All I Want For Christmas Is You

Today, along with millions of other Americans, I made a last minute dash to the mall.  Since Hanukah fell most improbably on Thanksgiving this year, and since I was too busy burning the turkey and side dishes to burn candles, we decided to celebrate Christmas instead.  It will be a small celebration—my daughter is on… Continue reading All I Want For Christmas Is You

Happy Birthday To Me

Ex-marines are some of the toughest patients I ever see, when it comes to dealing with pain from cancer.  And CAREER ex-Marines have the market cornered on toughness.  Take for example, an elderly friend in Kansas who woke up one morning with severe upper back pain, feeling faint, and decided as was his Marine Corps… Continue reading Happy Birthday To Me

A Month Late and Several Dollars Short

San Diego is a desert and the last few years have been completely rainless from April to November with a few light sprinkles in the winter months.  So I didn’t think too much of it when some of the lesser landscaping started to die off—an azalea here, a rhododendron there, a wilted geranium.  And the… Continue reading A Month Late and Several Dollars Short

The Case of The Missing Chicken

It happened two or three weeks ago, and it’s still bothering me so I might as well write about it.  Harvest Ranch Market, in Encinitas where I work, makes a pretty good rotisserie chicken.  I don’t have much time to cook during the week, so many Sundays I’ll head over there and pick up two… Continue reading The Case of The Missing Chicken

The Way I See It

When it comes to surgery for cancer, having a “positive margin” is a bad thing.  It means that when the surgeon said he “got it all,” even though he meant it with all of his heart, likely he didn’t.  For a woman undergoing a lumpectomy for breast cancer, that positive margin means a re-excision of… Continue reading The Way I See It

The Techno-Freak in Me

At home, I have trouble working the audio-visual system.  A few years ago, my husband bought a television set for our family room with a huge screen, for better sports and movie viewing.  Gradually components were added on—a surround sound system, the keyboard to stream video from Netflix, the standard DVD player, and, a gift… Continue reading The Techno-Freak in Me

Parlez-Vous Espanol?

Sometimes I meet the most amazing people.  A few weeks ago I had a medical student who was visiting from the University of Vermont.  His name was Stanislaus and he spoke perfect English, with a delightful Russian accent.  As we got to know one another, he spoke of growing up in a village in Chechnya,… Continue reading Parlez-Vous Espanol?

Be Prepared

My friend Rachel and I have done a fair amount of traveling together over the last ten years.  Mostly we’ve gone to dog shows, with occasional side trips thrown in.  We like a lot of the same things—deerhounds, horses, art, jewelry, and husbands who stay home with the animals while we jaunt around the country.… Continue reading Be Prepared

The Median Isn’t The Message

Since I am still recovering from Turkey Day laziness, I thought I would share one of my favorite essays with you instead of writing something myself.  Bear with me here because it’s long, but extremely instructive for cancer patients, their caregivers, their loved ones, and those well meaning friends who want to tell you everything… Continue reading The Median Isn’t The Message