Public Display

Rene was asked to contribute to a "pop-up" art show at 1035 Market this weekend and borrowed the portrait I commissioned since he didn't have many readymade pieces in his studio that could be said to fit the theme of the show, which was a combination of art, fashion, and ephemera entitled "Man Up". We (Rene, his sister Cathy, and Renecito) went to check it out last evening. I'm glad the show is just for the weekend, because I miss the painting terribly. I have a big orange blank spot on my bedroom wall.

It's been a rather busy week. Every day I feel better and more recovered from chemo. The only thing, other than my hair, that hasn't come back yet is my energy level. I find that I still need to doze in the armchair for at least an hour every afternoon. I haven't been blogging because I've mostly just been taking care of mundane chores. However, I guess that's kind of a nice change from scheduling everything around chemo. Here's the summary of my big accomplishments this week:

• went to Kaiser optometry for an eye exam and new eyeglass prescription
  
• had lunch downtown with Kevin, picked out new glasses at Optical Underground, bought underwear
• took Violet for her dental procedure (she's fine, but we have a new vet and she is perhaps a bit ... thorough She expects me to dose Violet twice a day for two weeks with antibiotic pills. So far, she's swallowed one and spit two out. I only struggle with her so many times and then give up)
  
• went to the gallery to see my painting on public display
• had dinner at the Garcias with Holly, Della, Robert, Kevin and Emily while Rene, Cito and Cathy went to the motocross show at AT&T Park.

I think I had lunch at a restaurant every day, which afforded me the opportunity to walk, and got me out of the apartment. It's been rather chilly and rainy here and I tend to want to stay in the chair under my throw and read the letters of Virginia Woolf. However I lost most of the sensation in the sole of my left foot with this last chemo round, and I really needed to walk every day to get it to stop hurting. I think the muscles needed to get used to the lack of sensory input from the foot. Now I think everything has adjusted as much as it can. I have to be a little extra-conscious of that foot's placement when I stand and walk, but no more soreness.

Della can walk up to three steps before collapsing!

My new passport arrived!

Della Visits

Della and her parents and Aunt Cathy dropped by for a visit this afternoon (Cito had a play date). She continues to be delighted with the world in general. She's this close to walking for real. Watch out world.

I'm continuing to recover from the last chemo. Boy does my body feel beat up. I look forward to feeling less bruised all over so I can have some kind of detoxifying spa treatment with massage. Right now, I don't particularly want to be touched.

Looking forward to getting some household chores done this week, and to getting my sewing machine repaired so I can finish my new roman blinds.

New Painting

After getting home from having my blood drawn (yay, I made it all the way on the scooter and back without getting rained on!), I decided to tackle the hanging of the new painting and the subsequent necessary rearrangement of other paintings.

I'm reasonably happy with it (the rearrangement - I LOVE the painting), mainly just glad it's done.

The rain is falling again, and I'm so ready for Mexico. Too bad it's still a month away.

Hissy fits

As soon as the ugh started lifting, I came down with a cold, which, though aggravating, is not nearly as bad as experiencing chemo ugh. The cold seems to have limited its mischief to some minor nasal and chest congestion and is moving its way on out of my body.

Today's big outing was to the vet's office. Both cats were due for checkups back in December, and I just had oh, other things going on. Before leaving them in the care of sitters when I start traveling next month, I figured they should be checked out.

The cats vocalize so much that the 5-minute cab ride seems like an hour. Junie is fine. Violet, however, has a big abscess above one of her canine teeth. She is having a very expensive dental procedure under general anesthesia to address it next Friday. Since they have always detected a slight heart murmur in her, they wanted to do a cardiac sonogram before submitting her to surgery. So I waited while they performed the ultrasound. She's fine. No need for concern. Really, after this, Dame Fortune? Our household has had enough to do with medical procedures and the like for a good long while.

Of course the drama associated with a trip to the vet is never over when we get home. We've been home for 4 hours and the cats are still hissing at each other about it. Whatever Divas. Honestly!

I picked up the newly framed ersatz Mark Ryden painting today. It looks really great. However, since my using tools and moving around a lot disturbs Lady Violet, and she's had so much emotional turmoil already today, I'll wait until tomorrow to hang it.

Ugh lifting

It rained very hard and very long without interruption today, which isn't exactly conducive to my sense of well-being, but I made the best of it. Had horrible "morning sickness" today, but managed to get my laundry in to the fluff 'n fold by 9, and spent the day alternately napping, and shuffling around trying to get exercise by walking around my apartment. Good thing I don't have a downstairs neighbor at the moment.

About an hour ago, I felt that first vague sense of lift, like a cool breeze that comes after a heatwave. The ugh is departing, and I don't have to dread its return. I expect tomorrow to be a day of fatigue, but that toxic feeling I really hate is draining away.

As far as other things that make life worth living, aren't my fellow Project Runway fans so happy that the new season has started and that they are back in NYC? Do you think Heidi will ever stop pootying out Seal's babies?

Rainy Day Ugh

The rain and the ugh commenced at roughly the same time. Slept pretty well, but woke up early and could feel the bloat and the fatigue, despite which, I couldn't stay in bed.

Started puttering around the apartment and had a light breakfast. Then I noticed a break in the rain and decided to walk to Robert's. It's just a few blocks, but slightly uphill. I had some letters to drop in the mailbox and a New Yorker to drop off with him. It was slow going on the walk, and I had to sit and chat for a few minutes to get a second wind before making the trip back. I managed to get home just as the rain started up again.

I think I'm in for the day. Me and the ugh, looking out on the rain. It really isn't too bad. I think knowing it's the last makes it endurable.

Guess what showed up in yesterday's mail

That's right: my old passport, mailed Wednesday from the self-same Social Security office I visited in a panic on Monday where they claimed no knowledge of it. Came with my original 2008 W2, and my last 2009 paystub (other documents their form insisted needed to be seen in their originals, but didn't, as it turns out) and a form letter with none of the sender's information filled in in the blanks provided for it.

I scanned the form letter and emailed it to the SS employee I'd been dealing with and told her that something was broken with their system and that though in dealing with me, she had been extremely professional and courteous, her inability to find my passport when it was sitting there somewhere in her office cost me $160.00 to replace my passport, untold stress, and exposure to multiple crowded waiting rooms which is not good for chemotherapy patients. When I got out of chemo yesterday, I had a long rambling voice mail from her on my mobile, apologizing and explaining (over and over) that she had asked the person who turned out to have it point blank if she had it, and she claimed not to. She clearly didn't understand that their system of locating important personal documents shouldn't depend on some other employee being in the mood to do her job or not hating the coworker asking her a question. Ah well. I can't use this passport because it's been reported lost and I'll send it to the Passport Agency as soon as I get my replacement, but at least it's nice to know I'm safe (I hope) from identity theft from this episode.

Woke up early again today. No rain yet, so I've been able to get out for two walks, one longish and one shortish. I returned a book to the library, and had some keys duplicated for my future catsitters at Cliff's Hardware. I feel the slight beginnings of the ugh, but nothing too bad yet. Metallic taste in my mouth and the beginnings of bloat are the only things so far.