Music on my Ipod

Cancer Live Update!

Mom is at home and resting and being restless... She is getting back on her meds and that is a rough ride and she is still tired but bored and restless. I thought she might sleep a bit more but I think the 44 oz Diet Pepsi my brother got her - post treatment and post special diet - hyped her up but good.

She returns to the James Thursday - for follow up and another full body scan. My brother is handling that trip. Then she will be meeting with the grand Po-Ba again at some point to establish a next course of action.

Next week she has me lined up to run errands and tackle the remaining boxes from her move. A little Spring Cleaning!

I am really happy with how well it has all gone really. Better than expected - now we just wait and hope the RAI does its job!

I think I love Norton...

We all know my lap top melted down before Christmas and I was lucky enough to get a new one from Santa Claus. I love my new laptop. We had to get to know each other and the keyboard is different from the Dell, so my typing was off a tad for a while, but I am smooth sailing now.

The HP came loaded with some great software and I bought some great software also.

Norton was preloaded and frankly I really like it... way better than the freaky Spysweeper stuff that the Dell came with! So I renewed. I followed the links and I paid my money and then hit a huge road block.

I was struggling to get it to download. After a frustrating 6 tries, I finally opted for LIVE CHAT! WOW! Not only was the person helpful, he was able to log onto my machine and was able to unload the old version of the product and then download the good stuff. Showed me how to trouble shoot the auto updates and Windows VISTA firewall and was so pleasant!

It felt kinda funny having someone log onto my machine - but frankly I was out of options and the old stuff had expired - given that I had given myself a few days to figure it all out and well that did not work out so well.

But I think it was a great example of super customer service. He was helpful and thoughtful and through...

I not only like the features of the Norton 360 - I very much thought the customer service was good. I also thought their help menus are well written - I just am not that computer savvy to make it happen!

Go Norton!

Wow - I am a real writer now...

So, about a month ago, I applied to the Kenyon Review's summer workshop. I submitted some prose and some of my poems and thought - well let's see what happens. I had seen their ad in the Poets & Writers Magazine.

I got in! Yep! I was accepted to the program. I will be spending a week this summer working on my poetry. I am thrilled really!

Further proof that I am a real writer - I am going to read at an open mic night in March... kinda scared about that one - but going for it anyway.

And the last tiny bit of evidence?

I was invited to a Read-A-Loud with the online journal I have had published some short fiction with! That will be in April.

I am feeling warm and bubbly. It is amazing when you pursue your passion and realize a dream!

Cancer Live - Again!

So this morning it was a repeat of Monday. Up at 5 am to my mom's around 6:30 am and on road. Parking at the valet and then to admitting. That process went smooth as could be and then we waited and watched The Early Show. Eventually her room was ready. It is all decked out in Hazmat Plastic. The room itself is lead lined to keep the radiation in and everyone else protected.

I mean everything is covered in plastic. Even the shower and the toilet.

We waited and then a PCA and nurse came and went. We had a visit from the Radiation Protection Officer and then eventually they came and took us to the area where they would conduct her full body scan.

I waited until they took her back and now I am out. I cannot see her for at least a week. After the scan she will go back to the room and then she will have to drink a to be determined amount of radioactive iodine based on the scan today. (and some other factors I think.)

Then she sleeps and waits until she is less hot and can go home. To be in isolation there.

I plan to call and check on her tonight - but if it is anything like last time (2003) she will like be asleep until they send her home.

I have been updating my facebook with my comings and goings and PDA - our friend in Germany commented today that his parents would be at the James today at noon - and sure enough as I walked out to my car - I saw them. Small world.