Over Easy

In case you want to go to the store and purchase a couple of bottles of what I had for breakfast today, I have included a picture of them as they appeared in my refrigerator this morning (yes it is kind of empty right now - only because I don't "stock" my refrigerator unless company is coming) so you would know what to ask for when you just have to have yourself a CT scan prep smoothie. I've gotten so I tolerate them pretty well. I started drinking them at 6AM and finished by 6:30. As you are not allowed to have anything to eat after 4:30AM (which I hadn't consumed anything since the night before), they put a hungry stomach to rest for awhile.

My main anxiety was about the IV stick (instead of having my port accessed as in the past). By now, I'm used to the whole needle thing, but due to some IV needle placement issues in the early days of all this, I'm not wild about the whole concept of an IV stick. However.....

The medical technician that did the stick today has to be one of the best. Small pinch....all done. That anxiety is now discarded. And, since I only have to do 3 more between now and August 2014, I can deal with it.

Next up, a follow up visit with the doctor next Thursday. Not so much anxiety for me between now and then. Here is how it works for me.....If her office calls between now and then and wants to set up another sort of test/scan, we have things to think about. If not, it's a "How are you. I'm fine. How are you? See you in 6 months and 'Oh yes, we need to schedule your next bone marrow biopsy'.." kind of meeting and we part ways until next time.

I feel good. I look good (it's objective, I know). 

Good enough.

Long Time Coming

I intended to post this picture several weeks ago, i.e. in mid-November. The reason it wasn't posted is that I seem to have misplaced the cable I use to transfer pictures from my camera to my computer. Could it be that there is still some chemo-brain lingering, or is it old age? Doesn't really matter.

I took this picture at Dutch Gap near Richmond VA on November 12. Earlier in the year, I took a kayak tour of this area and when this picture was taken, I was riding my bicycle on a 5 mile loop around the area. I stopped to rest and soak in the view. Ironically, 3 years earlier, on November 12, I was taking in another view while seated in a comfortable chair. I was watching the TV in the chemo room while the nurse began to administer my first chemo treatment. Even though I initially regarded that day as the beginning of something bad, I now look back on it with a different view.

Maybe the cancer diagnosis I was given was not the beginning of an end, but, like Christmas, the beginning of a beginning. I think of all the times I have heard, "Now that Christmas is over....." in the past few days. Maybe all of the tasks associated with the preparation for the events that occur on December 25 are indeed completed, but Christmas really isn't over. It would be the same as mining the ore, refining it, shaping it into pieces of steel, cutting those pieces into parts, assembling them into a car, filling the car tank with gasoline and then letting it sit in your driveway without ever driving it. 

The same with getting treatment for cancer. Sure, the process is cumbersome and for some folks completely awful. The point of it however, is not to die or look back on how hideous the process may have been, but to be able to....well, as I type this, I am listening to the voice of Boris Karloff...

"And they'll shriek squeaks and squeals, racing 'round on their wheels.

They'll dance with jingtinglers tied onto their heels.

They'll blow their floofloovers. 

They'll bang their tartookas.

They'll blow their whohoopers. 

They'll bang their gardookas.

They'll spin their trumtookas. 

They'll slam their slooslunkas.

They'll beat their blumbloopas. 

They'll wham their whowonkas.

And they'll play noisy games like zoozittacarzay,

A roller-skate type of lacrosse and croquet!

And then they'll make ear-splitting noises galooks

On their great big electro whocarnio flooks!

Then the Whos, young and old, will sit down to a feast.

And they'll feast! And they'll feast! And they'll FEAST! FEAST! FEAST! FEAST!" **

My friends, remember to feast - as a host and as a guest. That's what we do after Christmas.

** Text by Theodor Seuss Geisel, Bob Ogle and Irv Spector.

And To All....

The newspaper editor of whom I spoke in my previous post has this image on his website this week.

I am proud of him.

In this glorious Holiday Season, may you know which gifts can be placed in a box and which ones can not.

What Once Was Lost

Somewhere in the history of this blog, I mentioned something I wrote about my response to "Merry Christmas." I couldn't find it at the time. I found it while looking for something else. Here it is...

          Give Christmas Away

            Voices are ringing this year. They are at every pitch and every personality a voice can have. There are shouts, returned greetings, wishes followed by handshakes or hugs, all delivering the wishes of all the events and occasions that take place in this time at the start of the season of winter.

            Some of those voices have also been ringing with the dismay that the greeting of “Merry Christmas” has been replaced with “Happy Holidays.” A small town newspaper editor in the December 8, 2005 edition of his paper related, “We Americans are expected to respect the cultures, traditions, and practices of other nations and peoples, and rightfully so. But what about our culture, and our traditions, and our practices? “

            Who are “we?” Are “we” the Native Americans who inhabited this land before our Spanish and Anglo Saxon ancestors came here to explore? Are “we” the African Americans who were deposited here by descendants of “our” Anglo Saxon ancestors? Are “we” any of the immigrants who gazed upon the message held high by the Statue of Liberty in New York harbor?

            To feel that “we” are the ones being persecuted by not being made to feel comfortable in saying “Merry Christmas” is missing the entire foundation of the Christmas Holiday. If the observers of Christmas were to be true to the holiday, evergreens in houses would have to disappear (actually, some of “our” Puritan ancestors outlawed Christmas observances in the mid 1800's in “our” country). The lights on “our” houses, the wrapping paper, the sending of Christmas cards were not part of the origin of Christmas. “We” have added all that.

            Maybe saying “Happy Holidays” does diminish the amount of times we get to say the word “Christmas.” Even the word, “Christmas” wasn’t used until several centuries after the event it commemorates. Its use came about from some of “our” ancestors trying to tie in the observance of the birth of Christ to existing festivals and holidays with origins in the Roman Empire. “Our” ancestors actually caused the existing observances of Saturnalia, Yule, and the flight of Oden to be diminished or eliminated by the evolution of the Christmas holiday.

            With all the compassion and joy that the Holidays observed in this time frame intend to generate, I will wish the appropriate greeting of “Merry Christmas,” “Happy Hanukah,” or “Joyous Kwanza,” when I know what greeting is appropriate. If I am not sure, I will wish “Happy Holidays” with the same compassion and joy. I don’t worry that Christmas will be taken away from me if I don’t say “Merry Christmas.” I don’t think Christmas is mine or “ours” to keep. I think Christmas is to be given away. Maybe it’s time to bring everyone together again.

I think, one day we will get to see the creator of this world. I believe when we see the creator, we will see a form like we never could have imagined. We will ask, “How did you come up with that?” The reply will be, “You could have done the same. I gave you all the ingredients.”

May Peace, Joy, Grace and Love be in your life from now until you meet the creator of this world. Happy Holidays.

Today

3 years. Went to the doctor's office and left the annual "Anniversary Card" for my oncologist.

Spoke to all 3 of the people who encouraged me to go to the emergency room that afternoon and told two of them, "One of my life goals is no matter if you upset me on October 26, I will make it my mission to always shake your hand on October 27."

Go raibh maith Dia do grásta


Ich danke Gott für die Gnade

תודה לאל על החסד


نشكر الله على نعمة

Comfort And Joy

In the past, I have been known to go camping in the fall. Usually around my birthday. As I haven't done it for at least 15 years, and since my birthday was on a Friday and was sharing the date with the rapture prediction by Harold ("Wait for it") Camping. I thought the irony was too great to pass up without an observance.

The scenes above are from Bear Creek Lake State Park near Cumberland, Virginia.

While there, some friends came and met me for some hiking and lunch. During our time together, I told them, "You know, there are times when I am doing some menial task at this time of year, like mowing the lawn or cleaning fallen pine needles out of my driveway, that I am reminded I was restricted from doing those kind of things for awhile and I turn them into a celebration as I am doing them. Even though I was absolutely spoiled during that time, the current status suits me fine."

Camping alone in the woods in the crisp fall air, with the scent of fallen and decomposing leaves, mixed in with the smell of a campfire, drinking fresh apple cider and eating camp food, are some of the bits of heaven I see on earth.

Know This Guy?

Seth Godin? 


I subscribe to his daily blog. On Friday, October 7, he posted this:

Eliminating the impulse to stall

My friend and colleague Amit Gupta is fighting off leukemia and the twittersphere is lighting up with expressions of support.


But the support he really needs is for you to get a Q-tip, stick it in your cheek and mail it back. The process is free and you can sign up right here.


The extraordinary thing about marketing is that a million people might see something or hear something or be sold something and only a thousand will actually take action. Even if it's free.


When you look at the long odds on marrow donation, it feels like a bit of a sweepstakes, but backwards. It's easy to fix if we just get everyone (regardless of ethnicity) to register.
How about if we gamify it? Here's the deal: if you are a match for Amit and the marrow donation happens, I'll profile you or the project of your choice on the blog and send you a check for $10,000 for you or the charity of your choice. Winner take all, no purchase necessary... (Even if you don't win, if you swab we all win).


I couldn't resist the opportunity to send him a note about an additional way to help Amit. That is, through the donation of blood platelets. As I have explained here, I explained to him how blood platelet donations would help Amit. To Seth's credit, he responded to me promptly with "Thanks Greg. I'm so glad you're here and caring."


Glad to help sir. Just showing up.

Godspeed to Amit.


"Look out for me, oh muddy water
Your mysteries are deep and wide
And I got a need for going some place
And I got a need to climb upon your back and ride." - Roger Miller