Florence is one of my favorite places on Earth. No doubt, this is because when I studied abroad there (4th year at JMU), I happened to have several lifelong friends along for the ride (that’s you Z, Mase, and Nels) and met another while there (that’s you Ray). I’d only been out of the country […]
Bells … Tolling and Otherwise Read More »
One benefit to waking up before midnight and being forced out of bed: coffee and the ability to cheat on the day’s step counter. Wait, that’s two benefits … anyway, yes, coffee and cheating. The coffee needs little explanation: it’s depressing to be really friggin’ tired but in too much “discomfort” to sleep, knowing you
Amps That Go to 11 & the Art of Pointing One’s Package Read More »
Disclaimer: this is a long one, but one near and dear to my heart … update on me at the end. The autumn winds are upon us … a pirate, blustering in from the sea, with a rollicking song, he sweeps along, swaggering boisterously. Uhhh, if you’re not familiar with NFL films, you probably have
A Football Story (Mostly) Read More »
I had big plans for this post. In fact, I had plans for a couple of posts that were going to be light on (or not even contain) a medical update, but just focus on a few stories I wanted to share. Entertainment versus cancer stuff. Alas, a whopping 4 months have gone by, and
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Read More »
Update (2 months in 116 words) … 10 rounds lower spine radiation: helped pain (can sleep), hurt stomach (lost 10 lbs) … new chemo: 1 drug is light work, the other sent me the hospital for a night (thought it was heart toxicity, but probably just a tumor in my chest) … approximately 427 different
The Flying Fortress Read More »
WARNING: the following was written under the influence of sleep deprivation and pain, and contains frequent use of RANDOM MOVIE REFERENCES, IRREVERENT TAKES ON SERIOUS TOPICS, a few instances of SEMI-FOUL LANGUAGE, and INCESSANT WHINING. Allow me to begin by just saying, “HOLY MOLY!” As in, “What the F***?!” As in, “What in the wide,
What’s Your Prediction For the Fight? Read More »
A lot’s happened since my last post, so I’m afraid this one’s gonna have to be heavy on update and light on fun. If you skim or skip at any point, please dip back in for the note at the very bottom of the post … Over the past six weeks, I’ve had a full
I went down the rabbit hole recently, thinking of classic crying scenes in movies. Several immediately came to mind. No doubt, Matt Damon’s breakdown in Good Will Hunting is a solid one—the old, “tough guy finally breaks after confronting all the past abuse he endured” setup. Having Robin Williams there, wrapping him up in a
Mojo and a Glass Cage of Emotion Read More »
Wow, I can’t believe it’s been 3+ months since I’ve checked in … the long and short of it: I finished four more rounds of chemo in May, had a scan that looked okay, and agreed with the doctors I’d take the summer off before starting chemo again. Here’s the thing though, I happened to
A Simple Thank You Will Do Read More »
Short and sweet update: Now, for the important stuff: I completed the 8-hour Frozen Foot Adventure Race on March 11th. This one meant a lot to me, as it represented the 20th consecutive year I’ve done at least one race, and it took place in and around Sky Meadows State Park, which is truly one
Last Dance with the Beast Read More »