Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

The arc of the moral universe does not bend itself. it is up to us to bend it.

They want us to be overwhelmed and exhausted. Focus. Resist. Oppose.

Weird. Rome has an American Pope and America has a Russian President.

The Giant Orange Man Baby is having a bad day.

Hey hey, RFK, how many kids did you kill today?

You would normally have to try pretty hard to self-incriminate this badly.

Our job is not to persuade republicans but to defeat them.

Of course you can have champagne before noon. That’s why orange juice was invented.

Relentless negativity is not a sign that you are more realistic.

The republican caucus is covering themselves with something, and it is not glory.

Jesus, Mary, & Joseph how is that election even close?

Consistently wrong since 2002

If you still can’t see these things even now, maybe politics isn’t your forte and you should stop writing about it.

“Jesus paying for the sins of everyone is an insult to those who paid for their own sins.”

“What are Republicans afraid of?” Everything.

Fear and negativity are contagious, but so is courage!

I like political parties that aren’t owned by foreign adversaries.

Is it negotiation when the other party actually wants to shoot the hostage?

Hell hath no fury like a farmer bankrupted.

Many life forms that would benefit from greater intelligence, sadly, do not have it.

Dear media: perhaps we ought to let Donald Trump speak for himself!

The cruelty is the point; the law be damned.

“They all knew.”

Keep the Immigrants and deport the fascists!

You are here: Home / z-Retired Categories / Previous Site Maintenance / Holly Update

Holly Update

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She had surgery this morning, and they removed the aneurysm successfully, but there was some bleeding. Her vitals and I guess what are called electronic pulses remained stable through out the procedure, and Brooke just told me that her CT scan a bit ago was very good, and now they are just waiting for her to wake up.

Stopped her mail this morning, and since she was on vacation when this happened, her car is still in the airport parking lot, so dad and Harald Are going to go up tomorrow and pick that up so she doesn’t have an enormous bill and a car rusting out in an airport parking lot.

*** Update ***

By request:

hollymaine

Who doesn’t like a little lobster while in Maine?

Reader Interactions

71Comments

  2. 2.

    Scamp Dog

    Good news! And it’s great that she’s got friends taking care of these details so she can concentrate on physical recovery without too much additional stress.

  9. 9.

    newdealfarmgrrrlll

    thanks for the update! Holly has a lot of us lurkers sending healing vibes her way. Awesome that her car is being picked up, that would be stressing me major if i was unexpectedly in the hospital during a vacation. You can still officially be a curmudgeon, we’ll pretend we don’t notice the major good guy stuff going on here.

  10. 10.

    Elizabelle

    Good to hear. I hope Holly can show up some day and get into it with us. On whatever topic she chooses.

  11. 11.

    A.

    good to hear. hoping for the best of everything for her. she seems like an extraordinary person.

  12. 12.

    Violet

    Excellent news. And how lucky you all are to have such a good group of friends that can and will step up to help when needed. Best wishes to her for a strong recovery.

  13. 13.

    shelly

    Brain surgery is scary shit…but it sounds like she had a great doctor.
    *****
    Cole,if I ever have a medical emergency, I want you in my corner.

  14. 14.

    seefleur

    Great news – and as a lurker here, I have to concur with all those who have saluted Cole’s mensch-ishness. Plus, this place has some pretty awesome folks in it. Cheers to you all, and to all the goodness that comes from the BJ community.

  15. 15.

    Tokyokie

    Good news, Cole. I’m currently studying aneurysms and strokes in my nursing class, so I have an idea of what she’s going through. (Although aneurysms aren’t removed, they’re repaired so they’re no longer hemorrhaging and increasing intracranial pressure.)

  16. 16.

    aimai

    Congratulations to Holly and thank you for being such a beautiful friend. Your actions are a blessing not just to Holly, and not just to you, but to all of us. They fall on us like a benediction.

  17. 17.

    srv

    Well, great news, but

    removed the aneurysm

    I read all your clipping and coiling links yesterday and they didn’t say anything about removing.

    ed: Tokyokie, thx

  24. 24.

    Betty Cracker

    That sounds like very good news. She’s lucky to have friends looking out for her.

  26. 26.

    SiubhanDuinne

    This update is such a relief to read. Continued good thoughts to Holly and her family and SO, not to mention friends and colleagues. How wonderful, John, that you and your circle are taking care of the nittus-grittus like car park and accumulating mail, so Holly has one less thing to worry about.

    Someone upthread said that s/he wants you in her/his corner in case of a major health issue. I completely agree. We should all have champions as devoted and conscientious as you.

  28. 28.

    beabea

    Whew! Great news.

    I don’t comment much but I have been checking here several times daily for these Holly updates. There’s something about the BJ community that makes me care about people I have never met, as if they were my own friends in the real world.

    Stopped her mail this morning, and since she was on vacation when this happened, her car is still in the airport parking lot, so dad and Harald Are going to go up tomorrow and pick that up so she doesn’t have an enormous bill and a car rusting out in an airport parking lot.

    And that I think is why. Simple gestures coming from a deep well of thoughtfulness, humanity, and decency.

    Wishing Holly continued good progress and a complete recovery.

  32. 32.

    Laertes

    Very glad to hear that the operation was successful. Thanks for the update. Wishing her a speedy recovery.

  33. 33.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @beabea:

    There’s something about the BJ community that makes me care about people I have never met, as if they were my own friends in the real world.

    I’ve tried to explain this to a few people I know IRL. It’s not easy.

  36. 36.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @beabea:

    Simple gestures coming from a deep well of thoughtfulness, humanity, and decency.

    Could we just turn this into one of the rotating tags?

  37. 37.

    WaterGirl

    @SiubhanDuinne: Yes it was. It really touched me.

    On a lighter note, I did not notice you being exceptionally white when I saw the photo of you holding up your iPad to take a photo at (some lecture?).

  40. 40.

    JPL

    @raven: Thank you for the link. I had seen that earlier but it’s important to read that comment over and over. Bundy’s comments bother me because he believes them. He’s not alone because that is what talk radio and Fox have told us. A good friend, a really good friend who is black thought the civil war was because of states rights after listening to bozo boortz for years. She finally read the GA secession papers and changed her mind. Bundy’s comments suggest that blacks are moochers but ignores the plight of the working poor.
    The plight of the working poor should be color blind for all of us but they have to blame someone. Bundy seems to think the immigrants crossing the border because they have picnics, but what that tells me is he is using cheap labor and justifying it. It’s all about the money.

    edit.. sorry for the rant but I find bundy mentality sickening.

  42. 42.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @WaterGirl:

    Hahaha! That was a photo the New York Times ran to illustrate an article on Michelle Nunn’s campaign for Senate a couple of months ago. It was a back view of me holding up my iPad taking a photo of Nunn.

    I was actually talking about it earlier today because I had a hair appointment this afternoon and had told my regular haircutterdresserperson about the photo and said that it really didn’t portray his work at its best. And dug out the photo to show him. He tried not to cringe too much.

  43. 43.

    JWR

    This is too familiar. I had a stroke about two years ago, (recovering nicely, thank you very much), but when I was in the step down unit I not only wondered where I lived, but where the hell I’d parked my car. I thought it was in hospital parking running up a huge bill. That struck me as the most important thing to take care of until I realized that I’d managed to call 911 before I lost it completely and my car was at home, wherever that was.

    But sending good thoughts to Holly!

  45. 45.

    CaseyL

    Very good news, and glad to hear it!

    Instances like this – John and the rest of Holly’s friends rallying around her; the BJ commentariat adding good wishes for someone they’ve never met on behalf of someone few have met in person – really make me happy.

  46. 46.

    WaterGirl

    @JWR: I’m sorry, being in that state must have been very distressing for you. Glad you are recovering well.

  47. 47.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @WaterGirl:

    My hair looks great today! But probably for the last time until I go back to have it cut and styled in about 6-7 weeks.

    And yes, it is amazingly white. I guess at my age I shouldn’t be surprised, but it always gives me a leetle shock when I check the mirror.

  48. 48.

    WaterGirl

    @SiubhanDuinne: For what it’s worth, I mostly remembered the length, not that it was grey.

    I’m kind of mad at Cole (not really) because we don’t have another cool photo of Holly. She really does look like she has a light that shines for everyone to see.

  49. 49.

    Higgs Boson's Mate

    Good friends here. Great job Cole. Your attention to the details will ease Holly’s recovery. Hearing someone say “We’ve taken care of that,” is priceless.

  50. 50.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @WaterGirl:

    Did you see the one last night where a monkey was sticking his face in her face? That was cute.

    I agree about her luminous quality. Very few people have that, but Holly seems to be blessed with it.

  53. 53.

    John Cole

    @beabea: Good people coalesce around good people. It’s the only reason we survive a world with Joe the Plumber and Cliven Bundy and Sarah Palin and George Zimmerman.

    There is a reason there has needed to be so precious few bannings and timeouts- if you have a good community, it self polices. That’s why I have always had an open comments section. These things are self correcting if you get the right crowd, and when someone spew noxious bullshit, it reflects on them and people act appropriately towards the offender.

  54. 54.

    Constance

    Great news, John. Didn’t realize I’ve been sort of holding my breath since the first email about Holly. You are such a good soul. I’m so happy for Holly. Big smile!

  55. 55.

    Jay C

    Good news – and a serious excuse for congratulating our bloghost for being a thorough mensch – if the good wishes of the BJ commentariat are any indication, Holly will recover and get home soon, and aneurysm-free for the indefinite future…

    BTW: what hospital did she have the procedure at? New York has a number of superior medical facilities.

  58. 58.

    JWR

    @WaterGirl: Thanks. And yes, being in that state, and for so long, (I think it was nearly seven days before I came out of it), was quite the “adventure” shall we say? But strokes are no fun at all. Especially for a (non-pro) guitarist, so I can empathize with the guy from AC/DC.

  62. 62.

    Citizen_X

    Hooray for Holly! Three cheers for Cole!
    Hannity’s an ass, and Bundy’s on the dole!

    Oh, and it’s crawfish season down here on the Gulf. Imagine me in a bib, holding an equal mass of many little tiny lobsters.

  63. 63.

    columbusqueen

    Great news, John!

    I love the pictures of Holly–her sparkle & vitality really come through. She looks like someone who makes life better just by being in the room. You’re lucky to know her.

  65. 65.

    SiubhanDuinne

    Love the new picture in the update. Every picture you have posted of her, she looks like someone special.

  66. 66.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @SiubhanDuinne: Oh, no. I am a musician and the monkey is a businessman. He doesn’t tell me what to play, and I don’t tell him what to do with his money.

  70. 70.

    MomSense

    Love the photo!!

    I am keeping Holly in my thoughts and prayers and sending healing energy her way!!

Comments are closed.