Best things about having a malignant brain tumor

Handicapped parking permit
Handicapped parking
Handicapped restrooms
Not having to drive the Banfield Freeway in the rain, during rush hour traffic.
My car takes very little gas, since I no longer have a car.
Being able to eat what I want, when I want, and as much as I want.
I get to wear my fitted Radiation Oncology mask tonight when the trick-or-treaters come to the door. Pretty scary.
I have a brain tumor; what's your excuse?
Despite what you may think, I am not a brain surgeon; I've only had the surgery.
My brain surgeon said one more hole in my head and I'll be a bowling ball.
Having hair is soooo yesterday!

I think the following posted on The Brain Tumor Foundation web site (http://www.braintumorfoundation.org) is pretty funny:

Brain Tumor Awareness Day, originally scheduled for November 14, is being re-scheduled for early 2011. The date and information for the “New” Brain Tumor Awareness Day will be announced shortly.

Trending

TRENDING UP TRENDING DOWN
Texas Rangers NY Yankees
San Francisco Giants Texas Rangers
Matt Cain Walker, Texas Ranger
Fear the Beard Beware the Claw
Don Mattingly Joe Torre
Larue the Pug Avandia the Drug
Jon Stewart Glenn Beck
Speaker-to-be Boehner Speaker Pelosi
Tavaris Jackson Brett Favre
Conan Oprah

Retired husband at Target

After I retired, my wife insisted that I accompany her on her
trips to Target. Unfortunately, like most men, I found shopping boring
and preferred to get in and get out. Equally unfortunate, my wife is
like most women - she loves to browse. Yesterday my dear wife received
the following letter from the local Target.

Dear Mrs. Harris,

Over the past six months, your husband has caused quite a commotion in our store. We cannot tolerate this behavior and have been forced to ban both of you from the store. Our complaints against your husband, Mr. Harris, are listed below and are documented by our video surveillance cameras.

1. June 15: He took 24 boxes of condoms and randomly put them in
other people's carts when they weren't looking.
2. July 2: Set all the alarm clocks in Housewares to go off at
5-minute intervals.
3. July 7: He made a trail of tomato juice on the floor leading
to the women's restroom.
4. July 19: Walked up to an employee and told her in an official
voice, 'Code 3 in Housewares. Get on it right away'. This caused the
employee to leave her assigned station and receive a reprimand from her
Supervisor that in turn resulted with a union grievance, causing
management to lose time and costing the company money.
5. August 4: Went to the Service Desk and tried to put a bag of
M&Ms on layaway.
6. August 14: Moved a 'CAUTION - WET FLOOR' sign to a carpeted
area.
7. August 15: Set up a tent in the camping department and told
the children shoppers he'd invite them in if they would bring pillows
and blankets from the bedding department to which twenty children
obliged.
8. August 23: When a clerk asked if they could help him he began
crying and screamed, 'Why can't you people just leave me alone?' EMTs
were called.
9. September 4: Looked right into the security camera and used
it as a mirror while he picked his nose.
10. September 10: While handling guns in the hunting department,
he asked the clerk where the antidepressants were.
11. October 3: Darted around the store suspiciously while loudly
humming the 'Mission Impossible' theme.
12. October 6: In the auto department, he practiced his 'Madonna
look' by using different sizes of funnels.
13. October 18: Hid in a clothing rack and when people browsed
through, yelled 'PICK ME! PICK ME!'
14. October 21: When an announcement came over the loud speaker,
he assumed a fetal position and screamed 'OH NO! IT'S THOSE VOICES
AGAIN!'
And last, but not least:
15. October 23: Went into a fitting room, shut the door, waited
awhile, then yelled very loudly, 'Hey! There's no toilet paper in here.'
One of the clerks passed out.

Forwarded by Anne Fletcher, Marge's friend, former co-worker at The Allergy Clinic, and cookie-maker extraordinaire.

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros

You know how, when you listen to a song on the radio (or nowadays, the iPod), the song catches in your head, and sometimes infects your brain, and there is absolutely nothing you can do to get rid of it, except maybe try to replace it with another. If you're looking for such a viral infection to infect YOUR brain, YouTube "Home" by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros. It has over 2,500,000 uploads. A sample of the chorus lyrics:

Home, Let me come Home
Home is Whenever I'm with you
Home, yes I am Home
Home is wherever I'm with you.

Nothing profound, just...infectious.

I had my third Avastin (bevacizumab) infusion this morning, and it went well, just as with the others. The plan now is for three additional infusions, every two weeks, then repeat the MRI to assess tumor response to this agent.

On TV this weekend: Les Miles, More Favre

The Couch
by Jason Gay
The Wall Street Journal
October 22, 2010

This weekend the Couch asks baseball to sort out this year's World Series before the East Coast is snowed in for the winter (done), wonders if Les Miles can possibly pull off one more crazy win as LSU faces Auburn (he couldn't), and sees if Green Bay can still work up the anger toward Brett Favre as the Packers host the Vikings (yes).

Trick Plays
by Yoni Brenner
Shouts & Murmurs
The New Yorker
October 4, 2010

The Open-Source Sweep
A week before the big game, team officials engineer a "chance encounter" between the opposing quarterback and the actor Jake Gyllenhaal, The pair become fast friends, attending a number of folk concerts and rummage sales together. As their relationship blossoms, Gyllenhaal inculcates the quarterback with progressive ideas about transparency and freedom of information, and by the end of the week he convinces the quarterback to post his team's playbook on WikiLeaks. The team loses five of its next six games, and the quarterback is benched. As for Jake Gyllenhaal, he is eventually cleared of any wrongdoing, and is hired by Fox Sports to join Howie Long and Michael Strahan on the Sunday NFL pre-game show.

West Coast Misdirection
During the off-season, the opposing quarterback is again approached by the actor Jake Gyllenhaal. The quarterback warns Gyllenhaal to keep his distance, but Gyllenhaal tells him that it isn't like that---he wants to offer the quarterback a part in an independent film he is producing, called "The Quarterback and the Dame," about an unlikely romance between a gridiron hero and the English stage legend Judi Dench. The quarterback reads the script, and he has to admit it's pretty good, so he signs on. The quarterback arrives on the set for the first day of shooting, only to find Gyllenhaal costumed in shoulder pads and eye black. The quarterback goes berserk, believing that he'd been promised the part. "No, no," Gyllenhaal coos, "you're playing Judi Dench."

Met at the Movies

I took my MIL Mary Beth to see a Live in HD Metropolitan Opera performance of Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov at a local movie theatre Saturday morning. It started at 9 a.m., and we left after noon. Was told that it didn't end until 2:15 p.m., but we were long gone by then. Overall, an enjoyable experience and a very well done production. It was sung in Russian, with English subtitles. In fact, the entire cast was Russian with the exception of the title character, who was played by the German Rene' Pape. I had won a voucher for a pair of free tickets from All Classical FM.

Good Poems for Hard Times

This anthology of 185 poems was selected by Garrison Keillor from those he has read on "The Writer's Almanac" on public radio.

Enough pilfering from poor Mr. Keillor,
If not for Prairie Home Companion
He'd be out on the bread line.

If you like the poems
you can buy the book,
$10.88 from Amazon,
or borrow it for free.

Good poems for hard times (7,8)

Don't read too much into this. I just like the poem; not planning to go anywhere soon.

My Cup
Robert Friend

They tell me I am going to die.
Why don't I seem to care?
My cup is full. Let it spill.

Last Poem
Ted Berrigan

(Last line only)

"...Let none regret my end who called me friend."

Big noise from Winnetka...Big news from Eugene

Yes, the Ducks are No. 1 (at least in the human polls), but that is OLD news, no longer BIG news. The BIG news is that Pete and Tracy are expecting their third child, our fifth grandchild. Congratulations, you two, and stay healthy, T!

Good poems for hard times (5,6)

The Benefits of Ignorance
Hal Sirowitz

If ignorance is bliss, Father said,
shouldn't you be looking blissful?
You should check to see if you have
the right kind of ignorance. If you're
not getting the benefits that most people
get from acting stupid, then you should
go back to what you always were---
being too smart for your own good.

Dawn Revisited
Rita Dove

Imagine you wake up
with a second chance: The blue jay
hawks his pretty wares
and the oak still stands, spreading
glorious shade. If you don't look back,

the future never happens.
How good to rise in sunlight,
in the prodigal smell of biscuits---
eggs and sausage on the grill.
The whole sky is yours

to write on, blown open
to a blank page. Come on,
shake a leg! You'll never know
who's down there, frying those eggs,
if you don't get up and see.

Mission Accomplished

It was 70 degrees here today, warm, dry, and sunny. Not too bad for October 19, to say the least. My gutters needed cleaning, I had a ladder, and I had the time. Larue was outside on her leash serving as my spotter. It took me a couple of hours, but I finished the job without falling off the ladder and cracking my melon. I used to get up on the roof with the leaf blower, but those days are in the past.

Good poems for hard times (3,4)

The State of the Economy
Louis Jenkins

There might be some change on top of the dresser at the back, and
we should check the washer and the dryer. Check under the floor
mats of the car. The couch cushions. I have some books and CDs
I could sell, and there are a couple of big bags of aluminum cans in
the basement, only trouble is that there isn't enough gas in the car
to get around the block. I'm expecting a check sometime next
week, which, if we are careful, will get us through to payday. In
the meantime with your one-dollar rebate check and a few coins
we have enough to walk to the store and buy a quart of milk and a
newspaper. On second thought, forget the newspaper.

the con job
Charles Bukowski

the ground war began today
at dawn
in a desert land
far from here.
the U.S. ground troops were
largely
made up of
Blacks, Mexicans and poor
whites
most of whom had joined
the military
because it was the only job
they could find.

the ground war began today
at dawn
in a desert land
far from here
and the Blacks, Mexicans
and poor whites
were sent there
to fight and win
as on tv
and on the radio
the fat white rich newscasters
first told us all about
it
and then the fat rich white
analysts
told us
why
again
and again
and again
on almost every
tv and radio station
almost every minute
day and night
because
the Blacks, Mexicans
and poor whites
were sent there
to fight and win
at dawn
in a desert land
far enough away from
here.

Two from Neil Young

When God Made Me

Was He thinking about my country
Or the color of my skin?
Was He thinking 'bout my religion
And the way I worshiped Him?
Did He create just me in His Image
Or every living thing?
When God made me, when God made me.

Was He planning only for believers
Or for those who just had faith?
Did He envision all the wars
That were fought in His name?
Did He think there was only one way
To be close to Him?
When God made me, when God made me.

Did He give us the gift of love
To say who we could choose?
When God made me, when God made me.
When God made me, when God made me.

Did He give me the gift of voice
So some could silence me?
Did He give me the gift of vision
Not knowing what I might see?
Did He give me the gift of compassion
To help my fellow man?
When God made me, when God made me.
When God made me, when God made me.

Falling Off the Face of the Earth

I'd just like to thank you
For all the things you've done
I been thinkin' about you
I just want to send my love

I send my best to you
That's my message of love
For all the things you did
I can never thank you enough

Feel like I'm falling
Falling off the face of the earth
Feel like I'm falling
Falling off the face of the earth

I just want to tell you
You sure mean a lot to me
It may sound simple
But you are the world to me

It's such a precious thing
The time we share together
I must apologize
For all the troubled times

Feel like I'm falling
Falling off the face of the earth
Feel like I'm falling
Falling off the face of the earth

Feel like I'm falling
Falling off the face of the earth
Feel like I'm falling
Falling off the face of the earth

Good poems for hard times (1,2)

My sister Marilyn, the English professor, and BIL Stu, sent me a book of poetry, "Good Poems for Hard Times," selected and introduced by Garrison Keillor. The dedication:

"To the English teachers of America,
doing good work every day,
with admiration and affection
from an old student."

I've never been a lover of poetry, but I have been enjoying this selection, so much so, in fact, that I'm going to reproduce some in my blog, without permission. (What are they going to do to me?)

First two, one by Robert Bly, a Minnesota native, second by Raymond Carver, an Oregon native.

Driving to Town Late to Mail a Letter
Robert Bly

It is a cold and snowy night. The main street is deserted.
The only things moving are swirls of snow.
As I lift the mailbox door, I feel its cold iron.
There is a privacy I love in this snowy night.
Driving around, I will waste more time.

Happiness
Raymond Carver

So early it's still almost dark out.
I'm near the window with coffee,
and the usual early morning stuff
that passes for thought.
When I see the boy and his friend
walking up the road
to deliver the newspaper.
They wear caps and sweaters,
and one boy has a bag over his shoulder.
They are so happy
they aren't saying anything, these boys.
I think if they could, they would take
each other's arm.
It's early in the morning,
and they are doing this thing together.
They come on, slowly.
The sky is taking on light,
though the moon still hangs pale over the water.
Such beauty that for a minute
death and ambition, even love,
doesn't enter into this.
Happiness. It comes on
unexpectedly. And goes beyond, really,
any early morning talk about it.

Birthdays all around

Lucy's 3rd birthday was October 8, and Tracy's 35th (!?!) birthday was October 15, so we celebrated both yesterday at the Jendrzejewskis. Andy and the boys came from Redmond (Ali was on a girl's weekend in Walla Walla). Pete cooked an awesome meal, Lucy opened her presents, and we had ice cream cake for dessert. Poor Tracy doesn't get quite the attention she deserves, but that's what happens with kids and grandkids.

Trip to Eastern Oregon

We went to Eastern Oregon (Wallowa Mountains, Wallowa Lake, Enterprise, Joseph) with the Jendrzejewskis on Tuesday of this week and returned Thursday. Spent the better part of two days traveling back and forth, with just one full day there. John did all the driving, so the rest of us just relaxed.

Joseph is the gateway to Hells Canyon National Recreation Area. Confined within steep, eroded black basalt walls, the surging Snake River has carved North America's deepest gorge, measuring 7,913 feet from He Devil Mountain to Granite Creek below. Unfortunately we needed another day to drive to the 7,000' ridge overlooking Hells Canyon, and the tram to the summit of Mount Howard was closed for the season. The Wallowa Lake Tramway climbs about 4,000 feet to the 8,150-foot level on Mount Howard. It is among the steepest tram rides in North America; the vertical ascent is 3,700 feet from the base elevation of 4,450'. From this point the peaks of the Eagle Cap Wilderness Area, the Seven Devils of Idaho and the rim of Hells Canyon are visible. But enough about what we didn't see....

We had just a wonderful time, and the weather was simply spectacular Indian-summer, with warm and sunny days and cool nights at 4400' elevation in Joseph (population 1,000+). On the way there we stopped in Pendleton for lunch at Hamley Cafe, then went next-door to Hamley cowboy outfitters, voted most authentic western store in America. Then on to Joseph, where we stayed at the Bronze Antler Bed & Breakfast, award-winning European-style lodging. Owners Heather and Bill were very nice hosts. The Bronze Antler was selected by BedandBreakfast.com as one of the Top Ten B&Bs in the West for 2008-2009. Marge and I stayed in the Mirror Lake Suite featuring private entrance, flat screen TV with Blue-Ray DVD, vaulted ceiling, spa-style bathroom, king-sized four-poster bed, and gourmet full breakfasts. We had dinner Tuesday evening at Mutiny Brewing Company in Joseph. (Mutiny is Brewing!) The dinner special was a Prosciutto-stuffed chicken breast, which was excellent. Who knew, in downtown Joseph. Wednesday morning after breakfast we took about a two-hour tour of the Parks Bronze foundry in Enterprise, about six miles from Joseph. We saw the many steps involved in transforming the work of an artist to a finished bronze sculpture; very interesting and educational. Then off to lunch at the R&R Drive-In in Joseph for milkshakes and a bite to eat. After lunch we drove out to Wallowa Lake, followed by some browsing of the downtown shops in Joseph, including a visit to the Valley Bronze Gallery. In the evening we first went to Terminal Gravity Brewing in Enterprise, the local microbrewery where we sampled the microbrews. Then on to El Bajio Mexican Restaurant in Enterprise for dinner and margaritas. Thursday morning after breakfast we packed up and headed home, but first we stopped in Enterprise at The Bookloft to purchase copies of " 'Twas the Night Before Round-Up," a hardback children's book for the grandkids. The publication of the book coincided with the 100th anniversary of the Pendleton Round-Up. Our grand-pug Larue was pampered by our neighbor Pat Bartruff while we were away. Wonderful trip, good company, good food, good accommodations, perfect weather.... Thank you, John and Judy, for helping to make this trip a truly memorable experience. To top it all off, we saw a bald eagle soaring overhead on our way back to Portland.

A word about dexamethasone

Interesting to observe side effects of drugs first-hand.

Corticosteroids are the mainstay of treatment of brain edema (swelling) in brain tumors. Dexamethasone is the steroid given in the majority of neuro-oncologic patients, at varying doses. Fortunately I am on a low enough dose (2 mg twice daily) to avoid the well-known and serious side effects of corticosteroid therapy.

A retrospective chart review of 88 patients treated with whole brain radiotherapy was conducted for a 6-month period to document steroid doses prescribed, tapering schedules, and steroid side effects. The most frequently documented steroid-related side effects were increased appetite (32%), proximal muscle weakness (28%), and insomnia (21%), which is pretty much consistent with my experience.

A survey of oncologists who manage patients with brain metastases was conducted at the same institution. The most common side effects noted by physicians were increased appetite or weight gain (46%), insomnia (24%), and gastrointestinal symptoms (20%).

Sturdza A, Millar BA, Bana N, et al. The use and toxicity of steroids in the management of patients with brain metastases.
Support Care Cancer 2008;16:1041-8.

Happy 70th birthday, John Lennon

"Imagine"

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one

Priceless quote of the day

In today's Wall Street Journal, Matthew Kaminski, a member of the Journal's editorial board, writes an article about U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold from my sister Myrna's state of Wisconsin, "Wisconsin sours on its self-styled maverick." He quotes Mr. Feingold's opponent, Ron Johnson: Most of all, he adds, "people get" the threat from ObamaCare. "I really do think that health care is the single biggest assault on our freedom in my lifetime," he adds, "designed to lead to a single-payer system, a government takeover, Canadian-style...."

Brilliant.... You read what he said, but what does he mean? Does he think health care reform is the biggest assault on our freedom, or that expanding health care coverage to 30 million uninsured Americans is bad, or that health care in this country is just fine as it is, because he has health insurance? You've got some 'splaining to do, Mr. Johnson.

Lucy is 3 today, October 8

Happy Birthday, Sweetheart! We will celebrate Lucy's birthday next weekend when Pete and Tracy are in Portland, killing two birds with one stone, so to speak, since Tracy's birthday is the 15th of October.

Grandkiddos

Left to Right: Brady (3 1/2), Lucy (3), Drew (21 months), Sofie (18 months)

Bucket List trip to Wallawa Mountains

I am due for my second Avastin infusion Monday afternoon, October 11.

On the 12th we will be taking a quick three-day, two-night trip to the Wallowa Mountains. Although billed as America's"Little Switzerland," the Wallowa Mountains of northeastern Oregon are actually more similar to California's Sierra Nevada. The mountains are a stunningly beautiful mix of white granite peaks, sparkling lakes and streams, alpine meadows, and attractive forests. We will stay at the Bronze Antler Bed & Breakfast in the community of Joseph, OR. Artists, especially bronze artists, thrive in Joseph, home to many galleries and restaurants. We have never been there, so we are looking forward to the trip. We will be going with our friends John and Judy Jendrzejewski, Pete's in-laws.

Irrelevance in the news

Justin Bieber
Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi
NASCAR sprint cup
Ryder cup
Lindsay Lohan
Alberto Contador
Traditional CPR (skip mouth-to-mouth; chest-only compressions is in)
Lincoln-Mercury dealers
Tiger Woods
Avandia
Miley Cyrus

Autumn

Fall is in the air, the leaves are falling, morning newspapers are at hand, the dog is on my lap, coffee is brewing, playoff baseball will be on TV today, Randy Moss is back where he belongs, with the Vikings. Is there anything better than that? Well, perhaps, but who is complaining? Certainly not me.