Also available on the Videos page. Emily says this one is more impressionistic. It’s also a bit more concise at under 5:00 minutes. Please enjoy responsibly.
Video #9
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A better week
OK. We’re ready for the last go-round, the final cycle of chemo for Emily. One more inpatient (Weds) and one more outpatient (the following Weds) and then we’re done. I can’t believe how close it is. We’ve been looking forward to this date for so long that it almost doesn’t seem real. We haven’t made plans to travel or anything. We’re just focusing on what’s in front of us and not getting too far ahead, but believe me, there will be some day off taken!
My mom is getting a mac for her desktop and I am looking forward to setting it up with her during the holiday weekend. I’ll be with her on Monday for some good bonding.
On Sunday we’re doing a 5k walk/run for ovarian cancer awareness and fundraising. We’ll be in beautiful Fairmount Park with lots of friends and family. Included in the family is the gentleman pictured above. Needless to say, Emily is all a-twitter with excitement.
Black Mac (book)
New computer is integrating nicely into my work routine. It’s really cool having everything available all the time – that WAS the point. It’s kind of amazing how Outlook doesn’t export calendar at all and the export for contacts is so difficult that it might as well not be available. And this is from Office (windows) to Office (mac) – all Microsoft products. They just can’t get it right!
But everything is going swimmingly and, except for the import/export issues, I really like Entourage. the rest of Office is pretty much the same (Word, Excel, Powerpoint). The project management is keeping me on my toes.
Re-boot
It’s not quite as bad as pictured, but my 80GB iPod Classic bought the farm the other day. No picture, no power, no nuthin. I went to forums and reviwed troubleshooting guides from Apple and others. I made an appointment at the Genius Bar. The dude played with it for about 12 seconds and then handed me a replacement. Data (67GB)– Gone.
That’s fine, I’ve got everything backed up in various places. So this will have some differences compared to the music on the old (and inartfully named) Progpod. The MpomyPod will feature less Dead. I love them enough to commit to rotate stock. I’ll just start at the beginning of Dick’s Picks and keep no more the one or two set on the MpomyPod at a time. That will free up LOTS of space.
Some of the old stuff is making a comeback. That’s especially true with the fusion and the Clapton. I may even have to get the Derek and the Dominoes Fillmore Concert. Contains the longest known version of ‘EC’s Let It Rain’ (about 1/2 hour).
Clapton
We can slag this guy all we want. We can say he went soft in the 80’s. We can say he never did anything new or special of different, or at least not after Cream. But, you know what? This dude can play the blues – FOR REAL. And he’s been doin’ it pretty much non-stop for, like, 45 years. He hasn’t stopped because it appears that he can’t. I think a lot about the blues lately. It’s something that speaks to me in a very direct fashion. Even when I was young, I could feel it. there was no intellectual aspect. It was all emotion. When I was too young to know how vital it was to be able to express emotions so that they didn’t back up on me and create havoc (or more havoc) later on, I knew that I could play blues music – simple, almost infantile, expressions of a feeling that is so important and so universal. I think I learned a lot of this from Clapton.
I Feel Like A Backstop
I feel like stuff keeps getting thrown at me. It’s mostly bouncing off, but it’s still a pretty grueling situation. We’ve gone most of the way, and its starting to get pretty exhausting. There’s the cumulative effect of Em’s chemo, piling up all around like foul balls stacked up to my knees.
I just hit the wall today. It was not fun. There have been signs along the way. I snapped my key in the lock a few days ago. I’ve just been feeling different, and not better. We’re in the trough right now and it’s damned hard getting out. But Em just talked about the feeling she gets riding her bike – the pedals going up and down, the chain driving the wheel, going faster and faster. That’s a pretty powerful feeling. It’s like the name for her magical sword that protects her and causes her to vanquish her enemy, except it’s not a name, it’s that feeling.
Then we shared hot dogs on New England-style buns while listening to a Crowded House bootleg from 1987. That’s been a whole lot better than feeling trapped under our misery.
We’re almost done.
More Music on the Music Page
Just added a Jam featuring Les Claypool and the immortal Mike Clark. It sounds like they’re having fun. Check it out here.
Video #8
Head over to the videos page to check out our latest. And, yes, there is another Phillies game. And another one in the as-yet-incomplete movie #9. Stay tuned.
Music Page update – Weather Report
Just added some of the Ster’s classic Weather Report to the Music page, under live stuff about 1/2 way down the page. I had to change some of the file names, so the old links at the ‘Prog Listening Group’ won’t work anymore – sorry! Just use the Music page, and everything will be fine.
The Low Point
I’ve now finished three of these monstrous books and it’s time for a break. This is great fantasy with politics, sex, battle, and just a touch of the supernatural. A lot of major characters get killed off, which is no problem, because it sooooo long. Each volume is nearly 1000 pages. I need to take a break before the next one, just to get my head out of crazy Dungeon and Dragon land.
The Ice & Fire series is tedious, but it’s nothing compared to chemo. Em is now finished with inpatient #5, which means this weekend just plain sucks. Bad taste in mouth, no energy, meager appetite and just general suckiness. Of course, the animals are helping out a good bit. Right now, Grace is parked on Em’s chest and providing a soothing and relaxing hot-water-bottle treatment. It’s nice of that cat to help me out a bit.
The Phillies are getting beaten up by the Giants right now. After last night’s emotional come-from-behind win, it’s hard to imagine they can sustain the intensity. On another sports-related note, Massa is on pole for Turkey, which will hold its Grand P tomorrow. The Indy 500 qualifying is today, I think, but I have to say I’m not all that interested.
That’s it for now. I’m overdue for updating the site, but it’s good to just check in, blog-wise. Peace and love to you all!!