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Sunday, September 27, 2009

Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma in the news

Thanks to a great northern reader, I received the following news story in my email about a fundraiser for an ACC warrior:
Fundraiser set for woman with rare form of cancer
http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009909250663
(another story with photo http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/article/20090923/WDH0101/909230632/1981/WDHopinion)
The fundraiser actually took place yesterday for Kimberly Kukinski, 25, in Weston (Wisconsin, I think - the bad thing about online newspapers is that they rarely say what state they originate from). Wishing you and your family the best, Ms. Kukinski. With the support you have experienced, you will go far, in this Cheeky Librarian's opinion.

Still repairing the home place

Apologize for the long stretches without a post, but number one son works nights every other week, and is now staying days in the computer room, so I don't have the access to this machine that I used to enjoy. Here's a tip for anyone that would like to meet friends, neighbors, and complete strangers - set up a dumpster in your driveway, and fill it with an assortment of damaged drywall, bathroom fixtures, and various items from around the home. Then just wait - soon, the world will be knocking at your door, asking for permission to pick through the pile for treasures. Or, they won't knock, and just empty their trunk into your receptacle. Either way, you will broaden your network of contacts faster than 'friending' on Facebook...
This is our 25th year of marriage. Instead of Cancun or a trans-Atlantic cruise, we are repairing the house. Believe me, it will be a better time and less stress than a big vacation, and we will be able to enjoy our home even more!

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

The answer: 746

The question: how far must a Cheeky Librarian go to get to the nearest IKEA? Sorry for the lack of postings on this and my other blogs, but renovations on my house are taking over my life. And I am so glad to be able to experience this! A couple more weeks, and things should be getting back to a manageable level...

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Goodbye Patrick

Patrick Swayze has died from cancer. Dammit.
I guess I am less than 6 degrees separated from him - I am a also a reluctant member of the cancer club, and I live 3 blocks away from where the hotel scene was filmed for the movie To Wong Foo... you can see it as it used to be about 3:09 minutes into this video snip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbwYsfyEEOc&feature=fvw . That is the place I stayed at during my very first visit to Omaha in 1992. It was torn down for a strip mall before we moved here in '99, but the movie was filmed in between.
His acting in the movie Ghost kept me going while my husband was in the Gulf War - it was the last movie we saw together before he shipped out. We knew privately between us that we figured we would meet again, no matter what, and the movie helped to reinforce that idea.
Now his example of how to tell cancer to go to hell and keep on working on new projects keeps me going in a different way.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma in the news

Checking the news, I located the following stories on our rare cancer:

Bout with cancer hasn't affected Pomegranate employee's upbeat attitude (Greenville News)
http://www.greenvilleonline.com/article/20090902/CITYPEOPLE/909020302/1062

Friend remembered with fund-raiser (MassLive.com)
http://www.masslive.com/metroeastplus/republican/index.ssf?/base/news-5/1252394290285930.xml&coll=1

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Preparing for winter

Ok, no one specifically TOLD me that having a plate in your head gives you more headaches in the winter. Um, guys - when I was showing up in January with really bad headaches, you could have said - yes, you will be experiencing those with the low temps. Honest, I would rather have gone that direction rather than thinking that critters were growing in my head again...
In the interest of preparing for yet another plains winter, complete with frigid wind chills, I have been scouting out solutions to keep the head warm as I walk from parking to work, from the car to the store, etc. (We aren't talking about going on marathons, here, but just something to keep the day from starting out with a roaring headache.) This one seems interesting: Skull face thermal mask http://xchoppers.com/product_info.php?products_id=1151. It would come up around the plate area near my left ear, cover the radiated area on my left neck and cheek, and keep the hair from messing up. Yeah, that's the ticket...
If I want to go with a more ordinary fashion statement, military surplus offers a choice:
GI Polypropylene Balaclavas
http://www.militaryclothing.com/IBS/SimpleCat/Product/asp/hierarchy/0O06/product-id/500425.html . Or this company, Killer Hats (love the name!), offers a 6 in 1 extreme cold weather hood http://www.killerhats.com/hhh.html .
Let me know if you see other choices I should consider. I need something that will cover the head and keep out the wind for no more than 20 minute stretches of time. I will let you know if I decide to go in for extreme camping, so we can search for those Arctic survival gear head coverings!

Catching up;

One thing that went by the wayside during cancer treatment and recovery was keeping up the household repairs. We are currently fixing that situation - the plumber and his crew is due in any minute now to wreck our basement and sewer stack, and fix it all back up again. Home remodeling has to be way up there on the stress scale, but I know we will be enjoying freshly painted walls and working drains after they get done doing their magic.

Wednesday, September 02, 2009

Maybe I COULD be a food critic

Just learned that they have developed an electronic tongue that 'tastes' sweetness like the real thing:

Hmmm - imagine me sitting down, the waiter placing the napkin in my lap, and after the first course is served, I break out a plastic box. The waiter is concerned - could I be applying makeup at the table? (Gasp!) I reassure him that this is the machine that I will judge the taste of the food with for my food column.Yeah, it could happen...
 
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