LIVING WITH MCL

You know it's hard being upbeat all the time, especially considering the state of the economy, and the continual partisan bickering by our elected representatives, further evidenced by today's health care summit [which I turned off after about 10 minutes], who seem to be more concerned with their own well being rather than the well being of the American public. But that not withstanding, at least the weather has cooperated enough to allow me to get over 500 miles in [on the bike] so far this month, I didn't get called in for jury duty this week, and my latest blood work continues to show stable disease, if not some slight improvement. My absolute lymphocyte count still continues on its downward trend [ever so slightly], and it looks like my platelets have finally stabilized, with the latest count coming in at 181 thou/cumm. Hemoglobin has also remained stable at 11.8 g/dl. Not great, but all things considering it could be a lot worse. So as long as I can continue to avoid t...

I'm not sure why I get so much joy looking at old photos. Well, that's not exactly true. I do know why. It's because it reminds me of a much more care free time in my life. And here's just a few examples. These first two were taken in the mid 70's, shortly after Edie and I were married, during a more ambitious time of my life. I'm putting on a new front porch at our first house in Newton Falls, Ohio. (Actually it was Edie's home that she inherited from her parents.) In the background, on the left,  you'll also notice two of our 5 cats we had at the time. They both helped me out a lot. Trust me when I tell you I'm not as enthused about performing this project as I may appear. You won't catch me doing anything like that again. This next one is of Edie and me during our boating days on Lake Berlin, near Newton Falls. This was also taken in the mid 70's, when I was a lot dorkier looking, and I had a lot more hair. [Actually we both did]. They say...

Can you imagine anything more decadent than that? Yeah probably, but as we were eating them this afternoon at Charlie Palmer's at Bloomingdales , accompanied by a glass of the Hartford Court Lands Edge Pinot Noir, I didn't much care. :) They were that good!

Among the many news groups I belong to is one from the cycling club at the University of Pittsburgh. I'm not sure exactly why I belong to it, everyone on it is a third my age, but it is my alma mater, and I have the latest cycling kit, so I belong. Mainly it's because I enjoy reading the occasional post like the following one that just landed in my mail box a few moments ago. Hey Everyone, If there are any rides tomorrow please let me know.  If there aren't and someone wants to go on a 2 hour ride I am gonna leave the union around 11. We can go where ever you want, as I am sick of being on the trainer and need to actually be outside. Now some of you may be wondering, what makes that such interesting reading? Well, it's because the forecasted high for tomorrow in Pittsburgh is 34°F, and it reminds me of how lucky I am living here in southern California. Can you imagine how desperate he must be to brave those kind of temperatures. I've braved temperatures that low bef...

When I first started this blog, I didn't intend it to be an outlet for my political beliefs. It was intended only to be about me, describing my experiences dealing with MCL (Mantle Cell Lymphoma), and educating others about some of the pitfalls dealing with the US health care system, so that others could benefit from many of the mistakes I've made. Of course along the way, the blog strayed from its original intent, mostly discussing my exploits on the bike, and dealing with the weather here in southern California, interspersed with the occasional diatribe on the US health care system. Most recently (due to a lack of inspiration) there were even a few posts pointing out how little people in the US really understand our health care system, and the lunacy [IMO] of those few individuals employing alternative treatments. The problem is, the more I went down that road, the more frustrated I became, ultimately leading to my previous post where I indicated I just had enough. But more t...

And it's not just the rain talking. This time I really mean it. Yesterday was an enlightening time for me. Not only did I resort to writing about absolutely nothing (kind a like the concept behind Seinfeld ), but last night, at a birthday party for a friend, I realized there is no hope. The US is doomed, and there is no reversing the course we're on. People who I thought were relatively intelligent, and people who I would have thought had much more to lose should we continue down this path, have no clue in the world where we're headed. They have been blinded to the truth by their own hatred, and the lack of understanding of the true motivations of those skillfully directing us down this path of destruction. Of course maybe I'm the idiot. Maybe they're right and I'm wrong. I just don't think so. I've never known my instincts to fail me, and I don't think they're failing me now. So I'm done. No more politics, no more health care debates and no ...

It's been pretty boring lately. I have been doing a lot of bike riding, managing to get 700 miles in last month, despite the week of rain in January, but after a 3 week hiatus, the rain is back today, and I'm house bound. I could have gone to the gym, but I just wasn't interested. Have I mentioned before, how much I hate the winter? Plus there's been a dearth of idiotic posts on the message boards for me to write about lately, making things even more boring, and leaving me with nothing much to comment about. So here I sit in front of my computer trying to invent something to write about, without much success, I'll add, while I wait for Verizon to come and install my new FIOS internet and TV service. I just got fed up dealing with the audio dropping out constantly on my Direct TV whenever I watch something in HD w/Dolby, and Direct TV's only response is to adjust and remount the dish. Oh well, I may just end up going to the gym anyways [but I doubt it], as it l...