Interesting Things Afoot

I have an appointment for Wed next week to get my port surgically removed. I am excited and nervous. Don't really want to have another procedure done, but I will feel so much better not to have this implant floating there under my skin. I sure have been grateful to have it when I needed it. But the time has come. Next week, in fact.

Today I was invited to take part in a patient panel at Texas A&M Medical School on November 3rd. They want me to share my story and do q&a with first-year med students. Sounds like a pretty interesting deal. Here is what the email had to say about the purpose of it:

"The goal is to educate these future docs about the patient experience, under the guise of educating them about hematologic malignancies. The closeness in age between the panelists and the students creates this really unique empathy---the future doc thinks, "That could be me," which we believe will help them become better doctors."

So I am going to car pool with the other panelists/Planet Cancer folks and head to College Station for the day. Can anyone say "Cancer Road Trip!!!" Does anyone besides me think that is funny? Heh heh.

David and I put together a new bookshelf/wall unit we bought at Ikea and we moved the furniture around in the living room to accommodate it. I am really happy with how we opened up the room and are now using more of the space. Our big window isn't blocked anymore. I'll post a picture after we get the books, decoration on the shelves done. The plan is to move all of David's gorgeous antique German hard-bound books to the new shelves in the living room for better display, leaving the bookcases in the office for the modern fiction books and scripts and things we can't let go of. We may eventually buy the glass doors that go with the shelf from Ikea and really protect the antiques and collectibles. I have books in boxes all over the place and we have needed more shelving for some time. So this is a good change. And I am really surprised by how much I like the new set-up of the living room furniture.

One member of the family, however, is not quite so pleased. Jackson doesn't deal well with change. We knew he wouldn't be happy. David got to witness the first glimpse this morning. Jackson came running out into the living room and stopped. He took a good look around and said, "The house is wrong! The couch doesn't go there!" This afternoon he continued to complain that he didn't like it. I suspect he will get over it eventually.

And we need to find a new place for his tricycle, wagon and various other largish toys and implements of destruction. We had them hidden/parked in the cove between the love seat and the big window. Not the love seat is on the other side of the room and the recliner is in front of the window. No hidey-hole for the wagon and trike. And we both park in the garage and there isn't currently any room for them in there. Up next is going to have to be an overhaul of the guest room and garage to create parking spots for kid things. Or maybe a merciless trip to goodwill will clear come room. But where the hell does one park a wagon if not the garage? The answer is no longer in my living room.

BTW, I am now interested in new living room rug(s) since I am so happy with the make-over and want to complete it. If anyone has cheap rug store suggestions let me know. I don't want anything expensive since I have a three-year-old and a vomit-prone cat. Just something to change-up the room and replace the ragged rug currently here.

When I got home from work today there was a package at my front door addressed to Jackson Sray from Amazon.com. Jackson saw it and asked what it was, if it was a present. I said, "I don't know, let's see." When I told him it had his name on it, he was so excited. "For me? For meeeeee?" He kept saying. We opened it to find an awesome portable DVD player equipped with a car kit and carrying case. I dug around in the box and found the sales slip with my Dad's name on it. My Dad is pretty awesome. He doesn't always show up to the birthday party with a present for the kid who will receive a ton of stuff that day and won't know the difference. But you can always count on a random thoughtful present of something cool and useful when ou least expect it. And especially something sure to be useful on the 2 1/2-hour drive to see Grandpa.



Here are a couple of great pictures from this weekend's cast party at Kyle's house courtesy of the awesome Tony Zavaleta.