Funny Noah story -- last night in the arena Noah got really confident about needing to use the bathroom. I went with him twice but then he said, "Mom. I got this." He walked down the steps to the concourse, then came back.

On our way out, he needed to go again as did the rest of us. So he went and when we came out, he was nowhere to be seen. MEEP. He had sidled down the concourse to watch the game on TV. made me panic for a few minutes.

Laura, I'm so sorry for your loss. Much love to you and your family.

Oh good grief, Noah. Do not scare your moms like that. Being smart, but young, does not come with the privilege of wandering an arena concourse even three feet from your expected position.

It's more probable that you will get those weird wouldn't-believe-it-if-you-weren't-there situations in the minor leagues. When Rob was playing, I remember one game where the mascot was paged to the locker room ASAP. We didn't see the mascot for the rest of the game, because Rob was now sitting on the bench in his goalie gear as the emergency backup. (There were 2 or 3 guys who took turns putting on the costume at home games. It just happened to be his turn that night.)

I'm so sorry, Laura. I thought your Mom was a wonderful person when I met her.

When Rob was playing, I remember one game where the mascot was paged to the locker room ASAP. We didn't see the mascot for the rest of the game, because Rob was now sitting on the bench in his goalie gear as the emergency backup. (There were 2 or 3 guys who took turns putting on the costume at home games. It just happened to be his turn that night.)

That's hilarious.

K has a female friend who she played with either at Brown or Minnesota who got to be the mascot for an NHL team because she could skate. Depressing to consider. But better than the shovel girls.

I'm so sorry, Laura.

That's another thing I love about the Bears. Outside of Coco the Bear, there are no other official team whatevers. It's average people clearing the ice during stoppages, and sometimes youth hockey players. Hershey is a very traditional franchise. The concept of cheerleaders hasn't ever been raised. Hell, you couldn't even buy beer in the old Hersheypark Arena. Alcohol sales were only permitted after the Bears moved to the Giant Center in 2002.

I am so sorry, Laura.

Laura, I'm so sorry. I'm deep in mom issues.

Tonight on our walk around the lake, I told my mom "your index is just getting corrupted." And when I went on to explain how I was perceiving her memory issues as she's been describing them (she remembers shit, it isn't lost, but just not retrieved with her usual cues) as much like when that happens to our databases or when our data location db contents get corrupted:"the contents is still there, we just can't find it using the prescribed paths," she said that sounded just about exactly how it feels,but she'd never even thought of herself as a database. Or knows how they work. But our conversation lead her to a conclusion that she should start journaling daily activities, especially those outside the routine, so she can use those as reminders.

Unprompted, for example, she'll ask when I was last in Cruces. It was last summer. She gets nothing. "Tyler's shitfit about going to MY favorite Mexican place for MY 40th birthday?" And it all comes flooding back, down to, "he was sullen until he figured out the chips and salsa were self serve and so served us all too much!" So.

Her memory finder databases are getting corrupted. Gotta rewire. And figure out if there is an underlying cause other than just old cells.

I'm sorry for your loss, Laura.