Through The New Year May Joy Abide

Today was kinda excellent.

Mrguy and I took a trip to the clinic for chemo. We had an excellent visit with the doctor. Like us, he's a bit puzzled by why mrguy feels so great but still has a tumor marker that is rising. Because we're headed to Hawaii on Monday he gave him gentle chemo today and when we return he'll get a bigger blast with Oxaliplatin, which he hasn't had in a while. Also, the doctor mentioned possibly having a laparascopic surgery where the surgeon can look around and see if there is anything that isn't on the scans. Because the scans are showing no cancer. If things look good, mrguy could possibly be a candidate for surgery which was COMPLETELY OUT OF THE QUESTION when we first found out he had cancer.

Super interesting. That said, his tumor markers just came in and they're higher again. I have a feeling that the Oxy will punch it down. And mrguy can definitely withstand some heavier chemo now that he's more robust.

After talking to the doctor I left mrguy to do chemo and I did some shopping at Old Navy. Molto discounto! I bought a pair of jeans, a bunch of tshirts and a leotard for $85. Also it was super chill.

Then to the less scary Walgreens for a replacement lipstick. The color I bought is a little alarming. I wish I could find my original lipstick because it was so beautiful (and inexpensive). Oh well.

Then to the Thai takeout store at Peppermint Tree Plaza for a veggie banh mi and some papaya salad and what I lovingly call "tick pudding" -- a coconut pudding with random unexpected vegetalia within. 

Tiger Brown still smelled like daikon when I came back to her later.

After lunch I checked in with the precious family. Last week, during Rudolph night my oldest grandniece had mentioned that not a day goes by without someone in the family mentioning the ancestral Pink Panther doll. A different family member had claimed it when we were cleaning out my mom's house. Here is the original. Well I just couldn't let their lack of Panther stand, knowing that there were probably dozens on Ebay. It arrived in the mail yesterday and I am happy to say that they were really happy with the replacement.

And with that, dear readers, I wish you a happy new year. As I drove away from the market where I bought my evening's prosecco I heard the announcer on the radio say "...and from us at KXXX Happy New Year. Brace yourselves".

A Meditation as Prompt

Not sure how I arrived at this as a writing prompt, but sometimes I do a meditation on the senses, in rotation. Today it summons memories of the week.

Things I:

Saw

So many old buildings with potential, through the fog and drizzle on my way to buy a pie.

Tasted

Sad, sad green beans whose great age had converted the flesh to bean as happens over time. 

Smelled

Overcooked pancakes, filling the kitchen with smoke, in a lovely way that reminded me of my dad

Heard

An old friend who recently learned my phone number, calling to say hello. Who uses the phone any more, and how amazing was that?

Felt

The handles on the shopping cart were still warm to the touch when I claimed it from its parking spot on one of my final grocery shops of the year.

Xmas Eve Eve Eve, Xmas Eve Eve, Xmas Eve 2024

We saw some people and did some things! It was nice.

On the 22nd, our dear friends came over and brought us a lasagne. They are so kind. And it is delicious. I introduced them to Pochteca tamarind liqueur, which is now my favorite thing. Shortly after, the precious family came over to watch Rudolph and eat Blåbär. They didn't know that last part in advance, but were suitably amused / horrified / delighted to be forced to consume it.

I didn't tell them that the Blåbär might have been from 2004. But whatever. It's a powder.

The Rudolph show, which we recorded because it was billed as an extended presentation, was not extended unless you mean extended by the many commercials. Total lie. Next time we'll just watch the dvd. But it was awesome as always. There's always something new to learn. Adding to the fun, I guess it's been some time since the PF was here. The girls and their mom loved the not-christmas arch and the clown bathroom. Also the PF brought cookies which they had made, which were delicious.

On the 23rd, the big boy and I had an early appointment with his veterinarian. I hope that we'll eventually figure out why he is losing weight. He has certainly kept us busy this year. And also cozy. He discovered me during this challenging year. He now likes to curl up on my chest and put his arms over my shoulder. So good.

After the vet, I went to see my mom and deliver holiday bonuses to the ladies. I had what I think was a panic attack while waiting for someone to open the door in Memory Care. It's not Memory Care that rattles me. It's my mom. We didn't wake her up (she manages to scare me even though she's asleep), and I spoke at length with her #1 caregiver. She puts up with so much from my mom. Also gives her the Heimlich when necessary, as choking is now her thing. I got out of there and did my big grocery shop for the rest of the week.

Cack and Blick came over in the evening and it was so great to catch up and shoot the shit and drink the champagne and eat chicken enchiladas with mole. Blick's mom lives at a high-end senior community. Cack's is holding on at her own place, but the sitch is sketchy. She and mrguy communed about dysfunctional families. Oh parents and families.

Yesterday I got up early for a mammogram (results: good), cause who doesn't like a medical appointment on Xmas eve? Then off to see a man about a horse, if by man you mean man and by horse you mean chocolate haupia pie and limu poke (we know someone doing a pop-up). It was gorgeously grey and foggy and drippy. The town where I was picking up has tons of altscheis, and I was early so I stopped at a dilapidated donut shop and bought a coffee and a chocolate old fashioned, which I ate in the parking lot while listening to the Cher memoir on Audible.

Back home, I stemmed green beans and then had a katzenflop with the fat young boy cat. Then I decided that today's salmon filet just wouldn't be the same without some twice baked potatoes. And I also decided that it would suck to go to the market. So I watched some genealogy shows and made twice baked potatoes with some new potatoes that I had hanging around. Turned out great!

David Chang's Dinner Time Live was our viewing, then Shrinking, then Interior Chinatown. I love that Ronnie Chieng's character becomes the Edsel Ford Fung of the show's restaurant. Note: the real Edsel Ford Fung bought life insurance from my dad.

The potatoes were a hit. 

The nicest part of the day was a random phone call from a high school friend. He and another friend from middle school have a podcast and I'd done an interview with them recently. He called to tell me that if I needed a cheer up or wanted to talk, he is there for me. Now we have recently reconnected, and he just put himself out there to say those things. I was so touched by that loving act. Much appreciated, friend.

And of course all of you. So much love to my friends, the few readers of mrsguy. You are always in my heart.

Bucket List 2024

Remember the bucket list?

I love how the list changes over time. I think that the only thing that has been on the original bucket list that I've actually done is to sing the national anthem at a baseball game, and I have to say that that no longer feels fashionable. But I did it. And a lot of other things that were never part of the list

13. Perform in a pantomime horse costume

One more item departed the list this year: perform in a pantomime horse costume. This was going to be the year. But being jolly really took some effort, and I work at a place that is so high-functioning in "doing bits" that I realized it would not be as fun as first imagined. But I got so much fun thinking about it. 

8. Volunteer in the Bishop Museum archives

This hasn't happened yet, and I'm not working on it. But I keep it on the list because I think that some sort of thing *like* this will come my way and feel satisfying to do. I still transcribe the Freedman's Bureau records from time to time.

5. Meet distant family in Ireland

I gave up on this, but I feel it's still pertinent to the list. This year I tracked down a genetic relative who has similar research goals. It is possible that my great grandmother and her great great grandmother were siblings. Both died of insanity.

Also, I've really enjoyed being part of a local Irish genealogy group. I feel hopeful that some day this goal of going to met rellies will come to pass.

7. Be a balloon wrangler in the Thanksgiving Day Parade

If an opportunity comes up in the future, I will ask.

NEW TO THE LIST

Participate in an archaeological dig. 

I Did The Things

Yesterday was a river of activity. 

Tiger Brown and I went to the city in a rainstorm. We were buffeted by the wind, and at time I could not see in front of me. Went to the holiday meeting of the Irish genealogy club, where I may have committed myself to doing research on the Orange Men in our state. Developing.

Then I went to kill time at the blood donation center, but flunked iron, as I often do. This is why I stopped giving blood. You psych yourself up for the donation and then they tell you that your iron is too low. On the way out a lady told me that if you heat your hands first, it makes your finger iron register higher (or somesuch).

This all meant I had 4 hours to kill until my next appointment. I visited two cemeteries. The first one is known to be the posher one of the two, and I looooove how they carve the name of the place into the lawn. I drove around the monuments for a bit:

and had to make myself stop because I sort of knew I was in the wrong spot. I took a deep breath, pulled over, and tried to figure out how to get to the area where my friend's ancestors are buried. 

That took a bit, but my nav told me I had arrived. Then I realized that there were hundreds of grave markers in that area and I couldn't figure out what the direction markers mean.

The direction markers look like this. The cemetery nav said I was at my destination, which was plot 101, fifth row, but the marker looked like this:

and more often than not there were four numbers, two on each side of the line, lined up vertically. Never figured out what that meant, and light was growing dim. I walked around for a bit and then asked a groundskeeper if he could look at the listing on the website and help me find the plot. He said something akin to "No se", and we pretended to understand each other. I thanked him and went back to my car. It was freezing and the wind was blowing like stink. My nose was running and I didn't have a tissue. I was super frustrated but I did not cry and I knew I'd figure it out. There were actually walking directions, it turns out, and I made the blue dot and the red droplet line up and found my target. Whew!

Got back in the car and drove over to the less-stellar cemetery where my granny and grandaddy are laid to rest. Wow. It used to be nice, but now it has a marquee wishing you happy holidays, and light up reindeer on the lawn *and* my rellies' resting place has been remodeled. It used to be pretty:

But instead of the window and lawn that used to be there, they busted through that side of the building and added another wing. My folks used to be in what was a quiet destination but now their location is a dank passageway to that new area. I've been thinking of tucking my mom in with her parents when she dies, but now I think it's not fancy enough for her tastes.

When the man called out "Hello?" and asked me to move along, I did. And I realized I still had an hour and a half until dinner. I drove to the Club and parked (1/2 hour). Did my nails in the car (15 min). Finally it was time for Christmas Dinner at the Club.

Simple Things Are Hard

If only the "directions" for the small desk organizer I ordered had said "screw the parts together as you go" I would have finished this project in well under an hour. Between getting things turned around, as I do, and everything falling apart as soon as I moved from one part to the next -- there were many deep sighs and lots of muttering. After about half an hour I had a pile of parts that had once been attached to each other. They weren't even organized any longer (in the photo I've organized them as in the directions).

I kept telling myself that this was a test in patience.

And then I started using low-stick tape on the sections I'd assembled, and when that didn't hold, I started screwing together the parts I knew for sure went together -- basically the drawer -- as a reward for the persistent. And then I had a lightbulb / wtf moment where I decided to just screw parts together and hope I got them right.

That worked.