Retail Therapy

You'd think I wouldn't want to add any more Stuff to the Too-Much-Stuff we already have, given that we have to pack it all up and move it sometime soon. But who could resist the cheery little illustrated flowers on these vintage Swedish plates? Not I. 

Poladroiding

This is kind of fun: a free application that makes your digital images look like Polaroid instant photos, giving them a vintage-y feel. All you do is download the program at Poladroid, drag-and-drop your photos, and then watch them "develop" on your screen.

Here's a sample, post-Poladroiding:

Here's the original photo, for comparison:

I think it's neat how it re-creates the fuzzy edges and softens the light, just like a real-live instant photo, but I'm not exactly sure what to do with a digital Polaroid, besides post it here. Ideas?

Don't Skip the Beet

When it comes to eating right to beat cancer, there's a dizzying amount of information out there. There are the raw food diets, the alkaline diets, the cases for and against animal fats, the studies directed at specific kinds of cancer, the scientific studies and the "I beat cancer by drinking green tea 24/7" anecdotes. To cut through the crazy, about a year ago I took a nutrition class at UCSF and concluded that the best approach was a healthy, Mediterranean, plant-based diet. Nothing radical, but no one would expect that from me, anyway.

With latest developments, however, I'm embracing the goodness of veggies more wholeheartedly. Let's face it, it's hard to get all the servings you need in a day. How many salads can a person eat?

Enter the Juicer. Every morning I've been turning a pile like this...

Into something like this...

Any you know what? It's not half bad. Even Dave, who might otherwise, given the chance, eat chocolate chip cookies for breakfast, is enjoying the morning beet/carrot/apple/celery/spinach concoctions. Even better, it takes the pressure off the rest of the day to continuously chew on stalks of broccoli and kale.

My Very Own Toolmaster

Many of you know I'm back in treatment, so instead of recounting the story yet again, I thought I'd share my favorite humorous moment from my latest adventure in health care. 

Upon meeting my neurosurgeon Dr. Cobbs, I could barely concentrate on what he was telling me - something about drilling a hole in my head - because he looked exactly like Dan Wilson of Semisonic and Trip Shakespeare. All I could think was, 'Is he going to wear the shiny concert pants to my surgery?' Because hold the anesthesia, please.

I couldn't be sure I had seen properly, however, as my double vision was making things a bit unclear. I had to get confirmation. So, minutes before being rolled into the OR, the Doc came in to meet Dave and make sure I was all ready to go, and the second he turned his back, Dave mouthed "omigod" and launched into Toolmaster of Brainerd, an old Trip Shakespeare fave. 

And that is how I went giggling into neurosurgery.

Avast!

For nine months I've been on Avastin, the super drug with a super price tag. Yesterday was my last infusion. Another milestone, reached.