Potential Departure Date: Sept. 5th

Talked to Diane today.
Tomorrow Hollis will get her Tracheotomy removed.
They will monitor her for 5 days.
Plans to leave are being confirmed for the 5th.
So soon.

I am leaving for Burning Man.
Through what has been facilitated through this website, I have been thanked for my efforts with a free ticket. I will go into the alkaline desert and give my cares to the wind, polishing my soul in the sandy sun. She would want me to go and it is her fault I am going in the first place. She was the one who introduced me to all those wacky kids with orange and red targets on their backs. DPWers have been my welcoming comittee to the bay area and now I get to see their homeland. OH boy.

I had this guilty fantasy of filming this one long shot of Hollis in her chair going down the hall to the elevator. There is a constant shoulder to shoulder smile from each of her friends on the way out.
Out the elevator there is the same two blockades of smiling people until she and Diane gets into the Ariport Transport.
Oh well, I will just have to imagine it.
Homecoming is a comforting thing.

The countdown is beginning..

The world turned a little and things are sorting themselves out.
This post is disjointed. Hopefully you get the idea of what I am saying.

Diane's Husband, Doug, will be here on saturday to celebrate his and her birthdays this weekend. **(Diane's birthday is Sept. 1st, so start shopping for that special something)** She is as wide eyed to see him as a done up teenager in front of the mirror for prom, waiting for the doorbell. It has been so long since their reality of "together." This should be a great weekend of comfort for Diane.
Then, as an earth shattering relief to Diane, a facility in Tennessee gave word yesterday that they have been accepted.

The timeline is not exact, but it will be approximately 2 weeks until their take-off.
The doctoral team will take out the traech tube and wait to see how happy she is for 5 days. Then she is off on phase three of this great journey.

So this weekend I get to fulfill my desire that has been postponed all year.
The desire to continue on our permanent sleepover posse formed by Hollis, Jamie Bond, and I in 2007. I already promised not to give Hollis any alcohol. Haha. I never would anyway , but it is a proper precaution. The other day I went and got a fresh coconut from the new stand on mission and 24th. Hollis was practically chugging this primordial liquid. She was able to tell us she wanted more by lifting her left hand. Communication progress!

For the first time this year, I will be able to take that place on the cot this weekend, letting Diane clock out for some well needed relaxation. For the next few weeks I can get closer to Hollis before she takes flight to the East. I am looking forward to it, but also am sad to see her leave, off into the great unknown. I know that we have all been putting in good work and
hopefully her next step is rapid and powerful.

When I walked into the room and was greeted with this information, Hollis was so happy. She was smiling big and bright. She is going home, moving from the St. Luke's view of ticky tacky houses on the hillside, to a new adventure. I told her to memorize this view, because it is about to change.

Thanks to our true and constant ally, change.

I snuck a peek..

Went in to see Hollis on Wednesday and she was pretty chill. Seemed to be thinking about something.
Then I saw a note on the bed in place of Diane. It was from Harrison with some good news.
Said he was talking silly stuff and got her to smile ear to ear.
While I did not see it myself, it was written in Harrison's writing, dated just a few moments before I arrived.

Thought you should know this visual.

Yin Yangin' it.