Sunday 10-01-2006

The start of October. Only 20 days until the wedding. Eva and I thought that it might be time to start finalizing some of the details. We spent some time figuring out food as well as deciding on which songs we would like the organist to play. We took it pretty easy the whole day and just sort of recovered from Saturday. I always enjoy the movie marathon that TBS, TNT, and USA broadcast on the weekends. Sometimes you can be watching 3 mediocre movies all at the same time. Now that is some good vegetating.

In the afternoon, Eva went for a run and I took off on another bike ride. I went the same route as the day before but, because I left in the afternoon, the wind made the ride a bit more difficult. My muscles and lungs were feeling good so I decided to give the bottom part of Anchovy a try on my way back to the house. The bottom part is about 1/5 as long as the top part which was were I sort of over did it. I made it up fine but Eva still gave me a playful scolding when I got back. She said if she heard one cough the next day, she would twist my nipples off. I like my nipples so I think that if I feel a cough coming I will have to run to the bathroom. I may not be fast right now but I can still try to at least look fast.

Eva got into a cooking mood in the afternoon and had made a strawberry crisp as well as spaetzle (a German doughy side dish sort of like gnocchi in form). I picked up a Coho salmon fillet (wild of course, shame on you who eat farmed salmon), my dad added some vegetables, and we had a wonderful dinner out on the patio. We even popped a bottle of the bubbly for no particular reason. After all, champagne is meant to be drunken. We toasted to the upcoming wedding and just to life in general. I had my one glass for the week and ate the rest of my family under the table. I am pretty pleased with the amount of food I can pack away these days.

Again, I felt pretty good today. Still gassy. I think it is worse when I eat greasier foods so I am trying to continue the transition back to more healthy food (while still keeping my calorie intake high). I really have not noticed much difference being on or off the Xeloda (I stopped last Wednesday and will resume this Thursday). My gums were a little tender towards the end and seem to be OK now. On the last cycle of Xeloda (about 4 weeks ago) I did have some mouth sores but they went away during the following off week. I am starting to look like a drug user as I have a couple of bruises on my forearms from the infusions. My veins tend to harden up after an infusion but luckily I still have a lot a veins that are ready to go. The first time it happened I was a little worried about a blood clot going to my brain or something but they tell me it is pretty common for the veins to harden up and pretty uncommon for a clot from the arms to do any damage to the body. My arms do get a little sore with a few hard veins and it is a little trippy right now because about four or five are pretty solid. Well, enough whining. I am sure they will find a good one for tomorrow. Worst case, I'll get a port and then I might actually feel like I am a cancer patient.

Don't get my father started about the neighbors and the car situation in our neighborhood, but I just thought this had to be shared. I mean nothing really completes the look of a truck like a big set of brass balls.

Live strong,
TN