Open Letter to Everyone Who Forwards Viral Email

Dear Family/Friend/Loved One/Acquaintance,

When you forward an email to me that was forwarded to you, and you include, say, 24 other people, now 24 other people have my email address. And while you may trust those other 24, you don’t know the 25 people they may forward it to, and each of those 25 people may forward to 25 more. At the end of the day, hundreds or thousands of people could have my email address that I don’t know. And perhaps one of those people works for a company that collects emails for spam. Or maybe one has a virus or Trojan horse on their computer that scans emails such as this looking for email addresses to add to a spam database. So, anytime you are sending an email that may get forwarded, you should always use “Blind Carbon Copy” (or BCC). Don’t use the regular “CC” or "To". You have to use the BCC because then all of the email addresses will be hidden from the other people.

That said, I never, ever read emails like these. You never know when one might contain an attached virus. And frankly, I just don’t find them interesting. So, they get deleted right away. My request to you is: no matter what you choose to do in the future regarding forwarding emails that you didn’t write, please don’t include me.

Anytime you want to write a personal note to me, feel free! Those I welcome.

Love,
Laurie

MasterChef Tryouts

So, last Thursday I was shopping at Sur la Table in Los Gatos for some soufflé cups for Friday night's dessert (a yummy Meyer Lemon Soufflé). So, while I was there, I looked down on the counter and uttered, "you've got to be kidding me." What did I see? A stack of little cards advertising open casting calls for Chef Gordon Ramsay's new TV show called MasterChef. If you want to see the details, follow this link: MasterChef auditions. Well, I immediately thought that I could try out to be on the show, seeing as how I love to cook and am always trying to improve my skills. Also, I have been considering going to culinary school to learn some professional skills and I thought being on the show might be like a crash course in culinary school. I picked up the card and checked out the details when I got home. The requirements were a bit daunting: Bring a dish to plate and serve to one taster, bring a photo of your dish, bring a photo of yourself, and bring the completed application (about 10 pages long). And the casting call was on Sunday in San Francisco.

I mulled it over and decided on Spring Rolls because I felt they would hold and transport well in a cooler for several hours. I was more stressed about the answers to the questions. The hardest ones for me were how my friends would describe my personality, and what would they say are my best and worst qualities. I got some feedback that I'm a bit shy and reserved and sometimes don't know what to say. And this is true. Also, I guess one of my flaws is honesty because I think this is why I was passed up.

Sunday morning I got up and decided to do this for real, so while I went to the store to get the ingredients I needed, David went to Fry's to pick up a printer. Our photo printer had died a few weeks earlier. I rushed home and assembled the Spring Rolls (which, by the way, I had never made before.) :-O

David and I then rushed up to San Francisco in order to stand in line for a few hours in the cold. Luckily it wasn't raining. I finally made it to the front of the line and went along with my group to the "audition" area where I quickly plated my dish for the taster. He came around and asked me, "So, what do we have here?" "Spring Rolls made with shrimp, carrots, cucumber, and avocado. Served with a sauce made of mayonnaise, sesame oil, rice vinegar, wasabi paste, and chopped cilantro." Taster: "So, where did you get your shrimp?" Me: "I got it at 99 Ranch Market this morning." Taster: "How did you cook your shrimp?" Me: "I boiled the water, added the shrimp, turned it down to a simmer for a couple of minutes then took them out of the water. Then I tasted one to make sure it was done." The taster took a swipe of the sauce with his pinkie and took a bite of the Spring Roll and said, "Very fresh. Very good." Then walked away.

After that, a lady whom I assume is a casting person came to ask me questions. That's where I blew it. She asked me why did I decide to come try out for the show, what are my culinary goals, and how would my friends describe my personality. I said I felt the show was made for me because I love to cook and am always trying to improve my skills and gain enough knowledge and experience to stray away from recipes. I said that I considered going to culinary school but not to be a professional chef. Instead I wanted to have professional chef skills when cooking for my family and friends. And I said my friends probably see me as shy and reserved. Hmmm... I guess they don't want shy and reserved people on TV.

Anyway, the taster liked my dish! I am glad that I was able to see a glimpse of the underbelly of a cooking TV show. If it comes around next year I think I'll be better prepared with my answers and tell them of the energetic, adventurous side of me as well.

Totally Random Stuff

Well, sorry I have been a little silent right now, but to tell you the truth, not much has been going on. I'm still recovering from my foot surgery. That and the rain have been keeping me pretty quiet. I did get to re-arrange the garden before it started raining but now I can't do much until it stops, and it looks like it'll never stop. I have been practicing my knitting. I even enrolled in a knitting boot camp and hope to learn a lot. Cassie is still cute and sweet, and continues to make us happy to have her in our family.

I just passed one milestone: January 21st was my 1-year anniversary since my liver surgery, and that means I'm 1 year into remission. That's actually a big deal. Though they don't really have a "cured" time frame after cancer has spread to your liver, I think most of the return cases are within 2 years. So, I'm halfway there. The last time my remission was for less than a year so it was nice to reach the year mark this time. I'm still living life as if I have lots of it left.

Latest PET Scan

A short post:

As my Facebook friends already know, last week I had a PET scan. The results: ALL CLEAR. In two months I'll get an MRI. For now I am living life in 2-month increments. I'll take what I can get.

Granny and Grandad

This post is dedicated to my wonderful grandparents. My grandmother's name was Rosa Mae Haddox, and my grandfather was always called "J.C. Wells", which is short for Joseph Caron Wells. Grandad and Granny got married on March 1, 1932. Granny used her middle name (sort of a common thing for our family to do, I've discovered) and so she went by the name "Mae Wells".

Granny was born on March 22, 1913. She was always very kind, warm, loving. She always, and I mean always, had a smile on her face. You know how most people, when they are relaxed and gazing into the distance, have a neutral look on their face? Granny didn't. Her lips were always curled up in a relaxed smile. This is one thing I remember about her. Granny was also very short, which became worse with her osteoporosis. Her upper back became hunched over, causing her to shrink. She LOVE it when I gave her back massages. Also, she always had a pot of beans on the stove or in the fridge. It's just the way it was done. I also remember that for many, many, many years (since when I was a little girl) she had a sore on her right leg. She scraped it when she was not very old and it never healed. The doctors did many skin grafts on it but could not get it to heal. I always wondered why. She was always cleaning it, changing the dressing, and always had a bandage on it. For the last few years of her life, she suffered from congestive heart failure and was in out of the hospital because of heart problems. She finally passed away, at the age of 96, on April 5, 2009. I am so lucky that she gave me a packet of old photographs a few years ago, which I rediscovered a couple of days ago as I was unpacking one of the final boxes from moving to our current house. In this packet was this photo. She was beautiful, and look at all that hair!

Grandad was born May 5, 1914. To me, he always looked the same, and that's to say: old. When I was a kid I was actually a bit afraid of him. He was gruff, and didn't speak to us kids much. Perhaps he just didn't like kids. I remember that he was ALWAYS working outside in the garden or in his tool shed, planting his garden, building something. He was outside all day, every day from the time he got up to the time he had to come in for dinner. After dinner he'd usually watch TV and relax. He taught me a poem about a wise old owl. I don't remember how it went, but I remember I cherished that poem because he taught it to me. When I grew up into an young adult I noticed something interesting about him: he slowed down, took more time to visit with me, and became very loving. He smiled a lot more, hugged me, and enjoyed conversations with me. When he spent time with me he made me feel like I was his favorite person. I'm very glad that the gruff grandfather I grew up knowing mellowed out and showed me that he loved me. And I loved him very much too. He died at the age of 87 on August 23, 2001. The cause of death was colon cancer which, by the time they discovered it, had spread too far to treat. (Side note: My colon cancer is unrelated to his. I am much younger and I also did a lab test to see if it was genetic. It wasn't.) This is how he looked when he was a young man. Very handsome!

Granny and Grandad were married for 69 years, and loved each other until the end. This is how I remember them:

This is a fun picture of them too, as a young married couple. This was taken in probably 1944. My father is the baby that my grandfather is holding.

Christmas Letter 2009 (penned by David)

Greetings –

Well, this year started off rather inauspiciously when we discovered just before last Christmas that Laurie’s colon cancer had returned as a metastasis on the left lobe of her liver (the small part often used for donation). We knew one of our first challenges of the year would be surgery. The surgery was done at Stanford by one of the world’s leading liver cancer surgeons. They also took her gall bladder out when they saw a second small lesion above it. After several months of recovery and another 6 months of chemo there has been no recurrence. Laurie continues to alternate between PET and MRI scans every two months. They’re continuing to look clean and we look forward to less frequent and equally clear scans as the years roll by.

Laurie also had the first of 2 bunionectomies done in November. The surgery corrects bone growth in the foot so that the bones are now straight and that will remove a lot of pain that she’s been having. There has to be 3 months between surgeries, so Laurie will have her other foot done in late February.

David’s continuing to work at Cisco. The work isn’t quite the same as he originally signed up for, but it is gainful employment and he feels there’s value in what he’s doing. Most importantly, the job and pay are solid along with great benefits. Now if only they’d stop forcing vacation times on him so that there could be some planned time for him to do stuff with Laurie.

We wouldn’t consider our life normal if it didn’t include a little chaos. Laurie finished her last chemo in August and was looking forward to a little relaxation time before considering a possible return to work. With the previous 19 months of her life pretty chaotic and lost with surgeries, chemo and recovery, it was decided that it was time for Laurie to slow down, relax and start to enjoy life for a while. Well, that was the idea at least. Then Laurie made the mistake of mentioning to Theo’s breeder that he seemed bored at times. Well, 3 weeks later Francee contacted Laurie and said she had a long coated female that was 9 weeks old.

The timing was right for everyone, but we also knew this would pretty much trash any chance of the next 10-12 weeks being quiet and relaxing. Less than 3 weeks later we met Francee and Hollie in Petaluma and returned with the most loving 12 week old ball of fur you’ll ever meet. Cassiopeia (aka Cassie) is gorgeous, loving, affectionate and full of life. Theo hoped she’d leave for the first couple days, then put her in her place for a few days. Now he just lets her do whatever she wants. She is constantly goading him into play and has brought the puppy out of him again.

The conclusion is all is right in our life again. Laurie may decide to return to work in the future, but for now she’s just keeping her license up to date so the options are open. Theo and Cassie are definitely our kids. We are very happy that Laurie is healthy and in the clear.

We wish you all a Happy New Year and Joyous Holiday Season.

Laurie, David, Theo, and Cassie

Poor Cassie :-(

Well, it was time. Cassie had to go in to the vet to get spayed. I know that some people think a dog needs to go through one heat but for her future we decided it was best not to allow that. For one thing, she isn't allowed to go to daycare after 6 months of age unless she is spayed. And she could have her first heat from 6-8 months old. We feel the socialization she gets from being around other dogs at daycare is very important and we don't want to deny her that socialization for 1-2 months just to have a heat cycle. Plus we don't want to deal with her having a cycle in the house or for Theo (who is altered but can still respond to hormones) to get weird. So, we took advantage of this Thanksgiving break in her training classes, and of the extended time that Dave's at home for the holiday, to go ahead and get her fixed.

She is a little confused, a little wimpery. I don't blame her. Yesterday she woke up, happy as ever, bouncing around, playing, wanting breakfast (which she could not have) and then we took her to the vet. The doctor said that when he was doing an exam on her she was giving him kisses. Then she was sedated and spayed and later Dave and I picked her up. I wonder what's been going through her head. She woke up, different somehow, and now she has to wear a cone on her head. She's not allowed to run, play, or jump for 7-10 days and so she goes outside on a leash. Gone are the free romps in the back yard. For all she knows, it's forever. But it's only for a few days. In a week or two she will be back to her old self, with free roam of the house and back yard and she and Theo can play again. I know that Dave and I can't wait for that to happen.

Here's a picture of her from today:

Did I Tell You I Had Foot Surgery?

It's not sexy... and it is painful. The bunion. Due to unlucky developmental abnormalities, my feet have always hurt when I wear anything other than tennis shoes. Well, I could wear flip-flops too, but those only get a person so far! Finally a couple of months ago my right foot was hurting after wearing flip-flops all day, prepping for some dinner party or another. So, I scheduled a visit with a foot doctor. He took some x-rays of my feet and declared them to have moderate bunions (coupled with some arthritis) which he could correct with surgery. I've heard of people regretting having had the surgery, and I've heard of people wishing they had done it sooner. I hope I'm one of those people.

So, two weeks ago my right foot was operated on and I have to say, I'm amazed at the "after" x-ray. The foot is still tender and swollen and I have to wear the big black surgical shoe for another week and a half, and then tennis shows only after that for 3 weeks or so. I will go easy on my foot, but when it's ready I can't wait to put on a nice pair of dress shoes and see how it feels!

So far the recovery isn't bad. Not much pain, unless I'm up on my feet too much. I've been keeping it elevated and iced a lot, watching TV, reading, knitting.

In about 3 months I'll do the other foot and go through this whole thing again.

Modern Courtesy

I'd like to bring attention to the decline of modern courtesy, specifically as it relates to invitations. I was taught that if someone invites you to something then you should respond with an acceptance or a declination. Ignoring the invitation is not an option. If I have decided that I'd like to spend time with someone and don't get any response at all, I don't take it as a "no". Instead, I feel snubbed. And after a couple of these I'll stop asking.

If I ask you if you'd like to do something or if you are available, it's OK to not be available. But I would appreciate it if you'd let me know so that I can either ask someone else or make other adjustments without the fear of a last-minute change. It's not polite to put people on hold in case some better offer comes along.

I find this is a very Californian thing, I think. At least I never experienced this in Texas. Does this happen everywhere else?

My Babies

I am so happy with my babies! Theo is a 4 year old very good-natured male Akita. Cassie is our new 4 1/2 month old female puppy Akita. Theo is a wonderful adult, very patient and playful with the very energetic Cassie. Cassie is by far the happiest puppy I've every seen. She smiles all the time and is absolutely joyful. She's not fussy - if she's confined she settles down and does not complain. If she's chewing on something she's not supposed to chew on she will accept a substitute if given one. The two dogs are so wonderful to have around, and it's wonderful that they have each other. I had no idea there was so much playfulness left in Theo but Cassie really brings out the puppy in him.

Right now they are tumbling around, chewing on each other. Both are so happy.

MRI Results Are In

I had an MRI scan last week and got the results today. Here are some snippets from the report:

Findings: Again are noted post-operative changes consistent with left hepatic lobe resection. No new liver lesions are identified. On post-contrast sequences, there is no abnormal enhancing liver lesion. No evidence for restricted diffusion on the DWI sequences. The main and right portal veins demonstrate normal enhancement without evidence for thrombus.

Other visceral organs including the spleen, kidneys, pancreas, and adrenal glands are within normal limits. No ascites is identified. No evidence for retroperitoneal mass or lymphadenopathy.

Impression: No evidence for residual or recurrent mass.

MY Impressions: I like the recurrent use of "no...", "normal...", "no abnormal...".
:-)

My Decision to Leave the Workforce

Well, I did it. I thought about it and thought about it, tried to make myself look forward to returning to work, but couldn't. The lab where I was working is full of wonderful, caring people who looked forward to my return and to my contributions. Wow, that made the decision even harder. In a way, they are my friends and I don't like to let friends down. But, I do have a habit of making decisions based on what's better for those around me, and then I figure out how to be happy with that decision. Well, this time I put myself first and decided not to return until I feel I can be dedicated to it. It's only fair, to me and to them. I will continue to earn my CEUs and keep my license up-to-date so that when I'm ready to return I will be prepared.

I am so lucky to have a wonderful husband who supports this decision. He knows it is likely not permanent, though there are no guarantees. In life, there are no guarantees. Except for death. And I think that's why he is allowing me this selfish time. Because I was unknowingly walking along death's path before I realized it. Now he is allowing me to walk along life's path and to spend my time being a bit selfish.

I plan to include him in my selfishness, though. Hopefully I'll be doing things that make him happy too.

Fall Garden is Planted

Well, I finally got some veggies in for the Fall! I planted seedlings this time around to give them a bit of a head start. Here's what's in the ground now:

• 6 Brussels Sprouts
• 2 kinds of lettuce
• 1 cabbage plant
• Spinach
• Sugar snap peas

Still in the ground from before:

• Tomatoes (these will probably be done soon)
• 2 Jalapeno pepper plants
• 1 Fresno pepper plant
• 1 Leek
• 5 Asparagus crowns
• The herb box (containing parsley, tarragon, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and sage)

I still have to plant the garlic. I have 3 varieties to go in the ground and will try to get this done later this week.

My New Garden Pet

I found a pet in the backyard today:

These guys are friendly and are bug-eating machines. I'm happy to see him there. I hope the dogs don't get him.

Race Relations

The other day I was driving and saw a sign at a school that read something like "Latino Night Dinner tonight". And I was thinking that if we are supposed to be color blind, then why are we making that kind of distinction? Can you imagine the uproar if the sign read: "White Caucasian Dinner tonight"?

Just food for thought...

Colonoscopy

Today I had my second colonoscopy, the first one since my initial one February 13, 2008 when the tumor was found. Everything looks normal, he found no new tumors, polyps, nothing. This is great news. Usually when tumors return they usually do so in the first year, and almost always within the first 2 years. In February it will be 2 years from my initial diagnosis and surgery so if nothing shows back up by that time then I'm looking pretty good. I don't know if the tumors showing up in my liver reset that clock, but I don't think so. I think perhaps each organ gets its own clock, so to speak. My liver still has a little more than a year to go.

The true milestone will be 5 years. If no cancer appears for 5 years then I'll be considered cured. I guess until then I'm officially in remission.

I am scheduled for another MRI October 28th.

My Busy Last Few Weeks

Wow, I'm sorry that I've been away for so long! It's been very, very busy around here. Cassie has been a source of joy but she does take time to raise properly. We are taking her to 2 (yes, 2) Puppy I classes each week. And because she and Theo play together so much, they both have to be bathed quite frequently. Well, not Theo so much but puppies really know how to get dirty fast.

Also, at the end of last month, Dave and I went to Boston for 4 nights. It was a trip taken to combine visiting with some old friends of mine along with visiting Boston. Dave had never been there and while I have, it was really nice to take some time and explore the city. We were accompanied by Joanne, Tim, and Brian for much of the trip.

Another thing that's been taking my time is the garden, of course. We have some spots prepped for planting Brussels sprouts, cabbage, spinach, kale, peas, and garlic. I need to get these in the ground by this weekend, preferably.

The one thing that might interfere with that is this NASTY cold that I caught a couple of days ago. It's kicking my butt, but I'll hang in there. It'll be over when it's over.

That said, I'm going to go rest up some. I should be harvesting basil for pesto. Perhaps I'll feel like doing that later. For now I'm going to chill out for a while. Get it? Chill out? I have a cold!

Cassie

In yesterday's post I was so excited to write about our new little girl that I forgot to mention her name. It's Cassiopeia, and we call her "Cassie" for short. In Greek mythology, Cassiopeia was a vain queen who boasted about her unrivaled beauty. We feel that our little Cassie is so gorgeous that if she could speak she would be bragging about it too. But she doesn't brag and she's so loving and sweet. To see her (and get puppy kisses from her) is to love her.

She and Theo are getting along great. The first couple of days Theo wanted to make sure that she knew he was the boss. He was ignoring her (while keeping an eye on her) and wouldn't let her near the toys. And one time she tried to take a treat ball from him and he gave a very strong correction that ended by him doing an "Alpha Rollover" on her, where he rolled her over and held her down with his foot. She got the message, and after that he was satisfied that she knew that he was the boss. If she breaks any more of his rules he will let her know. Now they are playing and offers her toys. They do enjoy each other's company. Sometimes you can see that he is tired of her trying to play all the time so we let him go have some alone time for a while. And Cassie is so easy going that she will play by herself or settle down for a nap.

The first couple of nights we tried to bring her up to our bedroom to sleep in a crate, but she was so restless and fussy. I was thinking she was probably too hot so I took her downstairs to sleep in her pen in the kitchen where it was cooler. She settled right down and slept the rest of the night. She's been sleeping there ever since and goes right into her pen with no fuss. She is so happy to see one of us the next morning and is ready for full-on play and kissing action. But, she has to go pee first!

She's so sweet and smart. I can't wait to see how she is as an adult. Theo is sweet too and has a wonderful temperament, but he is not affectionate. Even as a puppy he didn't want to be held and cuddled. Cassie seems to enjoy this a lot. If I hold her in my arms she quits squirming and rests there, enjoying being close to me. Then she will look up at me and kiss my chin. And I smile really big!

Our New Little Girl

Well, it's been a month since my last chemo treatment. And what a busy month it's been! We've had people here doing work on the house, various things like making the A/C work better, installing cabinetry in the office, installing attic fans, and various other small projects. Finally there aren't people here disturbing my serenity. Oh, except what serenity? We got a puppy a little over a week ago! She's super cute and sweet. Here's a picture of her:

I told you she was cute!!!

So, that's what I've been up to lately. I've been playing with a puppy! I will admit that after we got her we had an "oh, shiesta" moment where we wondered if we were nuts. I mean, after a year and a half of chemo, just when I could relax and have time to myself, we get a puppy. What were we thinking? Anyway, she's here to stay and will be a lovely adult Akita when she's older.

I haven't done much in the garden lately. I need to go out there and clear the spent plants and prepare the ground for a small fall garden. Maybe next week?

So, I had a PET scan last week and went for the results today. It is clear. So, between the MRI and the PET scan it looks like I can relax for a couple of months. I will have another MRI at the end of October.

Time to go get some more puppy kisses...

Our Pondless Waterfall

A couple of weeks ago we decided to hire a professional pondless waterfall company to come and rebuild our original waterfall. We were just never delighted with the waterfall built by our landscaper. I exhausted myself by planting all of the plants around it but think it turned out nice.

Here's a photo of how it looked before:

These photos show how it looks today: