Voluntary poisoning at it's finest.

Me on my work laptop (not working) maxin and relaxin in the Chemo Lounge:

Kickin Back During Chemotherapy

Voxing During Chemotherapy

• I've reached the middle ground, 3 of the 6 treatments completed today!
• 3 weeks following the 6th treatment I start radiation therapy - everyday for 6 weeks.  Blahs!
  
• Met with Dr. M., my Oncologist before chemo today.   She said my CBC (Complete Blood Count) looked great and my limited number of side effects was very positive!  At this point with the exception of increasing fatigue, I shouldn't experience any new side effects.
• My blood pressure has been increasingly high, something she is very concern with.  I have had a problem with high blood pressure before the Breast Cancer diagnosis and at one point was on medication.  She said we have to get it under control quick fast and in a hurry!
• C, T and my brother came to treatment with me today, thanks family!
• I will try hard to have an enjoyable weekend, before the after effects of treatment kick in around Tuesday or Wednesday of next week.
• Next chemotherapy treatment August 8th, yeah-boo-hiss!

Other non-cancer related ramblins...

• The "Air" is doing great, still loving it!  The Steve Sleeve showed up, I don't like it as much as I thought I would.  Definitely not worth the 50 clams I paid for it.  Probably will be replaced PDQ (pretty, damn, quick).
• T got all four wisdom teeth removed on Monday.  Monday was the toughest due to all the bleeding, she had a lot of soreness but experience no pain - mainly because I kept her loaded up on the pain meds they prescribed - Vicodin. She has a little swelling looking rather "chipmunkish."  She insisted upon going with me to treatment today even though I suspected she didn't feel totally up to it - which she confirmed this evening.  The worst of it is over and overall I think she feels pretty good.  It was actually kind of weird, I enjoyed babying my 19 year old daughter the last few days!  It made me feel good :)
• T told me today she plans to take real estate classes early next year and then take the licensing exam to become a Realtor.  The plan is to partner with me to sell homes next summer.  How cool is that?!  I've had my license since 2003 - although I have a full time job I like to sell homes on the side! 
  
• I had doubts, but I'm really enjoying the Wendy Williams Show!  How yooooou doooin? The show debuted on Monday of this week, for a 6 week run in a few selected markets - New York, Detriot, Dallas and Los Angeles.
  
• Went to Urban Taco for dinner tonight following my brother's recommendation.  Didn't like it!  Everything was blan and I felt it was overpriced too.  $9.25 for 3 tiny tacos, don't think so.  I called him afterward and told him, I didn't care for it.  This place puts them to shame - Tin Star.  The tacos at Tin Star are flavorful and much larger and much cheaper!
• The local Smart Car dealer called me this afternoon to tell my triple black Smart ForTwo Passion Coupe will be here Aug 14th!  She wanted to know if I was still interested in it.  Of course I am!  I reserved this car back May 2007, so its been a long wait.  It will be a second car for me as I purchased a new car the end of May this year - AKA "Benzie" which I really love! The Smart Car is something cute, fun and gas efficient to possibly add to the household.
  
•  
  
  

  My Smart ForTwo
  Here are the specs:

fortwo passion coupe, 1.0 L, 70 HP, 3 cylinder engine   Base price $ 13,590.00   body panels in deep black N/C   tridion safety cell, black N/C   Black leather seats       Standard equipment Engine/drivetrain   1.0 L, 70 HP, 3 cylinder engine   5 speed automated manual transmission   Paddle shifters   Wheels   9-spokes alloy wheels (15") with front tires: 155/60 R15; rear tires 175/55 R15   Tire pressure control system   Exterior   body panels in deep black   Panorama roof (sun screen included)   Projector beam halogen headlights   Side indicators in yellow   Exterior mirror cap in tridion color   Interior   3-spoke leather sports steering wheel with steering wheel shift paddles (incl. leather gear knob)   Basic seat with weight detection and seatbelt recognition   Flat folding passenger seat with backrest adjustment   Storage areas beside the steering wheel and in both doors   Coin holder   Dome light   Mirror in passenger sun visor   Storage   Lockable glove compartment   Audio   smart radio (AM/FM, single CD; incl. 2 speakers, Aux input jack for MP3 device)   Safety   Hydraulic dual-circuit brake system   Tire repair kit   Top Tether for child restraint system   Panic button on key   esp - electronic stability program with hill start assist   Anti-lock braking system (abs) with electronic brake force distribution   Full-size driver and passenger airbags   Head/Thorax-Side Airbags   Integral safety seats   Seat belts with belt tensioner and belt-force limiter   Drive lock - auto-activation of the central locking when driving   Functional/electrical equipment   Air conditioning with automatic temperature control (incl. dust, pollen filter)   Power windows with one-touch lowering function   Electronic and heated side mirrors   Central locking system with remote control   Instrument cluster with multifunctional display (fuel-level indicator, coolant-level indicator, residual fuel indicator, service interval indicator, trip mileage indicator, clock)   Outside temperature indicator   Indicators with lane changer function   Front windshield wiper with speed-dependent interval wiping and wiper-/wash function   Intermittent rear windshield wiper with wiper-/wash function   Electric rear window defroster   Electric tailgate release   Locking gas cap   12-volt socket, with cover   Special equipment Comfort Package - includes the following features $ 850.00   Black leather seats   Heated seats   Electric power steering (eps)   Rain sensing windshield wipers   Light sensor (autolight)   Auto-off headlamps with exit delay   Total price[*]: $ 14,440.00

I will probably go test drive one next week.  If I don't simply love it, I will leave it!

• Nuff said, enjoy your weekend!
  

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It's random poetry time, just because I feel like it.

Christina Rossetti is a strange creature. Or rather, I think she just seems strange because of the way that she is normally presented, as an innocuous simple poet. You read this and that kind of presentation seems fair enough. Then you read this and you begin to question it. And then at some point you read something of Rossetti's that makes you do a double-take. You look at it and go "woah." And then you look at it again and go "woah." And then you look at it again and go "WOAH." And suddenly, you've found a favorite poet. (The same thing happened to me with Blake.)

I recently bought a book of Rossetti and I've found that some of the most seemingly simple are also the most astounding. For example:

          Joy is but sorrow,
               While we know
          It ends tomorrow: --
               Even so!
          Joy with lifted veil
          Shows a face as pale
As the fair changing moon so fair and frail.

          Pain is but pleasure,
               If we know
          It heaps up treasure: --
               Even so!
          Turn, transfigured Pain,
          Sweeheart, turn again,
For fair thou art as a moonrise after rain. (Selected Poems. Ed. Dinah Roe. New York: Penguin, 2008. 178)

While I'm getting anxious to be in school again, I'm glad that at least right now I don't have to say anything in response but, "woah."

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If you want people to stop giving you unsolicited advice, stop behaving as if you need it.

I said that to myself recently after feeling like I was being handed another prescription for a social affliction I don't believe I'm infected with.

I complain a lot about feeling as if people are telling me what they think I should do all the time. It was only recently that I realized why perhaps this seems to happen so frequently. Perhaps it's because I've gotten way too comfortable with my own melancholia. In fact...knowing what I know, and trusting myself as I do...I'm beginning to feel a bit like I'm walking around in a suit I might have worn 100 pounds ago. I look ridiculous, but for some reason, I think it's more comfortable than the new suit I've been revealing layer by painstaking layer for the past three years or so.

My journey over time has been the voyage back to my true self. Uncloaking my beliefs and my wishes and wants and desires and marrying them to the notion that I can indeed create the reality I wish for myself. I can accomplish and complete whatever I choose. I get to pick my story. Problem is, in a world full of know it alls, it can be very easy to slip on the banana peel of someone else's experience. Especially as we age, we are eager to impart our supposed wisdom on the choices of others. Sometimes it's a pearl of wisdom that saves you in the nick of time. Othertimes its a big floppy neon yellow hat that is three sizes too big for your head. It just doesn't fit. The point is not to get too offended. People mean well more often than not.

The way I see it, I have a choice.  I can either choose to embrace what I believe and get on with getting there...or I can sit with my back to the future crying over old hurts that I refuse to let scab and fall away. I can tell myself I have no idea what the hell I'm doing and I need someone else to tell me who/what/where I am complete with blueprints and ten step programs, or I can acknowledge that I am not lost. I am not unclear. I am not broken. I can swim like mad, or flail about acting as if I'm going to drown. Perhaps if I did more of the former and a little less of the latter, I'd stop wasting time.

Enough with the shenanigans. I've got somewhere to be. How I get there may not be the way you get there. But then again, your reality ain't necessarily mine. I'm good with that. Here's hoping you are, too.

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It's EJ Day, brought to you by G-Force and Yvonne. Jesse Johnson, Today, Tony Terry, Patti Austin, Alexander O'Neal, Curtis Hairston, Bobby Thurston, Keni Burke, Phyllis Hyman, Deniece Williams, Tashan, Vesta, Shirley Jones, and a little from yours truly.

read more...

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Summer Road Trip '08

Although we typically post on Team Vox to let you know about things that are going on with Vox (to, uh, state the obvious), once in a while, we like to let you know about other cool things that are happening around the blogosphere. And we think the idea of four hilarious mommy bloggers traveling across the U.S. on their way to the BlogHer '08 conference - all the while blogging and video blogging the journey - is one trip you will not want to miss.

Four adventurous bloggers from the Silicon Valley Moms Group were selected to participate in the Summer Road Trip '08 and blog about their travels, hotel stays, media appearances, time away from their families, and life on the road. Six Apart helped them partner up with General Motors, who provided the blogging mommies with a Chevy Tahoe Hybrid SUV to help make their journey comfy, safe, and a little more green.

In case you're not familiar with them, SV Moms is a group of over 200 bloggers who showcase the ups, downs, outrages, struggles, victories, and everyday humor of motherhood. There are currently nine regional and demographically tailored sites that give mothers from D.C., New Jersey, the Deep South, Rocky Mountains, L.A., and Silicon Valley a powerful voice and sense of camaraderie across the country. Whether you're a mother, a child, or just a person who enjoys a good blog, you'll really love reading the words of these amazing women.

Packed and Ready!

The moms buckled into their Chevy Tahoe Hybrid SUV on July 11th and even got an encouraging message from Katie Couric to kick things off! They are currently somewhere in the middle of America making their way to San Francisco where they'll attend an SV Moms Group Party, as well as BlogHer '08.

You do not want to miss these entertaining and irreverent bloggers -- or their spontaneous contest giveaways! -- as they blog from the road. Experience the journey at MomRoadTrip.com.

And let us know about your summer road trip - or plane/boat/bus trip - in the comments! (I like to live vicariously.)

~daisy

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large jar
Originally uploaded by Cherrie712

I think this one is one of my favorites to date. Did some different stuff with the glazes, looking forward to doing some other stuff with them.

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raku fired art
Originally uploaded by Cherrie712

Haven't been sharing too much of my stuff online lately as I'm improving some techniques and trying to throw items with more size and personality. I've also been working on some glazing techniques. Stay tuned.

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T needed a new laptop for school since the logic board on her iBook crashed her first semester in college.  She suffered through without one all last semester.  However, I was a bit tired of having to print her assignments from a jump drive and stuff.   Besides, she needed the portability of a laptop to take notes in class and use on projects.

Since she often gets my gadget hand me downs, she inherited my Macbook aKa ZenBaby.  I got ZenBaby a little over two years ago and she JUST got a brand new battery and AC adapter that cost me $200 bucks.  So, since T got ZenBaby I had to replace her.  I replaced her with a MacBook Air.

Macbook Air

Right now I'm referring to her as "the Air."  I love, love, love it!  Its paper thin and super light.  I spent the majority of the weekend configuring it.  At set up one of the features offered is to migrate your information and applications from another Mac computer to it.  Since I have many, many gigs of music and photos I thought this would be great to allow me to automate the transfer of these items along with my contacts and iCal entries to the new laptop.  It told me it would take about 15 hours to complete the transfer.  I had a cookout to go to, so thought I would set it up and let her rip!

When I got back home it had about 5 hours remaining.  Then after about 30 minutes, it experienced an error and the transfer stopped!  10 hours wasted as the data migration failed and no information made it to the Air.  Pissed off, yes I was!  I spent the better part of Sunday manually transferring  data using my external hard drive.  I was so nervous about syncing my iPhone to the Air for the first time.  I crossed my fingers, and connected the cable - no problems.

I purchased the Steve Sleeve (gotta love the name) from Timbuk2 to "tote" it in. 

Timbuk2 Steve Sleeve

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Oh crap! I missed John Clare's birthday yesterday! AND it was his 215th. Well, happy late b-day, John.

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