Update and Fun with Puzzles

Chemo is done and I"m in the recovery phase, which is going slowly. I'm malnourished and in the hospital. Most frustrating is that I'm still having trouble with my appetite. It's not all gloom and doom, though. I'm rarely in pain and my mind seems okay.

I've been prescribed a new med to stimulate my appetite. A side effect is weird dreams, which have been fun.Weirdest was probably when I was interviewed about the dream while still in it. (interviewer=John Chancellor). In another dream I was dragged to safety during a category 10 quake by Terry and Koz-B. It doesn't take analysis to suss that one out, I'd say.

With so much time, I've begun doing puzzles. Here's one you might enjoy that I learned back in high school (I gave up on it then, but can do it now) - 

You have 12 almost identical billiard balls and a balance scale. One of the 12 is just slightly heavier or lighter than the other 11. You have to determine which ball is different and whether it is heavier or lighter using the scae only three times.  

Nightmares

You'd think I could come up with a nice adventure dream related to my reading "The Searchers" - a macho Texas Ranger chasing after captured settlers; a sympathetic former bilingual captive helping Cynthia Ann back to the Commancheria; even a member of Quanah's raiding party (but "I'll pass on the torturing part, guys.")

But,, no, I got stuck looking in vain for a bus to Montevideo in a huge parking lot, and having everyone more interested in my gringo accent than helping me out. "El gringito habla tan lindo el castellano."

From there I segued to an unknown family member's house where I kept breaking things and hiding them when the family checked in from time to time. Yuk!

It's day eight. My white counts are down and I'm running a slight temp. Nothing unexpected. Five  days or so before the usual upswing, One day at a time.

Hanging In

I'm still in the hospital on day five of the last chemo cycle. It's been tough, I can't lie. My lung biopsy resulted in a partially collapsed lung, which hurts. Luckily, that's now resolved, though the results aren't 100% conclusive. It's evidently very unlikely that it's cancer or t.b. Some docs are saying we may never know. I don't have any symptoms, just spots on the c.t. scan.

With that issue aside, I still feel really funky. It's hard to describe to those who have never had chemo. Neuropathy in my hands and feet is especially annoying.

I remain able to read a bit and I'm into "The Searchers", a recent release that covers the Cynthia Ann Parker / James Parker true story and the making of the movie based on the story. It's excellent. It's the third book I've read about the Parkers. Cynthia's son, Quanah was the first chief of all the Comanches.

Allegedly, I'll start to get better in 10 more days. One hopes.

Back in Hospital + T.V.

I'm back at the hospital. There was no crisis. Dr. K wanted a biopsy of my right lung which continues to produce some kind of spots. It is set for this morning and I'll pass on the results.

Last post I wrote about "The Killing", so I thought I'd list a few more network shows I'm into -

"Project Runway" - I've come to like and get a bit of education in designer clothes since turning 50 or so, and I've always liked dressing so I'm noticed. My wife and I watch together and we debrief with her BFF Ceiny. The show starts with 16 designers, losing one a week. They'll have to make clothes from duct tape, anything found in a hardware store etc. There's also an episode where they design their own fabric. They have to work fast and have tight budgets.

"Pawn Stars" - The gang from Rick's pawn shop in Las Vegas buys guns, cars, rare documents, and other stuff with experts coming in to do evaluations. The three generations of the Harrison family + Chum Lee have a lot of personality, and, as Rick says, "You never know what's going to come through the door,"

"Justified" - It's a modern day Western featuring U.S. Deputy Marshal Raylan Givens, whose specialty is the fast draw. Originally from Harlan County, KY, he's back there to serve. He has relationships with many of the criminals from the old days - ancient family feuds etc. Gangster Boyd Crowder often steals the show. While not an outright comedy by any means, it's often pretty funny, and comic book like. This softens the violence quite a bit, at least for me.

"Elementary" - Modern update of Sherlock Holmes. He's in NYC and Watson is a female. See July 5 post.

Last Cycle + Video Reviews

Subject to lab tests and exam, I'll be starting my sixth and last chemo cycle this week. I can't say I'm looking forward to it, but it can't end if it doesn't start. I've been reviewing what I can be thankful for to keep my thoughts positive. Number one positive is that I have no pain. Next, I'm able to concentrate and enjoy movies and reading. Finally, I'm really grateful for my support team - Terry, of course, and all the volunteer sitters / helpers / dog walkers. Dr. K has been great. He can be annoyingly detailed, but that's a good thing. He's already talking up my "recovery phase". I know he'll be with me.

Speaking of Dr. K, he told us his wife's grandmother was a WWII (aka Great Patriotic War) fighter pilot. I've read a book about these women. It's a fascinating story.

As for my recent movie / t.v. watching, I went back and streamed "Hopscotch" from Netflix. I've seen it a couple of times before, but it deserves a few watchings. It's a Walter Matthau / Glenda Jackson comedy action picture with two of my favorite character actors - Ned Beatty and Herbert Lom. Implausible, but a lot of fun.

I was lucky enough to tune in for Timmy's no-hitter.

Last night Terry and I watched the first episode of season three of "The Killing" (which we've been recording) and we are hooked. We loved the first two seasons. Luckily we watched them streaming well after they aired. I, for one, would have been really angry when season one didn't resolve if I hadn't had season two ready to go. The network has promised that this current season will resolve. BTW - no spoilers in comments, please.

Update + Movie Review

I'm now past the nadir of this chemo cycle - the penultimate. It looks like we're going to make it through without my having to go to the hospital, which is a good thing.

Dr. K confirmed that I am "cured" of my original lymphoma. These last cycles are prophylactic, like all cycles are for most cancer patients, of course. Unfortunately, I still have the new issues to deal with, the most pressing of which is that my weight is way down. However, I finally have some appetite, and I'm hopeful to get back on track eating-wise.

I've been watching a lot of movies and other video. Best has been "Looper", a time travel Sci-Fi thriller with a pretty cool premise. Bruce Willis hasn't shown much range in his career, but he does a great job doing his usual macho thing here.

I can't see traveling backwards in time ever happening. It would play havoc with verb tenses, for one thing (he he). We already travel forward, obviously. We could even travel forwards rapidly in theory. We just need to move fast enough, as you can see here.

Back of the Closet Blast from the Past

Back in the "Hippie Days" I bought a cool looking deer skin shirt-jacket. I'm wearing it on the cover of my Kicking Mule Records LP "Fingers Don't Fail me Now".

Eventually it stopped fitting me and I retired it.

A couple of days ago I got to thinking about it and realized with my current weight it could fit. It does and is now part of my rotation of chemo wear (see 5/4/13 post).

This got me to thinking about everyday information we should be cataloging somewhere. As far as my weight, for example, until I started having annual check-ups at about age 40, I can't remember how much I weighed during any given year. This would be interesting to know. I remember topping out in 1984 at 174. As for bottoming out, that would be now. Otherwise, not a clue, though I'm sure I knew at the time.

I recently found some diaries I kept during the early '60s. I was wading through boring paragraphs about my latest romances when I found some interesting detail info, like I was paying $15 a week for an apartment on West 14th on the edge of Greenwich Village. Can that be right? Well, a professional shave and a haircut used to be 25 cents, no?

On the medical front, my latest CT scan shows my intestinal blockage has lessened and I'm back on solid-ish food.