Hi all,
I've started a new drug this week that is making me very sleepy. While we're waiting to see if I acclimate or if we need to pull back on the dosage I might not be posting as much as I have in the recent past. Trust me there's more to come!
All in all I do feel better though. The combination of a lower dose of chemo pills and a higher dose of the nausea drug Zofran seems to be keeping the once daily nausea at bay.
If only I wasn't so sleepy...
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
The Portland Years (part 1)
When I was in my early twenties, I had an epiphany whilst shoveling snow: I don't have to live in Minnesota where it snows 6 months of the year. I eventually came to realize that this was wanderlust as much as anything; I need to live somewhere new and experience something new. I first looked to the East coast cities (New York, Boston, etc.) but thought better about it when I researched cost of living. Also, still have to deal with snow. Changing my sites to the West coast, I identified Seattle as my choice of new cities (this was, after all, right as grunge was starting to break). As fate would have it, our friend and co-worker from the Dakota, Maureen, had decided to move back to the Pacific Northwest where she had been raised. She had settled in Portland and in the summer of '92 I took a road trip with three friends (well, two friends and one "other" - the story of the trip could be its own blog post) to visit her and use the opportunity to hop up to Seattle for some research.
We ended up having a really great visit and saw so much of Portland and the surrounding areas that even though I really liked Seattle when we visited, I felt at home in Portland. I spent a year working my butt off (I took every shift I could including lots of catering work on the side) and in the early summer of '93, Kristina and I moved to Portland.
First priorities were to find a job and to find a place to live. Since I had a good amount saved I focused on the apartment search*. We wanted something that was in Southeast Portland (which is where Maureen lived) because we liked the funky flavor and there were cool places available for pretty cheap. What we ended up with was so awesome I ended up staying for four years. It was right above a record store (I had always wanted to live above a shop front, it seemed so urban) and right in the heart of SE. Some people expressed concern about the neighborhood but whatever the rep it had before we moved there, it felt safe when we were there.
Anyway, the place was huge with tons of windows and beautiful, just re-done, wood floors. Here are a few snaps:
The main living area.
The adjacent dining room.
Awesome back deck (Hi, Donna!).
Kristina and I lived there on our own for the first few months before I met Ned. We dated for a couple of years and he moved in shortly after we met. She stayed for a year and when she left, much to my chagrin, we needed to find a third roomie because Ned, being a student, couldn't afford half the rent. So we found Mike which was a really lucky break. Mike was a friend of a friend and was moving to Portland from Las Vegas.
We had a great place for parties and we had people over all the time. And in all the years I lived there there rent only went up by $75. When I moved in it was all of $550 per month.
Built in buffet dressed for Autumn brunch.
The friends gather. I can only name half the people shown here. And I'm one of them!
Only know one of three here (Hi, Amy D!).
Eventually I found a job waiting tables (my experience at The Dakota turned out to be helpful as the assistant manager was from the Twin Cities and knew that if I worked there I could certainly sling hash - he literally pulled my resume from the trash heap) at a breakfast and lunch place called Zell's. While the food there was great for what it was, and I made plenty of cash to get by, it was the connections I made that turned out to be the true benefit. Along with two of my co-workers, I helped create and open a new restaurant called Wild Abandon. That, however, is a blog post for another time.
*As an aside, related to finding a job, I feel so lucky to have been young at a time when the country was doing well and was full of optimism (we had Bill Clinton!). There's no way I would consider moving halfway across the country without a job waiting for me in the new city in this day and age, but back then? It didn't seem like a problem to hop in the car and go. And, naturally, we found jobs almost as soon as we started looking.
We ended up having a really great visit and saw so much of Portland and the surrounding areas that even though I really liked Seattle when we visited, I felt at home in Portland. I spent a year working my butt off (I took every shift I could including lots of catering work on the side) and in the early summer of '93, Kristina and I moved to Portland.
First priorities were to find a job and to find a place to live. Since I had a good amount saved I focused on the apartment search*. We wanted something that was in Southeast Portland (which is where Maureen lived) because we liked the funky flavor and there were cool places available for pretty cheap. What we ended up with was so awesome I ended up staying for four years. It was right above a record store (I had always wanted to live above a shop front, it seemed so urban) and right in the heart of SE. Some people expressed concern about the neighborhood but whatever the rep it had before we moved there, it felt safe when we were there.
Anyway, the place was huge with tons of windows and beautiful, just re-done, wood floors. Here are a few snaps:
The main living area. 
The adjacent dining room.
Awesome back deck (Hi, Donna!).Kristina and I lived there on our own for the first few months before I met Ned. We dated for a couple of years and he moved in shortly after we met. She stayed for a year and when she left, much to my chagrin, we needed to find a third roomie because Ned, being a student, couldn't afford half the rent. So we found Mike which was a really lucky break. Mike was a friend of a friend and was moving to Portland from Las Vegas.
We had a great place for parties and we had people over all the time. And in all the years I lived there there rent only went up by $75. When I moved in it was all of $550 per month.
Built in buffet dressed for Autumn brunch.
The friends gather. I can only name half the people shown here. And I'm one of them!
Only know one of three here (Hi, Amy D!).Eventually I found a job waiting tables (my experience at The Dakota turned out to be helpful as the assistant manager was from the Twin Cities and knew that if I worked there I could certainly sling hash - he literally pulled my resume from the trash heap) at a breakfast and lunch place called Zell's. While the food there was great for what it was, and I made plenty of cash to get by, it was the connections I made that turned out to be the true benefit. Along with two of my co-workers, I helped create and open a new restaurant called Wild Abandon. That, however, is a blog post for another time.
*As an aside, related to finding a job, I feel so lucky to have been young at a time when the country was doing well and was full of optimism (we had Bill Clinton!). There's no way I would consider moving halfway across the country without a job waiting for me in the new city in this day and age, but back then? It didn't seem like a problem to hop in the car and go. And, naturally, we found jobs almost as soon as we started looking.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
early training for being an SRM?
Here are a couple of things I came across whilst pawing through my boxes of junk. In retrospect, I think these courses were probably very helpful in my job as a Sort & Remodel Manager. Actually, there are a few jobs where this might be true...
Monday, August 22, 2011
still feeling pretty good!
Hello - I hope you've been enjoying the posts I've been putting up. As I mentioned before, it's been very fun for me so expect more. :)
As for today, just a quick little update to let everyone know that I'm still feeling pretty good and since I restarted the chemo pills on Friday, by now I would be nauseous if the new routine wasn't working. So, hooray for that!
The weather has been very mild lately and I've been trying to get a bike ride in every morning as well as taking the dogs for extended walks. Some exercise, not too much - I do still get tired pretty easily.
The milder weather has meant that the tomatoes are ripening more slowly but we still have lots on the vines and so will have plenty of toms soon. The rest of the garden is doing well, especially the rogue pumpkin plant that sprang from the compost bin. Since it's getting the best possible nutrients it's gotten out of control. It's managed to not only climb the chain link fence but also the old rusted out laundry post in the neighbor's yard and there are actually pumpkins growing from the vines. There are two in this photo but one is obscured by leaves:
And then of course, there are the pumpkins growing on the ground. We already have a couple that are ripe and there are LOTS more to go. Too bad they will probably be too far gone by Halloween. Does anyone know if we can store them once they're cut from the vine? Obviously they last a while, but how long?
More soon - hope you are all well.
As for today, just a quick little update to let everyone know that I'm still feeling pretty good and since I restarted the chemo pills on Friday, by now I would be nauseous if the new routine wasn't working. So, hooray for that!
The weather has been very mild lately and I've been trying to get a bike ride in every morning as well as taking the dogs for extended walks. Some exercise, not too much - I do still get tired pretty easily.
The milder weather has meant that the tomatoes are ripening more slowly but we still have lots on the vines and so will have plenty of toms soon. The rest of the garden is doing well, especially the rogue pumpkin plant that sprang from the compost bin. Since it's getting the best possible nutrients it's gotten out of control. It's managed to not only climb the chain link fence but also the old rusted out laundry post in the neighbor's yard and there are actually pumpkins growing from the vines. There are two in this photo but one is obscured by leaves:
And then of course, there are the pumpkins growing on the ground. We already have a couple that are ripe and there are LOTS more to go. Too bad they will probably be too far gone by Halloween. Does anyone know if we can store them once they're cut from the vine? Obviously they last a while, but how long?
More soon - hope you are all well.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Was I really so young?
My first job with an actual paycheck (ie: not babysitting) was at Arnold's Hamburger Grill. It was a knock-off of the Happy Days hangout and I was a malt maker. On the weekends there were three of us scooping and blending ice cream but most nights it was just me. After a few months I was "promoted" to fry cook (onion rings, french fries and chicken tenders) and about nine months after I started I got a job with Schmitt Music at the local mall and (temporarily) abandoned my burgeoning restaurant career.
For a high school job, it was pretty cool. We didn't sell records and tapes but rather musical instruments and accessories and while I knew a lot going in (years of piano, violin and bass lessons will do that) I realized quickly I had a long way to go before I could be trusted to work the counter alone.
We had to wear name tags, of course, but we also had to wear these giant, garish buttons to promote group guitar lessons (it was a really good deal actually). This fashion faux-pas was mitigated by the fact that I also got my own business cards. Of course, I don't think I ever gave any out since we weren't on commission.
One of the great aspects of the job was that I got to work with friends from high school. One of them was Kristina (she of the Sandra adventure in the previous post) and another was Traci. We worked hard when it was busy but we also had quite a bit of downtime. Summertime in the mall was pretty slow traffic-wise so we played around with the various instruments (lots of squeaks and squats when I picked up a wind instrument) and generally screwed around.
(Traci and me)
Check out my attempt at a new wave 'do.
One of things that used to crack us up was an early version of what is now known as "Sleeve Face". This is where people hold up album covers and "be" the cover. Here's a web site devoted to it: http://www.sleeveface.com/
As I mentioned, we didn't sell albums but we did sell sheet music which generally had the same cover art as the records. When the Sleeve Face book was published, we snagged a free copy from work and while flipping through it I had deja-vu that caused me to rummage through old photo albums. Here's the image from the book (and presumablely the web site):
and here's the photo it reminded me of:
This photo was snapped more than 20 years ago meaning we were WAY ahead of the trend. Well, mini-trend. :)
This job was so long ago (I was a teenager for crying out loud!) that it seems like a dream. A very nice dream, to be sure!
For a high school job, it was pretty cool. We didn't sell records and tapes but rather musical instruments and accessories and while I knew a lot going in (years of piano, violin and bass lessons will do that) I realized quickly I had a long way to go before I could be trusted to work the counter alone.
We had to wear name tags, of course, but we also had to wear these giant, garish buttons to promote group guitar lessons (it was a really good deal actually). This fashion faux-pas was mitigated by the fact that I also got my own business cards. Of course, I don't think I ever gave any out since we weren't on commission.
One of the great aspects of the job was that I got to work with friends from high school. One of them was Kristina (she of the Sandra adventure in the previous post) and another was Traci. We worked hard when it was busy but we also had quite a bit of downtime. Summertime in the mall was pretty slow traffic-wise so we played around with the various instruments (lots of squeaks and squats when I picked up a wind instrument) and generally screwed around.
(Traci and me)
Check out my attempt at a new wave 'do.One of things that used to crack us up was an early version of what is now known as "Sleeve Face". This is where people hold up album covers and "be" the cover. Here's a web site devoted to it: http://www.sleeveface.com/
As I mentioned, we didn't sell albums but we did sell sheet music which generally had the same cover art as the records. When the Sleeve Face book was published, we snagged a free copy from work and while flipping through it I had deja-vu that caused me to rummage through old photo albums. Here's the image from the book (and presumablely the web site):
and here's the photo it reminded me of:
This photo was snapped more than 20 years ago meaning we were WAY ahead of the trend. Well, mini-trend. :)
This job was so long ago (I was a teenager for crying out loud!) that it seems like a dream. A very nice dream, to be sure!
The time I met Sandra Bernhard
Back in the early 90's, I was a huge Sandra Bernhard fan. I had seen her one woman show Without You, I'm Nothing (the movie version of the stage show) and played the cassette version almost constantly. I almost literally had the whole thing memorized. Most of my friends shared this passion and when we found out she was coming to town with her new show, Giving Till It Hurts, we bought tickets immediately.
As we waited for the show date to come around, my then-BFF Kristina and I started to wonder how we could meet her when she came to town. As we both had restaurant experience (she in the back of house, me in front) we thought about putting in a bid to cater the show. The hitch? Neither of us had any experience with "putting in a bid"; we knew what it meant but were unsure how to actually do it in a way that didn't make us look look like lunatics. We knew we could pull off the catering part but since we didn't even have a business (you know, with like actual letterhead and such) we figured we would appear to be just what we were: fans looking to meet SB.
As fate would have it, we were discussing this at work one night and our boss, Lowell - the owner of the Dakota, overheard us.
"What's this you're trying to do?"
"Cater Sandra Bernhard's show at the Guthrie Theater."
"I have known Sue (who booked acts for the Guthrie) for more than 20 years, would you like me to call on your behalf?"
"Um, yes. I mean YES! YES! YES!"
The next day, he gave her a call and despite her (correctly placed) concerns, she agreed to let us do it based on just Lowell's reference. She probably would have been less suspicious if we hadn't offered to do the job for just the cost of goods but we were desperate and it seemed like the best way to make sure our bid was lowest.
Cut to the night of the show. We arrive with plenty of time to set up and get the backstage area ready. As show time approaches we're getting nervous. Sandra goes on in about a half hour from now - she won't have time to eat. Will she? With our excitement turning to disappointment, we tried to find something to get happy about. Maybe she'll come by after the show? Maybe we'll get to glimpse her as she heads out the stage door and into her waiting town car?
With show time rapidly approaching we were just about to give up and head out to our seats when - ta-da! - there she is! In the middle of hair and make up, she and her assistant and band came down to get a bite before the show. Success! Everyone is thrilled with the food (most venues will fulfill the requirements of the contract but only just barely) because we, naturally, had pulled out all the stops and went way, WAY above and beyond. The big bonus? Sandra was very nice! She was super chatty and happily posed for pictures even though she was wearing big rollers in her hair.
Pre-show meal complete, we head out to our seats (as she was leaving, Sandra turned and said, "Do you guys need tickets for the show?" which we thought was super cool). As I mentioned earlier, we bought tickets with a group of friends. As we took our seats the friends were very concerned, "Where have you been? The show could have started any time!") but we were able to brush them off with a simple, "Oh no, we were just back stage with Sandra and she's just finishing getting ready and should be out soon. The best part? We had Polaroids to show everyone! Oh yes, we were very cool people that night!
There are several other bits to the story that were memorable (e.g. having to track down some pot "for the band") but the best footnote has to do with Remy Martin (with a water back, godammit!") a very lovely cognac that is featured prominently in her first show, Without You, I'm Nothing. We had no idea if she really liked Remy or if it was just part of the act but it turns out she really does love it. For her encore she reached back and did the Remy Martin bit - with the bottle of Remy (and brandy snifters) that we brought. We feel we can honestly say that the Minneapolis crowd would not have been treated to such a thing had we not thought to bring (mostly as a joke) the bottle of Remy. After the show (we did get to see her then, as well) we told her we weren't sure if she really liked the stuff or not, to which she replied (in a fake, drunken slur), "I love my Remy Martin!" She left with the bottle but left the snifters behind. I still have the one she used, I even left it unwashed for years because there was a lipstick stain. :)
As we waited for the show date to come around, my then-BFF Kristina and I started to wonder how we could meet her when she came to town. As we both had restaurant experience (she in the back of house, me in front) we thought about putting in a bid to cater the show. The hitch? Neither of us had any experience with "putting in a bid"; we knew what it meant but were unsure how to actually do it in a way that didn't make us look look like lunatics. We knew we could pull off the catering part but since we didn't even have a business (you know, with like actual letterhead and such) we figured we would appear to be just what we were: fans looking to meet SB.
As fate would have it, we were discussing this at work one night and our boss, Lowell - the owner of the Dakota, overheard us.
"What's this you're trying to do?"
"Cater Sandra Bernhard's show at the Guthrie Theater."
"I have known Sue (who booked acts for the Guthrie) for more than 20 years, would you like me to call on your behalf?"
"Um, yes. I mean YES! YES! YES!"
The next day, he gave her a call and despite her (correctly placed) concerns, she agreed to let us do it based on just Lowell's reference. She probably would have been less suspicious if we hadn't offered to do the job for just the cost of goods but we were desperate and it seemed like the best way to make sure our bid was lowest.
Cut to the night of the show. We arrive with plenty of time to set up and get the backstage area ready. As show time approaches we're getting nervous. Sandra goes on in about a half hour from now - she won't have time to eat. Will she? With our excitement turning to disappointment, we tried to find something to get happy about. Maybe she'll come by after the show? Maybe we'll get to glimpse her as she heads out the stage door and into her waiting town car?
With show time rapidly approaching we were just about to give up and head out to our seats when - ta-da! - there she is! In the middle of hair and make up, she and her assistant and band came down to get a bite before the show. Success! Everyone is thrilled with the food (most venues will fulfill the requirements of the contract but only just barely) because we, naturally, had pulled out all the stops and went way, WAY above and beyond. The big bonus? Sandra was very nice! She was super chatty and happily posed for pictures even though she was wearing big rollers in her hair.
Pre-show meal complete, we head out to our seats (as she was leaving, Sandra turned and said, "Do you guys need tickets for the show?" which we thought was super cool). As I mentioned earlier, we bought tickets with a group of friends. As we took our seats the friends were very concerned, "Where have you been? The show could have started any time!") but we were able to brush them off with a simple, "Oh no, we were just back stage with Sandra and she's just finishing getting ready and should be out soon. The best part? We had Polaroids to show everyone! Oh yes, we were very cool people that night!
There are several other bits to the story that were memorable (e.g. having to track down some pot "for the band") but the best footnote has to do with Remy Martin (with a water back, godammit!") a very lovely cognac that is featured prominently in her first show, Without You, I'm Nothing. We had no idea if she really liked Remy or if it was just part of the act but it turns out she really does love it. For her encore she reached back and did the Remy Martin bit - with the bottle of Remy (and brandy snifters) that we brought. We feel we can honestly say that the Minneapolis crowd would not have been treated to such a thing had we not thought to bring (mostly as a joke) the bottle of Remy. After the show (we did get to see her then, as well) we told her we weren't sure if she really liked the stuff or not, to which she replied (in a fake, drunken slur), "I love my Remy Martin!" She left with the bottle but left the snifters behind. I still have the one she used, I even left it unwashed for years because there was a lipstick stain. :)
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Good news from the doctor
I had my appointment with the doctor yesterday and we agreed upon a variation of the previous routine. The chemo dose is reduced by 25% (only three pills twice per day as opposed to four) and the dosage of zofran, for nausea, will be doubled. Hopefully this will alleviate some of the extreme nausea and I won't have to spend the next two weeks on the couch again.
The good news is that the pills are working and the tumors don't seem to be growing. Let's hope the smaller dose continues to work.
In other news, I have been scanning some other memorabilia to post. It's been fun for me, I hope you, dear readers, also find it at least interesting. If not, oh well. Like I said, it's fun for me. :)
The good news is that the pills are working and the tumors don't seem to be growing. Let's hope the smaller dose continues to work.
In other news, I have been scanning some other memorabilia to post. It's been fun for me, I hope you, dear readers, also find it at least interesting. If not, oh well. Like I said, it's fun for me. :)
Friday, August 19, 2011
Portrait of the reader as a young boy
Some more stuff from the time capsules. My mom gave me a box of things she had saved from quite a while ago. Some of it is so old I have no recollection at all; my first library card (pictured below) from when we lived in Rochester, MN is the perfect example. I know my mom and I lived there briefly when I was a baby and I know I had her maiden name at the time but I do not have actual memories that go that far back. (My memory barely extends to yesterday sometimes.)
The MS READ-a-thon was something we did during the summer. I remember having to get people to sponsor me (maybe a nickle per book read or something?) and I know I did it more than two years. I either lost or failed to get my other certificates. Or maybe I didn't complete my missions? It's hard to be Mystery Sleuth, you know. One thing I do remember from this period is frequently riding my bike up to the strip mall (about 1 mile away) that had our local library branch. I loved it there even if, in retrospect, it was pretty crappy, small and dimly lit. Always left with a good sized stack for the week.
As I mentioned above, the library card was from a time before my mom got married and we had her family name. So no, that's not the world's craziest deviation from Sholl but it is actually spelled wrong. Bonus points if you can figure out how "Przylilla" should really be spelled.
The MS READ-a-thon was something we did during the summer. I remember having to get people to sponsor me (maybe a nickle per book read or something?) and I know I did it more than two years. I either lost or failed to get my other certificates. Or maybe I didn't complete my missions? It's hard to be Mystery Sleuth, you know. One thing I do remember from this period is frequently riding my bike up to the strip mall (about 1 mile away) that had our local library branch. I loved it there even if, in retrospect, it was pretty crappy, small and dimly lit. Always left with a good sized stack for the week.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Finally - feeling good!
Greetings! I'm writing this in the midst of my chemo "off-week" and am feeling pretty good! I've actually had a several good days in a row and have been enjoying every possible minute knowing that it all goes south once I'm back on. I see the doctor on Friday and am hopeful that we can switch up the current chemo cycle enough so that it isn't quite so terrible. More on that later, in a different post.
While I have been trying to get out and get some exercise (light bike riding, walking the dogs) I'm not supposed to spend much time in the sun because of one of the meds I'm taking so I have also tackled a few indoor projects. My closet is finally back to thinned out and organized and now I am sifting through boxes of memorabilia trying to organize piles based on who I think might get a kick out of receiving some of my old crap. I'm talking about ticket stubs for a show we may have seen together, not my old binkie or something.
From the collection:
A drawing of my mother, I must have been about 7 or 8 years old. The information in the bottom corner is as follows:
Age: 29
Weight: 109
Favorite Food: Chow Mein (!?)
A selection of concert ticket stubs. Guess who saw Culture Club in 1984? I had to beg (it was a school night after all) but it was AWESOME!
Clockwise from the top:
Culture Club
Kronos Quartet
Squeeze
Paul Young w/ Wang Chung
Paul Weller
Morrissey
Howard Jones
The Cure
Good times!
Ok, back to cleaning up and such. Just wanted to say hello and let everyone know I was feeling good for a change of pace. Hope you are the same!
While I have been trying to get out and get some exercise (light bike riding, walking the dogs) I'm not supposed to spend much time in the sun because of one of the meds I'm taking so I have also tackled a few indoor projects. My closet is finally back to thinned out and organized and now I am sifting through boxes of memorabilia trying to organize piles based on who I think might get a kick out of receiving some of my old crap. I'm talking about ticket stubs for a show we may have seen together, not my old binkie or something.
From the collection:
A drawing of my mother, I must have been about 7 or 8 years old. The information in the bottom corner is as follows:
Age: 29
Weight: 109
Favorite Food: Chow Mein (!?)
A selection of concert ticket stubs. Guess who saw Culture Club in 1984? I had to beg (it was a school night after all) but it was AWESOME!
Clockwise from the top:
Culture Club
Kronos Quartet
Squeeze
Paul Young w/ Wang Chung
Paul Weller
Morrissey
Howard Jones
The Cure
Good times!
Ok, back to cleaning up and such. Just wanted to say hello and let everyone know I was feeling good for a change of pace. Hope you are the same!
Monday, August 15, 2011
More of the same
Hi there. The last two weeks have been pretty rough for me. I usually wake up to a wave of nausea that comes out of nowhere. It passes pretty quickly (15-20 minutes) but leaves me exhausted and feeling ill. This has meant that most days are spent on the couch watching TV and snuggling with the dogs (which is pretty good medicine). Typically I start to feel better (not good, just better) around the middle of the afternoon and with the help of a different kind of medicine entirely, I am usually able to finally eat something. Never let anyone tell you that marijuana isn't a helpful drug. I would be down to 100 pounds if it wasn't for the appetite stimulation. Today, however, is a good day so far - no pukes or even dry heaves. If you'll recall, I am currently on the "two week on/one week off" chemo cycle (with the eight pills per day) and this week is an off week so I'm pretty sure that's why I am feeling so much better. I have a doctor appointment on Friday where hopefully I can be prescribed a stronger anti-nausea pill. (The smoking helps nausea, too but I also have Zofran that I take every eight hours and Compazine for any breakthrough illness.)
Speaking of TV, I have been watching quite a lot and it sort of surprises me how much lower my standards have gotten. Instead of feeling as though I should spend my limited time watching classic movies and reading all those books I have stacked up, I am more content to watch Project Runway marathons, House Hunters, Always Sunny repeats and read Entertainment Weekly. I guess the thing they all have in common is that I can be in and out of consciousness and not worry that I have missed anything important while I doze.
My entertainment consumption mirrors my eating habits of late, too. I still love a garden fresh tomato (hooray for tomato season!) and other fruits and veggies (except raw green peppers - keep them away!) but other things, previous favorites, make me gag. Things like mushrooms. I had never met a mushroom I didn't like until the smell of them cooking became literally gut wrenching. My tastes evolve almost weekly. For instance, I wanted nothing more than a Subway sandwich one day and Dave very graciously went to get me one. This lead to another the next day and so on. I'm starting to tire of them at this point but I'm sure there will be another fast food craving coming along. I haven't been eating a lot of junk food like this since my early twenties but if that's all that sounds good then what are you going to do? Previous craving include fried chicken from KFC (with a biscuit and slaw, please) and sometimes Taco Bell.. Normally all this crap would have me concerned for my health but since I don't have any issues with cholesterol or sodium and I have to keep my weight up, I don't worry about it all.
Dave is doing well and doing good. He did have a summer cold that lingered for too long but he's all better now. He's also been relatively busy with housework projects (hello clean windows!) and the always-needing-attention garden and yard. He's also been helping out our older neighbors with a few of their projects. He does still have plenty of time to read, go to the gym or pool, meet up with friends for lunch etc. He is doing his best to enjoy his temporary retirement.
We are right at the one year mark since my diagnosis and it's been quite a year. Ups and downs? You bet. The bad parts are pretty easy to figure out but at least we got to balance that with lots of visitors who gave up their time, put their lives temporarily on hold, and came out to see us. Oftentimes more that once. It has been great to see everyone and we wouldn't have changed a thing but now we realize, after seeing we had no scheduled visitors for August or September, we decided to give ourselves a little break and declare these two months "our time". As great as our friends and family have been about understanding our situation (e.g. not expecting us to make them dinner every night) it is still work to prepare for a visitor and when you have them on average of two or three times a month, it adds up to a long year. So please, if you have come to see us in the past and/or wish to visit in the future, do not feel as though you are unwelcome. We're just recharging the batteries right now and as has been true since we moved in together, we love having visitors.
Also, having lots of out of town guests means seeing less of our local friends. All you SE Michiganders who might want to get together for lunch or something should give us a call. We aren't trying to shut everyone out during these two months, we just want you to go somewhere else to sleep when bed time rolls around. :)
Hope you're well and enjoying this mild weather!
Speaking of TV, I have been watching quite a lot and it sort of surprises me how much lower my standards have gotten. Instead of feeling as though I should spend my limited time watching classic movies and reading all those books I have stacked up, I am more content to watch Project Runway marathons, House Hunters, Always Sunny repeats and read Entertainment Weekly. I guess the thing they all have in common is that I can be in and out of consciousness and not worry that I have missed anything important while I doze.
My entertainment consumption mirrors my eating habits of late, too. I still love a garden fresh tomato (hooray for tomato season!) and other fruits and veggies (except raw green peppers - keep them away!) but other things, previous favorites, make me gag. Things like mushrooms. I had never met a mushroom I didn't like until the smell of them cooking became literally gut wrenching. My tastes evolve almost weekly. For instance, I wanted nothing more than a Subway sandwich one day and Dave very graciously went to get me one. This lead to another the next day and so on. I'm starting to tire of them at this point but I'm sure there will be another fast food craving coming along. I haven't been eating a lot of junk food like this since my early twenties but if that's all that sounds good then what are you going to do? Previous craving include fried chicken from KFC (with a biscuit and slaw, please) and sometimes Taco Bell.. Normally all this crap would have me concerned for my health but since I don't have any issues with cholesterol or sodium and I have to keep my weight up, I don't worry about it all.
Dave is doing well and doing good. He did have a summer cold that lingered for too long but he's all better now. He's also been relatively busy with housework projects (hello clean windows!) and the always-needing-attention garden and yard. He's also been helping out our older neighbors with a few of their projects. He does still have plenty of time to read, go to the gym or pool, meet up with friends for lunch etc. He is doing his best to enjoy his temporary retirement.
We are right at the one year mark since my diagnosis and it's been quite a year. Ups and downs? You bet. The bad parts are pretty easy to figure out but at least we got to balance that with lots of visitors who gave up their time, put their lives temporarily on hold, and came out to see us. Oftentimes more that once. It has been great to see everyone and we wouldn't have changed a thing but now we realize, after seeing we had no scheduled visitors for August or September, we decided to give ourselves a little break and declare these two months "our time". As great as our friends and family have been about understanding our situation (e.g. not expecting us to make them dinner every night) it is still work to prepare for a visitor and when you have them on average of two or three times a month, it adds up to a long year. So please, if you have come to see us in the past and/or wish to visit in the future, do not feel as though you are unwelcome. We're just recharging the batteries right now and as has been true since we moved in together, we love having visitors.
Also, having lots of out of town guests means seeing less of our local friends. All you SE Michiganders who might want to get together for lunch or something should give us a call. We aren't trying to shut everyone out during these two months, we just want you to go somewhere else to sleep when bed time rolls around. :)
Hope you're well and enjoying this mild weather!
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