4-24-2007 through 4-28-2007

Sorry about the video not working on the previous post. I think the issue has been resolved. Thanks mom for the heads up.

The theme for the week was really busy days in between low-key days. This allowed me to gather enough energy to have a good time on the really fun days and then recover on the off days. The day after my birthday, Tuesday, was rather uneventful as I spent most of the day playing around with the computer and then Eva and I just watched a movie at night. As a friend of the family put it, “Uneventful is good.” Especially, when you are well into your cancer journey. That seems like an acceptable rationalization for just sitting around. Besides, I knew I was going to have a busy day on Wednesday, and it was good for me to rest up.



On Wednesday, my parents came up and we went to Universal Studios. We had gotten some free passes as part of a Kings hockey package and we always feel really good when we actually use the free passes or coupons that we have. It was an average southern California spring day- mid seventies, not a cloud in the sky, though a bit hazy. All in all, a rough time to be out and about. There were a fair number of people at the theme park but really, it was practically empty and we basically walked on and into all the rides and shows we wanted to hit. I cannot imagine the scene on a weekend in the middle of summer. Sounds like someone’s twisted version of hell. I was very impressed with my parents as they were really into all the rides and attractions. My mom just giggled the whole time we were moving on The Mummy. The pic is of us on Jurrasic Park.



My dad would not let us pass up the Hollywood House of Horrors (a maze akin to those at Knott’s Scary Farm) and was just so into it as we were walking through. I, personally, could have gone without being scared or jumped at but this was what he wanted to do. We ended up walking through the maze really slowly as well, as he wanted to check out everything there was to see. The cast members did a good job and definitely got my dad, as well as my mom and me, a number of times. I think I saw him get a few inches off the ground when he jumped a couple of times. This was my mom’s first time through a maze like that and she was just so brave. She is really stepping up to all sorts of new experiences these days and I couldn’t be happier for her. A big part of dealing with what is going on with me is finding the good that has come from it, and I think that it has had a positive impact on a number of us. It would have been nicer to, perhaps, have had the positive impact without the intensity of the current situation but, then again, maybe the lessons just would not have stuck as well.

If you look closely here, you can see my mom holding Kevin Bacon's hand. Isn't that adorable!



It was a pretty full day and we hit all the rides and almost all the shows. By the end, we were all pretty tired. One little souvenir I picked up for myself, was a deck of cards with a different celebrity’s mug shot on each card. Everyone from Kobe, to Frank Sinatra, to Michael Jackson. Pretty entertaining. In the evening, we had a nice little dinner at Jerry’s Deli and we called it a day.

Thursday and Friday were pretty low-key days as I just hung around the house and took care of little things that needed attention. I sort of cleaned up a bit and ended up meeting Eva for lunch at the Cedar’s cafeteria both days. In the evening on Thursday, we had wanted to play a little tennis, but the courts were all taken and there was a bit of a group waiting to play. We audibled and decided to go on a little run from the park. Poor Eva, she has to go so slow when we run together. Every block, I find myself just hoping for the light to change so that we might have to wait and I get a little break to catch my breath. After about 15 minutes I felt that was a good halfway point for me but Eva wanted to go a bit further. I just walked while she ran and then on the way back we met up again. I find myself very much a part of this generation with our inherent need to be plugged in. When I had just began walking, I had wished that I had brought along my mp3 player so I could listen to an audio book or podcast while I was walking (I know, my old running buddies should be shaking their heads and be embarrassed for me). I thought about it a minute and realized, that no, I did not need my mp3 player and that I should just enjoy my walk and this opportunity to think a bit. It is so rare these days that we just stop a minute and spend some time with our thoughts. It was such a beautiful evening and just very pleasant walking and thinking. I would like to say that I had some incredible revelations on my walk, but mostly it was just sorting things out in my mind. Anyways, Eva and I met up and we jogged back to the park and called it a night.

On Friday evening, we ended up being able to get onto the tennis courts and had a good time hitting the ball around. My game is improving a bit, though I am rather inconsistent. One shot will be a hard low ball right at Eva and the next shot will be a moon ball to the corner. Luckily, I have not hit any over the fence since we have started playing again. I keep telling Eva that I am trying to get every ball right to her but she just does not buy it after running side-to-side and front to back over and over again.

We continued the athletic endeavors with the usual run/ride to the fountain on Santa Monica Blvd on Saturday morning. I have been taking my handheld gps along with us and it has been a fun little toy. I can give Eva her exact speed, compass heading, and elevation at a moments notice. For some reason, she never seems as excited to hear those numbers as I am to tell her. It is probably a boy with his toys thing. After we got cleaned up, we were good Americans and did a little consuming. How do you know you have settled into married couple mode? When you spend your Saturday afternoon at Target. We even split up in the store to make sure we hit all the departments we needed to hit before we had to be on our way. Actually, we got a number of things that we needed to make our humble abode, a little bit less humble.

Saturday evening, Joe and Debbie Carlson came up to our apartment with my parents. It was really wonderful to see them and catch up a bit with them over dinner. Both Joe and Debbie are such warm, kind, and funny people and very enjoyable to spend an evening with. Joe gave us the highlights of how some of the Poly boys did at the Penn Relays (basically the biggest track and field event in the nation for high school and collegiate athletes). They posted some amazing times including 3:09 for the 4x400m. That is averaging 47+ seconds for each runner, incredible. It brought back memories of when I ran at the Penn relays which was a truly remarkable experience. My time was actually only a few seconds slower, though I only ran three laps instead of four, but I did do it all myself. After dinner, we went to the Arclight to see Hot Fuzz in the Cinerama dome. I had seen the previews and knew that it was going to be something of a spoof of action movies, but I still was not prepared for a few of the bloodier scenes. I have to admit, I did laugh pretty hard at senior citizens operating automatic weapons and when a little old lady was jump kicked to the face. All in all, it was an enjoyable little spectacle.


Thanks again to everyone who called or emailed my for my birthday. You all made me feel really special. I loved the card Betty and Zel. Be careful, you are only putting ideas into my head to make my way up there.

Take Care and Live Strong,
TN