...how much fun snow is!

Michael is enjoying the first good snow of the season. We had a few inches last week, but it turned to rain before he could go out to enjoy it. This time, we got over 16 inches by the time it was all done. Here, he's playing in about 10 inches of freezy kid stuff. What a joy! I love him more than anything in the world.

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

...it's time for a boob update.

It has been several months since my last confession...during this time I underwent two surgeries on my right boob, so many MRIs and scans that I have lost count, including a bone scan that involved injection of some radioactive stuff and another scan on my boob just before surgery that involved injections of radioactive stuff around the entire nip. Of course, I was given a "numbing" injection at each injection site, which stung like a wasp sting, but I hate to think exactly how painful it would have been without the numbing first. The surgery was the easiest part of everything.

I am now three quarters of the way through the chemotherapy treatments. I guess that whatever chemotherapy is used depends on the type of cancer, whether or not, and/or how far it has spread past the original tumor, and I don't know what else. I don't know what determines the number of chemotherapy sessions one receives either. One woman told me that she had chemotherapy over a one-year period--but that was back in 1994; I figure it worked because she is still alive. My cousin Ralph's step-sister just got done with chemotherapy and said it has affected her vision and her hearing, and now must use hearing aids and closed captioning and got a much stronger prescription for her glasses. She also said her fingernails peeled off, in addition to losing all of her hair, her eyebrows and her eyelashes. She said she looks like a Martian. But my daughter's friend Melissa's mom said after seven chemo sessions, she was able to go back to work, and that she was a little tired during the treatments, but that was all. She lost her hair and wore a hat.

I am wondering what is in store for me. I knew I was going to lose my hair, so my little grandson did his "cuttie cut" with his little scissors the day before my first session. I have a "five-o'clock shadow" on some parts of my scalp, and other parts are as smooth as a baby's butt. Since wearing a wig, however, I've had more compliments on my hair (7 so far in the past two weeks) than I have since 1967, when I was in beauty school and Joyce Calbow did my hair up in big curls. I have been feeling yukky often enough that it has put a dent in my voracious appetite, and I've been fortunate enough to have lost about 11 or 12 pounds so far. If I can manage to lose another 8 or 9, I will be very happy, and motivated to try to take off another 20 on my own after the chemo sessions are over. I feel like I've lost almost a whole bowling ball from my ass, and it really makes a difference in how I'm feeling.

Anyhow, I have lab work and chemotherapy on a Thursday...from beginning to end it's about six hours. Friday I have to go back to the cancer center and get a shot...that's another whole story involving pain and suffering. The shot stings just a little, but the side effects last 10-12 days, and during that time I feel worse than if my body had been thrown into a wood chipper. This starts Saturday along with the side effect of the chemotherapy...hideous abdominal cramps that feel worse than the final stages of labor. And diarrhea, that keeps me housebound until a day or two before the next chemo session three weeks later. This is why I don't feel like eating--besides the discomfort, what's the frigging point? Plus, there's not enough time between serving food and needing to use the bathroom. And by the time I get back to the table, I've lost my appetite.
But these are just bumps in the road. I am going to get through this the way thousands of other women do every year. They are a strong group--these women. Whenever you see one wearing a pink ribbon, or a sticker on her car, you ought to stand and salute. This is a tough war, and although there are many casualties, there are still many, many survivors.

Release: Sanders Cites Olbermann Suspension in Bid to Block NBC-Comcast Merger - Newsroom: U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (Vermont)

Release: Sanders Cites Olbermann Suspension in Bid to Block NBC-Comcast Merger - Newsroom: U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (Vermont)

School Nurse: Barb G.'s Sexual Education Course (Episode 2)

The School Nurse- Barb G. (Episode 1)

....no more bad hair days for a while isn't such a bad thing!

Short-attention-span Michael spent over an hour with his cuttie cut project. His daddy evened things up with shears afterward.


I forgot to mention that my surgeon was so awesome--she is one of two surgeons in this area who specializes in breast-only surgery. The difference between her and a general surgeon is the result--I came out of this surgery with a small scar on the side of my boob where nobody ever looks anyhow. I was so thrilled that I had a friend, a professional baker (Mayra Rivera) make her the best cake ever.

...boobie update

In anticipation of having my hair fall out, my little 2 1/2-year old grandson, Michael, had the time of his life. I bought him some little kid scissors and let him cut off my hair. He went crazy, standing up on the kitchen chair. As he furiously snipped away, his mantra was "cuttie cut, cuttie cut, cuttie cut!!!!!"

Well, after several mammograms, needle biosy, two surgeries, countless MRIs, a bone scan, and more blood being sucked out of my body by lab techs than Bella Lugosi did to all of his victims during his career portraying Dracula, I completed my first chemotherapy session. The highlight of the chemotherapy was the thrill of not barfing. I was so frigging prepared for that...antianxiety drugs (also prevents nausea), a drug taken before and for two days following chemo, a drug added to the chemotherapy IV, and two different emergency pills to pop afterward in case the previous three didn't work. So, I still don't know whether it was the drugs, or just amazingly awesome luck. But I am thankful that I am two weeks closer to my "Forty Years of Barf-Free Living" Thanksgiving celebration (next February 21 will mark the date of the last time I puked). My next chemotherapy session is this coming Thursday...one down, three to go. I know it sounds weird to say I'm looking forward to it, but I am. The sooner I can put this behind me, the happier I will be.

...about the Don't Ask, Don't Tell military policy...

From The Onion, my favorite source for news:
ArchiveNews July 12, 2010 | ISSUE 46•28
http://www.theonion.com/articles/repeal-of-dont-ask-dont-tell-paves-way-for-gay-sex,17698/

Repeal Of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Paves Way For Gay Sex Right On Battlefield, Opponents Fantasize

Says U.S. Defensive Dept.
10.29.03 WASHINGTON— "As Congress prepares to allow gay individuals to serve openly in the military, those against the proposed change voiced their concerns Monday, warning the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" could soon lead to strong, strapping American soldiers engaging in mind-blowing homosexual intercourse right on the battlefield.

"We're sending our soldiers out there with a mission, and that mission is to protect this country," said Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX), one of many conservative politicians who staunchly oppose the change. "If this is repealed, what's to stop all-night sex romps from breaking out while U.S. servicemen are hiding in a bunker, or crawling around an irrigation ditch bathed only by the light of the moon, or, say, the dozens of other situations I've already thought through in elaborate detail?"


"We can't allow this to happen," Gohmert added as beads of sweat collected on his brow. "It's wrong. Sweaty male sex—no matter how erotic and uninhibited—is so wrong and so, so naughty."

Despite its support from the defense secretary and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, the repeal has been condemned by many military officers who worry it could disrupt troop cohesion and endanger the lives of the taut young soldiers who have dedicated their lives to serving America with "every rippling muscle in their rock-hard bodies."


Others have argued that allowing gay soldiers to push their lifestyle on others, testing the limits of pleasure a man can take before he erupts in uncontrollable ecstasy, would seriously damage morale.



"The military should not be used to advance some radical, steamy, mouthwatering social agenda," said Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ). © Copyright 2010, Onion, Inc. All rights reserved.

"Our men need to know they can count on each other in battle, and we can't have them getting distracted by illicit romantic dalliances," said Gen. James T. Conway, commandant of the Marine Corps. "Especially if one's a little blond Adonis farm boy and his buddy's a real tough street kid straight out of Brooklyn. I mean, think about it: What if they lock eyes and abandon their post to start ripping each other's fatigues off, revealing twin sets of glistening washboard abs and at last fulfilling their hidden passions?"

Continued Conway, "Is this the message we want to send to our enemies?"

Many active-duty service members told reporters allowing gay individuals to be open about their sexuality would result in great discomfort among platoons overseas.

"The last thing I need after a 12-hour reconnaissance patrol is to know I'm hitting the showers with some guy who might be checking me out and who might, after seeing what I have to work with, find himself wondering if I too long for the firm yet tender embrace of another man," Army Cpl. Dale Montgomery said. "So, in conclusion, what were we talking about again?"

Earlier efforts to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell have failed, including a notable 2007bill to end the policy that was filibustered by Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK), who over the course of several days repeatedly screened the gay pornographic film 'Thrill Sergeant' and demanded to know if his colleagues liked that sort of thing.

Repeal opponents argued that future combat missions might slowly begin like this scene from 'Trained To Obey'. This May, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) promised voters he would do everything in his power to prevent gays from serving openly in the armed forces, and on Thursday, he told reporters that the role of the military is to defend American freedoms, not "the rights of, you know, those people some of us stay up all night thinking about as we toss and turn."

"Imagine you've got a boat full of sailors out cruising the Gulf of Aden when all of a sudden they're attacked. Some of the homosexuals lock themselves below deck and begin touching themselves," said the 73-year-old senator and Vietnam War veteran, his breath quickening. "One of their names is Ricardo. Unbuttoning his pants, he throws his gunner's mate down on the cot and penetrates him, his big, beautiful dick shimmering with power, his dog tags bouncing up and down as he's pounding, and pounding, and pounding."

Added McCain, "What I'm trying to say is: It all boils down to combat effectiveness."

When asked about his views on lesbians serving openly in the military, McCain made no secret of his position on the issue.

"Female soldiers being intimate with one another?" McCain said. "Gross! No, thank you.""

...what the hell?