tonight's salad

How AWESOME!!!

In these two videos below of the Griff Williams Show my ima's uncle, Wolfgang Neuman, is playing. He is the violinist on the far left (first row). You can see him and the other two violinists really put it on in the second video.

Wolfgang was an amazing person, smart and talented, with many fascinating stories. Unfortunately, back when he would visit us in the kibbutz, I was a lot younger. I didn't have much patience for stories, and my English wasn't too good either.

He once gave me a note in English saying "That which does not kill us makes us stronger." Now how fitting this great quote by Friedrich Nietzsche for me in these days huh?! My ima kept this note, but it is back in Israel. I wish I could scan it, and share here with all of you.

Wolfgang passed away a few years ago at the amazing age of 92!

I'd like to send a shutout to my grandma back in Israel who, on the 31st of this month, will be 90 years old!! By the Hebrew calendar she is already 90. And today they threw her a huge party at the hospital where she still volunteers! Her body is starting to fall apart, but she is still sharp as a tack! Mazal Tov Savta.

My grandpa on my father's side was 88 when he passed away, and his sister was 92. That's a nice average for our family. Looks like I'm sticking around for a while...

The last chemo is the longest

The fewer of hours left, the longer they take to pass by. Time passes very slowly. All I can think of is sleeping in my own bed, sitting in my recliner, and being free off all these tubes. I'm getting the Red Devil drug this time which goes at very slow rate over 24 hours and that's for 3 full days. So even at night I'm still connected to these tubes. I've been taking anti anxiety meds these last two nights. I should be off and done with the Red Devil tonight, so hopefully sleeping will be easier without all the tubes still connected. Tomorrow I'll get the last drug and then some preventive meds. I should be home around 8pm. If only there was away to get these last meds at home... I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and I want to run towards it and break free. But I can't, I still have all these tubes connected to me chaining me down, holding me in this Stanford prison.

I hope for good results from the coming CT and PET scans. Results that will tell that nothing else needs to be done. Maybe a small surgery to knock out this tumor once and for all. But hopefully no more chemo, and if so at least not a chemo that will require an over night admitting because I won't be able to take it. I cannot wait to get back to life, back on track, wherever it was I was heading I've kinda forgotten. Let me just finish with this chemo, and be on my way thank you very much, enough says I!

Forgot to mention, thank you SF Giants, broom broom broom, down goes LA.

Final round

Tomorrow (Monday) I go in for the 6th and final round of chemo. Another week at the hospital, I hope to stay positive. For me it tends to be a roller coaster. As I was packing my backpack with some cloths and books I felt this "here we go again." It can get hard sometimes. I'm in the hospital for 5 days. Mostly just laying in bed, trying to sleep away the time. You don't have your corner, your desk, or your shaped to your butt cushion.

I'm getting the Red Devil chemo this time which is supposed to make you a lot more tired than the other drug I get. I get the Red Devil at a slow rate over 24 hours for 3 straight days. It's a bit annoying because I'm connected to these tubes in my chest even at night.

Sometime two weeks from today I will have a CT and PET scan that will give insight of the progress. I might have to do some more not as long and drastic chemos. Maybe a surgery to remove the rest of the tumor. Or nothing at all, that would be great.

SF Giants have some big games this week against the Dodgers (baseball). It's going to be 3 games of 2nd place vs 1st place which could change during the 3 game series to 1st place vs 2nd place (the Giants are a half game behind). I hope the Giants will cheer me up a little. The games are in LA, but it seems the Giants play better on the road, at least that's what it looks like lately.

I've been craving salad lately. I eat a big bowl of this salad as an entire meal.

Randoms

I used to tie my shoes using the two loops method, that was back when I was a youngster. Then one day I started using the one loop method, it is way easier and faster.

I find that it's better to underline/circle/highlight with pink rather than red (just two colors I had on my desk). Pink is more pleasant, and welcoming.

Do you remember when you choose to be straight? No right?! That's just how you remember yourself, same things with gays. Gays should be allowed to marry period. Enough with this discrimination. It feels like Americans love to hate. I'm not good with history, but I know Japaneses where discriminated, Irish, Jews, and of course women and blacks too. So now that all those have equal rights supposedly, gotta pick on someone else... 
Think of all the money that letting gay marry will generate: weddings, parties, divorces, lawyers...

Hugs - "Any way you want it." Try out one of these awesome bean bags by Hugs. They offer free delivery. They are made in the US, so you're helping the economy more. And they are comfy. Check this video to see all the shapes and positions you can make with these great bean bags.

Can you feel it? NFL season is around the corner

”A man once told the Buddha, ‘I want happiness’. The Buddha said remove the ‘I’ that’s ego, now remove the ‘want’ that’s desire, now all you are left with is, Happiness.”

Windows Phone Apps

I've been stuck on one post idea. I'm still working on it, well maybe not, if I was I'd probably finished it by now. I forgot I said I would blog about anything, so here are some apps I use and like. These are Windows Phone apps, they might be available on other Android or iPhone as well, but why don't you have a Windows Phone yet?

Play The Hunt - A fun game to play with friends and family. If you are on a vacation or just going on a day trip.
Gas Buddy - Find gas stations near you. You can sort by price or distance.
Package Tracker - Track you packages. Get live updates about where are your packages.
Key Ring - Instead of carrying all those store cards. Key Ring makes the wallet lighter.
Notes - A simple app to type your thoughts and what not. You can then easily email the note. If you don't feel like typing you can record yourself with The Listener. I couldn't find one simple light app with both of these options.
Flixster - Find out movies showtimes near you and much more. Very nice design.
ESPN Score Center - This app lets you choose which teams you want to see score updates.
4th & Mayor - Check in to places. I mainly used it for restaurants because they have promos and deals like a free appetizer.
TuneIn Radio - Listen to radio stations from around the world. Lots of options. You should be able to find your favorite stations from back home.
Logic Games - Over 1800 puzzles. Some are similar to Sudoku, but there are lots of other fun and challenging ones. I've literally spent hours upon hours solving puzzles.
Some other games I play or played Football Kicks, and two more fun logic games. Bump Out, and Blocked In.

All my eyelashes are gone, and eyebrows are almost completely hairless.

That was a delicious salad!

After last round of chemo, I felt very tired. I stayed at home a lot. I stayed for almost a week after I left the hospital. I had some fever, and mouth sours. This time I'm feeling much better. It is probably due to the differences in the drugs I get each time. The are three drugs I get. One drug I get each time, and the other two alternate each round. I started with Infosamide and Etoposide, and on the second cycle I got Infosamide and Adriamycin. The latter is also called "Red Devil" because the liquid is red. Red Devil is the one that makes me weaker and gives me mouth sours.

Monday I was out and about. Went to Big Lots! to look at recliners. They didn't have the one I wanted in stock at the store near closest to where I live, so I went to another location about 20 minutes away where they said they had one. When I got there I also saw a nice and good enough desk/PC chair, so I finally bought one. I was sitting on a folding metal chair with a thin pillow that didn't do much to make it more comfortable.

I made me a salad for dinner last night. I put in it sliced carrot, lettuce, green onion, orange bell pepper, tomato, cauliflower, cilantro, goat cheese, Parmesan Cheese, sliced roasted almonds, sunflower seeds, olive oil, and mixed black pepper. Came out very very good!

After the salad I ate some dark Ferrero. Yeah, the box was new, closed, and then...

Today I finally bought a painting easel, so hopefully I'll get back painting again. I didn't paint anything new from the ones I painted. Maybe one. The chairs are both great and comfortable. Maybe I'll post some pictures later this week with me posing while watching the SF Giants beat up another team on the road (they better start winning more at home). I'm also getting excited for football season. Less than a month away. GO NINERS!!!