I found out today that one of the guys I work with is sick. He's been in the hospital two or three times over the past eighteen months or so with pains in the belly, severe constipation,etc. Initially he was diagnosed with pancreaitis. Yesterday he was told he had pancreatic cancer.
He's 40.
He called me tonight and asked me to get on the computer tonight and find him some good news, because the doctors hadn't given him much hope. And I found some. I found web sites with survival stories and passed them along to him.
Along with the survival stories I found out about this type of cancer. Because of it's nature, it's rarely diagnosed until it's in its advanced stages. Blacks have higher incidences than whites, and men higher than women. Andy is a black male. Most patients have a life expectancy of three to six months after initial diagnosis. The survival rate for pancreatic cancer is 4% overall, and maybe 1 to 3 % survive past 5 years.
Count your blessings, as I'll be counting mine tonight.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Friday, March 16, 2007
I should fix the header...
to note that there will be pro-Tarheels items in here. And by that I mean anti-Duke. Which brings us to the Big Dance.
I think there were few people on the Eastern Seaboard who enjoyed the disgusted look on Ratface's mug last night more than I. As much grief as I took from the assembled masses during UNC's 8-22 season, I can't say I'm displeased that Dook fell in the opening round. The Karma Police have come calling and...well, I guess DU's only getting a warning. They did make the field, after all.
AND I picked VCU in my brackets, so it's a double plus.
The UNC "hey, the wheels almost fell off the wagon again" Tarheels had an interesting game. I wish I could have seen more of it, but CBS in their wisdom, decided that the Xavier game was more interesting. Cox has it set up so I can see all four channels--one from each arena, but CBS changed the input so all four were showing the stewpid Xavier game. That is, until the Colonels of E. Kentucky (only some 20 miles from B.F. KY as I understand it) capitalized on the lackadaisical Heels and made a game of it for a while--then CBS was back in a flash! Thankfully, UNC regained their composure and had a few highlight reel moments before I fell alseep.
I think there were few people on the Eastern Seaboard who enjoyed the disgusted look on Ratface's mug last night more than I. As much grief as I took from the assembled masses during UNC's 8-22 season, I can't say I'm displeased that Dook fell in the opening round. The Karma Police have come calling and...well, I guess DU's only getting a warning. They did make the field, after all.
AND I picked VCU in my brackets, so it's a double plus.
The UNC "hey, the wheels almost fell off the wagon again" Tarheels had an interesting game. I wish I could have seen more of it, but CBS in their wisdom, decided that the Xavier game was more interesting. Cox has it set up so I can see all four channels--one from each arena, but CBS changed the input so all four were showing the stewpid Xavier game. That is, until the Colonels of E. Kentucky (only some 20 miles from B.F. KY as I understand it) capitalized on the lackadaisical Heels and made a game of it for a while--then CBS was back in a flash! Thankfully, UNC regained their composure and had a few highlight reel moments before I fell alseep.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
MEMORANDUM
To: Self
From: Same
Subject: Future blog projects
Dude, you gotta quit working so much. Sixty-hour weeks combined with 6 hours of class time a week are killing you. However, them bills do need to get paid. As time permits, I have some ideas for blog posts I'd like you to pursue:
To: Self
From: Same
Subject: Future blog projects
Dude, you gotta quit working so much. Sixty-hour weeks combined with 6 hours of class time a week are killing you. However, them bills do need to get paid. As time permits, I have some ideas for blog posts I'd like you to pursue:
- A stept-by-step photo essay on how you develop a plan.
- We need another Overconfident Kayaker. How 'bout the time you went out with Burnley and nearly got blown to England?
- Heels/ Big Dance. Nuff said.
OK, get some shut eye. 16 hour days are not kind to you. Next you'll be talking to yourself.
Jason
Monday, March 5, 2007
Sunday, March 4, 2007
So I've been tweaking things...
as I try and figure out what I what to accomplish with the ole blog. It's gotta be more than an online fishing journal, because in actuality (and unfortunately) fishing takes up very little of my time. And on the other hand, there are some more personal things I'd prefer not to have posted on the open 'Net....fortunately I have a more secure environment for that kind of crap. However, if I manage to turn another REM song into a header, feel free to scramble my brains with an icepick.
Anyway. Since running across my high school bud Tri-Daddy, I've been a touch overly nostalgic for the past couple of weeks. The 20 year reunion is this fall. I've been thinking back to high school, hanging out with Tri-Daddy and Tex, going to a football...HA!...going to a football game with Randy and Doug and meeting up with Randy's girlfriend and some of her friends...and singing "Ramble On" by Led Zeppelin for some reason...Randy coming up to my locker that following Monday and announcing, like a character in a John Waters film, that I was "in demand at Holy Name"... and the mayhem that ensued from that point forward. Tri-Daddy and I going into the bar across from the Hope Rescue Mission (think the Dickinson bar in Animal House--"Can I dance wif yo dates?") and trying to get beer, me in a "Bill the Cat" t-shirt and he in plaid pastel Bermuda shorts. Shot down, needless to say.
'Twenty years' is relevant in a distant sort of way, but something hit home when I went in to the office today. The local station was having an Alternative Classic weekend--the bands that changed music from hair bands to grunge/heavier rock. Bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Bush, Soundgarden. And me being as into music as I was, I can remember where I was and what I was doing the first time I heard "Smells Like Teen Spirit". How can that be Classic???? And it hit me like a ton of bricks when I realised it's been 16 years since that came out:
Holy shit. I'm old.
Anyway. Since running across my high school bud Tri-Daddy, I've been a touch overly nostalgic for the past couple of weeks. The 20 year reunion is this fall. I've been thinking back to high school, hanging out with Tri-Daddy and Tex, going to a football...HA!...going to a football game with Randy and Doug and meeting up with Randy's girlfriend and some of her friends...and singing "Ramble On" by Led Zeppelin for some reason...Randy coming up to my locker that following Monday and announcing, like a character in a John Waters film, that I was "in demand at Holy Name"... and the mayhem that ensued from that point forward. Tri-Daddy and I going into the bar across from the Hope Rescue Mission (think the Dickinson bar in Animal House--"Can I dance wif yo dates?") and trying to get beer, me in a "Bill the Cat" t-shirt and he in plaid pastel Bermuda shorts. Shot down, needless to say.
'Twenty years' is relevant in a distant sort of way, but something hit home when I went in to the office today. The local station was having an Alternative Classic weekend--the bands that changed music from hair bands to grunge/heavier rock. Bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Bush, Soundgarden. And me being as into music as I was, I can remember where I was and what I was doing the first time I heard "Smells Like Teen Spirit". How can that be Classic???? And it hit me like a ton of bricks when I realised it's been 16 years since that came out:
Holy shit. I'm old.
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