(no subject)

So I'm back from the funeral. I didn't have time to post what happened, so let me give you the short-short version. He came off of medications after back surgery, went into withdrawal, and blew his brains out in Las Vegas after visiting my mother, his son, daughters, wife, and others. He went to get coffee before church Sunday, he got home with the coffee, but didn't take it in the house. Instead he pulled out a 9mm pistol and sent the family into a tailspin.

My uncle was a man's man. He knew that if someone fucked with your family, you should kick the offenders ass, plain and simple. He was 5 foot 2 inches, and scared my sisters 6 foot 8 inch 350 pound boyfriend. You didn't fuck with Joe, or Joe's family. PERIOD. Don't lie, and own up to what you did wrong. He was a teddy bear around young kids, and a member of the Raider Nation. He used to carry me up the stairs by my ears... haha =) He taught me about motorcycles, and football. I could've sworn we were playing full contact football when I was a kid. I'd hit him as hard as I could and would get dropped like a bad habit, seemingly without mercy. And once, I even dodged him and gave him a straight arm and got away for a touchdown. That was a proud moment in my childhood, but it only happened once.

He was a casino manager, and did his job well. He got rubbed the wrong way whenever he thought someone was taking advantage of a game he was overseeing. Pit Bosses tend to be that way. He didn't care if you won big, only that you played FAIR. He left Anita broken, and without a soulmate. His grand kids are a mess, including one that's about to go up the river in juvi for 3 months for doing something, I don't know what he did. They won't even tell the kids he killed himself for fear of them feeling abandoned. My mother and last uncle are a mess. My sisters are hurting and confused, so am I. I really, really am. This wasn't him. I'm sure everyone says that when this happens. I can say for sure this wasn't the person I knew, and I do think that the chemical change in his brain altered his mindset, making this possible. He said goodbye to everyone through Mom Thursday, before he went to Vegas. She passed what ended up being his goodbyes and love to everyone at the service 2 days ago.

I walked past his car where he shot himself, and the hair was raised on the back of my neck. I didn't know it was his car, until after I passed it as I talked on my cell phone and felt that cold chill. I turned to look over my shoulder and saw the taped up driver's side window. The bullet must have shattered it, so it was taped to keep the elements out of the car I'm guessing. That's when I knew what I felt was Joe, and it was where he died. Very creepy. I went into the house as fast as my feet could walk across the street. Jon was on the phone with me at the time, and it weirded him out too.

That's it really. I found out about it Sunday afternoon, I took a mission that night. We found the 243 carrier only signal in a SF Police Lieutenant's house. It took us 20 minutes to find what another UDF team took 14 hours looking for and never found. 4 for 4 this year. Hard to believe it's only 1.5 months into 2004.

(no subject)

I forgot to mention, I ended up having a patient briefly when a woman collapsed on the casino floor. She wasn't even drunk, just dehydrated and having a severe migraine. At least I got some practice while I was in Vegas... In addition to blowing multiple hundreds of bucks on the tables. Hey, I always wanted to do that, so I had some fun the way Joe would've wanted me too. I even lost $20 just for him on a spin of the wheel taking Black... for his Oakland Radiers. =) I should've taken Red for the Niners =(