August 13, 2014

Steven leaves for Rutgers University in New Jersey early this morning.  He is finishing the last segment of a course in Ethical Culture he has been working on for the last three years.  He will graduate on Saturday at the Society of Ethical Culture building in New York City.  We had been planning that I would go and stay in NYC with him for the weekend since January.  That was before chemo started happening.  I will have a treatment on Friday and need to be unhooked on Sunday, so it doesn't seem like I will be able to make it. This makes me sad.

When I get up, I start doing some heavy duty cleaning that I won't be able to do while my chemo wears off.  I scrub floors and bathrooms, it is like I have that nesting instinct you get when you are pregnant.

It is pouring rain today, so it is a baking day.  We make a sort of reverse chocolate chip cookie, chocolate cookies with vanilla M&M's.  We draw pictures and cards to leave along with cookies for the two new neighbors who have moved in on my street.  We will deliver them while we are out on our rain walk.  When we start out, it is only drizzling, but by the time we are finished, it is pouring!  We don't mind too much, since it is warm and we are all dressed in raincoats and boots.

I get a chance to talk to my friend Ayako about what it was like growing up in Japan in the shadow of our bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  She tells me the bombs were freeing in an odd way, because the people of Japan were living under an oppressive government at that time.  It definitely shaped the culture of the country, and made them adverse to war.  She shares with me some stories from her childhood, about school and Japanese culture.  I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to hear her stories.

Since it has been a busy day and I haven't started dinner yet, Alex takes me out to Hope St. Pizza.  We both get gyros and a salad.  It really hits the spot!  Just after we get home, my neighbor Polly brings over some lentil soup.  We will have it for dinner tomorrow night.

With chemo coming up on Friday, I am trying to figure out what I need to do to repeat the success of my last treatment, where I had little discomfort afterwards. I feel like I am planning a ritual: drink smoothies, eat waffles, be sure to drink ten glasses of water, sleep.

All of my bag problems seem to be under control today. New bags came in my delivery, that are good for one day since they are not drainable.  They seem like they will work well, except that I am gassy today and there is no way to let it out without changing the bag. Here we go again.

For some reason, I get my period this evening.  What?!  I haven't had it since this whole escapade started.  This could certainly explain the chocolate rampage I have been on for the last few days.

Ayla stops by to say hello and tells me she wouldn't mind driving me to New York on Saturday.  I ask Kaileigh, who is planning on coming to chemo with me on Friday, if she would like to come too.  She says yes. Suddenly, it looks like I will be able to go to Steven's graduation after all.