From the monthly archives:

April 2007

Morning ritual, redux

by cg on April 30, 2007

Cassie and I walked a half-mile again this morning, and, like yesterday, the left leg tired most quickly, and there is a little back soreness – but not bad. I am considering trying to walk to the train station this evening which would get me up to a mile today – a decent distance for where I am in the edema/steroid struggle.

Two years ago, I had what may have been the best garden ever. The gravel paths were raked and clean, and the planter boxes spilled over with pole and wax beans, tomatoes, lettuce, beets and herbs. After Linda and I returned from our alternating 3- and 4-mile jogs, I would take a cup of coffee to the garden and water while enjoying the peace. It was a great ‘leveling’ ritual.

So that’s what we’re doing again. Cassie and I came back, got cofffee and watered, enjoying the still-small, but fast-growing bean, tomatoe, cucumber and lettuce plants. I can’t tell you how much I miss jogging with Linda… if there were any blessing I could choose in the time left to me, it would be to get back to jogging with her again…

{ 2 comments }

Linda and Alice’ big night

by cg on April 29, 2007

edited version
Alice mugLinda and Alice did indeed make their way to the re-nion (excuse weird spelling – note post problem below) last night, and seemed to have had a great time. They sat up after returning from the big event, and twittered about classmates, many of whom Linda has known since grammar school.

I thought it interesting to hear how two very bright and accomplished women talked about their former classmates. Life’s accomplishments may have taken a back seat to other considerations, much to my surprise. There’s a brunch this morning that I’ll be going to… I’ll check and see what the men are talking about…

{ 0 comments }

More steps

by cg on April 29, 2007

So Cassie and I walked just about a half a mile this Sunday morning, more than doubling yesterday’s distance. Woo hoo!

The really good news is that edema is down, and balance is back. I’m very weak, but my 56-year-old reflex against falling is back, and that makes a huge difference (vs. 2 weeks ago). But of course this gets a bit crazy. The left side is a bit weaker than the right, so I’m using a cane for balance.

After a half-mile, the weakness asssymetry causes the back to ache, something the physical therapist has warned me about. I don’t need a back problem on top of edema and steroid myopathy. So now I have to dig out the rehab sheet for assymetrical exercises appropriate to my current trim, and try to get each side back, without creating a new problem. Thus the challenge of all these miserable side effects… oh, well… onward…

{ 0 comments }

Busy, fun day

by cg on April 28, 2007

Linda has a class party this weekend. I’m using ‘party’ here because if I use the proper, more descriptive word ‘re-nion’ (if I drop only one letter, the post works), I get a permissions error from Apache (probably actually something Wordpress is doing) when I post the entry. What up with that?

Anyway, Ms. Hubbard had previously expressed no desire to attend this affair. Then friend Alice Carrott flew in from Kansas City, Michael Rosenberg from Raleigh-Durham and (local) Barb Slaton got hooked in. Suddenly it’s party time around here.

So, this morning I rose a bit early for a Saturday, walked Cassie for the first time in 3 weeks (making double the walking distance I did yesterday, short as that was) before watering the garden. Then I prepped and cooked breakfast for 7: mimosas, blueberry pancakes and cooked-to-order omelettes (all turned out on the mighty Dacor range’s griddle plate, which I don’t often have an opportunity to use). Came out pretty well, IMHO. I was pretty tired by the end of breakfast, but happy to be having a life again…

{ 2 comments }

Chemo fog

by cg on April 28, 2007

It’s real, it would seem. Not just my fogged brain

{ 3 comments }

Long week finishes up in the garden

by cg on April 27, 2007

poles go up

80 degrees90 degrees almost, by the time I finished up a long week’s work efforts to the extent I could, took a walk (part of rehab therapy) and got into the garden for a little work (ditto). We put the pole beans in, got stakes ready for the tomato vines and watered a thirsty-looking bunch of plants.

My muscles are very weak, and it’s almost laughable how hard it is to do simple chores, but c’est la vie. One goal at a time. If we keep at it, the muscles will come back, we’ll get slowly stronger and life willl come back a bit at a time.It’s like you get your car back from the shop, and it only does 35 MPH now… gotta keep working on it…

{ 0 comments }

Very tired, but happy

by cg on April 25, 2007

Most folks wouldn’t see 3 days back at work as a big deal, but I’m a happy guy. I even managed to walk back to the train station today (don’t ask how long it took)! I did almost completely collapse once I got home from the train, thanks to work, the walk, no nap opportunity and the chemo-induced fatigue, but I’m declaring victory and moving on. Life is good…

{ 2 comments }

Our paperless project revisited

by cg on April 24, 2007

So we’ve flagged a bit in our paperlesss project, especially scannning in every document that comes through the mail et al., OCRing it in Adobe Acrobat and storing it in YEP, the very nice PDF browser for Mac (though I did a little catch-up tonight). YEP has new features at rev. 1.6: and I’m thinking about how I might want to make some changes.

Our current YEP collection runs on a G4 mini, and has some 1400 documents. I found nearly everything I needed for our taxes this year, the only missing items being things I hadn’t scannned. Now, I’m considering scanning all of my medical paperwork – bills, diagnoses et al. – it’s a huge set of files. YEP’s new feature – no file import, it just recognizes PDFs wherever they are in the file system – makes that an intriguing possibility.

I could buy inexpensive USB storage, spend the time to run alll the paper through the ScanSnap and Acrobat and be done. I might also move YEP to the Intel Core Duo for more horsepower, and figure out how to get our Canon multi-purpose device (it has a batch scannner built in and that rarity – a Mac Twain driver – so it works with Acrobat and YEP) into the act, along with the ScanSnap.

I’m also wondering if it makes sense to put documents into annual folders: 20006, 2007 and so on. The PDF scans are on the big side because of the bitmap data, but the numbers of documents – in the hundreds or low thousands – is reasonable in computer terms. And maybe I should do more hand taggging of documents: I rely on Acrobat’s OCR and YEP’s use of Apple’s Spotlight to make docs findable (and less of a chore to handle). We may have to do a little nerdly poking this weekend

{ 1 comment }

An early date in the garden

by cg on April 24, 2007

Lettuce seedlings

42 degreesCassie and I spent about 20 minutes in the garden this mornig, drinking coffee and, I’m pleased to say, putting in 20-some lettuce plants. I usually doze for a half-hour after spouse Linda hits the road on her 4-mile jog, but it’s getting lighter in the morning, so today I got up with her.

By the time I made coffeee, fed the dog, got the papers and breakfast, it was light enough to make our way: the garden thermometers – both digital and analog – were reporting a brisk 42 degrees and the effort to plant the red and green leaf lettuce seedlings in an alternating pattern kept the chill off. So now, only the pole beans need to go in. I’m feeling dumb I didn’t pick up some yellow wax beans while I was at the nursery…

{ 1 comment }

A yay kind of day

by cg on April 23, 2007

Have to admit I was pretty tired (we’re at peak fatigue/low red cell count after chemo) by the time I got off the 4:25 CalTrain in Menlo this evening, but it was great to be out of the house and back to work today (despite 45-minute AM Caltrain delays this morning). Almost my whole day was spent in meetings: but it was good to see and interact with colleagues. Back to work again tomorrow, and we may actually get stuff done…

{ 0 comments }

buster keaton the general computerized disease management nordictrack cx925 parts byu classes cable tv signal amplifier retailer emulators psp convertwatertogas.com hypnotherapy for fear of flying causes of depreciation on business napier.ac.uk mn pca 1stmarinedivisionassociation.org amini vita atlantic beach nc shark bite jeanie germain area of a parallelogram coordinate geometry deathly hallows posting petgirl prosthetic iatkos v4 torrent iso 1999 chrysler sebring rear brakes 2 door rav 4 air morocco undelete browsing history information on majorca absenteisme au travail bora-care termite itpdiesel.com 8 cubic ft wine cooler allison 5w2 melt at the promenade art farr ellen jeff adobe element 6 raw ina cam follower fire extinguisher cabinets recessed mikey life ashpalt surfer southland baptist church i never love nobody truly alaska native american scholarships postgraduate applications centre said angela kasey milligan 12 zodiac animals characteristics acacia confusa trouts notes meridianksi.com don alderman council grove kansas crafter guitar quilted maple abductor and quad muscles revolutionpet.com murcia property investment apogee shareware 11th oxlife excel nichols 3l unit sissystories.info apa approved schools how much for mold remediation service 2 way udp programming mussolini lift anthony micheal hall 80 s churches in warsaw indiana fliptheswitchbook.com cams for printing presses add mcafee anti-spam module engine 5 generic paxil maker agatha christie tour liz-vicious-pics.com asia surnames issac goodine scottlondon.com aerial balloons artificial architectural interior wall paneling 3d laser crystal shetland sheepdog babysitters club graphix al dumas houston texas ambassade de france au congo exceptional child 12 x 12 acoustic ceiling tiles carrying a concealed weapon deters crime 4 ohm loudspeaker adderall long and short term effects 10th question papers ares connection issue outdoorsman.com how to calculate inter judge reliability canned mushroom refrigerated how long 100th monkey band 8tube crave imca marina vino does premarin cause heartburn freerecycling.com photos of andi san dimas biography of father mariano gomez irie jamacia bangle anterior wedge deformity 2008 chicago bears bob babich lisw lcsw edi buying group forbidden broadway ambition lyrics acasa.ro buy envision 17 crt monitor downtown vancouver lodges coverageglossary.com angel air new iberia la apollo victoria the rake stalls buford south carolina trailor property hidden sugars esl legislation webcast 25 wedding toast future events at brewhouse theatre taunton floridabeachresort.com natasha personal shopper neiman alter bridge broken wings unplugged acute brachial plexus neuritis misdiagnosis 12 bar blues guitar strums abuelos mexican resturant thehotfix.net buy juicy sidekick classic nintendo games wizards and warriors advance for radiology desiree cole climbing usaonwatch.org advertising diploma bicycle cable ends adam huitson obituary amber albritton usbilliardssupplies.com ethnographic study nin clinical psychology creamy parmesan dressing cura delle mani attic thoughts daysinnoceanfront.com amanda murray major league baseball the phillies bass sultan 5321 minnetonka shoes bary bonds bobble head doll drgecko.com 1978 bayliner skagit sunbridge afterlife stephen volk added years to nhs pension scheme apartheid political gain launching entrepreneurial venture antenna kraus aco distribution warehousing orangeburg sc 1992 caravan exhaust 12 lead ecg placement appaloosa pics bsa hospitality bonnie smith associates 1 hr cash advance increased freckles foxfire realty bryson city brent mcconnell said albion casters cad burton snowboards biography consultant proposals time and materials a prize for sister catherine dominick lacombe bau m nchen 2009 9410 lakeview drive leeann cohee junk pandas osaka italian gardens russellville arkansas north american waterways tipos de demencia vascular causa alzheimer dim future david iglesias kuna cd keys cracks warez 10 22 barrel tuning clearinghouse calculator 26 0 outer reef cd vino 3 x5 round candles ayuda al pr auto type on runescape musclestats.com apple inn chelan wash godess kalypso golden saber 380 seecamp 2008 shot show glock 1982 chevy firing order dutyfreetunnel.com kia sound system sportage argent mortgage company california motorcyle recyclers amato car collision 2009 nascar truck series schedule articles supporting same gender marriage delivered message notifications receive report free infected mushroom mp3 directv deals for existing customers stumbleupon all about rss fagan finder 5 love languages in espanol advisory account australia vegtable ink airbrush anger and the indigo child ebay claddagh ring three stone body centered psychotherapy fang tetanus nooy dine out new york besthomearound.com aliens in america homecoming lindsay shaw 326 three greens drive huntersville battery new additive higher education finances normanrockwellvt.com bryce bell lumang kagamitan noon 1 night in paris video clip racingpost.co.uk entryway feng shui carrick pinot 2006 rating adf creating entity definitions dynamically profilemaps.info wailea home rentals easydos.com s franklin logsdon lest ye faint building muscles females cheap sun destination define computer peripheral funnypictures.com bigcutie sasha palm zire 72 pda humana miltary doug burch iliotibial tract tendon inflamation leif garet homme vestiaire m friedman the business mantra homelessness in japan toliet 80 s chat room big head todd maybe lyrics 32 dd tankini figleaves nodoubt.com airosft lasers banking canada online rbc cover the entire country 448th bomb group mission logs rambo velour horse cooler jeff riveria jcaho compliance software and vista terapattttr.com down spout extend 30 gig zune problem islandvacationproperties.com advantages of rotating biological contractor rbc digital librarian shopping chicago concordia university allen cemetery south bristol pictures 3 blade spinner rc atom building structure bud plant comic the labyrinth tarot 12 oz leather saddlebag aha peels body bounce hair product carpet seam tape iron astrographics.com half priced donald morningstar 124 homewood dr butler pa 16001 benjamin wilhelm back rib pain twist or touch cheap gprs roaming astra fasteners aircraft corporation pty ltd slippery clip art 1250 radio station charleston sc kwan yong lee sleepingsexvideos.com higgins funeral home stony point ny habitat for humanity montrose co christmas at bethlehem gulch merriam theatre in philadelphia pa 2009 twilight calensar 5.7 liter runs rich drinking from a saucer philip smyth citizens united for responsible building usacreditunions.com 1950s ford wrecking yards aishwarya rai without make up altitude scaffolding access uk harley davidson experience los angelos bianca and katherine play big horn rvs 3d reserve acid gold cigars flavored cigars bc edu how to dismantle vauxhall differential furnishing book 1930 s california school canon 30d eos erika heinz catherine schnell and kickboxing motoristsmutual.com birth certificate edgar allan poe exorcist trailer amelia landfill 1980 kawasaki 750 ltd air filter beach-latinas.com dollie tow bar tandem axle 1960 s fashion trends apprenticeship jobs livemonarch.com big giants divorce of milk kin 2004 brawl game against the yankees gustav de laval said joe dames dew controller emi blush llc audience tele air force dustin snyder clete tanner brave new world quote the tempest looneystore.com leakage curren t meter 96 civic struts advice on garden planters shape poems by wes magee beaumont area educators credit union 18 page federal indictment michael vick carlos miguel angel leon flores alder and sociology clubkayak.com olypus 8x21 rci academia musica reina sofia out leather ruidoso alien trilogy iso pmquilting.com koda kumi fansites assgangster.com fontaine beer boap.org paragliding malibu altanta scuba diving can liners packaged in plastic aerobics with weights 1960 dodge vin decoding 8x12 salt box shed plans menomonee falls wisconsin 1940 ford steering arms bending