Skip to main content

Reflections on the year 2006

As I look back over the past year, not a lot has seemed to happen of any consequence, at least not a lot good, and it certainly was not how I perceived it occurring when I was reflecting on 2005.

The biggest disappointment was Edie's diagnosis of Multiple Myeloma. And as if that wasn't bad enough, it looks like it is progressing at a fast enough pace, treatment is imminent. (Here I was diagnosed almost 5 years ago with lymphoma, and I still haven't needed treatment, nor see any in the near future.)

I know, no one ever said life was fair, but some things just shouldn't be.

On a good note, I have managed to stay accident free on the bike. (Knock on wood, I haven't spoken too soon since there is still one more day, and one more ride left in the year.)

We did managed to get to Italy in 2006, which we had been wanting to do for years, but were a little disappointed in the whole experience. I had heard so much about Italy, I think I set my expectations too high. I also did too much planning, which I think took some of the spontaneity out of the experience.

At least we got it out of our system, and from here on out, we plan on concentrating our travels within the US. Besides the fact that the monetary exchange rate is less than favorable, just the hassle of traveling between airports has just made air travel no fun anymore.

Other than that there isn't much more to reflect on. Edie's myeloma and my lymphoma, seem to have occupied just about every other aspect of our lives, and I don't think I need to bore you with all those details. Besides, if you're a regular reader of this blog, you already know most of them.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. One good thing, worth mentioning again, did happen.  After 12 years of Republican control of Congress, the Democrats finally managed to win back control. Hopefully, and I don't want to alienate any of my loyal readers by getting too political and stating,
maybe now the US can get back on track, concentrating it's efforts on helping the citizens of the US, and not squandering our precious resources, on some crusade to spread democracy throughout the world, while ignoring the plight, and the security of American citizens at home.

So here's looking for better things in 2007.

And let's hope the weather starts turning a little warmer here in southern California, like Al Gore keeps claiming it's supposed to be.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My concerns reaffirmed today

When I was first diagnosed with MCL, I pretty much read just about everything I could get my hands on, I attended various conferences, and I talked to anyone who would listen. One of the most important lessons I learned, and which I've mentioned numerous times before was No one cares more about you than you. But in addition to that, I learned to fear the drug Doxorubicin , AKA Adriamycin, Doxil, Hydroxydoxorubicin, or more affectionately the Red Devil. Besides being a deadly chemical, as is the case with most chemotherapy drugs, it is one of the few chemotherapy drugs known to cause permanent heart damage. I even heard Dr. Sandra Horning , a noted Stanford lymphoma specialist, state at the first lymphoma conference I attended in LA, there was no evidence Doxorubicin provided any added benefit to chemotherapy protocols. This was music to my ears, since Doxorubicin is very common in most lymphoma treatment protocols. And even though Dr. Horning has since changed her tune [which my sk...
Post a Comment
Read more

Bowling: A metaphor on life [sorta]

Over the past 15+ years the game of bowling has changed dramatically. Not only has the equipment changed, making it easier for bowlers of all ages and physical conditions to participate, and score well, but there have even been major advances to how the lanes are prepared for the start of bowling. No longer is it just heavy oil, light oil, long oil, short oil, or no oil, with the latest equipment, the amount of oil can be varied from front to back and side to side, producing a myriad of patterns designed to make the game more interesting, more challenging and as you might surmise, more frustrating. No longer does the "one ball fits all" approach work any more either. In order to navigate all the differing possible lane conditions, you need to have a varied selection of bowling balls. Most pros will tell you the average bowler needs 3 balls, plus a ball for spares, but to be an above average bowler you'll need at least 6 balls, with many possessing more than that. But just...
1 comment
Read more

Fatigue! Part II - Maybe it is real?

Or it's actually Motivational Deficiency Disorder, MoDeD (pronounced Mo-Dee-Dee) for short. In a report this week by Roy Moynihan who reports for the British Medical Journal Austrailian scientists may have come across the reason for extreme laziness . The condition is claimed to affect up to one in five Australians and is characterised by overwhelming and debilitating apathy. Neuroscientists at the University of Newcastle in Australia say that in severe cases motivational deficiency disorder can be fatal, because the condition reduces the motivation to breathe. Neurologist Leth Argos is part of the team that has identified the disorder, which can be diagnosed using a combination of positron emission tomography and low scores on a motivation rating scale, previously validated in elite athletes. "This disorder is poorly understood," Professor Argos told the BMJ. "It is underdiagnosed and undertreated." Who knew? Maybe I have MoDeD, from my attempts to become a...
Post a Comment
Read more