- The world lost a great man when my grandpa Rufus passed last week. He was 91, loved Cats football, my grandma, his giant brood of kids, grandkids, and great-grands, and golf. After being in terrible shape for a while, especially the last year, it's something of a blessing he passed. I moved back to NKY largely because I knew we probably didn't have much time left with him - he had been diagnosed with cancer, and I was thinking a year or less. That was in 2018. The man had 17 lives, I swear. He was generous, had the best old man jokes, and never stopped telling me--and all his other kids--how proud he was of all us. I'm glad he's not suffering anymore, and I know he's hit up Heaven's Waffle House with Arnold Palmer after playing God's Augusta National a handful of times already. But I miss him. I'm going to be a mess at the funeral.
- I have probably told this story before, but bears repeating. Back in September 2018, the day before the UK-UF game, grandpa went in for a heart procedure. The doctors didn't sugarcoat the possibility that he may not make it through. When I told him I loved him and I'd see him in a little bit right before they wheeled him back, I was really saying goodbye. He knew it. But he just gave us a big ol' grin and told us he'd had a great life, so it would be okay no matter what.
To our relief, he did great. When they woke him up, the first thing he said was, "Doc, will I be home to watch the Cats tomorrow? It's a pretty big one, you know." The surgeon giggled, but Rufus was deadass serious about this. He had a whole routine for gametime and he didn't want to miss it. He did get home the next day, and for the first time in my lifetime, the Cats beat Florida. I will forever be convinced my grandpa willed this to happen.
- He would have laughed about this: none of us contemplated that pacemakers continue working even if their uh, host, has shuffled off this mortal coil. It makes perfect sense, but that was a... weird revelation. Then again, when grandpa got a hip replacement at 80, he was furious it was only warranted for 10 years; so he would probably have been pleased the pacemaker kept on tickin' right through his demise.
- The day after he passed, one of my eyes just...quit focusing correctly. Turns out, I spontaneously developed central serous retinopathy. What the actual ****. According to the doctor, it's an idiopathic thing, and allegedly should resolve on its own in a few weeks (months...), but stress is the biggest suspected risk factor. So, GYERO, get your stress levels in check, or you too may suddenly have your vision go to **** out of friggin' nowhere.
- I would very much like to watch the Cats lay down an *** whooping in Gainesville this weekend. In the spirit of Vince Marrow, it's groan men time.
/sadpost