Weekend of the 24th

Friday evening, Eva and I had a nice night at home. While in Switzerland I had wanted, but never gotten, some pigs in a blanket and Eva was good enough to surprise me with some homemade pigs in a blanket for dinner. We added some vegetables and had a nice meal and then enjoyed “Casablanca,” which Eva had never seen. What a wonderful movie and nice time together. I know I must just be repeating myself, but one of my favorite things to do, is just to spend time with my wife.

If I do not have a packed day from time to time, I get a little edgy, so on Saturday we tried to alleviate some of the jitters. Eva and I got up and had a bit of breakfast and then went out for a run. I did the usual bike half and run half but actually got a bit of speed going on the run part. For the last little while I have been sort of dragging my feet when I run, but on Saturday, I was able to pick them up a bit and actually stride it out for about 15 minutes. It felt good to do something that actually somewhat resembled running. Most of the time I have just felt like some sort of a lineman trudging along trying to get the torture over with as soon as possible. Eva mentioned that the good times are over, referring to the good times she has working me every time we go out for a run. I reassured her that she will still have plenty of good times ahead of her.

After we got cleaned up and had a bit of lunch, we headed over to the LA Zoo. It was kind of random that we both came up with the idea of going to the zoo that morning. It was not packed but there were still quite a number of people at the zoo. I guess we were not the only clever ones. Eva and I always have a good time at the zoo. There was a lot of construction going on but we still hit the animals that were high on our lists; the Lemurs, the Koalas, and the Pudus. The Pudu is a very small deer and just adorable. It even gives Sony a run for his money in cuteness. The Duiker took the title for the stupidest looking animal of the day for his dumb expression and inability to keep his tongue inside his mouth or off of any surface within its reach. It was a really pleasant day and we covered pretty much all of the zoo in a reasonable amount of time. It was a lot nicer than braving the zoo during the hot summer where what should be a pleasant walk can easily turn into a death march.

From the zoo, Eva and I made our way down to the Galen Center to catch the Cal vs. USC basketball game. The tickets were a Christmas gift from my parents and it was a really fun intro to college basketball for Eva. The Cal fans were certainly in the minority but we still made our voice heard a number of times during the game. I am pretty sure Eva and I caused the SC players to miss at least one free throw. Cal made a decent showing but ended up losing by a considerable margin. Oh-well. It was pretty neat to see the crowd get pretty excited as a walk-on got some playing time for USC in the final minutes of the game. Apparently this senior has a great attitude and is loved by the students and alumni. Every time he got the ball, a roar of anticipation would fill the arena. With about ten seconds to go, he got the ball and fired from beyond the arc, the crowd erupted with excitement and cheering. It was a pretty nice thing to witness. Even though Cal lost the game, it was a fun game to watch and Eva and I had a great time. Somehow I always end up having a great time with Eva. I guess I am just a lucky guy.

The game was done by about 7 so Eva and I thought that we might as well finish off our day with a movie. We had ambitions of trying to catch LACMA and a movie but decided that we were not really up for a 10pm showing. We watched “Breech” at the Arclight in Hollywood. If you have never been to the Arclight, I would recommend going at least once. Just know that the dome showings often sell out but almost any showing is something of a unique theater experience. They usually have a guy that sort of introduces the movie and, depending on the energy level of the guy, it can be quite entertaining. You can go in any attire you like but another interesting aspect about this theater is that people sort of dress up a bit. It is just a movie but for some reason people must think they might be seen there.

Because I have been getting up with Eva when she gets up to get ready for work, I have sort of been conditioned to get up at 7am. Combine this with the fact that our new apartment gets way more light and it has become a bit of a challenge to sleep in on Sunday morning. That is not necessarily a bad thing as long as you work in a little nap time later in the day. Since we were both up, we got a little breakfast and decided to have a little backgammon showdown. She just was not getting the rolls she needed and I ended up taking her down. One game I think I got all the doubles except double fives. She was not willing to let the day continue without salvaging a little dignity so she brought out Boggle. I am always astounded by her Boggle skills, especially since English is like her fourth or fifth language. She creamed me in the first game but then, once I got warmed up a bit, I began closing down the gap. I even pulled ahead by a couple words but we just continued playing until she had creamed me one last time and was satisfied with herself. She is so cute and competitive.

We got out for a run but then spent the afternoon just doing a sort of domestic tasks that needed to get done. She got a good start on studying for the MCAT and I just putzed around and paid some bills. After dinner, we did our part to keep the economy going by engaging in some consumerism. We picked up a Macbook for my father to give to my mother for her birthday on Monday. Then we got some small electronics for ourselves and even worked in a Target stop.

Monday morning I had an infusion. It had been about a week and a half since I had been in the office and it felt good to get back in there. I got Epirubicin, Taxotere, and Erbitux. It was the first time in a while that I got what I consider a full round of chemo. We are still figuring out how this new regimen will be structured. We just sort of go with the flow until we have gone enough to get an idea of what to expect. Sony was there and we got to play with him a bit. I was touched when Dr. Isacoff said that he and I are the only ones who he licks so adamantly. The doctor was in fine form and it is just nice to be around him and always so calming. Pam, a very nice woman we have seen a number of times in the office, was there and we got to have a very nice conversation in the lounge. She has such a great attitude and we think so similarly on a number of things. It is just always a pleasure to see her. I hope for the day that we can just look back and smile on everything that we went through. Believe me when I tell you that there have been so many new experiences and feelings throughout this journey. We just have to hope that we come out of it so that we can use those experiences to better our lives. Something I love about her is just her drive to live and make the most of everything around her. I feel we are something of kindred spirits in this regard and it is just so refreshing to see a good fight being fought as it should be. Occasionally you run into patients that are self involved, depressed, or oblivious and none of those attitudes helps any of us. Yes, we are all in pretty shitty situations. The only thing that we have control over is how we how we react and handle the situation. I just hope that I have the courage to maintain a positive and optimistic attitude no matter what is presented to me. We will see.

Eva decided to take the rest of the afternoon off to study and spend time with me as we will be apart for the remainder of the week. She spent the time studying for the MCAT while I just kind of putzed around the house and packed a bit for my upcoming trip to the Grand Canyon. It was pretty nice just hanging out. It had been a while since I had received something resembling a full round of chemo. The last two treatment sessions were only Mitomycin C which does not even require premeds (the premeds usually are what makes you feel funny on the day of an injection). I felt pretty good the rest of the day and actually had a good amount of energy. As usual, I was packing right up until I had to go. I guess I just like the rush of adrenaline and I always figure that, worst case, I just go buy whatever I need. It was good spending time with Eva and I do not really like the idea of leaving her, but I cannot pass up the Canyon. This will be the first time since we have been married that we will spend more than a day away from each other. I know it does not sound like that big a deal, but considering the present circumstances, our bond is incredibly strong and gets a lot of its strength from us being around each other. The few nights I have sent away from her in the past have been a bit rough. Basically, it just sucks getting into a cold bed.

Just to get a bit of excitement going, on the next blog there should be some pictures. I just have not been carrying the camera around as much as I should be.
-TN