On the health front, I don't think I've made much progress since the last report. The neuropathy in my fingers and feet has not diminished much if at all, though I have resumed acupuncture sessions to try to address it. I'm not sleeping as well as I'd like, and my energy level and vitality is still not what I'd like it to be (though whose is??). I've become a fan of caffeine like most of the rest of the western world, which I had never been before. And I have to keep an eye on how much I eat, and especially, drink.
But, so what? Almost all of time I feel well enough to be happy. Ok, maybe a little crabby sometimes. But pretty happy! I've resumed playing golf, at my usual mediocre level; actually got in 5 rounds last week, and I walked the full 18 holes on 2 of them. So I think anyone who plays 5 rounds of golf in a week is disqualified from receiving any sort of sympathy. And I'm really enjoying playing again, with my friends Eddie, Dana, and my nephew Jeffrey last week. So that's been really great.
On one round with Eddie, we hooked up with this bro on the 10th hole:
He's 90! He could actually hit the ball pretty consistently, over 100 yards a couple of times. We found him to be quite an inspiration... Though we couldn't understand anything he said. Didn't stop him from talking, though.
The golf bug has unfortunately usurped my other favorite waste of time, I mean pastime, that being creating art. I haven't done much lately, though I did produce this abomination:
News flash: doing portraits is hard! Mouths in particular. I'm going to try to find Judith, my art teacher, and see if I can wrangle a few pointers. She accompanied me to the supply store recently, and I am now equipped with all the paraphernalia I need to start painting at home. I want to get started soon, though I am daunted at the prospect. My early attempts have been far less successful than my endeavors with drawing, yes, even worse than the portrait above.
Last, but best, I have been doing some traveling and seeing lots of people, as well as seeing folks who have looked me up on their travels. It's an impressive list: Mike Barry, Mark and Mimi Corrigan, Bill Huyett, Anne and Ben Philbrick, Glen and Sonja Camp, Pete Wheeler, Maryellen and Betsy Demaret and Kent Langenwalter, Kathryn Peyton, Andy Fertick, and my neighbors Andy Storch and Jonathan Cool. OK, I traveled 50 feet to see them, but they make the list even more impressive. Among other things, I was able to see baseball games in DC and Boston on consecutive nights, which was great fun:
Isn't summer great?! Makes me wonder why we don't declare the whole year summer and travel and visit friends all the time. I guess they call that retirement.
Dan and Carly left yesterday for their adventures, Dan to Costa Rica (!) and Carly to camp near Harrisonburg, and Alex is living and working in DC for the summer, so Allison and I have the place to ourselves for a few weeks. Looking forward to some drinks on the deck, movies, and even some music. If I can stay up past 8:00.
On a more somber note, I do have to go to Hopkins next week for a CT scan to see if there are any new traces of cancer. I don't really even want to think of what that could be like... I'm dreading the trip. But I'm fully expecting good news.
Mentally and emotionally I'm still in about the same place: not really believing this all happened to me. I can remember pretty much every detail, but remembering it is so, so far from actually experiencing it; I guess it's like remembering sex versus actually having sex - though that's maybe not a good analogy. Nonetheless, it is hard to believe I went through all of that... it's like I had cancer, but mine wasn't real cancer. I hope I will come to think of it as just the bad year that I had, that I don't have to worry about anymore. And I do hope that I will continue to feel better physically.
I am still planning to make a video about my whole experience. I've written a draft script, and I have young man in mind for doing the production who would be great. I just have to sell him on the idea. Maybe if I posted his email here and all of my readers contacted him... Hmmm, I think that's too sleazy even for me. I would use the video to contact cancer support organizations and offer to talk to their patients; if I can encourage and make a difference for cancer sufferers I would be very interested in doing that.
Still thinking about what else I might do with the rest of my life. Maybe teach again, or volunteer, or look for a business opportunity. As usual, I have lots of ideas but no real conviction - yet. Not during golf season, anyway.
Finally, I have decided to have a birthday party! It's August 13th in Great Falls, and I'm very excited about it, even though I'm only expecting about 8 people to come since it's in the heart of the vacation season. If you are reading this and you'd like to come, let me know and I will contact the event staff; I do have some influence with them. I will also try to plan other events around the party, like a golf outing and a happy hour or dinner so that more out-of-towners might come enjoy the full ambience of a Northern Virginia summer. It promises to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience! Though thanks to my good fortune there will be chances for a few more! See you soon.
