Family Time

After my time in San Francisco I went to Delafield, WI to visit my family. It was so nice to see my Mom and to have time to catch up with her. She retired on the 2nd of January so we had lots of time together! She had the clever idea to invite a bunch of my family that is scattered across the midwest to come visit. So we had a mini-family reunion. It was great to see everyone and helped minimize the traveling I had to do during my short stay there. The party was a lot of fun, we had good food, nice drinks and the conversations were flowing. I also gave a slide presentation of some photos from my last 15 months in Sri Lanka. Thanks to mom for organizing the party!

The Bablitch family representatives: Uncle John, Uncle Steve, Dad,Michelle, my cousin Ameen, my beautiful nieces Katie and Erin, my cousin Jacob, and me.

Still showing photos... Uncle Steve, Jacob, and me.

My mom and Erin.

Thanks again to my Mom and her husband Jim for organizing the party. And thanks to everyone who came to visit, including those not pictured here: Uncle Donnie and Aunt Carol, Aunt JoAnn, and my friend Paul from Minneapolis. Thank you for coming and traveling so far through the snowy weather! It was great to see you all. I look forward to seeing you all again soon! Much luv.

Healthy days are here again

Great news! I spoke with my father this weekend and he is back home and is recovering well. Of course he is still is a bit sore, but I can tell by his voice that he is doing quite well. He has already been walking around a fair bit and it seems as though the circulation in his legs is noticeably improved. It was such a relief to hear him in such good spirits. Great job dad! Im so proud of you for going through with the operation. I know it was not an easy decision.

Also, it sounds like Hetal and Doug (my kidney swapping friends) are also quite peachy. I am so relieved!

Ok, now no one else is allowed to have any major medical issues until after I come back, got it?

All this news comes on the tail of a great weekend. I really needed a break and decided to go to Colombo for the weekend. Although this is a common occurrence as I go to Colombo every few weeks for one reason or another. This trip was purely for selfish and therapeutic reasons. The whole weekend was jam-packed with social engagements (read: dinner, party, dinner, party…and maybe a bit of sleep). On Friday we went out to a club and danced until the wee hours. Then on Saturday, there was a great Halloween party at one of the UN peoples house. It was really fun and everyone dressed up. I had a great idea for a Halloween costume but was not able to pull it together in time. It was Steve Irwin, the Croc Hunter. I know, it is in extremely bad taste, but I could not resist. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending how you look at it) I could not find the props needed to make it work. So instead, I was just the naughty/sleazy devil guy who is always whispering bad ideas in your ear. The party was a blast and the music was really quite good for a change. J

So now Im back in Trinco, hard at work and trying to keep this project going. As most of you know I am coming back to the states for the holidays and cant wait to see you all. I will post more details about my plans in a later post. Ms Kitty (faye), Ms Devil (Jo), Pothead, missing his pot (Tom), Fairy (Jodi), Giant Munchkin (some strange dude), Indian Princess? (Michelle), Sleezy Devil guy (me). and yes the pencil stashe is the real deal... There is a better pic coming from another friends camera that I will post later.

Happy Halloween!

The Hardest Thing...

The hardest things about being away from home is not being able to be there for your family and friends when they need you. In so far as this point, this week has been a tough one. Last Thursday my friend Hetal in SF had kidney transplant surgery and received a healthy kidney from our friend Doug Held. And now, as I type this entry, my father is having surgery to install a bypass tube from an artery in his chest to his legs to supply blood as the main vessels are 100% blocked to his legs.

The good news is that both Hetal and Doug’s procedure went smoothly and they are making surprisingly seedy recovery. It’s truly amazing what medicine is capable of these days.

I’m hoping that my father’s procedure goes as smoothly. My sister and her beautiful girls are there in Milwaukee with his wife Polly. I’m stuck in Trinco in this pond called Sri Lanka and was unable to come there to be with my Dad. Even calling is not easy due to the 11 ½ hour time difference and the piss-poor reception I have at my house.

I know my father was not looking forward to this procedure, considering that 9 months ago he underwent open-heart surgery. But he was strong and made the decision to go ahead with the procedure so that he would be able to enjoy all the things he loves like working outdoors at ‘Hawk Ridge’, snowmobiling, and being able to stroll through the beautiful woods of northern Wisconsin in which he makes his home.

So, all I can say or do is say ‘hang in there guys’! You are all in my thoughts and I really wish I could be there to give you my love and support. And thanks to my sister Michelle for picking up the slack for her baby brother while I am on the other side of the world trying to work this adventure out of my system.

I wish a speedy recovery to you all and am so sorry I can’t be there with you. I can’t wait to see you in December/January.

Much peace and love.

Wisconsin in January...

After coming back from Thailand, I was told to stay in Colombo because the events in Trinco had made it unsafe to return. All international NGOs left Trinco temporarily and I worked out of the Colombo office for a week before learning that me dad was scheduled to have heart surgery. I made the decision that I should go to Wisconsin to be with my dad. It was a good trip, er, I guess I should say visit. The trip took 36 hrs, 5 cities, 2 sunrises, and 2 sunsets! Ugh! I got to spend time with family and friends in MN and WI before the surgery and it was great to be there with my dad and his wife during the difficult time. Those of you that know my father know that he is a spitfire and recovered quiet well and only pissed off the nurses a few times!


My dad and I on the patio at Hawk Ridge, his cabin in Pembine, WI before surg. They had some good snow and I got to take a spin on their snowmobiles… January is really, really cold at 95 mph.

My dad shortly after returning home from the hospital and looking surprisingly good! You can see all the tape marks left on him. Each one represents a different line or sensor that was attached to him. I think I counted 19 lines going in or out of my dad when he was recovering. He is doing pretty well these days and has returned to work and is continuing to work with his wife Polly to finish the addition to their cabin (Hawk Ridge).


I also got to see my cousin Anna and spend time with her on her 15^th Birthday.