A bathroom wall, in some bar, somewhere in Kentucky....
Summer is over and I barely witnessed the sun. August disappeared. September came and went with a jaunt to Louisville, ripe with debauchery. October started with a trip back to San Francisco and a broken heart, missing the Bay. The last few months, I’ve worked myself to a pulp, torturing my body to no end. There have been 30hr work days, back to back fabrication schedules, travel, lease negotiations, and an endless stream of events. Just a few days ago, struggling to keep my head straight, I drove my work van into my neighbor’s garage. I nearly took the damned thing down, crumbling a good chunk of structure. Drive seemed like Reverse… naturally (-Well, at least I was able to make one contractor happy… that’s my stimulus package.)
Andrea and I will be headed to Alaska in November for the Andy Warhol exhibit in Anchorage. We sold a booth to a client working with the Museum. We have been asked to set it up for the opening. So, snow boots and ear muffs it is!! …or, did global warming fix that?
The studio has been moving forward, doing well. We just leased a new space two blocks from our home in Oak Park. It’s in the Harrison Street Arts District. We’re pushing for a grand opening on November 15th… I’m really looking forward to getting in there. Right now we are in the midst of painting, planning, and installing the essentials.
Before you know it, Thanksgiving will be here. (For Andrea and me, it’s our “Turkaversary "). Then, New Years will come faster than a snow squall and we will be pondering 2011 resolutions. I am scheduled to go back to Germany for a follow-up scan, January 31st. Can you believe it? 2 years now…? living with NET, and it’s almost as if I managed to ignore the majority of it. Or, I’ve kept myself busy enough to forget the details. So, I’m saying it here and now… my resolution will not be to work less. I like what I do even when it hurts. My resolution will be to “make shit count…more.” If I sand wood, every stroke will be deliberate. If I post a letter, the To and From will be neatly penned, because my hand will live longer than I. When I drink a glass of wine, I’ll let it rest on my tongue just a second or two longer. I’m going to skip the turkey and eat nothing but stuffing, because the stuffing is the meal.
A blurred landscape photos for no good reason... We have our tickets for Germany. -Flying into Frankfurt arriving the morning of February 6th. On the 7th, we take the train to Bad Berka. Scan on the 8th. If the scan looks ok, we will proceed with surgery in Omaha with Dr. Botha. But before heading back to the US, we'll take the train to Berlin, and fly out from there on the 13th. If the scan is not so great, i.e., too many tumors in the liver to operate of extensive disease, we will see if I can stay for PRRT treatment. I'm not sure if this is an option at this time with respect to scheduling in the hospital, etc.... I still need to work out some logistics... that is, how does my surgeon in Nebraska review the imaging from the scan? When will a report be completed? That's all for now...
A cornfield somewhere in Wisconsin: Taken with a Horizon 35mm panormic: Taken just after a spell of severe stomach pains. October.2008 So, here it goes, from the beginning: I've had recurring stomach pains for at least 4 years. For those who know me well, I’m a relatively “high-strung” individual… Ok, maybe I’m borderline OCD? Initially, doctors thought these stomach pains might be related to anxiety? But sometime late in 2007, my pain slowly started to get worse. Well, I thought it must be an ulcer or something? At times, I’d have these attacks that would last for days, stabbing. When the pain started to become more frequent in November of 2008, Andrea forced me to see a doctor. The doctors initially thought it might be an ulcer, or, an issue with my gallbladder. I was sent for an ultrasound in early December 2008… and this is when it all began. During the ultrasound they noted that I might indeed have gallstones, for which an operation would be required. In addition, they n
Just three years ago I was officially diagnosed with Cancer. Happy Cancerversary!!! But hey, guess what? I'm still alive and well... Fu*k you Cancer! If my next MRI at the end of March shows stable disease, I will have had no progression in 1 year (Currently 10.25 months stable). Every day that I can spend with my wife, my work, friends and family, I'm happy. Now... Here we come Europe! We leave Sunday for Switzerland and Italy (Photobooth business abroad!).
A bathroom wall, in some bar, somewhere in Kentucky....
Hi Anthony and Andrea!!!
ReplyDeleteJust thinking about you and catching up with your life. That's great about your space on Harrison!! That's going to be awesome.
Sounds like you guys have been super busy, that's great