Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Happy Thanksgiving....
I hope everyone is ready for Thanksgiving. I made one final trek to Kroger this morning and think I have everything I need for the big feast tomorrow. My brothers and their families are coming down as well as one of my sisters so we should have a group of about 20. I'll probably get some preliminary cooking out of the way this afternoon and then get the turkey going around 11 am tomorrow.
The boys got home from school yesterday and promptly spent the night at their cousins. I think I've seen them a combined 3 and a half minutes since they got home. Yesterday Abbey took a college visit at the University of Dayton. She has applied to about 7 different schools but I think Ohio State and Dayton are her top 2. I was very impressed with the Dean of the Engineering school at UD...he's someone I've known for a while but he really took the time to find out what Abbey's interests are and what he felt would be the best path for her to get there. I think Dayton has a great sense of community and making sure their students succeed and they also have a strong focus on the undergraduate student. At big research institutions like Ohio State, Purdue and Pittsburgh (3 other schools she is applying to) they are more focused on the PhD students....definitely something to think about while making a decision on where to attend.
I continue to feel well. My next round of treatments are set for December 1 and 2. After that there will only be 2 left. But first, I'm going to enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday as I've been craving turkey, dressing, gravy and mashed potatoes for the past couple weeks. Wishing you all a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!!
Vince
The boys got home from school yesterday and promptly spent the night at their cousins. I think I've seen them a combined 3 and a half minutes since they got home. Yesterday Abbey took a college visit at the University of Dayton. She has applied to about 7 different schools but I think Ohio State and Dayton are her top 2. I was very impressed with the Dean of the Engineering school at UD...he's someone I've known for a while but he really took the time to find out what Abbey's interests are and what he felt would be the best path for her to get there. I think Dayton has a great sense of community and making sure their students succeed and they also have a strong focus on the undergraduate student. At big research institutions like Ohio State, Purdue and Pittsburgh (3 other schools she is applying to) they are more focused on the PhD students....definitely something to think about while making a decision on where to attend.
I continue to feel well. My next round of treatments are set for December 1 and 2. After that there will only be 2 left. But first, I'm going to enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday as I've been craving turkey, dressing, gravy and mashed potatoes for the past couple weeks. Wishing you all a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!!
Vince
Saturday, November 06, 2010
Treatment #3.....
Just a short update today. I spent the last couple days receiving parts 1 and 2 of treatment #3. The good news is everything went well, no allergic reactions and as of now I'm feeling pretty good - not 100% but not bad all things considered. The better news is - IT'S WORKING!!! They reviewed my recent scans; there was no new activity and the previous nodes have all gotten smaller. Dr. Devine from the James Center at Ohio State also reviewed the scans and he recommended to continue the treatments and saw no immediate need to further consider a stem cell procedure at this time. So we're heading in the right direction, I'm halfway through this treatment schedule and hopefully by mid-February we'll be back to a more normal routine.
This past week I've been on the speaking circuit for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society; they've asked me to speak at some of their informational meetings for people interested in taking part in their Team in Training program. We had two very good and eager groups this week and hopefully many of them will decide to participate in the program. I've participated in TNT numerous times and it always touches me how people who have no connection to the mission of the LLS work so tirelessly for the Society. These people are the hope for people like me who live every day with a blood related cancer. If you've never taken part in a TNT event you are missing out on a tremendously rewarding experience. If you'd like to learn more about the program just let me know. Of course there are other ways to support the LLS. I plan to go back out to Lake Tahoe in June orf 2011 and take part in America's Most Beautiful Cycle Ride - I will provide you with numerous opportunities to support me in this effort. We can't rest until we've found the answers to all blood cancers!!!
I'd like to extend a belated Happy Birthday wish to our son, Judd, who turned 22 on Wednesday. I went up and took him and his girlfriend, Deven, out to dinner at a very nice Thai restaurant in the Oregon District in Dayton. Hard to believe our baby boy is 22!
Finally, it seems everyday we're learning of special people in our lives who are facing challenges with their health, employment or relationships. Please remember these people in your prayers. I know, first hand of the power of prayer and you have no idea how much hope your prayers may provide to someone special in your life. We're all here for each other, to touch each others lives and walk beside each other on our journeys. Say a prayer for everyone who is special to you, be thankful they are in your lives and never take for granted the reasons God has brought them to you.
Peace and blessings to all.
Vince
This past week I've been on the speaking circuit for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society; they've asked me to speak at some of their informational meetings for people interested in taking part in their Team in Training program. We had two very good and eager groups this week and hopefully many of them will decide to participate in the program. I've participated in TNT numerous times and it always touches me how people who have no connection to the mission of the LLS work so tirelessly for the Society. These people are the hope for people like me who live every day with a blood related cancer. If you've never taken part in a TNT event you are missing out on a tremendously rewarding experience. If you'd like to learn more about the program just let me know. Of course there are other ways to support the LLS. I plan to go back out to Lake Tahoe in June orf 2011 and take part in America's Most Beautiful Cycle Ride - I will provide you with numerous opportunities to support me in this effort. We can't rest until we've found the answers to all blood cancers!!!
I'd like to extend a belated Happy Birthday wish to our son, Judd, who turned 22 on Wednesday. I went up and took him and his girlfriend, Deven, out to dinner at a very nice Thai restaurant in the Oregon District in Dayton. Hard to believe our baby boy is 22!
Finally, it seems everyday we're learning of special people in our lives who are facing challenges with their health, employment or relationships. Please remember these people in your prayers. I know, first hand of the power of prayer and you have no idea how much hope your prayers may provide to someone special in your life. We're all here for each other, to touch each others lives and walk beside each other on our journeys. Say a prayer for everyone who is special to you, be thankful they are in your lives and never take for granted the reasons God has brought them to you.
Peace and blessings to all.
Vince
Monday, November 01, 2010
October Recap....
I have to apologize for not posting more in October. There were several times when I had every intention of putting out a blog entry but I’d get home and not have access to the computer or would simply not get around to it until it was too late. With this in mind, here is a recap of October’s ‘highlights’.
My second round of treatments went fairly well. I felt a bit bloated for a few days but other than that, I thought everything was extremely tolerable. My blood counts were a bit lower than the first round of treatments but nothing close to causing any real concern. The next treatments will be November 4 and 5; this Thursday and Friday - following that, I’ll be halfway done. I did have scans taken last week and will learn the results on Thursday – that is the real test. Dr. Leming said he would expect a dramatic change in my scans but fell short of saying everything should be gone. As long as they’re going in the right direction, that is the key. So Thursday will be a big day and I’ll be sure to post the results no later than the weekend.
October was a fairly busy month. Our niece, Dana, got married on October 9 and the boys came in for the wedding. The following week, they were home again as all three of the kids went skydiving! Let me tell you, there is nothing more frightening than watching your 3 children jump out of an airplane from 10,000 feet, seeing them fall for what seems like an hour and waiting for the chute to open. They all said it was an absolute thrill but I can tell you it’s not a thrill standing on the ground watching it all play out above you. It was a beautiful day and they all were great but I’m fine if they don’t choose to do it again for a long, long time.
We reached another milestone as parents as Abbey played her final field hockey game for MND. She actually had a great season but her team lost 1-0 to Oakwood and was eliminated from the state playoffs. So after 17 years of watching our kids play sports, it would appear we’ve watched our last game as parents. I can’t tell you how many games we’ve watched but there have been a bunch of them. We’ve been there for the teams that struggled to win a game and we were fortunate enough to watch one of Judd’s volleyball teams go undefeated and win a state championship. In the process, we’ve made many, many friends along the way. I have to thank Judd, Aaron and Abbey for all the memories, for going out and competing and for putting up with my critiques following the games. I was fortunate enough to coach all three of them and tried to be fair when it came to their positions and playing time. It was a thrill for me to coach the teams and I hope the kids enjoyed the time we were able to spend together, all the games, practices and car rides home. I know there were times when I probably made them mad or they wished I wasn’t the coach but I hope when they look back on their athletic days they’ll remember that Julie and I always tried to be there for them, win or lose. One day maybe I’ll post my favorite moments from all their games but for now I’ll just say thanks again for the past 17 years of sports entertainment; I’ve enjoyed every minute of it!
So Abbey is starting the process of applying to college. It’s been a slow process but hopefully she’ll have all the applications completed and off to a select group of schools by mid-November. She has an impressive list of candidates; Ohio State, Dayton, Purdue, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Loyola, Marquette and several others that escape me at this point. She wants to study biomedical engineering so Xavier is not an option. I’m biased so I would like for her to stay close to home but we’ll have to see how it all plays out. For now, I’ll just enjoy having her around the house and continue to not look forward to the day where we’re moving her off for 4 years of college!
Here are the final 10 songs in my countdown of songs featuring female vocalists; sorry it has taken so long to put up the last 10…hopefully it’s not anticlimactic at this point!
10. Barracuda/Heart – Just last week I saw Heart on ‘Dancing With the Stars’ and they performed this song. Personally, I don’t think Barracuda was written to showcase ballroom dancing but they still sounded pretty good – Ann Wilson’s voice isn’t quite what it used to be but neither is Roger Daltry’s. I give them credit for still being at it for well over 30 years.
9. Stoney End/Barbara Streisand – Of all the songs Streisand has performed over the years, this is my favorite. I don’t know why but it’s on my Ipod and I’ve listened to it enough that it shows up on my ‘top 25 played’ playlist. Go figure that.
8. At Last/Etta James – powerful vocal but couldn't tell you another song by Ms. James.
7. Dancing Queen/ABBA – what can I say, my teenage years were right in the middle of the disco era so I actually like quite a bit of the disco music. In addition, ABBA was somewhat reborn as a result of the hit musical, Mamma Mia.
6. House of Cards/Mary Chapin Carpenter – this song reminds me of my childhood – the good times and the bad. Trust me when I say 47 Cliff Street was the ultimate 'house of cards'.
5. Eternal Flame/The Bangles – The Bangles had a nice run of hits back in the mid to late 80’s, this one was more of a ballad than their other hits but I like it for the vocals, both lead and back-up.
4. Heart of Glass/Blondie – Another disco hit and still one more to go. This song put Blondie on the charts for the first time and they had a nice string of hits over the next 4 to 5 years before slowly slipping into oblivion.
3. Last Dance/Donna Summer – Here’s a little trivia question; which movie won more Academy Awards - the critically acclaimed, The Color Purple, or one of the worst movies ever made – 1978's Thank God It’s Friday. The answer is TGIF and this song is why, winning best original song over Grease’s Hopelessly Devoted to You. It is the perfect disco song.
2. Rainy Days and Mondays/The Carpenters – Karen Carpenter had one of the top female pop vocals of all time. This one’s also on my Ipod’s top 25 played.
1. Because the Night/Patty Smith and 10,000 Maniacs – Both versions are great, Smith’s has a bit more grit but I also think Natalie Merchant does a solid job, as well. On top of that, it’s just a great song written by Bruce Springsteen.
That'll do it for now. I'll try not to stay away for another month. Hope to talk with you all in the near future.
My second round of treatments went fairly well. I felt a bit bloated for a few days but other than that, I thought everything was extremely tolerable. My blood counts were a bit lower than the first round of treatments but nothing close to causing any real concern. The next treatments will be November 4 and 5; this Thursday and Friday - following that, I’ll be halfway done. I did have scans taken last week and will learn the results on Thursday – that is the real test. Dr. Leming said he would expect a dramatic change in my scans but fell short of saying everything should be gone. As long as they’re going in the right direction, that is the key. So Thursday will be a big day and I’ll be sure to post the results no later than the weekend.
October was a fairly busy month. Our niece, Dana, got married on October 9 and the boys came in for the wedding. The following week, they were home again as all three of the kids went skydiving! Let me tell you, there is nothing more frightening than watching your 3 children jump out of an airplane from 10,000 feet, seeing them fall for what seems like an hour and waiting for the chute to open. They all said it was an absolute thrill but I can tell you it’s not a thrill standing on the ground watching it all play out above you. It was a beautiful day and they all were great but I’m fine if they don’t choose to do it again for a long, long time.
We reached another milestone as parents as Abbey played her final field hockey game for MND. She actually had a great season but her team lost 1-0 to Oakwood and was eliminated from the state playoffs. So after 17 years of watching our kids play sports, it would appear we’ve watched our last game as parents. I can’t tell you how many games we’ve watched but there have been a bunch of them. We’ve been there for the teams that struggled to win a game and we were fortunate enough to watch one of Judd’s volleyball teams go undefeated and win a state championship. In the process, we’ve made many, many friends along the way. I have to thank Judd, Aaron and Abbey for all the memories, for going out and competing and for putting up with my critiques following the games. I was fortunate enough to coach all three of them and tried to be fair when it came to their positions and playing time. It was a thrill for me to coach the teams and I hope the kids enjoyed the time we were able to spend together, all the games, practices and car rides home. I know there were times when I probably made them mad or they wished I wasn’t the coach but I hope when they look back on their athletic days they’ll remember that Julie and I always tried to be there for them, win or lose. One day maybe I’ll post my favorite moments from all their games but for now I’ll just say thanks again for the past 17 years of sports entertainment; I’ve enjoyed every minute of it!
So Abbey is starting the process of applying to college. It’s been a slow process but hopefully she’ll have all the applications completed and off to a select group of schools by mid-November. She has an impressive list of candidates; Ohio State, Dayton, Purdue, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Loyola, Marquette and several others that escape me at this point. She wants to study biomedical engineering so Xavier is not an option. I’m biased so I would like for her to stay close to home but we’ll have to see how it all plays out. For now, I’ll just enjoy having her around the house and continue to not look forward to the day where we’re moving her off for 4 years of college!
Here are the final 10 songs in my countdown of songs featuring female vocalists; sorry it has taken so long to put up the last 10…hopefully it’s not anticlimactic at this point!
10. Barracuda/Heart – Just last week I saw Heart on ‘Dancing With the Stars’ and they performed this song. Personally, I don’t think Barracuda was written to showcase ballroom dancing but they still sounded pretty good – Ann Wilson’s voice isn’t quite what it used to be but neither is Roger Daltry’s. I give them credit for still being at it for well over 30 years.
9. Stoney End/Barbara Streisand – Of all the songs Streisand has performed over the years, this is my favorite. I don’t know why but it’s on my Ipod and I’ve listened to it enough that it shows up on my ‘top 25 played’ playlist. Go figure that.
8. At Last/Etta James – powerful vocal but couldn't tell you another song by Ms. James.
7. Dancing Queen/ABBA – what can I say, my teenage years were right in the middle of the disco era so I actually like quite a bit of the disco music. In addition, ABBA was somewhat reborn as a result of the hit musical, Mamma Mia.
6. House of Cards/Mary Chapin Carpenter – this song reminds me of my childhood – the good times and the bad. Trust me when I say 47 Cliff Street was the ultimate 'house of cards'.
5. Eternal Flame/The Bangles – The Bangles had a nice run of hits back in the mid to late 80’s, this one was more of a ballad than their other hits but I like it for the vocals, both lead and back-up.
4. Heart of Glass/Blondie – Another disco hit and still one more to go. This song put Blondie on the charts for the first time and they had a nice string of hits over the next 4 to 5 years before slowly slipping into oblivion.
3. Last Dance/Donna Summer – Here’s a little trivia question; which movie won more Academy Awards - the critically acclaimed, The Color Purple, or one of the worst movies ever made – 1978's Thank God It’s Friday. The answer is TGIF and this song is why, winning best original song over Grease’s Hopelessly Devoted to You. It is the perfect disco song.
2. Rainy Days and Mondays/The Carpenters – Karen Carpenter had one of the top female pop vocals of all time. This one’s also on my Ipod’s top 25 played.
1. Because the Night/Patty Smith and 10,000 Maniacs – Both versions are great, Smith’s has a bit more grit but I also think Natalie Merchant does a solid job, as well. On top of that, it’s just a great song written by Bruce Springsteen.
That'll do it for now. I'll try not to stay away for another month. Hope to talk with you all in the near future.
