Thursday, March 22, 2007

Eternal Vigilance



The lung biopsy has come and gone. The relatively short initial 'probe' (involving a cut in the throat and a bit of exploration down into the darker regions) produced evidence of cancer. It will be another week before we find out exactly which form of cancer and what the treatment options are.

This is like some crazy game where you follow one clue after another, which only gets you to a next clue and never to the doorprize. Frankly, I don't quite know what to think of this all. I'm not worried or afraid or depressed ..... nothing about my life is different except for the shortness of breath and getting tired rather quickly. So for the time being I shall have to go on being me .... until such time as maybe a severe pain make me double over .... then I'll be a bit shorter.

Speaking of shorter! I have lived my entire life in the belief that I grew to the height of 5 foot 10-1/2 inches and more or less remained there. When I took the physical that started this weird journey, the nurse ushered me onto the scale, said "Stand up straight, please!", and announced "5 foot 8 inches". I protested, but she was adamant. When I checked into the hospital another nurse led me through the same exercise. I explained how the prior nurse had robbed me of 2-1/2 inches. This one said "We'll just compromise and call it 5 foot 9 inches." But I'll bet she wrote 5' 8" on the chart.

I'm left wondering if being squashed down 2 & 1/2 inches could account for the portliness that has acrued to my beltline the past few years.

The trip out to the ocean was most enjoyable. I wasn't able to get out on the beach and fly any of my kites. Pretty much house-bound. But being stuck in a huge suite of rooms with ClearCreekGirl and four fine friends, all cooking industriously for three days (and on the fourth day there were leftovers), AND with three big picture windows aimed at the beach .... that is a fine thing indeed. They all took good care of me. I did produce our one organized breakfast - of scrambled eggs, pork link sausages, and waffles .... something I can do wham-bam with no recipes and little moving around.

I did make it out into the parking lot on one occasion as I tried to get a photo of an eagle that was in the area (best shot shown above). I read a good, thick junk thriller novel, and proved myself the all-out worst player at Tripoley. But it was still me - FossilGuy - getting up an hour earlier than anyone else and getting the coffee pot going. A man's gotta hang onto his identity!


Comments:
Excellent shot of the eagle! Can you believe I've lived here for 4 years and have yet to make it to the ocean? Sad, I know. And I'm moving in August, so I need to get my butt in gear if I'm ever going to get to the Washington coast!!

My prayers are with you and your family.
 
Mrs. Fossilguy, you will ALWAYS manage to hang on to your identity. I've never MET a guy with so much Identity. All your life, people have looked at you and said, "Wow! Look at that guy's big identity!" I'm kidding, but I'm also being true. Everything you do it you. You have your own unique stamp, which imprints everything and everybody. And your morning coffee ROCKS.
 
.....but, hey, I didn't mean to refer to you as "MRS" Fossilguy - it's my shaky fingers and my dingdong head. You are definitely a MR., Mr.
 
Ditto to all of that. Yours is the most solidified identity I know of, and I don't mean like concrete or inflexible, I mean YOU are YOU! Carry on!
 
When Ann first met you she said, and I quote, "He's quite a character, isn't he?" "Yes," I said, "And you'll meet no other like him."

Not a coffee drinker, but I do love how you dress a turkey!

We send our love...big heave of it across the pond!
 
So your secret really is your big identity after all...
and here I was thinking it might be that cheese souffle!
 
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