Category Archives: Uncategorized

Down To The Wire

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Today was my bi-annual follow up appointment with the White Russian. In a nutshell, I’m fine. My blood pressure was a little high, but it was probably because I was worried about not getting there on time. I left work about 30 minutes later than I had planned with an admonition from Terri not to speed. I may have lied and said, “Okay. I won’t.” Which is a bad thing to admit for anybody, but it seems especially horrific for someone who: a) works for a church; and b) is talking to one of the pastors. Lightening didn’t strike, though, so…

And depending on one’s definition of speeding I may or may not have actually done so. 

Definition 1: Exceeding the speed as indicated on those little signs on the side of the road.

Then yes. I sped.

Definition 2: Going faster than every other blessed car on the freeway who happens to be going 10 miles an hour over the posted speed.

Then no. I didn’t speed.

Regardless of whether I sped or not, I did make it to my appointment on time. I’m getting really tired of their efficiency in that office. I never get to read even a paragraph of my book before they’re calling me back or the doctor is coming in or whatever. Very disappointing.

When he did come in he asked about the kids and how Taylor was liking college and what he was doing this summer and if Katie knew where she wanted to go next year, etc. I was almost offended because, you know, it’s supposed to be about me. Everything is supposed to be about me. When will people learn this?

Anyway. Back to me.

The plan is that I have six more months on the Arimidex and then another year on the Fosamax. Well, hopefully only one more year on the Fosamax. It will actually depend on whether or not I start building bone again after I stop the Arimidex. Bottom line, however, is that we don’t want me to be on the Fosamax for much longer. I’m not worried, though. I have a plan…

But I’m going to save that for another day.

So I go back in six more months (February), at which time I will have been on the Arimidex for five years plus the two years on Tamoxifen. The current recommended standard of care. Of course a little over three years ago the recommended standard of care was five years total of any combination. If I go back in February and he tells me the recommended standard of care has changed again and I need to stay on the Arimidex for another allotment of time I think I will respectfully decline. But again, that’s a post for another day.

Unless something has cropped up between now and February – and there’s no reason to think anything will – I will go from seeing him every six months to only once a year. I’m not sure how I feel about that.

Not true. I know exactly how I feel about that. I’m not happy about it. For one thing, I like being followed so closely by an oncologist. My risk for a recurrence or metastasis is very slim. My risk of a new cancer is only slightly higher than the average Joe simply because I have a history of cancer. So it’s almost like being followed by an oncologist is an unfair advantage. An unfair advantage that I like.

But the other reason I know I’ll be disappointed to have my visits reduced is because I genuinely like the staff. I really do look forward to seeing them.

Let me be honest though. I would much rather whine and complain about not being able to visit the oncologist more than once a year than have to go once a week, which is what the alternative would be.

After the appointment I drove down to Starbuck’s for my obligatory post-oncology follow up treat. But this time I changed things up a bit. I got a grande mocha cookie crumble frappuccino.

Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino

Coffee blended with mocha sauce, vanilla syrup, chocolaty chips, milk and ice, and topped with chocolaty whipped cream and chocolate cookie crumbles.

  

It was yummy. Really yummy. But I probably won’t get one again just because it was a little too ice cream for me. Don’t get me wrong! I am not against ice cream. At all. I just have certain Starbuck’s expectations and this did not meet my typical criteria. But again, it was very delicious!

I guess I should add that I will miss the obligatory post-oncology follow up treat.

But I’m pretty sure I’ll learn to deal.

Let The Games Begin…

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It’s July. The time of year when drinks are cold and asphalt is hot. When clothing appears to be optional and old men wear black socks with their sandals and bermudas. When sweaty people gravitate toward pools, beaches, water parks and the like. And every four years in July we have the Olympics.

It’s also the time of year when Christ’s Church of the Valley puts on THE most fabulous event for kids in the area, possibly the state, maybe even the nation.

KIDS’ CAMP!

 And this year’s theme is, of course, The Olympics.

For three days beginning next Wednesday our campus will be overrun with 1,000 kids from the age of four on up to those who will be starting 6th grade in August. As of this moment we have 980 kids already registered.

As you can imagine, this is a huge event for us. An event that wouldn’t be possible without people giving up their own hours. We have over 300 volunteers which is truly amazing. We have actors and props people and registration people and snack people and tech people and games people and crafts people and team leaders and assistants and logistics/security people and, and, and… the list goes on.

My responsibilities at work fall mainly to the preschool, however, in the summer I switch my hat and do the database side of registration and volunteer sign ups. Yesterday I forgot which hat I was wearing when I picked up a phone call and I said, “Providence Chris, I mean Christ’s Church of, I mean, um, hello?” Thankfully it was a preschool parent who was calling about next week’s Kids’ Camp and she just laughed with at me.

Now for some people the thought of 1,000 kids from age 4 to 12 in one place seems daunting. But this is the smoothest run operation I have ever seen, thanks to two women (volunteers, not staffers) who have done the registration for the past several years. For anonymity reasons we’ll just call them Mary and Karyn. Which is quite a coincidence because their names happen to be Mary and Karyn. But they are so organized that by the time camp rolls around everything is like a piece of cake (chocolate with a fluffy butter cream frosting), seemingly effortless. Being on the inside and seeing what it is they do I can tell you it’s not effortless. But it’s soooo worth it!

No doubt Kids’ Camp is a lot of work. There are so many cogs in the workings, but they all turn smoothly thanks to the tireless efforts of our fearless leader, Stephanie. She starts working on this in January and by the time the third Wednesday of July rolls around it’s a well oiled machine. I hesitate to even contemplate how many hours she puts in right before but I do know this. She deserves a looooong and luxurious vacation when it’s over.

As for me, I’m planning on taking a couple of days off after camp to paint my family room. Exciting, right? But really, painting is a good stress reliever and after 1,000 kids for three days straight, who couldn’t use a little decompressing? Until then, however, I shall be planted by my computer – either at work or at home – doing my part.

So I say, “LET THE GAMES BEGIN!”

Flashback

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Because I still haven’t taken the time to write the myriad of posts I have stuck in my head I’m going to cheat by reposting something from five years ago – May 16, 2007. Am I lazy? Yes. Am I taking the easy way out? Yes.

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Ten Things About Me

A little while ago I was tagged by a few bloggers to write 10 Things About Me. Thinking of ten separate things about me that you may not know is not easy. One or two I could do. But ten? Nevertheless, I’m giving it a go. So here are ten things about me.

1. When I was young I was very agile and very fast. I don’t think Todd believes me when I say that, but it’s true. When I was in kindergarten I was playing a type of tag with a bunch of kids. The side of the cafeteria was Home and if you made it there without getting tagged you were safe. So I ran for that brick wall as fast as I could – which, as I’ve already told you, was pretty darned fast. I looked behind me to see where the closest “it” was and when I turned back to the wall, there it was. I ran full speed into it. Knocked me clean out. Once the goose egg on my forehead stopped growing I looked like a Klingon. I still have a tiny bump from that little adventure.

2. I have a floater in my head. Not a floater as in, “Ew! You backwashed and now there’s a floater in my soda!” A floater as in I-ran-into-a-brick-wall-when-I-was-five-and-most-likely-chipped-a-tiny-fleck-of-skull-that-has-been-floating-around-my-head-all-these-years-and-likes-to-rest-on-my-ear-drum. What’s fun about this little guy is that it causes a sort of vertigo. Nothing dangerous. Just when I lean my head to the left I get a little dizzy. And I like it. It’s fun. Kind of like a big dip on a roller coaster. Every night when I get into bed I say, “Whoo!” and throw my hands up into the air as everything spins around me. Good times.

3. I was born three months after the Watt’s Riots in the same general area. I suppose that’s not really very exciting since the riots were over by then. But what is exciting is that my pediatrician was the same pediatrician that some of the L.A. Lakers used, one of which was Jerry West. We know this because my mother saw him at the doctor’s office. Frankly, I don’t remember. I realize there’s no connection between the Watt’s Riots and L.A. Lakers, but my birth and infancy seem to run together so it’s all related to me.

4. When I was about 14 or so I nearly had my face split open in a surfing accident. What little bit of pride I have is telling me I should stop my story right here and let you use your imaginations. I’m sure whatever you can think up will be better than the truth. But the truth of the matter is it happened in my friend’s pool. She and another friend were trying to climb on her brother’s surfboard. I had my back to them and happened to turn around just as they both fell off the back, causing the surfboard to shoot straight at me. Thankfully I saw it and quickly leaned back into the water. The tip of the board just grazed my eyebrow, causing a totally gnarly black eye, dude.

5. My Mother-In-Law gave me a job at the law office she worked at when I was in college. The two attorneys in the office were less than human, but I enjoyed the job and MIL taught me a lot. Because of that I went into paralegal studies and ended up working as a Legal Secretary/Legal Assistant for eleven years until I quit work to nag my children full time. The last law office I worked at was the large law firm Bill Clinton partnered at before he became the governor of Arkansas*.

6. While most children my age were singing things like Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and Jack and Jill, I was singing Hey Jude. It was the first song I ever sang.

7. I still have the tonette I received in my 6th grade music class at school. I drive Todd crazy by following him around the house saying, “give me a song,” and then attempting to play it. Either that or “Name That Tune.” Periodically over the last 19 years the little flute has mysteriously vanished, only to be found by me in the oddest of places. Poor Todd. There’s no escaping me.

8. I have an older cousin who was a stunt girl. She did a lot of movies with Burt Reynolds and was Cheryl Ladd’s double in Charlie’s Angels, just to name two of her many credits. At that time I had a friend with a huge crush on Shawn Cassidy (I was a Parker Stevenson kind of gal, myself). So I told her I was sure my cousin could get a small token from him. That was a total lie because I never even talked to my cousin. But anyway, I took some of my sun bleached hair out of my head, taped it to a Tiger Beat poster, scratched a signature and gave it to my friend. She was so excited that I couldn’t keep up the lie. After about two minutes of her screaming I fessed up. I think that cold dose of reality was a favor to her. She went on to be a neurosurgeon at Johns Hopkins.

9. In high school my friend, Cindy, and I used to go roller skating at the beach nearly every day after school. We went from Torrance Beach, down to the Hermosa Beach Pier and back again – probably around 8 miles round trip. Any wonder I didn’t have a weight problem at that time?? On one of our trips there was a volleyball game going on at the Hermosa Pier. Wilt Chamberlain was one of the players. He always looked big on television, but in person the guy was huge. Huger than huge! Enormous! Cindy is 6’2” without her skates, but she was a petite little thing next to him.

10. When I was a senior in high school several of my friends and I went to Pasadena on New Year’s Eve. We had lawn chairs, sleeping bags and coolers full of sodas and food and set up camp on the Rose Parade route. We had marshmallow wars with the cars cruising the boulevard and played silly games like charades and I think maybe even Duck, Duck, Goose. We got to see all the floats the next morning, but we were too far back on the route to see the bands. It was fun and a great experience, but not one I was willing to do again. I enjoyed sitting in the stands with my parents when I was younger much more.

* Please do not read as support for Bill Clinton. I’ve had issues with the man long before he was president that have nothing to do with politics.

Reading and Such

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I’ve read two stellar books in the last week and I just had to share! Funny enough, both carry the theme of unimaginably oppressed women, however, they are nothing alike.

The first book I read was “Pope Joan” by Donna Woolfolk Cross and was fascinating. Here’s a synopsis:

For a thousand years, her existence has been denied. She is the legend that will not die–Pope Joan, a controversial figure of historical record who, disguised as a man, rose to rule Christianity in the 9th century as the first and only woman to sit on the throne of St. Peter. In this riveting novel, Donna Woolfolk Cross paints a sweeping portrait of a heroine whose strength of vision led her to defy the social restrictions of her day.

Brilliant and talented, young Joan rebels against medieval laws forbidding women to learn. When her older brother is brutally killed during a Viking attack, Joan takes up his identity and enters the monastery of Fulda, where she is initiated into the brotherhood in his place. As Brother John Anglicus, Joan distinguishes herself as a great scholar and healer. Eventually she is drawn to Rome, where she becomes enmeshed in a dangerous web of love, passion, and politics. Triumphing over appalling odds, she finally attains the highest throne in Christendom, wielding a power greater than any woman before or since.

But such power always comes at a price…

Pope Joan is a sweeping historical drama set against the turbulent events of the 9th century — the Saracen sack of St. Peter’s, the famous fire in the Borgo that destroyed over three-quarters of the Vatican, the Battle of Fontenoy, arguably the bloodiest and most terrible of medieval conflicts. This masterwork of suspense and passion brings the Dark Ages to life in all their brutal splendor and shares the dramatic story of an unforgettable woman who struggles against restrictions her soul cannot accept.

They made a movie of it in 2009 and yesterday after church I decided to see if I could find it on On Demand. Guess what! I did!! In fact, it was getting ready to come on so I hit record. I thought it was kind of funny that they were showing it twice, back to back.

Later in the day Todd and I decided to watch it. The movie did a great job of sticking close to the book. I mean, there were some changes here and there, but overall it was very good. Except…

… it was actually a two part movie and I only taped the first half. NOOOooo… So we checked the menu again and found out it will be shown again in March. IN MARCH! Poor Todd. At least I know how it ends. But he has to wait two more weeks to find out.

The second book I read this past week was A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. And when I say “this past week” what I really mean is today. I started it this morning. I finished it this afternoon. It was a glorious Monday holiday. The synopsis:

A Thousand Splendid Suns is a breathtaking story set against the volatile events of Afghanistan’s last thirty years—from the Soviet invasion to the reign of the Taliban to the post-Taliban rebuilding—that puts the violence, fear, hope, and faith of this country in intimate, human terms. It is a tale of two generations of characters brought jarringly together by the tragic sweep of war, where personal lives—the struggle to survive, raise a family, find happiness—are inextricable from the history playing out around them.

Propelled by the same storytelling instinct that made The Kite Runner a beloved classic, A Thousand Splendid Suns is at once a remarkable chronicle of three decades of Afghan history and a deeply moving account of family and friendship. It is a striking, heart-wrenching novel of an unforgiving time, an unlikely friendship, and an indestructible love—a stunning accomplishment.

I find it very interesting that these two books, set over a thousand years apart and in such different cultures, were remarkably similar. Women regarded as worthless, especially if they could not conceive a son. Women considered unnatural and heretical if they could think for themselves. Religion twisted and used as ammunition against the fairer sex. Both books raised my ire at the injustice of it all and tugged at my heartstrings for these poor victims of their culture and era.

I think I need a fluffy, mindless romance now…

Another Six on Saturday

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I totally forgot to do Five on Friday so my penance is to do Six on Saturday. Again.

1. I gave blood this morning for the first time in seven years. Before I had cancer I gave blood fairly regularly, but at the time I finished chemo the rule of thumb was five years after your last treatment. I’m nearly six years out so I knew I would be okay, but the rules have changed. Now they say only one year out. I’m not sure when it changed, but whatever. I’m back on the bandwagon again.

The technician who tested my blood said I have blood like a man because my iron was in a good, strong range. So now I’m feeling manly and think Todd should get in the kitchen and make me a sammich. Because, you know, I gave blood this morning.

2.  The Kona Shaved Ice truck just drove by playing very loud Calypso music (Under the Sea, to be exact). It’s a beautiful fall day. Where was the truck and the sound of steel drums a month ago when we were in the middle of a heat wave?

 

3.  I’m watching “Curb Appeal” on HGTV right now. I love this show and others like it, but they give me a false sense of creativity. That can be very dangerous. I don’t care, though. I like ot live on the edge so I’m watching anyway.

 

4.  Last night CLEAR hosted Girls’ Game Night. It was my first time to run the tech booth so I made sure to be there a good hour beforehand to get everything set up and work out any glitches. Smooth as silk. Except for I couldn’t get the bingo caller program to slide from one monitor to the next so it would show up on the big screens for the players. So Michele called her techy husband and I called techy #1 who told me to call techy #2 who told me to call techy #3 who echoed techy husband, techy #1 and techy #2 when he said he had no idea why the program wouldn’t move. I played and played and played, trying to get the opened program over to the switcher but it wouldn’t budge. Finally it moved about 5 minutes before the party got started. And it was then that I realized you have to put the cursor on the gray bar at the top of the program, not just anywhere.

Duh.

5.  There’s this little hole in the wall take out seafood place called Capt’n Chucky’s Crab Cake Co. that I see on a regular basis and has always intrigued me. But I’m always on my way somewhere when I drive by and then I forget about it later. A couple of weeks ago, however, I saw that they were having a fundraiser for blood cancer research so I thought: good cause + crab cakes = win. I dropped Katie off at work and then swung by Capt’n Chucky’s and picked up crab cakes for me and Todd.

The guy that works there is super nice and after he explained all the options I chose the basic breaded crab cakes. I brought them home and cooked the up according to the instructions I was given and they were hands down the best crab cakes we’ve ever had. I now look forward to my next excuse to go there.

6.  I have to go get ready to take pictures of my friend, Kris, and her kids. Kris is one of my best friends (and Katie’s second mom) and her daughter, Shelby, is Katie’s best friend (and one of my adopted daughters). I have no idea how the pictures are going to turn out, but I do know it’s going to be fun!

Hello, Irene

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Yesterday I went to the grocery store and bought essential non-perishables – soda, chips and DoubleStuf Oreos. The majority of my local community decided to shop at the same time. I intensely dislike grocery shopping on a good day. I thoroughly loathe grocery shopping right before a natural disaster. But shop I did.

It’s nearly 11:30 on Saturday night and we’re in a River Flood Warning, a Flood Warning, a Tropical Storm Warning, a Tornado Watch (just downgraded from Warning) and Irene hasn’t even gotten here yet. And we’re far enough west that we won’t actually be in the direct line of the hurricane. We just get a tropical storm. Areas closer to Philadelphia are flooded and without electricity and we are prepared to deal with the same.

School starts on Monday for Katie and yesterday we received an automated phone call saying we would be notified Monday morning if school was delayed. Using up one of the built-in incliment weather days the very first day of school is not optimum.

I’m tired and would love nothing more than to snuggle down in my bed and sleep but I don’t see that happening any time soon. But at this moment I’m safe and I’m dry and I can’t say the same for everybody. So I’ll pray for them and update you all tomorrow.

Maybe, Just Maybe…

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I mentioned in my last post that I have sleep apnea. I go for my actual sleep study in July so I don’t know how severe it is yet, but according to Todd (and Taylor who came to tell me he was home the other night but I was sound asleep, though I had been awake until I heard the truck pull up) it’s pretty bad.

This is great news. Seriously. I’m nigh giddy at the thought that maybe, just maybe, I’ll wake up one morning and feel rested.

Maybe, just maybe, I’ll be able to come home from work and have the gumption to do something around the house.

Maybe, just maybe, I’ll have the zeal to write on a regular basis!

Maybe, just maybe, my white blood cells will have the opportunity to multiply and I’ll stop having low WBCs and thus, thrush!

Maybe, just maybe, I’ll have the energy to exercise!

Maybe, just maybe, I’ll feel vivacious instead of always drained!

Oh, the possibilities are endless!!

I was a little sad that I have to wait another month to have the study. You can’t get started on a CPAP machine without the study.

Todd has been on a CPAP machine for a year or so now and it’s done wonders for him. He has more energy, his migraines have been drastically reduced and he just feels better. And now we’ll have matching CPAP machines! Does it get any more romantic?? (Hello Middle-Age)

Back To School

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I haven’t really gone back to school, but I did start an on-line writing class last week. The teacher is none other than Andrea, previously of Pass the Zoloft fame. Her new website is Life Happins. Be a doll and go check her out. Anyhoo, the class isn’t about the mechanics of writing, but how to write a query, how to schedule your writing time, setting goals, and that sort of thing.

I already feel smarter! Or maybe more organized. Or maybe I’m just excited about the possibilities. Or maybe all three.

One of the “exercises” is writing on my blog three times a week. I feel confident that I’ll actually be able to do it now that I have my writing schedule and all.

So now I’m one down, two more to go for the week.

Learning New Tricks

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This old dog has learned something new.

Friday night I was inducted into the world that is Bunco. It wasn’t the first time I had the opportunity to play the game – I just never really had the desire before. I’m not a huge game player so I always declined the invitations. But Melinda across the street started this up and I figured, “why not?”  Since I don’t get to hang out at the corner in the morning (with all the other street walkers) I thought this would be a great way to catch up with some of the neighbors.

I started off the evening by opening up my mouth and making a ridiculous fool of myself. “Did somebody say something stupid? Jen must be here!” While we were waiting for everybody to show up we were discussing who had played before, etc.. I said, “I’ve never played Bunco, nor do I have any idea how to. The only thing I know is you play with cards.”  Yep. That’s what said and I meant it. Except you don’t play with cards. I’m sure all the ladies were thinking to themselves, “Yea. An idiot. She should be easy to beat.”

Melinda had prepared delicious food and even had bowls of pretzel M&Ms and trail mix on each table. At first blush you probably think it’s because she’s a good hostess, but you don’t know the whole story. You see, our neighborhood is in the middle of “The Biggest Loser” and Melinda is in the lead right now. Those who know her would say she’s too sweet to be so vicious, but there is that saying about a wolf in sheep’s clothing…

Eventually we started playing and I quickly realized it didn’t matter if I was an idiot or not. As long as a person can count they can play Bunco. MY KIND OF GAME! And guess who had the most buncos for the night. Go on. I said guess!

ME!

That’s right. I was the Bunco Queen! Beginner’s luck? Probably. Do I care? No, because I’m the one who walked away with the money and the title.

Happy Friday

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I can’t stay and chat because as soon as Katie gets home from school, which should be any minute, we’re going to pack up and head into Philly. She and I bought tickets to go see Les Miserables with some Christmas money and we’re staying overnight. It’s not a weekend trip to NYC, but we’re both very excited about it nonetheless. I’ve even scoped out where we’re going to get dessert before the play and where to eat breakfast in the morning.

Taylor left for school this morning. I thought I was okay with it, but I found myself crying just the teensiest bit (it was really more like my eyes were a tad bit watery) in the shower this morning. That made me laugh because it was pretty silly. It’s the first time I’ve cried since this whole college thing began. I got over it quickly.

I feel like I have nothing to say and yet I have a bajillion things to talk about. But I don’t have time for any of that right now. I just saw the bus. Peace out!!