May 2007

Update...
I just posted the blog for the rest of May below this post just for continuity purposes. I hope everyone is doing well and hopefully I will be able to catch up with a number of you soon.
-TN

Again, I have neglected the blog and been just busy with various minor tasks. In one way, being bogged down with day to day things is sort of moving towards normal and those trivial parts of daily life can actually be something of an abstract form of medicine. At this point we are well on our way back to normal, though there is still quite a long way to go. A bit of a warning, this entry will be a bit long so get comfortable.

I just wanted to say thanks for all the warmth I have received over this whole journey and especially through the comments on the blog and from people I have seen in person recently. Keep those comments coming, I love them. I apologize for my delayed responses, but whenever a comment is made, I get an email and they always put a smile on my face. Thank you for your kind words, Dr. Lee. Something Eva and I have realized is that uncertainty is one of the hardest things to deal with. In that way, we empathize with what you went through and extend our thoughts and prayers to everyone who is facing uncertainty.

I will be going up to Portland next week to see family and am really looking forward to it. Good to hear from you Zel and Tom. I cannot believe I received a comment on my blog from my Great Aunt Zel. What a world! In Newsweek, Eva pointed out that a 95 year old woman just graduated from college (she became the oldest person to do so) and now my Great Aunt is all over the internet. You Rock Zel! I think I will pass out if I see a video post from you on You Tube (I am sure some credit should be sent Bette’s way, good job on bringing the technology to your mom).

I visited my father at the office last Friday and I just wanted to express how wonderful it was to see all of you. I have always been greeted with smiles and warmth and it means so much to me. I cannot express the gratitude I have for all of your thoughts and prayers and for the support you all have given my family and me through this very tough time. You all are remarkable human beings and I wish the best for each and every one of you. Also, the free lunch was pretty sweet. Thanks.

Just a quick health update… I am still just plugging away with chemo and basically leading a fairly normal life. That seems to be the theme. I still feel pretty normal. I guess that I am not really myself for a few days after an infusion but even when I am not myself, it really is not all that bad. Eva says I get a bit cranky. I just tell her to feed me, burp me, and put me to bed. I suppose I get a bit touchy sometimes. Alright, I will be honest, I can get to be a pretty big A-hole when it is bad. Luckily, it usually passes fairly quickly and later that day or the next my usual demeanor returns. We are still figuring out the new regimen but it seems to be following a 3 week pattern alternating Mitomycin C with Epirubicin and Taxotere with some Erbitux mixed in from time to time. I still get a pretty impressive rash from the Erbitux, but then I get to amuse myself by seeing how far I can eject the puss from my face. FYI, the forehead zits consistently get more distance. For now, the plan is just to continue doing what I am doing. It seems to be stable for the moment and stability is a wonderful thing. It would be nice to eventually be cancer free but I will certainly be fine going the chronic disease route.

Anyways, I will recap the highlights last few weeks with some brief entries and photos.

Weekend of 5/12/2007

Eva and I took off for Catalina for the weekend. Eva grabbed the newspaper on her way out the door and began reading it as we were driving to the boat launch. The front page headline read “Fire Lays Siege to Avalon!” The headline was accompanied by an impressive photo of flames behind the city, ready to descend upon the unfortunate town and lines of tourists being evacuated on the Catalina express. She cutely inquired, “Uhh, Tyler, have you seen this? Are we really going there?” I tried to explain that the media was just looking for sensational stories and that fires were always over dramatized. Newspapers live for photos of flames. She still seemed skeptical, but I said, “If our campsite is on fire, I will bring us back to the mainland.” We launched the boat, Eva laughed at my consistent amusement at seeing sea lions on the buoy in the harbor, and before we knew it, we were out in the open ocean. Some dolphins joined us for a bit and seeing that wonderful smile on Eva’s face makes all my worries and concerns just fade away. We were destined for Lava Wall, a boat in site towards Two Harbors, so we decided we would make a quick stop at Two Harbors and fill up on gas before checking out what we were in for. Everything seemed pretty normal at Two Harbors. It looked a little dead for a summer weekend but there were no flames or panicking vacationers as far as we could see. We pulled up to the fuel dock and Eva was going to pick up a couple last food items while I gassed up. I walked up the dock to the harbor master and asked if I could get some fuel. He said no, sort of tilted his head a bit and professed, “We got nothing.” My face inquired and he continued, “We got no electricity, no fuel, no phones, no cell phones, nothing.” He explained to me though the fire did not even get close to them, that a number of electric poles near Avalon had burned and, as all of Two Harbor's electricity comes from Avalon, they were pretty much cut-off. The fuel pumps run on electricity, so they were out. The phones lines were also burned and the cells had no power. They had to conserve water because they use an electric pump to get the water up to the water tower. The general store was closed (this store is otherwise open 365 days a year) as was the deli and restaurant though they were still providing something to those in need of sustenance. You had a choice of a premade sandwich or chicken tenders. They had a few generators that were running essential items like the deep fryer for the chicken tenders. Luckily we were expecting to be self sufficient, though there is definitely a different feeling when you have to be self sufficient. Sort of like a circus preformer doing his thing without a net. Anyways, Lava Wall was an incredible site. Eva and I had a wonderful day and half enjoying our own private beach. The trip and a few activities that followed will be presented with photos and captions.

Here are Eva and I just heading out. She is smiling because I am about to take yet another picture of the sea lions on the buoy.


And here are those adorible sea dogs. If I remember, next time I will try to get a video of Eva or I attempting to communicate with them.


This was our first look at the site. Rough accomodations. I love the boat in sites. A sign and a picnic table and that is pretty much it.


Eva and I were not completely alone at the site. This little character had gotten there first, but for some reason, he did not want to hang out with us. Maybe he knew that I snore.


While exploring some nearby tidepools, I found a shark's egg case. No worries, we returned it to the sea.


Heading out to paddle around a bit. Just imagine Chris Farley's voice singing "Fat guy in a little boat." I was even sucking it in for the camera. Obviously, I still have a bit of a coushin. I tell myself I am just remaining ready in case the chemo turns bad and I can't eat for a little while.


Eva and I after dinner. A bit later we broke out Boggle and went at it. You don't know embarrasment until you have lost at Boggle to someone who's fifth language is your first.


Eva loves a man who does the dishes.

May 2007 cont.

5/13/2007
Sunday morning, we just headed back to the mainland pretty early, as it was Mother’s day. We had sent flowers to Eva’s mom and were curious as to whether or not they had gotten there on time. They do not deliver on Sundays so we had asked that they be delivered on Saturday. Apparently, Swiss flower couriers are a bit overzealous in performing their duties. Saturday morning, Eva’s parents were roused to what sounded like a knocking at the door. They checked the clock and it was 7:20am. They thought it couldn’t possibly be someone at the door at that hour but then another knock was heard. George gets up and headed to the door to, very rightly, give this early morning interloper a piece of his mind. When he opened the door a large ball of paper was thrust into his arms and the courier was off. He brought the item into the house and Miluse and he opened our little gift. Switzerland is a bit funny sometimes. Grocery stores close at 4pm on Saturday for the remainder of the weekend yet flowers can be delivered at the crack of dawn. I felt bad that Eva did not get to see her mother on Mother’s day but they spoke on the phone a bit. I hope that Miluse knows what an incredible mother she is and what a wonderful job both her and George did raising Eva. I feel so lucky to have two sets of incredible parents.

After we got back from Catalina, my dad and I cleaned up the boat while Eva and my mom went out for a run. Later, my dad put together a BBQ for Mother’s Day. Rosemarie joined us, she is always a blast, and it was a really nice afternoon. My mom already knows this, but I am so appreciative of everything she has done for me and just love her so much. Call me a mama’s boy, because that’s what I am.

Tuesday 5/15/2007
For my birthday, my parents had said they would spring for kayaks. We had picked up one at REI and I would get another on Craig’s list. My dad had the day off so we decided to brave the seas in one kayak and the Alpacka raft. We did not really know what to expect, but it was surprisingly easy. One sad note, this was the first day in a long time that I was skunked fishing. I do not know what was wrong. I guess the fish were smarter than me that day. Oh-well, it was still nice to get onto the water. While we were out there, we saw an egret standing on kelp picking around for food. I had never seen a bird virtually walking on water. We put in at White’s Point, my dad took out there, and I went ahead and kayaked a couple miles to Cabrillo Beach where my folks picked me up. Amazingly, my dad did not flip backwards on this wave.



Testing out the new kayak. The perspective you get by being right on the water is pretty cool.


5/19/2007
Most of the rest of the week was filled with day-to-day stuff though I did do a bit of a sewing project. I had gotten myself a sewing machine and had ordered a vest kit online and finally put it together. Sewing is pretty fun though there were occasional moments of frustration (and when I say frustration, I mean moments of pure rage). I cannot believe that people sew all day for something like a dollar a day. What I went through makes me want to send extra money to the people who actually made my clothes (not the people who put the logo on them). From time to time, Eva and I would cruise over to Hombly for a round of golf. Her game is really coming along. Check out Eva’s score. Birdies on a par 3 are pretty legit (even if the hole is only 40 yards long). Just know, if anyone wants to challenge us, we would welcome it as long as our infinite mulligan rule remains intact.





5/20/2007
Earlier in the week I picked up another kayak and stored it on the car until we could get it down to San Pedro. Eva and I cruised south, put the kayaks onto the car, and launched at Cabrillo.




Again, the fish outsmarted us, though my fishing skills seemed to be too much for this character.




In the theme of “no good deed goes unpunished,” I fell off of my kayak as I was trying to pull a balloon from the water. Well, at least it was good practice getting back into the kayak. I am sure I will get in a bit of trouble for this, but, just for the record, Eva also got a bit wet. Her spill was a little more public as a wave was just big enough to tip her over on her exit. She picked herself up graciously and I tried to grab all the bits of trash we had collected while on the water. Sadly, the bread did not make it, though salty apricots are not all that bad.


5/25/2007
Most of the week was spent again tending to ordinary affairs but Eva and I were heading back to the Island for the first half of the Memorial Day holiday. We checked ahead of time and saw that there were no fires, so we figured this trip should be cake. On our way over, we saw a pretty big structure out in the open water. It turned out to be Sea Launch. I had never seen it moving before and it was cruising along at a decent clip. If it looks huge from the bridge going into Long Beach, imagine how it looks in a tiny boat from 200 yards.


We went straight across to Goat Harbor and, unfortunately, had to share the beach with others this time. We fished a bit with no luck (aside from the sea star, skunked 3 times in a row, I was getting a bit worried at that point) and then went for a bit of a hike up the streambed next to the camp. Check out the happy couple.



We had a wonderful dinner and evening. We brought big boggle this time and I at least gave Eva a run for her money.

5/26/2007
We went out fishing in the morning and finally my bad streak was broken. It was so much fun. We each caught 7 or 8 fish and those little halfmoons put up a decent little fight.


All I can say is “What a cutie!”


After fishing, Eva and I took on a fairly ambitious hike. I knew it would be much longer, but on the map, the airport is only about 1.5 miles away. I had unsuccessfully, tried to get up to the airport about 4 times before. Usually the hike ends when there is some little ridge that is just a bit too steep or the rocks are a bit too big in the stream bed or we have hiked for a couple of hours and the airport is not even in sight. On the map there was small road that would take us to the airport, if we could get up to it from the beach. We set out up the streambed and made it up farther than I had ever gone. There were a couple hairy spots but Eva just held my hand and we made it fine. After about an hour and a half, we climbed out of the streambed and found ourselves basically on the ridge. We kept pressing on into the interior and Eva spotted a few buffalo on a hill a little ways away (her first buffalo sighting, or technically, bison sighting) and then we stumbled across the road.

It was not much more than a couple tire treads, but it eventually took us to a paved road and, after another mile, we were at the airport. We split a buffalo burger and grabbed an ice cream before we left. We were really stoked that we made it and it was a fun hike but we do not have any plans of repeating that one anytime soon. Yeah, I was sore for a number of days.


Just for a bit of perspective, the rock off of my left shoulder is the same one as the rock above our tent in the shot below it.



5/27/2007
On Sunday, we fished again and were similarly successful. Here is Eva filleting a fish. Stop drooling dad.

5-6 through 5-11

I had written this but had not gotten around to posting it as I was going to add photos. I will include some photos with the next post which should bring everything up to date.

On Sunday, Eva and I took it pretty easy and enjoyed a nice long breakfast. Eventually, we got out on a run/ride and this time we went out prepared to hop on the links if it was not too crowded. I felt a little funny riding my bike with a small bag of 4 clubs on my back but I am pretty used to looking funny these days. Again, I was amazed at how few people there were actually playing the course. There were a lot of other people enjoying the course though and between the picnickers and the kids running around, those skinny fairways were even thinner. Eva and I would take turns playing goalie/ guard and stand in front of picnickers just in case there was an errant shot. Some of these park goers were pretty ballsy. There was a group of four elderly people playing cards just off the fringe of the 8th hole. I wasn’t not sure which would do more damage if I hit a bit long; my ball or the surprise that a loud “Four!!!” might invoke. I did not want to give anyone a heart attack but upon closer inspection, it looked as if this group were regulars on Sunday and were probably aware of the risks associated with their favorite little card playing spot. Somehow, Eva and I managed to get through the course without injuring anyone or causing any property damage. The little stream was actually turned on and it really added to the cute little park. The real water also upped the difficulty of the course because the extra bounce we would occasionally get off the dry concrete creek bed was taken out of play. It was a nice, long, lazy afternoon at Holmby and we rewarded ourselves with some ice cream after we finished our round. We slowly made the trek back to the apartment and finished off the day with a bit of dinner and a mindless action movie.

Monday morning I went in for a full round and it felt good to get back into the office. My counts were pretty decent – midrange on the whites, a bit low on the reds, and 371K for the platelets. So far, living spleenless has been working out pretty well as I have not had to skip an infusion for lack of platelets since it was removed. If you know anyone who might be in a similar situation to what I was in, you might want to mention that option to them. Hopefully, I am the only person you know in this situation but they say that over our lives 1 in 3 of us will get some form of cancer. Sony was absent from the office and was missed though we got to see the doctor for a bit. An older woman joined me in the lounge and was fairly pleasant, though I sort of got the impression she was short a few marbles. I think the mental burden of the cancer had taken a toll on her over her journey. Eva was really wonderful and maintained a nice little conversation when she noticed that I had heard about enough. I have become very intolerant of negativity and complaining and have sort of lost the patience to deal with it in some situations these days. At one point, the woman said that she wished that they would just tell her exactly how long she had so she could just figure things out. To me, that seems like the first step towards a self-fulfilling prophecy. As hard as uncertainty is to deal with, I prefer to keep the idea of beating this on the table and at the center of my thoughts and focus. I guess she was just in a different place than me but I still wish her the best and hope that she stays in the fight.

Eva got a treat after the infusion as I had received the premeds, which put me into “docile husband” mode. We decided to check out The Hoax, which was particularly interesting to me hearing some of the stories around the lab of the old Hughes days. Once we got home, we just hung out and veged.

Tuesday was my Dad’s day off so I made my way down to San Pedro and we took the boat out. Eva needed the car so I had to resort to public transportation to get down there. Amazingly, there is a bus that picks up about 3 blocks from our apartment and ends less than a mile from my parent’s house, all for $2.25. It did take an extra 45 minutes but it was air-conditioned and I just played on my computer through the trip, which was nice. Anyways, the folks picked me up from the bus stop with the boat and we went ahead and launched at Cabrillo. It was a beautiful day on the water and we made our way over to Long Beach to grab lunch at McKinna’s on the bay. Tiana and her mother, Nancy, joined us for a really wonderful meal. Nancy was impressed with how much hair I had which made me feel pretty good. I am fine with being bald, but it is nice to resemble normal people. I almost have enough for it to get messed up, sweet. I was supposed to go flying later in the day but I was pretty tired from the little boat ride and the chemo the day before. I made my way back up to the apartment and was happy to stumble to the couch and wait for my wife to return from work.

Wednesday and Thursday were pretty uneventful though Eva and I did play a round at Holmby on Wednesday evening. The highlight was a birdie that I chipped in from about 10 yards (yes my tee off shot did only go about 75% of the way on a 40 yard hole, it would have been embarrassing if not for the incredible second shot to finish off the hole). I did a subdued Happy Gilmore “riding the bull” dance, hugged my wife, gathered myself, and then we went on to the next hole. On Thursday evening we did the usual run/ride to the fountain and I actually ran a small portion of it. I sort of feel like I am holding myself back, but now that I am back on Taxotere (the likely culprit for some lung fibrosis early in my journey), I really pay attention to my breathing and try to keep it under control. Otherwise, Eva and I have been taking it pretty easy. We are hoping to make it over to Catalina this weekend. It seemed like a great idea earlier in the week when it was really hot. If it is a bit cold, we will just cuddle together for warmth. This will be the first time that we have camped in a while. Hopefully we have not gotten soft from all the plush accommodations.

-TN

4-30-2007 through 5-5-2007

Early last week I mostly just hung around the apartment and tried to take care of a few minor things. I have been reading a bit these days and Eva and I have been enjoying the West Hollywood Library just up the street from us. Unfortunately, days filled with educating myself do not make for very exciting blog entries. I suppose I’ll just skip ahead to the highlights, but first, a brief health update.

Everything is just moving along as normal as things get these days. I have had a few chemo sessions since the last scan and a full round last Monday. That was the first full round in a while and it was nice to hang around the office for more than a half hour or so. Eva and I are still getting a feel for the new regimen but even after about three months, what I get and when I get it still seems fairly fluid. I suppose I should request that Dr. Isacoff would just lay out the schedule for me, but I would rather spend the brief interactions kidding about various life happenings than worrying about the exact day I get the next bit of poison. I keep rough tabs on what I am getting and speak up when I think I am due for more (though I keep quiet when it might be a bit early). The best I can figure is that I get Mitomycin C every 4 to 6 weeks. I get Taxotere, Epirubicin, and Erbitux about every 2 to 3 weeks, though not in the same week as Mitomycin C. I will also get other doses of Erbitux on the in between weeks. I am still doing 2 weeks of Xeloda throughout all this which is just a couple of pills that I take in the morning and at night. This regimen is harder and easier in different ways. I still think I should be getting much more chemo, especially after the scan in January and the slight increase of the cyst but I cannot argue with the stability that was seen in the April scan. Though I do enjoy spending time in the office, the old GFLIP regimen was pretty time intensive and did take quite a toll on me. I would spend about 4 hours one day getting Gemzar, Irrenotecan, and Erbitux one day and then come back the next day for about 5 hours of hydration and Cisplatin. Then I would go home, sit on the couch like a blob and receive loving comments from my wife like, “My, you look like the cutest little bloated squirrel I have ever seen. Are your cheeks really that big or are you just carrying around a jar of nuts in case you get hungry?” Anyways, I am still just plugging away. I take what they give me and so far it has worked pretty well. I do think that my mood is affected some days, though not severely, and I also do not feel like myself, physically, some days, but that is to be expected. I am not sure if it was the chemo or the heat but the first few days of this week have been pretty draining. Maybe I should go back to work just for the air conditioning. I do not know how productive I would be but I think I would be more comfortable.

Again, like I said, the beginning of last week was not all that exciting. Just a brief environmental plug... I switched out all of the light bulbs in our apartment for fluorescent bulbs and would recommend for everyone out there to do the same. They are supposed to last for like 8 years, sounds like another challenge for me. Can I outlive my lightbulbs? The gauntlet has been laid down. This will be a bigger challenge than outliving my credit card’s expiration dates or making it to my next birthday (check, oh-yeah!). We will see how I do.

On Wednesday evening, Eva and I met Adam and Tran at Holmby and played a bit of golf. It was Tran’s first time playing golf and she did really well for the amount of effort she put into it. Once she got onto the greens, golf sort of morphed into hockey and she just sort of guided the ball into the hole. Luckily we play double par as max and she just took her sixes like a champ. It was good to see both of them and they seem to be doing really well. They are about halfway through dental school and are actually performing dentistry on real people. I am not sure how it is set up, but I am imagining something like the hair salon training studios where you can get a free hair cut if you do not mind the risk of uneven sideburns. I am sure that the dental students are all very proficient; you just might want to ask for an extra bit of novacane before getting started.



My father was off on Thursday, so my mother and he came up and we all went off to the Getty Villa in Malibu. We met my friend Tiana and her father David up there and it was just a gorgeous day. Both Gettys are just incredible places to hang out. The ambiance is really unbeatable. Where else can you go, pay $8 to park, and relax in the lap of luxury surrounded by incredible works of art. The Villa houses the antiquities and nearly everything on display was in excess of 2000 years old. There were even some pieces from the stone age that were pushing the 4 to 5 thousand year old mark. Pretty amazing. Flowers were blooming in the gardens and the light breeze off of the ocean was just right. My poor father was going in for a minor check up the next day and in preparation was restricted to clear fluids the day before. While the rest of us enjoyed a wonderful lunch on the terrace, he managed to make the most of some hot tea and a coke. I tried to make him feel better by
telling him that my pasta pomodoro was horrible and tasteless though in actuality, it was delicious. He managed to maintain quite a pleasant demeanor, which I have found extremely hard to do during the mornings I have had to fast for my CT scans. Well done, dad.

Friday morning I met David and Tiana on the links at the Heartwell par 3 course in Long Beach. This was something more than the little pitch and putt that is Holmby. There were actually holes that exceed 100 yards here, no messing around. Luckily, everyone was OK with the infinite mulligans rule and we all took a pretty relaxed attitude towards the game (that is the only way to maintain any semblance of sanity in golf). I posted a few pars and was pleased with my play, though I got more familiar with the trees lining the right side of the fairways than I would like to admit. David is a really good golfer and Tiana and I could certainly learn a thing or two from him. What I would give for a bit of consistency. I can hit some nice shots from time to time but the shots in between are pretty abominable. Oh-well. On the 15th, David put a nice little shot right onto the green and somehow Tiana managed to end up right next to him in two shots. I was, again, off in the trees to the right of the hole but still managed to recover for a bogey.


After golf, I made my way back up to the apartment and Eva and I found a new way to be decadent without ever stepping outside. Don’t worry, I will keep it clean. We ordered delivery and then watched a dvd on our home theater. Not exactly making the scene as you might expect from a couple of twenty-somethings but we have settled rather nicely into our old married couple niche and are quite happy being there. We ordered sushi from the place a couple blocks away, a half hour later it was at our door and we were good to go. What a world we live in. The feature for the night was Happy Feet. I will say that it was an Eva pick just to maintain some sense of manliness. It was a fun little movie and I know I am just repeating myself, but I really enjoy the projector. It has been an enjoyable splurge. My friend Nick also really likes his, though I think he is getting a touch of grief from his fiancé as he hesitates to go out to movies anymore because he argues that they basically have a theater in their own house.

For the weekend, Eva and I got up fairly early and got out on a run/ride. Eva was feeling good so we ended up going all the way to Holmby where I parked the bike and walked a couple of laps. It was amazing, there were really only about five groups on the golf course. I guess people do not get up very early for the public course in Beverly Hills. Somehow we did not have any cash on us (we usually carry at least a few bucks) so we could not even rent clubs to get out and play a bit. Bummer. We enjoyed our little stroll and eventually made our way back to our apartment. Using the GPS throughout the morning’s trip, I found that we covered exactly 8.67 miles. How I lived without knowing that before, I do not know. We got cleaned up at the apartment and then Eva made another idea materialize and set us up with tickets for 12 Angry Men which was playing at the Ahmanson. We caught the afternoon matinee and it was a great performance. George Wendt (a fellow big guy) played the juror #1 and Richard Thomas played the questioning juror #8 (both are TV actors though they were a bit before my time). It was kind of neat going to a matinee because after the performance we still had a good portion of the day available to us. Since we were in downtown, we decided to hit the fashion district and see if we could find any sweet deals for Eva. It may not be that manly, but I really enjoy the fashion district. The cultural diversity and activity that is going on really give it a unique feel; as if you are in a whole other country, especially when you compare it to the Beverly Center or the other shopping Meccas close to where we live. We saw some nice things though the only item we came home with was a belt for Eva, which she added to her ensemble right then and there.

We cruised back towards West Hollywood and decided to grab dinner at Barney’s Beanery. I did not realize until we were seated, but Saturday night was 10 months since diagnosis. Pretty amazing. Who knows what the future will hold, but I have to say that it has been an incredible 10 months and I would like to thank everyone who has helped make it quite a remarkable time for me. Each one of you has helped me along my way in one way or another and for that I am truly grateful. Just to single out a few, my parents and new parents have been incredibly kind and loving to me, and Eva has been beyond description. Her love and support has given me the strength and outlook to make it this far and I am really working hard on getter her the 80 years I owe her. We joked the other night, “10 months down, 79 years and 2 months to go.” We raised a glass to that sentiment, and enjoyed a nice meal at one of our favorite spots. Just to put this out there, if anyone is in the area and has a hankering for smores, just give me a call and I will be there.

Take care and live strong,
TN

On Sunday morning, Eva and I got up and did the usual run/ride thing. I kept monitoring our speed and giving updates. It was a little overcast and cooler and it certainly made a difference on our moving average speed. I have been horseback riding with my parents a few times but have yet to go with my wife so that was what I put onto the menu for the day. Eva had actually ridden a bit while growing up and she claimed to be fairly proficient. I have made no claims to that effect, ever. We made our way up to the Sunset Hollywood Ranch (the ranch on the Hollywood side of Griffith Park) and before we knew it, our horses were saddled up and we were on our way. I do not know if something happened or what, but now they require you to wear helmets while riding. Before, you could just check the box saying that you were offered a helmet but declined to wear it. It is probably a good idea, but it is almost impossible to look cool while wearing one. And we all know, that looking the part is everything, especially in Hollywood. I guess I have managed to survive 26 years looking pretty dorky, I will probably be able to make it another afternoon. Anyways, the ride was very nice. It was midday on a Sunday and the group only consisted of Eva and I, the guide, and one other couple. The other couple was pretty nice but I am pretty sure it was their first time on horses. I am not sure if the issue was the rider or the horse but the guy just could not get his horse to go. The guide kept telling him to give the horse a kick and that “If you can’t hear it, he can’t feel it.” Felt very lucky that my horse, Shiloh, and I were able to communicate a bit better. Each time I have gone riding, I have felt a little more comfortable and confident on a horse. I still giggle at the whole idea and it is still really fun to pretend that you are in a western. Eva really is a good rider
and her and Buckshot seemed to be on the same wavelength. She commented, while we were riding, that she has never seen my back so straight. She was threatening to tell me to pretend I was on a horse the next time we were at the dinner table. It just was really surprising to her because all she knows is the sloucher she sees around the apartment. We just did an hour ride but it was fun to get into Griffith Park a bit and always enjoyable to be on a horse.

Later that afternoon, we just hung out a bit and read and relaxed. We picked up some camping chairs at Target the day before and gave them a test drive on the balcony. It was pretty sweet. The chairs we previously had on the balcony, were just some wooden folding chairs and it only took about 15 minutes of sitting before your butt would fall asleep. The camping chairs are much more comfortable and it is only a matter of time before I start napping out there. Lazily I got ready, as Eva had told me she was taking me out for a romantic dinner that evening. I was pretty curious, but she would not tell me where we were going. She only said to wear a suit and that we were leaving at 5:30. I made sure she double-checked the directions, as I usually navigate, and then followed her requests as instructed.

I continued to wonder where she was taking me as we got into the car and started making our way towards Hollywood. When she said to make a right onto Franklin, I thought that maybe we were heading towards the Magic Castle but I was a little worried that she might be using the invitation we had gotten for our wedding from my Aunt Patti and Uncle Tom just on us. The invitation had allowed us to bring up to ten guests and we all know how I feel about getting the most value out of everything. I calmed my nerves with the idea that she probably got another invitation for two from one of her co-workers and was really looking forward to a romantic and fun evening with my wife. I was a little worried about not making the scene by pulling up to the valet in my Volvo but then I saw that the car in front of me was also a Volvo and felt a little better. Then I looked a little closer, and wondered to myself, “Is that Ariel getting out of that car? What are the odds that they are here at the Magic Castle as the same time as Eva and I? Ohh, there’s Nick, hey I haven’t seen them in a bit, cool. Ohh, hey, there’s Steve and Collette, and wait a minute, there’s my parents, hey, what’s going on?” With 26 birthdays, I had never had a surprise pulled on me like that. Eva had put it all together and it came off without a hitch. The amazing part was that Steve, Nick, nor myself are known as very timely guys and somehow, we all arrived within about 5 minutes and there were no cars in between our four. Nick had noticed me behind him turning into the driveway but I was totally clueless. It was wonderful to see such good friends and my parents and I was just overwhelmed at the whole idea of it all. Every time I think my wife could not be any more perfect, she proves me wrong and raises the bar even further. I do not know how much longer she can continue like this before she will have to walk on water or something.

We all gathered ourselves, said the magic words and went inside for dinner. It was wonderful food, as expected, and just a delightful meal. Nick and Ariel are continuing with their wedding plans and approaching it in a similar manner to how Eva and I approached it, as opposed to the usual American freak out and spend all of our parents money protocol, which seems to be fairly common these days. Nick and I have something of a symbiosis going in the home entertainment department. About a month ago we had Nick and Ariel over for dinner and we each lauded our recent acquisitions. They told us about their Wii and we showed them our projector. Well, about a week after the dinner, Nick had gotten himself a projector, and I had picked up a Wii and we were both just that much happier. Steve and Collette also seem to be doing well and are just very cute together. I wish both couples the best for the future and I am sure fun times are in store for both of them.

After dinner, we tried to catch all the magic shows we could get into and some were pretty impressive. Eva is so cute because she is so interested in trying to figure out how they do each trick. She just really never turns off. Her mind is in constant motion and I love it. One guy made birds appear out of every which way, there were a number of card and rope tricks, and a little, little dog even read my mind. I really had a good time and enjoyed all the little shows we saw. Well performed magic just puts a smile on my face and puts me in a really good place. We are well into my cancer journey and it still remains of utmost importance to keep an optimistic and positive outlook on the future. Different activities that keep some wonder in my eye, seem to me as essential as the chemo I get. Eva just does an incredible job of keeping me in that place and mental state. I know I am just repeating myself, but I shudder at the idea of where I would be without her. She is truly a saint. Enough seriousness though, I enjoyed my one beer for the week and was glad that I had saved it for such an occasion. Seeing the different tricks and shows sort of perked an interest for Eva and I and I would not be surprised if we ended up picking up a couple of tricks the next time we are in a magic shop.



It was truly a wonderful evening and I just wanted to say thanks to my parents, Steve, Collette, Nick, Ariel, and Eva for making it so. It was the best birthday dinner I could have imagined.

-TN