Tomorrow I have my 4th round of chemo which marks the half-way point in my treatment!! In some ways it seems like the time has gone by fast but in other ways, it seems like a long time. I can't explain it, but there it is.
Good Week
Last week was my "good" or week 3, so I did as much activity as possible. I went to the gym 5 times, went out for meals with friends (Tulin, Ann, Phil and Karen) and family (Sei and Karen), saw several movies (more below) and the Book Club came over our monthly meeting. It was a great week.
During my good week, I should be doing the hundred projects around my house, but I get cabin fever because I've cooped up for the 2 prior weeks. Tomorrow I'm back to week 1.
Movie Reviews
"Notes on a Scandal" -- Oscar buzz has been centered around Meryl Streep and Helen Mirren and while both of them were fabulous in their respective movies, Dame Judi Dench is far superior in this film. "Notes" begins as a simple story of a new art teacher joining the staff of a working-class neighborhood school. Dench's character appears to be a lonely, spinster school teacher who has become cynical after years and years of teaching.
The art teacher (Cate Blanchett) has an affair with a young, male student and Dench finds out. Rather than tell the schoolmaster, Dench confronts Blanchett, asks her to stop the affair and then leaves the information in her back pocket as "it will be useful at a future date". At this point, it becomes apparent that Dench is not as harmless as she appears. Over the course of the film, you realize that she is evil, scary evil, dangerously evil -- Shakespearian level evil. Lady Macbeth has nothing on Dench.
The director unfolds the story slowly, building to its climax. Both women are flawed and their actions are reprehensible. But which one is worse? The music by composer Philip Glass is really heavy handed at the end, but that's the only flaw in the film. It's a must see!!
Last King of Scotland
As if Dench's character wasn't scary enough, Forest Whitaker's portrayal of Ugandan dictator, Idi Amin, was equally impressive. Whitaker's Amin is charming and engaging one moment and then a mass killing, megalomaniac the next. But the real star of the film James McAvoy who portrays Nicholas Garrigan, a young Scottish physician working in Uganda. Garrigan's story arch is much more intereseting than Amin's. Maybe because Amin's story and fate are well known, I found Garrigan's story more compelling.
Garrigan starts out as an idealistic, young physician who goes to Uganda to work in a small clinic to help the natives. Due to a chance encounter, he's asked to become Amin's private physician. Although he first declines the offer, Amin charms him into taking the job. Over the course of time, Garrigan is seduced by the money, noteriety and influence he wields because of his position. Once he realizes he has sold his soul to the devil, the question is whether it's too late for him to redeem himself. McAvoy is very convincing as the young doctor and it's too bad he hasn't received as much publicity as Whitaker for the film.
The ending of the film is really violent but that reflects the end of Amin's regime. I closed my eyes during a torture scene. It was pretty bad. Other than that, the film is worth seeing.
Chemo cycle 4
After each chemo cycle, it takes me a little longer to bounce back -- which is normal. So, I expect to be pretty tired for a week beginning tomorrow. My friend, Sue gave me the entire series of "The West Wing" on DVD for Christmas, so I expect to be spending the next few days on my couch with Jed Bartlett and his staff. It's my favorite show so I'm not complaining.
Best to you.
Jean
Monday, January 22, 2007
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Health update -- I saw my oncologist on Thursday and apparently I didn't have the flu last week as my white count was normal. He said it was probably just a virus. He can't predict if I'd get it again, but said to call him if I ever get a fever again. Whatever... Either way, I'm fine now. This begins my "good" week, so the plan is to see lots of people, go to the gym and catch a few movies.
What you learn when you stay at home -- Although I've only been off work for almost 1 month, there are a few things that I've learned:
Days of the week are irrelevant -- With the exception of my doctor and chemo appointments, it really doesn't matter what day of the week it is. If the Wall Street Journal isn't delivered to my doorstep, then it must be Sunday. While this all might sound desirable, it really isn't. I feel unproductive -- even though there are tons of projects around the house. I'm so tired on Week 1 and part of Week 2, I don't do much. Then on Week 3, I feel so much better, the last thing I want to do is stick around the house.
Mail delivery time is random -- My mailman must like variety in his delivery route as my mail arrives anywhere from 9:00am to 5:00pm. I'm sure if I had to deliver the mail everyday, I'd try to spice up the day with variety as well.
Daytime TV is crap -- First of all, this statement does not reference the daily soap operas. Although I no longer view the soaps, during college I was addicted to "Ryan's Hope", "All My Children", and "General Hospital". In those days, the soaps were only 30-minutes long, so the cast lists were smaller. Most of the people I saw on the soaps must be either dead or grandparents by now.
No, the crap on TV I'm talking about is the confrontational talk and judge shows (grammatical should say "judicial" shows, but that would give them too much credit). The topics and guests usually revolve around the paternity of a child.
Here's a typical show:
Host/Judge: "We're here to determine the paternity of Female Guest 1's (FG1) 4-year old son. Please tell us your story."
FG1: "Four years ago I was close with Male Guest 1 (MG1) and I know that he be the father of my child. He needs to start taking care of his family and payin' some money." [FG1 is an overweight, gap-toothed women who wears shirts and skirts that are 4 sizes too small for her. She dons purple and gold eye shadow to match her purple finger nails. She's a Glamour Magazine "don't" in every category imaginable.]
MG1: "I know that FG1 was [bleeping] with 3 other guys when we was together and I know he aint my kid 'cuz he don't even look like me." [MG1 isn't any prize either. He's usually missing a few front teeth and wears ripped jeans with his butt hanging out.]
FG1: "How can you say such a [bleeping] thing? I know he's your baby 'cuz in my heart I love you and we should be a family."
MG1: "He aint my kid, whore!! Them 2 other guys said that they was [bleeping] you at the same time we was livin' together. He aint my kid!!"
FG1: "No, I wasn't!! They be lying [bleepers]!!!" [FG1 stands up and jabs her finger in MG1's chest, yelling and screaming at him. He pushes her away and she slaps him.]
MG1: "Why would they lie, bitch?"
Host/Judge: "We can solve this issue as I have the results of the paternity test and it shows that MG1 is NOT the father of the child."
At this point, all hell breaks out. FG1 starts to cry, scream and falls to her knees, pounding the stage with her first. MG1 struts around the stage, raising his arms in victory. The audience is screaming and cheering.
WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE??? And why are they allowed to vote and procreate???? If there's a question regarding the paternity of your child, why would you go on national TV to find out the results? As my mother would say, "why can't they just leave their personal problems at home?"
My friend, Monika, who lives in Germany has said that these types of shows are now getting popular in her country. Great!! It's not bad enough that we export the questionable talents of Paris Hilton and Britany Spears to the world, now we're infecting their television programming with garbage. No wonder the world hates us.
That's my ranting for today.
What you learn when you stay at home -- Although I've only been off work for almost 1 month, there are a few things that I've learned:
Days of the week are irrelevant -- With the exception of my doctor and chemo appointments, it really doesn't matter what day of the week it is. If the Wall Street Journal isn't delivered to my doorstep, then it must be Sunday. While this all might sound desirable, it really isn't. I feel unproductive -- even though there are tons of projects around the house. I'm so tired on Week 1 and part of Week 2, I don't do much. Then on Week 3, I feel so much better, the last thing I want to do is stick around the house.
Mail delivery time is random -- My mailman must like variety in his delivery route as my mail arrives anywhere from 9:00am to 5:00pm. I'm sure if I had to deliver the mail everyday, I'd try to spice up the day with variety as well.
Daytime TV is crap -- First of all, this statement does not reference the daily soap operas. Although I no longer view the soaps, during college I was addicted to "Ryan's Hope", "All My Children", and "General Hospital". In those days, the soaps were only 30-minutes long, so the cast lists were smaller. Most of the people I saw on the soaps must be either dead or grandparents by now.
No, the crap on TV I'm talking about is the confrontational talk and judge shows (grammatical should say "judicial" shows, but that would give them too much credit). The topics and guests usually revolve around the paternity of a child.
Here's a typical show:
Host/Judge: "We're here to determine the paternity of Female Guest 1's (FG1) 4-year old son. Please tell us your story."
FG1: "Four years ago I was close with Male Guest 1 (MG1) and I know that he be the father of my child. He needs to start taking care of his family and payin' some money." [FG1 is an overweight, gap-toothed women who wears shirts and skirts that are 4 sizes too small for her. She dons purple and gold eye shadow to match her purple finger nails. She's a Glamour Magazine "don't" in every category imaginable.]
MG1: "I know that FG1 was [bleeping] with 3 other guys when we was together and I know he aint my kid 'cuz he don't even look like me." [MG1 isn't any prize either. He's usually missing a few front teeth and wears ripped jeans with his butt hanging out.]
FG1: "How can you say such a [bleeping] thing? I know he's your baby 'cuz in my heart I love you and we should be a family."
MG1: "He aint my kid, whore!! Them 2 other guys said that they was [bleeping] you at the same time we was livin' together. He aint my kid!!"
FG1: "No, I wasn't!! They be lying [bleepers]!!!" [FG1 stands up and jabs her finger in MG1's chest, yelling and screaming at him. He pushes her away and she slaps him.]
MG1: "Why would they lie, bitch?"
Host/Judge: "We can solve this issue as I have the results of the paternity test and it shows that MG1 is NOT the father of the child."
At this point, all hell breaks out. FG1 starts to cry, scream and falls to her knees, pounding the stage with her first. MG1 struts around the stage, raising his arms in victory. The audience is screaming and cheering.
WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE??? And why are they allowed to vote and procreate???? If there's a question regarding the paternity of your child, why would you go on national TV to find out the results? As my mother would say, "why can't they just leave their personal problems at home?"
My friend, Monika, who lives in Germany has said that these types of shows are now getting popular in her country. Great!! It's not bad enough that we export the questionable talents of Paris Hilton and Britany Spears to the world, now we're infecting their television programming with garbage. No wonder the world hates us.
That's my ranting for today.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Wednesday, January 10th
Just after I wrote about my susceptibility to infections on Days 7-11, I got the flu on Monday -- Day 7.
My oncologist had told me that if I get a temperature over 100.5 degrees, then I should call into his office. That happened on Monday, so he called in a prescription for antibiotics for me. It was a 3-day course and I took the final pill today.
Over the past 2 days my temperature has run from 100.5 to 102.5. With the fever, I got headaches, so I also took lots of Tylenol. I ingested 9 pills in a 12-hour period and then read the bottle which said "do not take more than 8 pills over 24-hours." Oops!! So I stopped popping those things.
I asked my parents to bring over some lunch yesterday as I'd run out of food. I asked for some cooked chicken, fruit and orange juice. True to form, my parents arrived 1 hour early (they'll be early to their own funerals) and brought tons of food including some of my favorites -- avocado, chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, broccoli, and Wheat Thins. But they also brought 5-pound bags each of oranges and tangarines, 2 half-gallons of orange juice and the biggest bag of oyster crackers I've ever seen (but no soup). They also brought leftovers from a funeral they attended on Monday night. According to my mother "the temple was surprisingly only half filled!! She [the deceased] was a member of the church for over 50 years!!" So lucky for me, there was lots of leftover food.
Then my Book Club buddy, Cindy brought over a delicious pasta and ground chicken dish, so I'm set for food for the rest of the week.
Today is much better. I slept a fair amount last night and my fever seems to be gone. I have my regular check-up with my oncologist tomorrow.
Just after I wrote about my susceptibility to infections on Days 7-11, I got the flu on Monday -- Day 7.
My oncologist had told me that if I get a temperature over 100.5 degrees, then I should call into his office. That happened on Monday, so he called in a prescription for antibiotics for me. It was a 3-day course and I took the final pill today.
Over the past 2 days my temperature has run from 100.5 to 102.5. With the fever, I got headaches, so I also took lots of Tylenol. I ingested 9 pills in a 12-hour period and then read the bottle which said "do not take more than 8 pills over 24-hours." Oops!! So I stopped popping those things.
I asked my parents to bring over some lunch yesterday as I'd run out of food. I asked for some cooked chicken, fruit and orange juice. True to form, my parents arrived 1 hour early (they'll be early to their own funerals) and brought tons of food including some of my favorites -- avocado, chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, broccoli, and Wheat Thins. But they also brought 5-pound bags each of oranges and tangarines, 2 half-gallons of orange juice and the biggest bag of oyster crackers I've ever seen (but no soup). They also brought leftovers from a funeral they attended on Monday night. According to my mother "the temple was surprisingly only half filled!! She [the deceased] was a member of the church for over 50 years!!" So lucky for me, there was lots of leftover food.
Then my Book Club buddy, Cindy brought over a delicious pasta and ground chicken dish, so I'm set for food for the rest of the week.
Today is much better. I slept a fair amount last night and my fever seems to be gone. I have my regular check-up with my oncologist tomorrow.
Monday, January 8, 2007
Happy New Year!!
Happy 2007 to all. My holidays were full of friends, family, food, films and football -- more about that later.
My life is now broken up into 3-week segments:
Week 1: Chemo week. Rest, TV and naps. I had my 3rd chemo treatment on January 2nd (great way to ring in the New Year!!). My friend, Tulin, accompanied me to the treatment and we had a great lunch afterwards. Day 1 of chemo isn't usually too bad, but Days 2-4 are not too much fun. I definitely feel as if I'm getting the flu on those days -- nausea, headaches, low energy levels and inability to focus. Those are days are Couch Potato Days.
Week 2: On Days 7-11, my white blood count is down and am susceptible to infection. So that means avoiding crowds, stay warm, and no visits to the gym -- which is a hotbed of germs. Especially now as the New Year Resolution Exercise Newbies flock to the gym. They don't follow gym courtesy and wipe down the weight and cardio machines when they're done. But you can always count on them dropping off the exercise regime by late February.
Week 3: My best week. Have my energy and appetite back. Feel pretty normal. Time to go back to the gym. I took a beginning yoga last last month, which was fun. The plan is to return later this week -- days 12-14. Luckily, last month's Week 3 coincided with the week between Christmas and New Year's. Saw lots of friends and family and ate way too much goodies.
Film reviews
During that week, I saw several films -- all of which were pretty good. Here's a rundown:
"The Departed" -- Another Martin Scorsese near-masterpiece. Not up to par with "Raging Bull" and "Taxi Driver" but really good. Great performances by all of the actors but high body count by the end of the film. According to Scorsese, there aren't any more Irish-Americans left alive in Boston...
"Blood Diamond" -- 2nd film I saw with Leonardo DiCaprio. He's becoming an extremely talented, adult actor. Very violent but tells an important political story. (Sue D.: I wouldn't recommend that you see either of these films. Too violent for you.)
"DreamGirls" -- I saw the play about 25 years ago and the movie doesn't disappoint. Supporting actors, Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson, steal the movie from the stars (Beyonce Knowles and Jamie Foxx). If you like musicals, this is a must see. If you don't understand the appeal of people breaking out into song during a conversation, this isn't the movie for you.
"Casino Royale" -- Last but not least, "Bond is back". The franchise has moved back to the beginning of Bond's story -- how he became 007, his family background and why he's the way he is. Daniel Craig is a great actor ("Munich", "Road to Perdition", "Layer Cake", and "Sylvia"), so he adds depth to Bond and he's not bad on the eyes. What a hunka, hunka burnin' love!! Word on the street is that the movie studio is scrambling to get the next installment of the franchise out by the end of this year. That would be "007 in 007"!! Can't wait.
CAL Football: And finally, CAL walloped Texas A&M at the Holiday Bowl, 45-10. My long-time college friend Ken, came over and we watched the game on my new 42" HDTV. Great fun!! Go Bears!!
That's all for now. Please post your thoughts or send me an email. I love hearing from everyone.
Jean
My life is now broken up into 3-week segments:
Week 1: Chemo week. Rest, TV and naps. I had my 3rd chemo treatment on January 2nd (great way to ring in the New Year!!). My friend, Tulin, accompanied me to the treatment and we had a great lunch afterwards. Day 1 of chemo isn't usually too bad, but Days 2-4 are not too much fun. I definitely feel as if I'm getting the flu on those days -- nausea, headaches, low energy levels and inability to focus. Those are days are Couch Potato Days.
Week 2: On Days 7-11, my white blood count is down and am susceptible to infection. So that means avoiding crowds, stay warm, and no visits to the gym -- which is a hotbed of germs. Especially now as the New Year Resolution Exercise Newbies flock to the gym. They don't follow gym courtesy and wipe down the weight and cardio machines when they're done. But you can always count on them dropping off the exercise regime by late February.
Week 3: My best week. Have my energy and appetite back. Feel pretty normal. Time to go back to the gym. I took a beginning yoga last last month, which was fun. The plan is to return later this week -- days 12-14. Luckily, last month's Week 3 coincided with the week between Christmas and New Year's. Saw lots of friends and family and ate way too much goodies.
Film reviews
During that week, I saw several films -- all of which were pretty good. Here's a rundown:
"The Departed" -- Another Martin Scorsese near-masterpiece. Not up to par with "Raging Bull" and "Taxi Driver" but really good. Great performances by all of the actors but high body count by the end of the film. According to Scorsese, there aren't any more Irish-Americans left alive in Boston...
"Blood Diamond" -- 2nd film I saw with Leonardo DiCaprio. He's becoming an extremely talented, adult actor. Very violent but tells an important political story. (Sue D.: I wouldn't recommend that you see either of these films. Too violent for you.)
"DreamGirls" -- I saw the play about 25 years ago and the movie doesn't disappoint. Supporting actors, Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson, steal the movie from the stars (Beyonce Knowles and Jamie Foxx). If you like musicals, this is a must see. If you don't understand the appeal of people breaking out into song during a conversation, this isn't the movie for you.
"Casino Royale" -- Last but not least, "Bond is back". The franchise has moved back to the beginning of Bond's story -- how he became 007, his family background and why he's the way he is. Daniel Craig is a great actor ("Munich", "Road to Perdition", "Layer Cake", and "Sylvia"), so he adds depth to Bond and he's not bad on the eyes. What a hunka, hunka burnin' love!! Word on the street is that the movie studio is scrambling to get the next installment of the franchise out by the end of this year. That would be "007 in 007"!! Can't wait.
CAL Football: And finally, CAL walloped Texas A&M at the Holiday Bowl, 45-10. My long-time college friend Ken, came over and we watched the game on my new 42" HDTV. Great fun!! Go Bears!!
That's all for now. Please post your thoughts or send me an email. I love hearing from everyone.
Jean
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