Hangover

Before I tell about my hangover, one correction. The last blog talks about my last day at chemo. That didn't happen. First, in my anxiousness to get it over I miscounted the number of treatments I'd had. Then the doctor decided I should have 2 more, which even after chemo last week still means 2 more I think. Oh well! Anything for a long remission!!

Hangover - Yes, I have a hangover today! Not from alcohol but from the glorious weekend! Sunshine and warm weather mixed with the sights and sounds of people outside having fun, doing yard work or just hanging out was a blessing after what seems like a long winter. I am totally amazed at how quickly the trees got leaves. It's like you could hear it happening. All of this combined to lift me above the normal chemo side-effects. My spirit overcame the urging of my body to slow down. It was great!

This is a great time of year! The migrant birds are returning. Warblers, White-crowned Sparrows, Fox Sparrows and soon swallows. A trip to Potter Marsh on Saturday gave me a glimpse of 2 Arctic Terns on a rest break before heading further North.

Today it is back to work but the weekend weather continues and memories are still fresh. I hope the hangover continues through the week!

The End and the Beginning

This is a week with an end and a beginning of a different sort. The end of chemo and the beginning of remission. There is a sense of relief and of anticipation and nervousness. Relief that the side-effects of treatment will gradually disappear. Anticipation and nervousness over how long remission will last. There is no cure for my cancer. Only remission, relapse and remission until it wins. But I have been living for 3 years with prostate cancer on the same terms and I find that life goes on. I try to live each day to the fullest and put the anxiety aside. It only raises it's head when I approach the Doctor appointment to see how the PSA is doing. I suspect it will be the same with the lymphoma/leukemia. It's a waiting game to which I'm becoming accustomed. Worry is useless. Yesterday is gone, today is here now, tomorrow may never come!

Humility

Humility - something I'm terribly short of. We all want to blow our own horns when we are sucessful. We all want praise and to be acknowledged. I've always wanted to do something so after I am long gone, people could read about it in Wikipedia or some book. I would be memorialized for all time. I'd never be forgotten but remembered for doing something good.

Are most successful people humble? Are humble people successful? The media pours attention on the former but rarely on the later. There are many people that lead a successful life by raising a family, or going to work each day, or by being cloistered in a monastery. Is success only defined by being in the media or known in your community?

God put us on the earth and gave us time, talent, and treasure to use to his glory. When we use them we should give him praise for the results. That is humility. The first step to wisdom is fear of the Lord. Fear can mean many things but should mean we acknowledge His presence daily, hourly, by the minute and second and that we practice humility by thanking him for our successes, failures and for the gifts he has given us. We need to ask for his continued help to use the gifts as he intended and to make them grow by sharing with others. And we need to ask for help to recognize our failures as opportunity.

Humility is a virtue that is sorely missing in our society where abortion, for example, is justified by the concept that a woman has the right to control what happens to her body INCLUDING the actions that place that same body in a compromising situation. Gee I got caught; I'm pregnant. Now to get rid of the consequences so I can go on being responsible for my body my way.

How does abortion give glory to God who gave you the beautiful gift of reproduction??

Today I pray that God would give me one of the gifts I most need - humility.

Remember to begin all prayer by thanking God for the gifts he has given you!

Whole Wheat Radio

One of the best things I've discovered on the internet is WWR. That's Whole Wheat Radio. WWR originates in Talkeetna, AK and has been around for years but it's current incarnation is very cool. It is an off-shoot of the Wikipedia collaborative wiki model and use the same software they do although modified to WWR's needs. WWR allows listeners to determine what music will be played by selecting songs out of the library. I can't explain it as well as if you just go and look around and see for yourself.

What I like about WWR is the 57,000 songs of independent artists. You won't find Travis Twit or whatever his name is. You won't find Celine, Britany, Faith or any of the artists played on commercial radio. What you will find is Antje Duvekot, Meg Hutchinson, Emily Kurn, Cold Country, Jeffrey Foucault, Last Train Home and many many others. It is folk, americana, country, bluegrass, newgrass, jazz, and blues.

I love my WWR and can't go very long without it. Neither will you once you give it a try.

One of the great things about WWR is that it introduced me to new artists, some of whom have come to Anchorage to play. Had it not been for WWR I wouldn't have noticed them. Because of WWR I've seen and heard many talented artists in person. They play at various venues like the PAC, City Park, Wendy Williams, Humpies, Snow Goose, Tap Root Cafe and others. They are ALWAYS worth the time and many are locals who could use our support.

WWR also has house concerts where the artists play live from Talkeetna and we get to listen for free (donations gladly accepted).

I think you should give Whole Wheat Radio a try. Once you do you won't go back to white bread.

60 Years

My dad used to tell the story of my birth 60 years tomorrow at every birthday gathering. Then when I left home he wrote me a note about it that I still have.

Mom woke him to say it was time. They got dressed and out to the car, turned it around heading for the hospital and... a flat tire. Was a cold March in South Dakota and dad had to change that tire. Worried that I'd come before he finished he hurried in the dark. No reason to hurry as it turns out. I wasn't born until that evening! Fooled him!

I have a lot of stories from dad. Wish i had taken the time over the years to collect more. He led an interesting life. Orphaned at 9 he was passed between sisters and aunts. He went to college and taught in a rural South Dakota school. He fought through the pacific in WWII with his national guard artillery battalion as an enlisted man and later an officer. He was mustard gassed, shot at by a zero or two and grew up quickly. He was always very independent and stoic. The last born, he saw all his brothers and sisters die before him. He lost his wife as well. But he was always religious, thoughtful, generous and loving. His last wish was to die in his own bed and he did.

I miss him today and wish I could hear him tell the story one more time!

Can you say...?

That you've read the Bible from cover to cover? If you can I joined you today. If you can't, why not? The Bible is a unique work of writing that should be read by all, if not because you believe, then to dispel long held wrong ideas or prejudices.

Now to start over!

Microsoft Vista

I never thought the day would come that I'd say I like Vista but it's here. Like anything else new we find fault and cling to what we know best without giving the new the benefit of the doubt. There are a lot of things annoying with Vista such as permissions and the search function but there are a lot of things right with it too such as Mail and Calendar. I really haven't explored very much but am as comfortable getting around in Vista as I was in XP. There is no real reason to give up XP if you don't want to but soon We'll have Windows 7 and then XP will become even more a relic.

It is interesting watching my daughter on her new Vista machine. There really is a steep learning curve, one which I wouldn't want to tackle while working full time and going to class once a week to keep current on a teaching certificate.

So there, I said it. Now what?