So the trip to Seattle is postponed. A second trip in a row that I have had to cancel 24 hours before departure.

My brother had a significant heart attack today. He's 47, in no particular ill health and in fact, healthy enough to train new recruits at the police academy. So this was not expected in the least.

This morning, he was driving his daughter's car to the shop when he got the chest pain and arm tingles. He had enough sense to realize he was in trouble, so he pulled over, went into the nearest store and requested they call 9-1-1. Thankfully, he was in the hospital early enough to head off more serious damage.

He's currently in the cardiac ward, awaiting further tests to determine the level of damage. He's not exactly comfortable, nor does he look like he's going to win any beauty contests any time soon, but he'll be ok. He's very grumply with the fact that the chest-applied monitors have damaged his new tattoo and given him a chest wax he didn't sign up for. Just tells me that he's still himself under all those tubes.

Ya know, it's a bit of a wake up call when your brother gets a touch with mortality. Sure, we deal with it every day with his job, but this is different. I have accepted the fact my parents are aging, and that they become more mortal with every passing day, but my sibling? He's not allowed to age, because that would mean I'm aging too and that is just not going to happen.