Category Archives: Dear Diary

How to ‘kill’ a year?

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My 43rd birthday is coming up, and we’re thinking about actually having a party.

I’d like to do something to ‘kill’ my 42nd year. It was such a dreadful time I do NOT want to have to go through it again. But I’m not coming up with a good symbology for it. I don’t want to do a whole ritual thing, most of my friends are non-pagans. But I keeping thinking that if we did the cake in a particular way, we’d eat the year and therefore kill it dead.

Or something. I’m stuck on this one — any ideas?

P.S.  I updated the picture in the ‘A Year Ago . . .‘ post.

A year ago . . .

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A year ago, J.and I had dinner with some friends and this picture was taken:

So much has changed since then, huh?

Now I’ve replaced a breast with a BLO, am regrowing hair lost in chemo, and 10 pounds heavier. I’m also a non-smoker and in better health than I have been since my 20s. I’ve learned that I am, at core, incredibly resilient.

I also learned who my friends really are and what generosity truly means.

Today I’m not packing. I’ll be doing cleaning-type things — laundry, dishes, and the bathrooms — as well as some general organizing. The weather has cooled, so it’s a pleasure to be bopping around.

What Saturday July 10th looks like for me

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6am — Sasha wakes me up

6:45 — plan day

7am-10am — paint the hall woodwork (doorways, baseboards)

10:30 — aqua aerobics

12 — remove hat hooks in hall; spackle holes; pack hats

2pm — put finals on LR curtain rods

2:30 — take Sasha to lake for a swim

4pm — get ready for coworker’s wedding reception

5:30 — feed Sasha; drive into Seattle for reception

8:30 — leave reception

9pm — walk Sasha; change clothes, relax before bed

10pm — go to bed

Somewhere in there is breakfast (cold cereal with blueberries) and lunch (I have no idea; we don’t have sandwich makings or leftovers. I may have to stop in at the grocery store after aqua aerobics).

Busy day, in very humid weather. All because J. is traveling and I am alone (wail!) Theoretically, however, it will mean that tomorrow I only have laundry, cleaning, and writing (blog posts!) to do.

Picture!

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Here’s what I look like today:

As you can see, the hair is definitely coming back. Looks like I’ll still have all the silver I had before (it’s on the sides, predominantly, which doesn’t show up well in the photo).

You may also notice that I definitely have color in my face and skin once again. I am getting healthy!

(and yes, I promise I will do posts to get you caught up on Ashland, my ankle, and life in general.)

From Hell With Love

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which is not a comment on my life, but the title of the new Simon Green novel. I just finished it and I can only say this: holy cow. Followed by, “you effer.”

It’s a great, fun, novel that introduces us to an ancient Drood enemy and host of traitors. It ends with one heck of a cliffhanger (hence the ‘effer’ reference).

In other news: I owe y’all a bunch of writing, going all the way back to Ashland in early June. I’ll try to get to that this weekend, in and amongst the packing.

It Just Doesn’t Stop

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2010 has been a crap of a year so far. Actually, my 42nd year has pretty much sucked. The proof is that I was told I have breast cancer about a week after my  42nd birthday.

It just hasn’t stopped.

We went to Ashland this last weekend, rented a house with friends; saw some plays, ate yummy food, drank yummy wine, and had excellent conversations. I also fell down, hard and am currently nursing a sprained ankle OR a broken bone in my foot. (I’ll know the x-ray results tomorrow.)

Sasha is going to see a neurologist next week so we can find out (hopefully) what is wrong with her.

On top of all of that is the really sad news: my grandmother is dying. Its my father’s mother and although it isn’t entirely unexpected, it is still a surprise. She is in a skilled nursing unit, and being seen by hospice services. She is mostly very comfortable, but unaware of her surroundings. She will not recover, her death is inevitable, and I’m very sad.

So, I’m ok; it’s just still a bit of a unsettled life ’round here.