What?! It's been over 2 years

What the heck happened?? I mean I know that with the promotion and all my attention was quite work-centered, but boy to lose touch like that.....

Okay.... here goes:

Friend update- Things back in '07 looked pretty good. The healing was progressing, and as of this date he has quite a bit of dexterity with the thinger now called his thumb. Of course, that was 2007. Fast forward to October 2009 and there's a spot on his chest x-ray (for cancer victims, or at least sarcoma victims, the chest becomes the barometer/litmus test for a recurrence.) Because his primary oncologist was in India for 3 weeks for a family wedding, the waiting began. And- because of insurance- the preference for care was here, rather than the University where all his care was delivered up to that point, the waiting continued. FOR SIX MONTHS! So, yeah, surgery was necessary and finally took place early April, and of course they took out a pickle-sized sarcoma that was resting on his aorta and the nerves leading to his larynx. The scary part was the surgeon stopping by and being surprised that he could still talk. I guess that nerve is very sensitive, so okay, miracle again.

The part where faith comes in is that the oncologists (as well as something called the "sarcoma board") all agree that no chemo/radiation will take place. This is due to the fact that evidently there are only 3 types they give for his type of cancer, and he had two of them during his original treatment so they don't feel trying it again would be effective/worth the cost to his health. They also feel that they got all of it, so for now there's no need to do radiation. So.....this means there's not much to do but wait and keep getting x-rays. To me, that would just suck.

OTHER THINGS
Hey, Michigan's economy is in the crapper and I'm no stranger to that fact! Last October my sweet relationship with my employer came to an end (I really thought this would be the one!)
No worries, no worries! I'm a co-ed again. Took the plunge, going for total career change. Juuuust a little bit anxious as I walk that road, but that's me.

Jeez- the kids! They keep growing and growing. First blood is 15, working on getting the driver's license and now wears a size 15 shoe (hold the applause, please.) Number 2 can't wait to become a teenager, and aspires to be a fashion designer living in Paris. It's nice to have dreams.

Wifey still suffers from FM, I really wish she would take better care of herself and help keep it at bay. Surrendering to it and ignoring the depression is not working.

Lake Michigan is still the holiest water on Earth, although it is threatened by Asian Carp making their way from the Mississippi to Chicago. Sadly our President can't say no to his Chicago politicians and the most effective means of protecting the Great Lakes (closing the locks) is still off the table. So it's still in the hands of that crack staff at the Army Corps. of Engineers (the fine folks that put New Orleans under water.)

Still have a JetSki, but this one's SUPERCHARGED! Speed thrills. It just does.

Don't look now, but it's an update

Wow, has it been TOO LONG.

And you have my apologies.

How's my friend doing? JUST DAMN AWESOME. Although he did lose his thumb (too little bone remained after they took the biopsy) his prognosis is excellent. And due to the miracle of surgery, he isn't out a thumb- they moved his index finger over so he has a thumb again. It was a bit scary for a number of months as it was not showing any signs of growth where the bones come together. Finally, it's just growing like a weed. Thank GOD, Yahweh, Muhammed and Tiny Tim, too.

School started, but we didn't do the annual take-the-children-out-for-breakfast-on-the-first-day thing because Favorite Son starts at 7:25 now.

MSU is 3-0. UofM is 1-2. ND is 0-3. Tigers are not looking very good right now.

OUR KITCHEN IS IN SHAMBLES, and our house is full of dust. This hopefully will be over in 3 weeks if everyone stays on schedule.....

A position I lost-out on late last fall opened again because the loser couldn't handle it after 6 months. And I got the position. Now I wait for my replacement to be hired, then jump into damage control because the loser was a total hack and fouled up nearly every thing he touched.

Speaking of work, I traveled to Japan for a few days in May. Too short a trip, but it was a once-in-a-lifetime trip (due to late bookings: FIRST CLASS.) Oh, the spacious skies. I don't mean to be a prick, but I'll never see that part of an airliner again so let me gloat for just a moment.

Lake Michigan is still the holiest water on the planet. It's good medicine.

My Jet-Ski won't start. Wanna buy it? Let's make a deal.

My friend's wife filed for divorce. On his birthday. I think she's having a mid-life crisis, but unfortunately she's now going to subject her daughter to divorce for a second time and since she's 13 and entering middle school, well, you be the judge on how that will impact her.

I want to surf. Or that stand-on-a-surfboard-with-a-long-paddle thing.

Love you all. Gotta run

So THIS is what the 3rd snowiest February looks like

 


Photo taken by Favorite Son on his sick day home from school. Not a bad job, I must say.

Happy Day

It's been too long since a new post, so here's a weeks old picture of my good friend's li'l cherub.




That's Favorite Daughter holding him. I have a much better picture, but I'm not real keen on identifiable pics of my children on the internets. Now, don't go looking at me in the way you might look at Dan Akroyd in full "Sneakers" regalia; there's plenty of freaks out there and I'd prefer my kids don't meet them. You'll get over it, trust me.

Anyway, she was positively GIDDY at the experience of holding a real-live baby instead of one of her many many dolls. And that's notwithstanding the fact that, due to his pre-mature birth, he's smaller than many of her dolls. Or at least he was at the point this picture was taken. He's now putting away 4+ ounces each feeding, weighs over 7lbs and has grown an inch. Yup, he'll be palming a basketball any day now......

And just when we thought Winter was taking the year off, we go and have the 3rd snowiest February on record. . . sheesh! But I can't complain, I can't imagine what those poor folks in Oswego, NY must be doing with all their snow.

TTFN, and be safe. All of you~

It wasn't me

Sometimes I can look quite handsome, you might even say "princely". But make no mistake about it: I did not have sex with that woman, Ms. Smith.

And what's up with the Grammy folks? 5 for the Chicks? Have you actually LISTENED to that stuff? I mean come ON! How political can this be? For a second I thought I was watching the CMAs or somethin'. What are these awards for again? Courage, or talent? I thought it was for talent. These are the Grammys people, not the Nobel Prize, or Carnegie Medal for Heroism. Let's get our priorities straight and recognize talents, not just gutsy nuts from Texas.

Record of the Year? Maybe. The nominee list wasn't that strong, and "You're Beautiful" wasn't really James Blunt's best effort.
Album of the Year? No way. I'm sorry, but the rest of the pack simply blew this one away. All the Chick's tracks were consistently nasal and droning. Gnarls showed a ton of creativity, the Peppers featured an amazing number of hits from it's two (not one, count 'em, TWO) disc set.

I just don't get why they continue to try to award things in the most outlandish way they can. And another thing: could someone please explain to me how Gnarls Barkley is now "alternative"? Wha?

I have a cold.

Slowly

My good friend's baby came home on the First of this month. It took almost two whole weeks, but he's finally home. That's just so good to hear.

His chemo developed a complication last week, his kidney function is down and they couldn't give him the more-potent half of the two drugs he's getting. Now it seems they are going to abandon that drug and change to a different one for his next treatment in two weeks- one that will require him to now be at the university hospital for three days of treatments rather than two. And because they scheduled him to start at 7am, he's gotta be gone for three nights, too. It's so sad to see this with the new baby at home- he would just rather be there.



On another front, big scare at home tonight. It's quite bitterly cold outside and wifey has been wanting a fire, as well as favorite son. After getting back from shoveling GF's drive, and also clearing out the present from the city plow truck at the end of mine, it was time to get back inside. Anywho- paper was wadded, kindling added, flue opened, starter torch seemed to start drawing just fine so the papers were lit.

Slowly, smoke starts rolling.

Doors close.

Smoke still rolling, fire starting to slowly grow.

Press on doors (as though there's some sort of weatherstripping there.....doh!)

Marvel at all the spots smoke is pouring out around closed doors. Thinkthinkthinkthinkthinkthinkthink THINK! Think about all that snow we've gotten and how much might be plugging the top of the chimney. Think about how many candles are gonna have to be lit to clear the thickening air throughout our house. Think how little that lone bathroom vent fan will do to help clear the air.

Marvel again at the condensation on the inside of the fireplace doors, the flames still surviving through all that smoke, the sound of a snow plug falling nearly two stories down our chimney, the agonizingly slow clearing of the air in the fireplace after a good draft starts......

It was well after halftime before all the windows were buttoned up tight. I think it was about two degrees outside at that time.

Sorry, but Happyness is threatened

Awright, I'll be frank with ya. I'm pissed. You know my old friend, "C"? The one that took Bob's Mary, my Aunt, Sharon's Joe, Bart's Lois, Bill's Lois and Wifey's co-worker? Gol-danged junk is back. This time it's now dropped by to visit my friend's life. Started out as just a bump on his thumb, turns out to be osteosarcoma. What's worse, the diagnosis was confirmed just after Christmas and on top of that he and his wife were expecting their first baby at that time. All that promise during that time of year balled up into a wrenching ball of fear and unknown.

They had the baby yesterday, and Lord willing it will be home in a week (it's a bit of a preemie due to a run-in with gestational diabetes and pre-eclampsya.)

It's just hard to see him go through this. He's only had one treatment and it wiped him out for over a week. Give me the strength to put my fears and emotions aside and be there in any way they need.