Saturday's child

 

Yesterday afternoon I had my last immunotherapy session. At least for the current regimen. Finally, number five.

This is either my third or fourth go 'round with the stuff.

The prophylactic cancer treatment usually beats me up for from three days to a week. 

I guess it depends on if I get an infection or not. So far so good. It is good that it will finally be over and that I can resume my life again.

It never used to affect me but it does now for some reason. Cumulative, higher dosage...

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Ricardo sent a cool skateboard video. Isamu. Pretty amazing kid. Renee and Hudg wanted to let me know that we are witnessing civilization's collapse. No shit.

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Jerry sent a picture of his son Jason at Iao Valley in Maui.

Leslie and I once took a very memorable hike there, had to go through a herd of cows to reach our trail.

Maui was the first place I ever visited in Hawaii. 

Back when they had the Lahaina Whaling Spree in the 1960's.

My father's best friend, Tim Morrow, had a wonderful shop there, the Collector.

Dad loved staying in Napili, he loved playing golf in Maui, bought land there to build but the cardiologists said he was too far from a decent hospital so he didn't.

I remember being a young kid and seeing my first "back to nature" hippie girl at the airport, a visual that fused my circuits.

The hot but hirsute chick had legs and pits that were a lot hairier than mine would ever be and it weirded me out as a ten year old or whatever.

I loved the greeter and the pancakes and the banyan tree and pretty much everything about Lahaina. Can't help thinking of my late father and brother when thinking about their beloved island. So horrible to think what those poor people that live there have undergone and all the horrific death.

I am a claustrophobic person. I don't like crowded spaces, or bars or places with singular exits and entrances. I need far horizons and wide open spaces. And as much as I love Hawaii, and my favorite island Kauai, after a period of time, I find myself circling the rock, trapped, wanting to get out and off. That is probably why I live where I do.

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Some good mugshot memes this week. Too many.

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Charles Haywood - Putz. Remind me not to buy his haircare products. This expose is intense. Some of his best friends are Nazis.

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Went down a weird YouTube rabbit hole featuring toughest British bar bouncers, mobsters and tough guys, Alan Crossley, Lenny McLean, Roy Shaw, etc.. Great tradition of thuggery. But could they make a proper apple crisp?

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I have never seen so many monarchs and swallowtail butterflies around as this week. 

They are loving my lantana. 

Don't try to find one in this picture. It is not there.

But there have been a ton of them. Take my word for it.

Orioles have split. 

Somebody found a painted bunting female down in North Park, wish I could see it.

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I had a leathersmith fix an antique native beaded pipe bag for a friend recently.

I had to go to San Diego the other day and wanted to deliver the bag and get paid for it.

Only one problem. I lost it. I searched for an hour and a half, tore my place apart. 

Went through the trash cans. 

I was screwed, I would now be out both the cost of the bag and repair.

Went across the street to drown in my sorrows with a cup of coffee and decided to take one more look.

Found it in twenty seconds.

Whew!

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Pardell and Pecore, two peas in a pod.

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As some of you know, for many years I have augmented my income by writing educational curriculum for teachers. The company I write for was sold to a university this year. Last week, they wrote me and asked me both to revise an old course and to develop four of five more new courses.

I am happy and flattered. They like my writing and my sense of humor. I need to read a book this weekend and get right on it. If I can do enough of these it might make a difference in my retirement.

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Fechtman said that Taylor Swift's impact seems to be really broad these days. I don't get it but I am old. But he included this picture. Unreal.

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Got a letter from across the pond.

Hey Robert
I was so intrigued to see that so many people in California have rain gauges. Who knew that was a thing?
You all live in the desert no?
Anyway, I want to be in the rain gauge club. Rains a lot here so plenty to measure. Only 5mm today
Px

I wrote back to explain that I live in an agricultural community where water is scarce and expensive. We have to stay on top of it.

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Thanks to Linda Wilson for sending Leslie such a beautiful birthday bouquet of lilies!

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I thought that the beautiful woman who administered my labs was from Trinidad Tobago. "No," she said, "Jamaica, but I was seven when I moved here. I still have an accent?" She did but I pride myself for having an ear for such things.

We talked about Jamaican music and she was amazed that I had met and seen Jimmy Cliff and Toots and the Maytals. I never saw Bob but both Leslie and Diann did. I feel lucky to have seen many of the originals. The next generation never delivered in the same way. I'm listening to a lot more reggae lately.