxed – he corrects every mistake, and he types as we talk, but he is great. The intercambios are helping my Spanish enormously. Speaking of which, I have one intercambios that may be of interest to you. This connection just started in the last few days. Isabel Saavedra Trijillo is a professor of English at - you guessed it, Diego Portales – rather the English institute at Diego Portales. She is not a regular faculty – an adjunct of some sort. She is from Colombia and married to a Chilean gentleman, which is her reason for living in Santiago. She lives in Las Condes very near the Parque Arauco – not actually a park, but rather a big mall. Anyways, she said that if you need anything please get in touch with her and she means it. I’m sure you won’t but it was nice of her to offer. I spoke to her yesterday; she told me that this winter has been the coldest in Santiago in forty years, but that Saturday was ‘magnifico’. She said that the pollution is bad in Santiago in the winter.

Everyone is well, Andrew had a SAT class yesterday, Mom washed and waxed both cars, and I went on a bike ride to Capitol Hill. Did you know that there was a fire at Eastern Market? They have to rebuild, the vegetables stands have moved outside. I’m not sure where the meat stands have gone. They will rebuild, it wasn’t burnt to the ground, but the roof is gone. Rob and Vickie came to dinner for Andrew’s birthday. Andrew also invited Matt and Owen for dinner; as they say, a good time was had by all. Matt and Owen are beginning to grow on me. Matt reminds me of Mathew Broderick’s sidekick in… Now I can’t remember the name of the movie, The one Jennifer Gray played his sister. You know the one Broderick plays the coolest kid in school. It is very good, a classic example of kids role parents drool movie. Anyway, it will come to me, probably five minutes after I sent this letter.

Today, Mom is going to Baltimore to go to the Maryland State Fair with Rob – they want to see the animals – Rob said something about a pig race. Something tells me that Vickie will take a pass on the excursion to the Fair. I think I’ll pass; although it would present a good photo opportunity. Mike expects his weekly trek through the wilds of Wheaton Regional, the grass needs cut, and Andrew has no interest in the State Fair. Monday - it’s the Kensington Labor Day Parade.

Otherwise all is normal, quiet, the end of summer, the heat has broken, the birds are singing, and the windows are open. So until next time…

Love you, miss you, and take care of yourself down there.

Dad