scans and Skye

Home from the Oncologist. Monday's scans (MRI & CT) showed no cancer! That's the good news.

Skye (my older corgi dog) is going downhill fast. Yesterday she couldn't get up and stand or walk. She is not eating well. Called the Vet and got an appointment for later in the afternoon. Just before we left for the appointment Skye was able to get up and wander around. No real answer or prognosis found there. I know it is a matter of time, she's is almost 13 years old, but as long as she's happy we'll deal with the physical problems. Today she isn't all that active but when inspired, by me, she was willing to move around.

Post test

Good morning World,

Home from the hospital where I got my MRI/CT scans this morning. I'll get the results on Thursday when I see my Oncologist. Hard not to wonder what they'll show. So, taking it easy today. Temperature moving towards 80. They'll be some sitting in the sun with the puppies.

Made it to the PGroove show and stayed for a while after the show. Most energy I've expended in months. Didn't get one shot, crappy assed lights. I was worried that the effort would have to be paid the following day, but this was not to be. Still have the neuropathy pain but that comes and goes.  Nice weekend overall.

I've been recording my practice and I'm improving. Doubles my practice time, having to  listen. The project was so I could listen and play along and record separate tracks, is functional now. Experimentation to commence.

Leftover Salmon on Wednesday, maybe PG in Boone on Thursday and Chris Knight on Saturday. 

just another day

Good morning. Seems I haven't blogged in a week. I think I've gotten some bug or another as I have more symptoms from the treatments, rearing their ugly heads. I have learned, though all this, to listen to my body. I'm getting better but more slowly than I'd like, of course. Hair is growing in, maybe more gray than black. Still managing to walk everyday. Russell likes walking.

I've started cooking for myself. As a result I have a refrigerator full of food. Love the new waffle maker.

PGroove is playing the Neighborhood Theater on Friday. If I have to crawl to Charlotte to make it to the show, then I shall.  Order a ticket for Phish this summer. I hate paying so much for a show. $10 to mail a single ticket, simply outrageous.

Next Monday I'm scheduled for full MRI/CT tests. I'm not worried. I'm hoping for a new baseline for health.

I'm reading "The Baroque Cycle" a three volume novel by Neal Stephenson. Total number of pages, around 2,700 and dozens of characters, set in the 17th century. I'm 500 pages into the second book.

One of my neighbors, who I did not know before, came over to discuss his brain cancer. His cancer also started in the lungs and metastasized to the brain. He was given Whole Brain Radiation and then chemo. He said he had not had a conversation with anyone before. It is really hard to discuss cancer with friends and family, but easier with fellow sufferers. I invited him to come over any time and we'd drink a beer in the backyard. Seems he's a fan of the New Belgian Brewery.

Shot a few pictures of Russell playing in the backyard.

click for Russell pics

Thanks for reading.

April Shows

In the East touring bands seem to migrate through the seasons. Far South in the Winter and in the north during the summer. They hit here in the Spring and Fall. Time for us to get a few shows then.


April

  5          Dead End Parking

12          Holy Ghost Tent Revival

13          PGroove

18          Leftover Salmon

19          PGroove -Boone

21          Chris Knight

27-28   Merlefest

30         Gomez

Hard to believe but the price of gas has gotten to high that I have to consider the cost in making longer trips. Not working certainly has an effect on my income. Medical bills take the rest.

waffles and good health

Waffles!

Made it to the Tea Leaf Green show this past weekend. Raining pretty hard but I was determined to build my concert muscles. Lots of shows coming up in April, so I have to be in shape. Holy Ghost Tent Revival, Dead End Parking, PGroove x2, Chris Knight, Leftover Salmon, Gomez and Merlefest on the list.



CT and MRI in the middle of the month. Expecting nothing but good news. I think I've may have the answer to my fatigue problem of the past three years. As it appears to be lifting, I now believe that maybe my body needed that energy and for me to reduce my activity level in order for my body to fight off the cancer. Since I'm still alive and most on that road aren't, something must be different. I fought against and tried everything to overcome this debilitating condition. Now I am thinking it may have been my body trying to get better and I just lacked the patience to wait. Although at the time I feared the condition would be permanent. Guess not, and happily so.

I'm walking everyday and just 2 months ago I was barely able to walk 2 blocks now cover two miles. I know how to get back in shape. Start slowly and work to failure. Then, again. Granted at 54 maybe harder than at 24 or 34, but it'll happen. I'm persistent if nothing else. I don't fail and I don't quit. I don't even know how to quit.

Canker worms at record levels. Damn bugs everywhere. Enjoying the warm weather. I mean me, not the bugs.

waffles

This morning broke out the new waffle maker and of course, bacon. Working back into cooking for myself. Since most of my adult life has been shared with some really good cooks, I haven't too much experience. Maybe because I'm not much of a foodie and cooking for one's self means eating the leftovers for days. Still, besides the mess, it's kind of fun.

Went out to here a local band last night. Close enough to walk, so Russell the Corgi got to come along. He was a big hit, maybe more than the band, lol. We clocked over three miles yesterday. Just beginning to feel normal. Having a beer there made me feel more like a normal person.

I'm back to recording my guitar practice. Sometime fair, sometimes worse. I'm blaming it all on the tree pollen (which set records last week). But I put a lot of work into getting the signal chain ready for recording. I guess these would be scratch tracks. Next will be adding tracks for the bass and the mandolin. I'm using the music recording software, Audacity. Not bad.

Tonight Tea Leaf Green (San Francisco jam/folk/rock band) at the Neighborhood Theater. May even take the camera. Off to practice now, then take the puppies out. After that, taking Russell for a walk and the camera to shoot the trees and lowering plants.

Fun day planned.

cloudy day

Not feeling all that energetic today. Need to pay a bill from 2010.  Great accounting you guys.

I've been reading some terrible articles, well the articles themselves are good, but the topics are horrifying.

First was in the Rolling Stone (a surprisingly good news magazine) on the new NSA facility. As you may know, since the beginning of this century, the Federal Government has been routing all internet traffic through their servers in order to scan the traffic. That traffic is our emails, web searches and web traffic. This new facility will be able to store all that internet traffic, email and phone calls from anywhere in the U.S. Even if you encrypt your email, they will store it until the encryption can be broken. 

Add that to facial recognition software and security cameras now so common, as well as gps phone tracking, we are so ripe for a Totalitarian takeover. Or more likely, we already are on the midst of the takeover. I mean banks squander billions of dollars and the federal government bails them out. I'm happy to see Occupy Wall Street folks out there trying, but it'll take more that a few folks hanging out to make any real difference. Is it even possible to change the direction of money and power from moving up the chain? Is our government bought and sold already? The Supreme Court seems to be.

Facebook passwords being required as a condition of employment. Reminds me of the guy about to be drug tested by a possible employer who said, "you are not buying me, only renting me." What's next Sodium Pentathol?

I've long feared the the day that all the computers are hooked together and cash is declared illegal and then there will be no more secrets. I'm not paranoid. The net tightens.