yesterday's technology tomorrow
Friday, May 14, 2004
My dad as a grand fatherA couple of weeks ago mum and dad got back from overseas where they had been doing lots of walking. Dad had lost over 6kg which was great. He had also said he was running out of breath on a few hills in the last week of the trip.
Last Thursday he went to the doctor for a checkup and they gave him some heart tests. The next day he had some full on heart tests and on Sunday was told he had a blockage around an artery and would need some surgery. He came home on Tuesday arvo.
On Tuesday morning Suzette, Jasmine and I flew to Hobart for our offline/online holiday (more on that in another post). Oskar stayed with Mum.
Back into hospital on Wednesday and open heart surgery on Thursday morning. We got back on Thursday arvo.
This afternoon I went into see him for the first time. I walked into the room and saw my grandfather in my dad. Tubes everywhere, drips and a tired pale old man who looked but a shell of how he looked last week when I last saw him.
Its been over 22 years since my grand father died and I can remember only several things about him, walking in Spring Rd park, him teaching me to bowl a cricket ball, him giving me a watch of his and walking to Glenferrie Rd to get a band for a little boys wrist and a few other things. Now he lives mainly in my childhood photo album.
I have thought more about him over the last few years since having kids and know how much he and grandma would loved to have spoilt Jasmine and Oskar.
Then to see Dad this afternoon, it was surprising to have a 10 year old's memories come flooding back. I haven't seen anyone in hospital since then.
I try hard so not to cry thinking about it all and having my daddy in hospital looking so vulnerable, so not what dads are supposed to look like to their little boys.
Get well soon Dad, you have many many years with Oskar and Jasmine not to mention Mum, Adam, Suze and me.
0 comments | 8:18 PM
About
neuronwave is the personal site of Ben Hosken. I am the founder of Flink Labs, a data visualisation studio based in Melbourne. Previously I founded AgentArts, where I developed a recommendations system that we ultimately sold to MSFT.I have two patents, one in Recommendation Systems and one for a datamining algorithm I invented. I have a strong interest in physical computing, emergence, self organising systems, immersive games, bluetooth ad hoc networks and other fun things.
A while ago I built and ran Blog Change Bot - an AOL IM Bot which notified you when blogs you like are updated. I also built IcyPole, a bluetooth based P2P mobile phone app in 2004. With Suzette, I've built Playground Finder - a community contributed site for parents to find playgrounds nearby and while traveling for their kids to play in. Its a "playground" for my social, location, community and mobile interests.
I live in Melbourne with my wife Suzette, son Oskar Tex and my little girl Jasmine
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Bodypump, Flink Labs, autumn weather, balance.
Downloads etc
The Best Bagel Recipe ever
iTunes XML structure
Photo of some of my best Panetones
Neuron EcoSystem
Flink Labs
Oskar Tex
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Aurora
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Playground Finder
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ben at neuronwave dot com
