Reconnecting

Blog readers-

I apologize for my lack of attention to the blog, but the pace of life in Colorado has clearly picked up since the last time that I wrote. This is a good thing and has positively affected my outlook. It has been so great to reconnect with so many people here in Colorado. Nothing pushes me towards healing more than the warm fuzzies.

Monday - I'm sorry...my terrible memory is at it again. I just can't remember what I did only days ago. Please forgive me if I'm leaving someone important out.

Tuesday - After a morning in the kitchen, I spent the afternoon visiting my cousin Melissa and my little cousins: Eli and Emma. Eli and I had a grand old time, as we always do. We drove toy cars for about two hours.

Wednesday - I had lunch with my riding buddy Josh. We rode together quite a bit last year. He's the best matched-for-me mountain biker with whom I've ever ridden, and he's a super nice guy too. We had lunch at the excellent Greek restaurant on Broadway. It was great to catch up with him and nice to hear that Kevan, his girlfriend, was accepted to the Yale School of Nursing. So, they'll be moving out east this summer, and Josh has promised to come up and ride with me once again!

After lunch, I went grocery shopping for a dinner at our house with Gary's sister, Sue, and his brother-in-law, Paul. I was on dinner duty. The dinner was a success, and their dog, Noodles, came over too. He is such a character and total love machine. What a cutie! Again, it was great to see Sue and Paul. I know it meant a lot to them to lay eyes on me.

Thursday - Not the best day. On the advice of multiple people, I decided I would go try to have a massage...not something that I would normally do. So, I go in and fill out the paperwork, including a small checkbox next to "cancer." The massage therapist comes out and invites me back. He takes me into the room and tells me that they don't like to do massage on cancer patient without a doctor's note because massage can cause increased lymphatic flow and, therefore, the potential for metastasis. Regardless of the medical feasibility, nothing has made me feel more like "the sick guy" or damaged goods than that event. So, I headed off to get my handicapped parking sticker...great.

Later on, my cousins Margaret and Larry came over for a little visit, which was great. Larry and Annie both got their requisite amounts of love from one another. That evening, Mom dropped me off at the light rail, and Dad picked me up near his office to head up to his house where I've been ever since.

Friday - I was on Sophie duty. As Dad has explained, Sophie, in solidarity with me, elected to get spayed while I was here. So, in solidarity with her, I took her to the vet early yesterday morning. To say that the women at the vet's office are obsessed with Sophie would be an understatement. From there, I headed to meet up with my old high school friend Kristin. It was great to catch up with her. We talked a lot about med school because she's on her way there now. We also had breakfast at my favorite place in Boulder: The Walnut Cafe. You might remember me mentioning The Walnut in the context of our visit to Penny Cluse in Burlington. Of course, it didn't disappoint.

I spent the rest of the day with David. Again, it just felt so good to catch up with an old friend. David is so comfortable in his own skin, so it can be very comforting to be around him. We laughed almost all day. We hung out for a while at David's place and then went to the beautiful Dushanbe teahouse in downtown Boulder. The teahouse was deconstructed and sent piece by piece from Tajikistan all the way to Boulder. It is a true treasure, and they have amazing tea. David and I walked around Pearl Street, and we went to the bookstore. It was a great day. David gave me a bunch of books and a full set of snowboarding gear! Boots, helmet, and board! The urge to go is almost overwhelming now. And that urge may be satisfied by a quick trip up Coal Creek Canyon to Eldora. I'm worried about falling and hurting myself before all of this but damn...I need an outlet!!!!

Sophie was calm and tired when I picked her up, but of course, she effortlessly jumped on the bed and then yelped when she jumped off. This morning, after two sedatives, she is full of piss and vinegar. It is going to be tough to keep her under control until she heals.

Well, I'll be up at Dad's for the rest of the weekend. Its hard to believe that I'm going back for the surgery in only a few days. It makes everything a lot better knowing that I'll be able to come home again so soon. Let's just home that its not for chemo.

Gary, Susan, and myself (with dinner in the foreground):




Noodles at dinner:


The Dushanbe Teahouse:


David: