As most of you know, Cameron suffered more than the concussion mentioned in the last post. Without re-hashing the details, let’s just say that he exercised poor judgment…similar to that of the poor sap in the photo above. What do said sap and Cameron have in common? Neither was wearing a helmet.
Cameron is usually pretty good about wearing a helmet. But for some reason, and on my birthday no less, he decided to become the Jean Van Damme of skateboard stunts and attempt something spectacular sans-helmet. Big Mistake. He remembers the stunt going bad, and then he has a fuzzy recollection of waking up on a friend’s couch. Two hospital visits and two doctor visits later, he was promptly ensconced in a Pediatric ICU Unit with a 27 meter needle in his spine (or so it felt) draining spinal fluid that was creating pressure inside his now cracked (though still thick) skull.
After five days on his back (and only on his back), he was pronounced healthy enough to leave the hospital but warned that he’d be “uncomfortable” for awhile. Today he’s a reasonably normal version of himself but one that suffers from recurring headaches and a general state of “wobbliness”. In other words, he’s on the path to a full recovery. He should be good to go in just a little bit, and he’ll most certainly be a wiser version of himself than the one that made such a potentially devastating choice just a short time ago. Right Cameron? Right…I thought so.
Thank you again to everyone that stayed abreast of Cameron’s progress. We appreciate the thoughts and prayers. For those of you reading this that weren’t aware of the severity of the incident, I apologize…things were a bit hectic for a few days.
When Cameron comes to Florida in a few weeks, he’ll be leaving the skateboard at his Mom’s. We’ll play a lot of golf, we’ll get him back in Aaron’s gym, and we’ll feed him well (every other day). Maybe we’ll let him play with a bouncy ball or something similarly low-risk.
Kristin is contemplating a school change. In an effort to jump-start her education, she’s thinking about leaving William Patterson (where she’s an undeclared major enduring the standard fare of liberal arts) to enter a school that caters to her primary interest: interior design. Teachers and professionals alike have declared her interior design skills to be “very good” to “excellent”, and having enjoyed her expertise firsthand, I have to agree. She’s brilliant! (Sorry…excuse the outrageous display of pride…) Should she decide to make the change, she’ll dive headfirst into a program that can have her up and running in as little as two years. After that, intern opportunities lead to careers with the likes of Ethan Allen or Disney. I kinda’ like the idea of Disney…
We’ll keep you posted on her decision.
Mark just came off Aviation Week (a success) and is busy preparing for Sub Week. Marine Week was fun, Surface Week wasn’t. If there was ever any doubt about Mark’s lack of enthusiasm about being on a ship, that doubt is now removed. He hated it. (Kinda’ makes the Navy an interesting choice, doesn’t it?) Anyway, given the opportunity to take the stick of a Navy Trainer in flight, he declined. Why? Because flight time is limited, and Mark decided to use his time to enjoy the pilot’s skill. He experienced a bunch of rolls, dives, climbs, and upside-down flying that left him even more convinced that aviation is his first choice of career paths. Given that our favorite midshipman enjoys a class rank of 59 (out of about 1,200), he’s got a good shot at getting his choice of career pipelines. But then again…
…part of Sub Week includes an overnight “cruise” that other mids have called “a blast”. The Navy has been falling short in recruiting Sub Officers for the last several years, so the sub guys put on a good show for mids-soon-to-be-Naval-officers. Mids enjoying high class rank are recruited for subs aggressively (and I mean aggressively). Sub school involves two difficult years of study, but at the end, graduates hold the equivalent of a masters in Nuclear Engineering. These guys (all guys until this year) join an extremely small group of individuals worldwide qualified in all aspects of nuclear power. Once deployed, Sub Officers enjoy some of the highest compensation in the military. Demand in the private sector is off the charts. All in all, it’s a great career path…
…unless your passion lies elsewhere. So I guess we’ll see, right?
Paris is enjoying a few weeks in Girl Scout Camp. It’s a day camp experience now, but Kristin just reminded me today that when she was Paris’ age, she enjoyed one week of overnight Girl Scout Camp. She was angry with us for not allowing her to attend two. What the hell was I thinking? I let my little girl spend a week away from home in the woods? Where were all of you to smack some sense into me? I guess it wasn’t all bad…Kristin has great memories of her camp experience, and she quasi-chastised me for not considering overnight camp for Paris. The only overnight experience Paris is going to enjoy in the near future is in a convent. (Do convents still exist?)
I must be getting old.
More soon –