A Long Hot Summer Just Passed Me By....

Hello my fair droogs. Indeed! It has been a while since your humble narrator has put fingers to keys. But time for slumber is over and the need to speak up is upon me once again.

Lets see.......there has been so much to speak about. Not quite sure where to begin. I completed chemo and radiation, then a short break of several weeks, major surgery, another short break to recover and now its back to chemo for five months. Yes, you read that correctly, chemo everyday, for five months. Needless to say I won't be returning to work anytime soon. And with the baseball and Formula One season's both nearly over, I can only look forward to Spring. That magical time of year when all things change and waken anew. Hopefully, I too shall awaken anew. Changed in body, spirit and strength.

During my first break, just before surgery, Bugsy and I took flight to the mid-west to see family. It was quite a time. Just me and my boy for 4 weeks. We did so many things I could hardly list them all here. But the highlights were a helicopter ride in down town St Louis, beating the undefeated Austin in a game of Horse Shoes, taking a tour of IU's new football facilities and even a foot high pie! In fact there were many pie's. Four weeks to finally eat all the things my body would not allow before. And with my sister and her daughter Ciara's cooking, I was able to put back on a few pounds. Ten pounds I think it was - in just four weeks! We had a great time and it was good for Bugsy to see his Aunts, Uncles, Grandma and oodles of cousins that he hasn't seen since he was 4 years old. He went from having never been on a commercial airplane to 6 airplanes and a helicopter ride! Before we got there, my sisters family wrote down a list of all the things we could choose to do during our stay. A list of over 30 things! We did them all and even managed to add to the list!

Upon our return, it was time to face the fact that surgery was just around the corner and the possibility that I might very well end up with less parts than when I went in.

I was told that the surgery was a major success. The tumor completely removed and the cancer had not spread too far beyond what was expected. The six days in hospital that followed were a complete nightmare! Reflecting back now it's quite funny actually. Would make a great Peter Sellers movie.

On about the second or third night of my recovery, I was in a very blissful coma thanks to the makers of Demerol. During this brief moment of joy one of the nurses comes in the room to install a new IV bag on the pole next to me. Now I don't know for sure, but I would reckon that a full bag of IV fluid weights about 3-4 pounds. While enjoying this most enjoyable and rare moment of peace, the nurse proceeds to drop the full IV bag from about 7 feet up in the air and landing directly, of all places, on the staples that are trying to hold my stomach together! YES - a mere 48 hours earlier I had a four hour surgery that was closed with 27 staples and of all places for her to drop the IV - she finds her target with stunning precision. She could not have done a better job had she used a Norton Bomb site from a B-17! The 97th Bomber Group would have marvelled at her accuracy! The pain was so severe I promptly proceeded to vomit. A true story I'm afraid. From that night forward I learnt to sleep with one eye open.

There were, it seems, a series of events that would have given Chuck Jones a never ending supply of cartoon follies to write about. Another perticular moment [this is funny as hell now, but at the time... not so much!] involves a 2 pound bag of shit, gravity and a MAJOR disastor! But seeing how this is a family show I think it best that I save that one for another time.

So for now I will close with a thank you to everyone for their love and support. I hope to keep writing and I look forward to reading any comments you might have.

Until then.......