Hoping everyone had a relaxing and enjoyable Thanksgiving today- mine was good, spent the day at my mom's, had a nice dinner, nice day! :) Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday... And despite some of the things going on with me I still have much to be thankful for, most importantly family and friends.

I must be doing something right- I recently re-took the RealAge survey. Despite closing in on- waaahhhhh!- 45 yrs (next January- and don't wait 'til the last minute to shop for gifts!) and including accounting for my cancer, my Real Age was... 40.5 years! Must be all of my good, clean living... shure, Kel! Wish I could have gotten it under 40, but hey... :) Had a decent, albeit nippy, run this morning. Unfortunately I think I'm going to have to start running indoors on the treadmill this winter; I believe I've previously mentioned that my chemo treatments have increased my sensitivity to cold (and I'm one of those people who always wears shorts year-round.) This morning breathing in the cold air was kinda uncomfortable. That, coupled with how the cold makes my face and hands sting (even with gloves) may make me hafta run indoors when the temps dip near/below freezing. Dammit... Off to a good $tart on college hoops so far- I need it, as I've been getting killed on college football this season, ugh.

Some news of note...
Indian eunuchs mourn 15 killed in fire at ceremony An isolated and shunned community of castrated men, transvestites and transsexuals mourned Monday for 15 comrades killed when a fire blazed through a makeshift tent where they had gathered to honor deceased friends. Sad.
The logical rise of the libertarian At a time when Americans are increasingly fed up with politics as usual, does libertarianism — which champions freedom from government control in both economic and social spheres — present an appealing alternative?
America Before The Entitlement State Worth a glance.
'Linemakers' examines how sports book odds setters operate For those interested...
5 Beers to Pour for Thanksgiving Or afterward! (I had Mayflower's Pale Ale; Pretty Things' Jack D'Or is quite good as well.)
Cheapie Swaps for High-End Skin Care For those of us on a budget who also appreciate skin care...

34-8, good guys; Sharon sucks.

Six months ago tonight I found out that I had cancer. Six months ago tonight I underwent emergency surgery (and, as I later discovered, surgery from which there was a legit concern that I might not make it out of it) to remove a large cancerous growth, as well as a few other procedures. Up until two weeks prior to that I had no knowledge, no inkling, no idea that anything was remotely wrong with me. That night six months ago is still kind of a blur, which is probably for the best. It would be several days later that I was told the extent of my illness, a week after that when I was given the full diagnosis, likely prognosis, and recommended treatment.

Flash forward another couple of surgeries, 16+ weeks of bi-weekly chemo treatments, and six months, and I'm feeling fine! Really. My strength, stamina, energy, appetite are all back- or almost back- near where they were prior to becoming sick. Back up to around 7 miles/morning run, good- and consistently good- workouts @ the gym. (I'm still somewhat weaker on the weights than I was before this all began.) My schedule is back to normal (and I may- finally!- be curtailing, or at least making more amenable, my schedule at long last, likely by the end of the year at latest; holiday issues/scheduling being the few remaining factors to resolve.) Slowly but steadily I'm beginning to make/take a lil more "me" time- something I've too often neglected in the past. Most importantly I've gained a far greater appreciation of and for people than I ever had before; I'll say it once again, I'm truly blessed and honored to be surrounded by sooooooooo many good people, in all of my walks of life!

My ultimate prognosis still is what it is; this is incurable, at some point this will get me. Hopefully, between the dedicated work of my medical team, and any/all efforts I can make, that ending can be pushed back a bit longer. I don't believe that I fear dying- either there is an afterlife (which I believe there is) or there is not, nothing I can do about it either way. I do fear not having lived my life fully enuf. That- along with maintaining my health as best I can!- is the main challenge before me, for however long I have left to do so. But if I had known I'd be doing and feeling this well six months ago I'd have been very suprised. And pleased!

Well why do the hands of time
So easily unwind
Some lessons we learn the hard way
Some lessons don't come easy
That's the price we have to pay
Some lessons we learn the hard way
They don't come right off and right easy
That's why they say some lessons learned we learn the hard way...
- Some Lessons, Melody Gardot