April 21, 2003
Nice Easter weekend but it ended with severe pains. On Saturday I painted and poked around in my studio. Thomas arrived from Flag around two and we had lunch and talked about the history of Christianity. He is drawn to the philosophy of C.W. Lewis who was an agnostic until he was 30, then read the bible and thought, “Wait a minute. This isn’t myth or legend. It’s too clumsy, it doesn’t answer every question, which all myths do.” Very intriguing and thought provoking.

Kathy and T. went up to Blockbuster at around four and rented “Salton Sea” and “Danny Darko.” Watched “Darko” at about seven. Enjoyed it, but then, since it was on DVD we started watching the drector’s comments version which has the writer-director and the star talking over the movie and saying things like, “Remember when we shot this, you asked me to smile, right here, and I asked you what my motivation is and you said, ‘You survived getting up at two in the morning.” From their discussion we realized we missed half the concepts in the movie! I wonder how many movies are like that? It will probably become standard with every movie in the near future. Way cool. Really enjoyed it.

On Sunday we had an Easter brunch at the house for Grandma Betty. Both Deena and Thomas were here and we had a good time. Then painted some more, but noticed I was getting a sharp stomach pain that lasted longer and longer. Last Friday I assumed it was heartburn, but by Sunday night I was miserable. On the way back from Betty’s we stopped at a drugstore and I got some Pepto Bismol. Hard time sleeping. The only thing that would knock it back at all was Alka Seltzer.

Went to the doctor this morning and he said it is either the onset of ulcers, a blocked, telescoped intestine, or worse. Said if the pain continued too long to go right to ER. That was sobering. He gave me some pills, took some blood and sent me over for X-Rays. I got those done and went back to work.


"My aim is to put down on paper what I see and what I feel in the best and simplest way."
—Ernest Hemingway