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