Well, it's not going to kill you

Prostitution?

Since my blog has changed so much from when I set it up to keep friends and family updated on what was going on I'm thinking about adding ads.

Yes I know it's seems like prostitution but is it a bad thing to make a little extra money in this economy? Maybe I can make enough to pay for my typepad subscription.

Any opinions?  Not that any of my readers are big on opinions but I thought I'd ask anyway while I deliberate.

Doctor dish

Yes it's that time of year, the doctor line up.  It's time for my 3 month breast check with Amy on the 9th - at least I do not have to enter THE BUILDING for another 3 months, a check up with Dr. Heart on the 16th and of course Dr. Sanity Monday and Friday.

Its' not quite back in the days but enough to bring make those memories of endless visits, needle sticks, chemo, radiation, cat scans, mri's, pet scans to the surface.  I guess those things just stay with you lurking at the back of you mind just in case it feels the need to resurrect them.  You know just so it can screw with you.

At least I get a little bit for fun on the 9th, lunch with a friend on Monday before my appt with Amy.

A giant leap for Cathykind

Some how I find myself at a wonderful place of peace.  Actually I shouldn't say some how, I've worked damned hard to get to this place.  I guess twice a week on Dr. Sanity's feather flinging sofa is working.  My mind is calm (well mostly) instead of  tripping over it's self to get on to the next thought.

My God it's so relaxing. 

There are still mountains to be climbed but I need to rest and absorb what I've learned and just enjoy life for a while.  I've earned it and I deserve it.

What was I thinking??

FWF is amazingly on Friday this week.  I agreed to bring a dessert.  A dessert!  I don't bake, I cook.  There's a world of difference.  When I cook it's a little of this and a little of that.  When you bake you have to measure, precisely.

Precise is not a predominate word in my vocabulary - what have I done????

And people really fall for this stuff

I just love email like this:

Please Rescue my life

Michael Mahoney
Guardian Medical Centre
Guardian Street, Warrington
Cheshire, WA5 1UD
England
Room: 1076
Tel: +44 702 407 9780
Email: mariawomanoffaith1952@gmail.com

Dear in Christ Jesus

Greetings in the name of God, Please let this not sound strange to you for my
only surviving lawyer who could have done this for me died early this
year. I prayed and got your email id from your country’s Christian guestbook
which I have been with my late husband and liked to visit once more if God
will in his infinite mercies.

I am Evangelist Mrs. Maria Bryant from Australia, live in England.
I am 58 years old, I am suffering from a long time cancer of the breast which also
affected my brain, from all indication my conditions is really deteriorating and 
it is quite obvious that, according to my doctors they have advised me that I may 
not live for the next two months, this is because the cancer stage has gotten to a 
very bad stage. I was brought up from a motherless babies home was married to my 
late husband for twenty years without a child ,my husband died in a fatal motor 
accident Before his death, my husband worked with the shell Oil Company here in England 
and we were true Christians. Since his death I decided not to re-marry, I sold all
my inherited belongings and deposited all the sum of $15.5million dollars
with a Bank here in United Kingdom.

Presently, this money is still with them and the management just wrote me as the true 
owner to come forward to activate my account for keeping it so long or rather issue a 
letter of authorization to somebody to receive it on my behalf since I can not come 
over because of my illness they may get it confisticated. 

Presently, I m with my laptop in a hospital where my doctors have told me that 
I have only a few months to live,but  I strongly believe that I will still survive as 
long as I am taken care by a cancer specialist in your country, therefore 
It is my last wish to place you as my next-of -kin so that you will claim and activate 
the deposit in my bank and take me out of this hospital for a better cancer treatment 
specialist in your country.

I took this decision, to avoid the government to confiscate my hard earn money before 
I rest in peace because my time may soon be up.

As soon as I receive your reply I shall give you more info and contact of the Bank,
such as relevant account details for your verification,I will also issue you a letter 
of authority that will prove you as the NEXT-OF-KIN beneficiary of my fund. 
Please assure me that you will act accordingly as I stated herein. 

I will give to you 20% of the sum while 70% will be for the less privilege 
project and %10 would take care of any hospital expenses which may come up during 
the transaction, I hope I am been fair on this issue.

Hoping to hearing from you soon,You can also send your response to me on; 
mariawomanoffaith1952@gmail.com or call me at: +44 702 407 9780

Waiting for your call and reply.

I don't know about you but once I translate her letter into English I can comprehend I am personally ready to get on a plane and escort Maria woman of faith to the Mayo Clinic!

Stats

I check my stats often via sitemeter.  I have an average of 14 people per day hit my site.  Clearly most of them don't read what I have to say but some do.  I often wonder if it's because they're my friends - thank you Erin, Connie & Nicki.  Or if it's people looking for breast cancer information.  As you can see I'm transitioning away from spending a lot of time on breast cancer.  I'll never abandon it because it will ALWAYS be a part of me now.  

But I'm trying to add other information because I want patients and survivors to realize that you need to move on.  I can hardly be the "spokesperson" for moving on considering the difficult time I've had and am still having.  But I am getting better, slowly, slowly, painfully getting better.

One of the things I suggest is that as soon as you're diagnosed find a therapist.  You may have to do some serious hunting to find the right person for you.  Just don't be stupid like I was and wait until you're scaring yourself and the people around you.  Until you are seriously thinking about killing yourself (forget suicide it's way to tame a word) or checking into a mental hospital.

It's hard suddenly going from a patient having all kinds of support to being a survivor. Does any one even know what it really means to be a survivor?  Because let me tell you lack of disease does not make you a survivor.  Your body has survived but your mind still has to deal with all the trauma that goes with being a having had all this treatment.

Walking into your oncologist's office (at least in CA) and seeing the sign that chemicals in this building may kill you - well duh.  Getting stuck with needles, getting pumped full of drugs.  Some that you may be allergic to - oh that was fun.

Can you tell that I went to an Advisory Council meeting today???

It's FAT TUESDAY - last party night of mardi gras

Happy Fat Tuesday  to you.  We started the evening by toasting Alex (this cat looks SO much like him) with our favorite champagne   Schramsberg Cremant.  It's ridiculously expensive but oh so wonderful, sometimes you can get it at TJ's for (gasp) $25 a bottle, so we save it for special occasions. (Alex, Obama, Fat Tuesday, works for me )Then we then listened to  Isn't it just amazing to listen to such an intelligent, well spoken, compelling speaker after all those years of Shrub?

Then it was time for a small Fat Tuesday celebration.  There's a wonderful restaurant in New Orleans   that we frequent it's just a block from our time share.  Last time we were there they gave us a copy of a recipe that we both adore.  On the menu in the restaurant it's called Bacco Shrimp.  Apparently they've changed the name but not the recipe.  If you like hot and spicy this is the dish for you!

Next door at the Oscars, who knew

Pixar, I've met John Lassiter several times.  He and his family live near by.  His wife is very good friends with Marcy Smothers (Tommy's) wife.  They are locals, not Hollywood people.  

I know two of Dan White's (Milk) sisters, one fairly well.  I haven't talked to either of them about the movie because it just doesn't seem right.  They've had a hard enough time as it is.  They have a large family.  There are now grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

I know Cleve Jones who pioneered the AIDS quilt.

It was a very weird but most excellent Oscars tonight

If you get HBO

We just watched the most wonderful program on HBO Taking Chance with Kevin Bacon.  He did a spectacular job.  He portrays a Marine officer who escorts a dead soldier back to his family.  But it covers so much more than that.

It's based on a true story.  It shows how the bodies are handled in Iraq for shipment to Germany, then to Dover AFB. How they and their possessions are handled with exquisite care at Dover so they can be returned to their families.  Then the journey of getting them back to their families.  In this case it included several plane transfers.  At each airport the cargo staff would gather as the casket was removed or boarded on a plane, hats removed, hands over hearts.

We spent most of the movie crying because it was just so moving.  I want President Obama and the Pentagon to remove the ban of pictures being taken as the coffins are removed from planes at Dover.  That measure of respect is the very least we can offer these men and women who are being sacrificed to Bush's worthless war.

I know I can't save the whole world

And it really breaks my heart sometimes. This page is my homepage on Firefox www.thebreastcancersite.com/clickToGive/  along with the breast cancer connection there is a link for a hunger site, a literacy site, an animal rescue site and a rainforest site.

I click on every site every time I log on.  It's not much but given the fact that I'm busy trying to save myself at the moment I don't have a lot of extra time.  And $$, well we all know the economy sucks and Dr. Sanity is not covered by my insurance (ouch) but if you want the best you have to pay for it.  And as LR tells me you can't afford NOT to go.

Given the fact that I can't save the whole world I've developed a new technique for deciding what to read whether it be the newspaper, a magazine or the net.  Is this story going to upset me?  If yes, is there anything I can do about it?  If that answer is no then I don't read whatever.  Makes life much less stressful.  I used to have CNN on all day, aside from the fact that CNN is turning into crap, I really don't listen to it much anymore.  I save my news acqusition brain cells for Rachel Maddow.  She's brilliant, funny and has a wonderfully unique way of looking at the news.