Iceland? That's not near Poland, is it?

Went to my check up at radiation today. Really, my skin feels fine and I have come to the conclusion that i am not too ugly to have sex. Left boob still under construction, but I noticed that the rest of me is looking ok. Would post a picture but would probably get thrown off the internet and prosecuted for distributing "masectomy porn!" Oh, post a picture with my clothes on? What a novel idea.

So, I took a survey on what color to do my hair. Blonde won, hands down, although I am very impressed with my normally fairly conservative (when it comes to my fashion statements, anyway, not at all politically) daughter Meghan holding out for Bright Red. I will do that next month. So, never having used the "lite" hair dye that washes aout after a month, I was unfamiliar with this stuff that did not seem to burn, stink up the whole house, and have to be on your head for hours. Ten minutes, it said. Of course, i have no concept of time, but figured my newly grown, untouched by chemical (up until then) hair would probably need closer to 20. So I wash it out about 20 minutes later, which could be anywhere from three minutes to two hours, and, well, its a little lighter, but not the bright (think David Bowie way back when) blonde I wanted. It looks.....natural. Who the fuck dyes their hair for it to look natural. Well, i suppose a lot of people do but I am not one of them. But it is a little blonder, goes with my free make-up, so I will go with it for a while. This temporary hair dye- as long as the next color takes a little better, and I think it will because it is darker- is a great idea. i will have a different color hair every month. Bright red is next, right in time for fall, and Halloween- remember i work on a psych unit- that advertises in the New Yorker by the way- so anyway no purple or hot pink hair for me. At least when my boss is there. Just kidding, Joan, in the off chance that anyone was crazy enough to give you the blog address. By anyone, I mean me, but I don't think I did.

Then maybe dark brown or black for thanksgiving and Christmas, then white David Bowie blonde for the New Year. I heard a commercial about going to Iceland for new Years Eve and it seems like something I should do before I die. Speaking of which, my radiation doctor who I love, agreed with me that I am more likely to kick off from a smart-phone related accident than cancer at this point. But since there is always a chance of a piano falling on my head at any time, I am going to look into this Iceland at New Years. If anyone else is interested, especially if you are a man who I could conceivably have sex with, let me know. OK, I know most of my many international blog followers are female but at least two are men with whom I was close. I said that because I am too classy to say that at least two guys that i have slept with in the past have at least on occasion, read this blog. One I know for sure is not allowed into Iceland. Unless he has gotten a false passport. (I think he is out of jail....) Just kidding. I have wonderful taste in men now and hardly any of them are convicted felons. That i know of. Because now i can't have Cindy's son run a CORI on them anymore since the Bridget the Midget scandal.

I am not working tonight or tomorrow and am patiently waiting for someone to get my voicemail and call me back about going out. That is the thing about being my age. My friends are my age and they are wimps who go home early. And yes, Denise M, esq. and beverly A, R.N. I am talking about you! My kids go home earlier than me! I arrived in New York last Friday ready to rock and roll and Laura and roommate were asleep! Just because you have to get up for work at 5 in the morning is no excuse. A piano could fall on your head at any time, so always eat desert before the meal, and always go out and party with me when i demand it. By party, I mean have something to eat and two glasses of wine and then try to stay awake for the ride home.

It's almost seven. This means when i go out to dinner, the early bird old lady specials will be over. This is a good thing. Oh and ps, Denise, just because i called you a wimp does not mean I am not coming over tomorrow and showing you and David how to drink wine. Try to have some single men, who are not banned from Iceland, on hand.

Now what?

I know i mentioned it peripherally, but did not make a big deal out of it on my blog, I AM DONE WITH RADIATION!!!! Still there are follow up appointments and i will probably go there for a free reike treatment, but the radiation therapy is done!!! Boob area still a little sunburned but I can deal with that. Because of all the sunburns i had when i ignored them that they said going out in the sun can cause cancer. In fact, it makes cancer treatment easier to deal with so long as you don't get a sun- causing cancer, anyway. So actually, tanning helps cancer. Another myth de-bunked.

And know how they document my skin condition? Only those of you who are old-time nurses will appreciate it. Digital photos. In the old days, we would be documenting each shift on someone's skin. But my "reddened, raised, flat, whatever..." doesn't necessarily look the same as someone elses. And we had medical words, sangiunous, serro-sanguinous, I don't really remember, i went into psych. So i asked the radiation nurse if i could just take a picture of my boob with my new cell phone- it does everything else. That, mark my words, is the future of health care. Take a picture of your arm that is hanging off your body, email it to me..... instead of take a couple of tyleonl and call me in the morning. Aspirin is bad, I forget why. But of course in small doses is is now good. But I digress. Some of you might call it ramble. Or flight of ideas.

So, i get my skin checked at radiation tomorrow. I am glad because I really like the people there. They were the most pleasant part of cancer treatment so far. There are pros and cons of going to Boston to the big hospitals vs, local care. Obviously, I want the big surgeries and treatments at Mass General. Especially since Brockton hospital almost killed me. But I have always thought the local hospitals and health care places had nicer personell. Probably because i was usually one of the nurses is an out-of-Boston place. Like I love 99% of the people I work with at mclean, and probably only loved 65% of the people at childrens. And My boss at mclean, even with her little ideasynchrocies- I really think after a few glasses of wine, she would become me- will never be listed in my phone under a swear word.

So if you know anyone who needs radiation in the boston area, Shields radiation is quite good. They have offices in Quincy, mansfield (right next to the PGA tournament) and someplace up north. And My doctor has a kid at NYU so he probably needs the business. Really good combination of medical skills and just good friendly nice treating-you-like-a-human being patient care. You know, sort of like me. At least that part about a kid at NYU.

Oh and they are affiliated with mass general and harvard Medical school, although i don't hold that against them. And Val in mansfield is my favorite. We both shop at the Ann Taylor loft next door and frequently look like twins. Like me, she has short hair- hers is on purpose- and of course, we are both short and black.

So after radiation, then what? I suspect back to MGH for that oral chemo pill. I would think there should be some sort of test to see if you still have cancer or not. There must be. Otherwise, how can people say they are cancer free for 8 years? Or however many. I would really like to take a test, right now, to find out for sure if all the cancer is out of me. Everyone has decided it is, and i kind of agree, and while the trade-off is not being able to use the cancer card, except that I still do, it would be worth it.

So back to life, work, freqent visits to Brooklyn, Florida, and San Diego. Putting cancer on the back burner where it belongs. But I will still keep up this blog and share my cancer-induced wisdom. or Insanity.

I just lost something.......

Well, i know have 2 blogging skills. i added a picture, and i posted a blog i wrote last week. However I just wrote some long thing and totally lost it. My main concern was that I had learned that my smarter than me phone gets tv shows on it. The latest generation will not just have to deal with old ladies driving 40 mph in the fast lane, but rather old ladies swerving all over the road as they try to follow their soaps on their phones.

So anyway I have decided to never use my my phone, not even answer calls, when driving. Because i really don't want to go through all of this cancer stuff just to end it by accidentally driving off a cliff while trying to get Law and Order SUV on the phone.

But the posted picture is one of the views from laura's apartment. i am down with this whole Brooklyn living. Easier to get to, on street parking, fewer anorexics and bulemics. Brooklyn is the new mnhattan, Williamsburg (where Laura lives) is nicknamed WillieB and is the New Greenwich Village, and green is the new pink. Oh and i am the new princess Di (before she Died, get it.) (not to be insensitive.) (Or more so than usual.)

developing yet another skill

Well we will see if I can develop a new skill. I am at laura's in Brooklyn, not quite ready tp pass put, having slept the better part of the last 24 hours before heading up here. She has no internet access, or it doesn't work for me, so Here I go, trying to write something for my blog and then post it later. Since it is after midnight, it is 9-11, although that is not why I am in New York. Moving in was not much fun, so this weekend we will try to have fun. First of all, I made it here without GPS- yes that piece of technology I had never visualized a year agao, and which I hate, and which I really only know how to put funny/unintelligible accents on- yeah, good job, made it to brooklyn the old fashioned way. Sheer luck, and taking a left at the Hassidic Jew.

As usual when driving to new York, I again question the use of Connecticut. I am against it. If they have to put in a state to drive through on the way from Boston to New York, some place like New mexico or Alaska would be more fun. Or they could just stretch out Rhode Island, which I think they are secretly doing anyway. Come on, Rhode Island? Smallest state in the country? There are malls bigger than it? When was the last time you drove through it, it takes forever. Conspiracy theory, or fact? Plus, look at the names of the last few exits in that state. They seem to be taking themselves Awfully seriously for a state that was just started as a joke. They, in fact, sound a little bit like......Connecticut!!!!! Remember you heard it here first.

Ok now I will try sleep. Don't want to invest too much in literature that I may be too stupid to transfer on to the blog.

Bar card- not for bars, though

So now I am work after conning my friend Theresa into working a double for me last night. New York was exhausting, mainly because of the fifth floor walk up, and also because unfortunately the landlord was a total asshole. Didn't let them move in til the third then gave them the wrong keys so we couldn't get in. Then she had the gall to be mad at me when I called her at 1 a.m. to have her drive over and let us in. She did not, but had another tenant go down the fire escape and let us in. Instead of using the cancer card, I used the lawyer card instead. Now Laura and her roommate are considering law school. Wow, should have used the cancerous lawyer card. She would probably be getting free rent or something.

Her apartment is very cute, the area is quite nice. However, her roommates mother is crazy and does not want her living in Brooklyn (a 10 minute subway ride to NYU.) Of course, crazy mom has already paid the her daughter's rent for the year in advance. SO who knows? As are all of Laura's school friends, her roommate is very very sweet and also very rich, so maybe she will get a studio in Manhattan as well as keeping the apartment in Brooklyn. I felt bad that I could not do as much moving stuff, but lets face it, I would not exactly have been sprinting up five flights of stairs before cancer, anyway. I may go back next week and help buy furniture. Can't really do used stuff in NY because of bedbugs, plus who is going to lug a couch up to the fifth floor anyway?

So nice to have something to write about besides cancer. Only two more days of radiation after the long weekend!!!!

No sleep til Brooklyn?

Very tired. Helped laura move into her fifth floor walk up apartment. Actually it is quite cute once you get up the stairs and has a great view of Manhattan in a very student-y area. And nice neighbors who were very polite about my crashing onto their cars with the humungous van I was trying to park. A barely five foot girl and her radiation-ridden mother (The cancer card only comes out for things like lugging beds up five flights of stairs!) moving in at midnight when the keys don't work. Long story involvong irate phone calls, fire escapes and boys willing to help out in the middle of the night and it all worked out. More stories about clueless landlords and crazy grandmothers to come, after i make sure exactly who, if any, of Laura's acquaintances read this blog.