Update

Jon Burke left Monday after a nice visit. Having him here definitely helped me get up off my butt. I continue to be grateful for how my Bay Area friends have supported me despite the distance. Speaking of which, I am planning to visit the Bay Area at the end of October! Eric is planning a work trip to SF for the last week of October and then staying through the weekend. I would like to come down for some or all of that time, to see him and as many of my other friends as possible (you know who you are!). I am considering taking a chemo round off beforehand, to try to make sure that I am feeling good for the trip.

My mom arrived back in Bellingham Monday afternoon, after getting up at 4:30 am to fly out of Rochester NY (where she and my dad were visiting my sister and her partner and their two boys). By that evening she had already gone grocery shopping and prepared us a yummy dinner.

Yesterday I had chemo. I felt sick to my stomach afterward, but I actually feel relatively OK today. Stomach is still a little iffy, but my energy level is fine. It's nice and sunny here, which helps.

Fall quarter classes started at WWU today. It's weird to not be teaching in the fall for the first time in a decade (8 years at WWU and a couple years at SF State before that).

I was thinking about a lot of things last night (instead of sleeping), including laughter. Studies show it is good medicine. I don't have measurements, but I'm sure I laugh less than I did before I got sick. Same goes for Grace - I hear her beautiful laugh pretty often, but not as often as before. It's understandable, but still too bad.

But sometimes my situation seems so surreal or absurd (to feel perfectly healthy in March, be near death in June, and now to feel relatively OK but be told that my time is limited) that I can actually laugh about it (beats crying). I had a good laugh with Tami on the phone the other day when I was talking about how I am literally toxic after chemo (I know, doesn't seem funny, but it was to us at the time).

I am also regaining my interest in sports. For a while it seemed too meaningless to follow. But now, although I recognize that sports are essentially arbitrary, they can be entertaining, and that's not meaningless. Summer is also a slow time for sports that I care about (basketball, football, and baseball - the Red Sox won't be in the playoffs, but the SF Giants might be). But now football has started up, and the NBA season kicks off October 26, with my Celtics against the new-look Miami Heat.

Speaking of football, Jon and I were talking about whether we would let our kids play football (he played football; I didn't). I like watching football, although I do so with some guilt, as I recognize that it's not good for the players' health (they are essentially modern-day gladiators). There is also a low ratio of action time to actual time, as soccer fans are fond of noting, although I would reply that there are also more exciting moments in football than in soccer (in my opinion).

OK, gonna go pick my mom up so we can go for a walk while the sun is out!

Ethan