Triathalon Books -- # 5 and 6

Judy and Nicole's excellent performance in the Danskin Triathalon earlier this month got me interested in reading about what it would be like to train for such an event. So I went to the local public library and took out a couple of books on the subject. The first was Triathlon 101 by John Mora. The second was Triathlon Training by Eric Harr. Both covered a lot of the same material: why would one want to run such a race? how much would the equipment cost? how to train and so on. While both were good at providing goals and training schedules that varied from beginner to expert, Harr's assertion that one could be ready to race in 6 weeks on 4 hours a week seemed a bit facile. (Plus Mora has a way better cover, don't you think?) While I can't say that I'm completely sold on the idea of tri-ing this out, we both are interested in getting back into the pool to see what it would be like to do all three activities on a somewhat regular basis.

Coyote Run Golf Course - Place # 10

This Saturday I played golf at Coyote Run Golf Course in Flossmoor, Illinois, a suburb about 30 miles away from where we live. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to go 18 holes so soon after surgery, but it didn't seem to be a big problem. I was a little sore the next day, but not much, and all in all I think it helped me to get my range of motion closer to where it was before the surgery. I have been golfing with a group of 4-8 women who get together every couple of weeks and play a different course in the Chicago area. They're a good group to play with and by the end of the season I should have a pretty good sense of the public courses in this area.

This course was pretty flat, but also fairly long. The greens were amazingly quick, especially since there had been several inches of rain that had fallen in the area earlier in the week. I won't be sharing what I shot this particular round, but I did have a couple of pars and birdies, along with some very serious disasters. If they were giving a prize for inconsistency, I would have won on Saturday. But the main thing is, I was able to get out there and complete the round. That felt really good!

It's Gonna Happen - Part 2

The Cubs are now only 1 1/2 games out of first place. Last night they pounded the Reds in a 8-1 victory that included two Soriano homers, while the Brewers lost both games of a double-header against the Cards. Meanwhile, the news from the minors is that pitching staff ace Kerry Wood might be available to pitch again as soon as next weekend. In today's game, league-leading pitcher Carlos Zambrano (13-7) takes the mound against the Reds this afternoon. Stay tuned . . . It's gonna happen!

Sufjan Stevens - Illinoise - CD#2

This critically acclaimed CD was recommended to us by our friend Belle's daughter Hannah and it is excellent (and so appropriate for us given our recent move). His music has a kind of folk / indie rock feel to it, but is more orchestral and chorally complicated than much of that kind of music. It sounds different in the way that Rufus Wainwright's music does, but sounds ultimately more grounded in chant than opera. You may have heard the song "Chicago," which is getting a lot of play on indie radio:

I fell in love again
All things go, all things go

Drove to Chicago

All things know, all things know.

The rest of the CD contains songs about various Illinois topics, ranging from Carl Sandburg ("City of Big Shoulders" poet) to John Wayne Gacy (serial killer who hid boys bodies in his NW side home) with a lot of spiritual references mixed in. You can learn a lot about Illinois from this guy! Sufjan is said to be planning concept albums for all 50 states and so far has covered Illinois and Michigan. Thanks Hannah! Excellent recommendation!

Vitus - Movie #3

Last night we went to the Music Box Theatre and saw a clever Swiss film called "Vitus." Vitus is a prodigy, especially when it comes to music. He plays the classics flawlessly at 6 and is outsmarting everyone at school, including his teachers. His well-meaning mom's protective streak has the effect of separating him from his emotional attachments, except when it comes to his grandfather who fosters Vitus' creativity with soul. (He is played by the guy who played one of the angels in Wim Wenders' 1989 film Wings of Desire.) The plot takes a lot of twists and turns, but the basic story is about how this intellectually gifted boy, with the help of his grandfather, develops heart at the piano and elsewhere in life. We both liked it a lot.

It's Gonna Happen! - Fun Fact #2

That's the slogan that's emerged in response to the Cubs success this year. Homemade signs with the slogan are popping up all over Wrigley Field. Sure, there's still a long way to go, but the Cubs are only 2 games out of first place and its nearly August! That's happened only a few times in my whole life! We play the Reds tonight in Cincinnatti.

Labyrinth - Place #9; Chicago Gold and Erik the Red - Beers #7 and 8

On Tuesday we visited the labyrinth at St. James Cathedral, an episcopal church in downtown Chicago located right off the Gold Coast. We met a group of folks from the church we have been attending here in Chicago, Holy Covenant Methodist Church.

Walking the labyrinth is thought to foster a meditative state. Although it appears to be a maze, it is not. There is only one path that leads to the center and that same path leads to the way out as well. Although it looks rather small, it takes about 30 minutes or so to walk this labryinth in a slow but steady fashion. This particular one is interesting because it is set in the corner of the back of the church in an extremely bustling, urban neighborhood. It's interesting that everyone who we walked with was able to feel quiet and centered despite the traffic etc. surrounding the area.

Afterwards, we repaired to the local Rock Bottom Brewery for drinks, dinner, and excellent conversation. All that walking and thinking induced serious thirst and hunger! I had a new beer, Chicago Gold. Billed as a pale ale, it seemed more like a lager, but it was still mighty tasty. Kate had a red beer called Eric the Red that she liked quite a lot. Here's a picture of all the great beers offered at this establishment (with me on the right looking on longingly.)

Cancer School - Experience #12

Yesterday I went to the first installation of what I'm calling "Cancer School." These are short classes held at Northwestern that I'm attending on various topics pertaining to breast cancer, like stress management, physical fitness, nutrition, and so forth. The first class was a very informative session on managing the stress related to cancer diagnosis and treatment. There were a number of women at the session, all at different stages of cancer and treatment. It's pretty awesome to see people working through such incredibly difficult situations in such a wide variety of ways.

P.S. The Cubs won a close one last night against the Cards, so they're back on track after losing two this weekend. They're a mere 3 games out of first as of today, and on national TV on ESPN tonight. 10x40 readers across the country will be cheering them on tonight, I'm sure ;^)

Place #8: Alicia and George and Tony and Marco's House

On Sunday we visited our old friends Alicia and George and their kids Tony and Marco. We had not seen this crew since we moved to Athens, so it was fantastic to have a chance to relax in the backyard and enjoy their company. The last time we saw them, they were living in the Lincoln Square neighborhood in Chicago, not far from The Old Town School of Folk Music. They live in Naperville now, a booming suburb of over 140,000 people which is maybe 35 miles west of downtown Chicago. For the moment, it's one of the edges of development in this area, mixing cornfields with new homes, stores, etc, but Alicia and George said that cornfields are getting plowed over for new buildings on an almost daily basis.

It was great to see Tony and Marco, who were both tiny when we last saw them. Tony is a big reader whose interests include animals and politics. He handily beat Kate in several games of "Democracy", thereby single-handedly emancipating Quebec, Puerto Rico and Cuba. Marco likes to draw around people's hands, enjoys The Wiggles (especially Blue Anthony) and is prone to enigmatic statements like "White rice is blue." Sadly, we left our camera at home, so we can't share a picture, but we'll be sure to get one soon.

Chinatown - Place #7, Laoszechuan - Restaurant # 5

On Saturday we took the Red Line to Chinatown, which is about 2 miles south and maybe a mile west of downtown. It has a distinctly Chinese look, set against the backdrop of the Chicago skyline, which you can see in the second picture on this site. There are several stores packed with interesting ingredients and cooking equipment and the sidewalks are crowded with a mix of folks who live there and lots of visitors.

After walking around for about a half an hour we met friends for dinner at an excellent Chinese restaurant called Laoszechuan. Of the many dishes our table ordered we liked the three chili chicken, crab rangoon, broccoli with garlic, and the mushroom festival, but everything was good. Good and cheap! The table ordered 4 or 5 appetizers and 6 entrees and the total bill was about $80.00 with tip, reversing the sticker shock we've experienced at many other places in the city.

Chicago Short Comedy Video and Film Festival - Movie 2

Last night we went to see 20 very funny (and some not so terribly funny) film shorts at a great old theatre called The Music Box on Southport Avenue about a mile from our apartment. This giant theatre has been around for so long my aunt used to see movies here as a young adult. It hosts numerous fests during the year in addition to regularly showing a lot of arty movies and classics every week. Our favorites were an existential animated rant on I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, an angry guy who sells boxes and says fuck a lot, and a cautionary tale on the hazards of not allowing products to be tested by animals. Because we saw 20 shorts, should this count as 20 films? We decided against that, but might change our minds later if we find ourselves short of movies near the end of the year.

The Cubs won big yesterday and Milwaukee lost, putting the Cubs only 2 1/2 games behind, but then they lost a squeaker today 3-2. We can only hope that Milwaukee follows suit. Right now they're losing 3-0 in the top of the ninth, so there's a good chance all that the overall standings will remain the same despite the Cubs loss today.

Excellent Pathology Report! - Experience # 11

Great news! I just heard that the pathology report said that they got all the cancer out (or in doctor-speak it was negative for residual DCIS)!! I will still have to go through radiation in the Fall, and then a five year course of tamoxifen after that, but what great news! Thanks for all your positive thoughts and vibes. Your support has really made a huge difference for us!

Here's a picture of me doing what I have been doing since surgery -- lying on the couch reading the paper and watching the Cubs play. Except today I'll do so knowing that the cancer has been excised, and any cells lying in wait to emerge will be foiled by the radiation and tamoxifen. How great is that?

Go Cubs Go!

The Cubs won again today, taking 3 of 4 from the Giants, even though Barry Bonds did play today, hitting two home runs to keep the game close throughout. However, the Cubs did not gain any ground on Milwaukee, who also won today, routing the Diamondbacks 10-1. Arizona rolls into town tomorrow as the Cubs complete their 10 game homestand with a weekend series againt the D-backs. I should have plenty to keep my hands full tomorrow, what with the Cubs playing, the British Open continuing as Tiger goes for his third in a row at Carnoustie, and the pathology report due to come in from Northwestern.

Big game, big scar

The on fire Cubs won big again yesterday, 12-1 in a rout of the (not-so giant) Giants. They play for the series this afternoon, shooting for six wins out of seven and giving me something to do as I continue to convalesce on the couch.

I took the gauze bandages off this morning and wow, did the scar look big! I can't see it fully yet, as there are still a bunch of steri stips on there, but it looks about 2 inches long or so. (That might not sound very big, but in the context of a breast my size, it takes up a fair amount of space.) It's in a different spot from the other scar I accrued during the biopsy, adding to the already interesting landscape in that region. I'm sure they'll both fade with time.

On the brighter side, we might venture out to the Chicago Short Comedy Video and Film Festival sometime this weekend. Held at one of our favorite arty movie theatres in the area, The Music Box, this festival looks to be loads of fun!

The Morning After (Surgery)

Ugh. I got a bit nauseous last night and finally succumbed right before bed. I usually don't get sick like that and have thrown up probably less than a handful of times in my whole life. I do feel much better today, though I am pretty sore and tired. I've been relaxing on the couch pretty much all day, watching some t.v. and looking at some silly magazines that our friends Jude and Pam sent along in a care package earlier this week (thanks you guys!!) Tomorrow marks exactly one month that we've been in Chicago. Isn't is amazing how much has transpired in such a short time?

The Cubs lost last night 4-2, but are playing the Bonds-less Giants again this afternoon, so I'll be spending the rest of today monitoring those developments.

Experience #10 Sucessful Surgery (or We like Dr. Khan!)

This morning, we took the El down to Northwestern for Susan's surgery. Being us, we were ludicrously early. According to Susan, putting in the wire was not nearly as bad as she feared. Dr. Benjamin, the radiologist, was very skilled and even the numbing shot didn't hurt. Then there was a long period of waiting, interspersed with assistance from extremely nice nurses (including Lenore who "walked the Earth" to find us a pencil so we could do the crossword puzzle.) Copious amounts of drugs were offered and accepted. Susan was rolled into the OR at about 11:45am.

About an hour and a half later, Dr. Khan came to the waiting room to let Kate know that everything went well and that they'd removed about a gumball-size piece (she didn't make that comparison - it's a rough translation of her hand gesture. Susan prefers to describe it as 3cm - which may or may not be correct.) When rejoined, Susan and Kate ate a delightful lunch of ham sandwich, banana, and baked chips while waiting for her walking papers. As a parting gift, we were given a very handy suit bag to hang Susan's clothes in. More good drugs were obtained and we took a cab home.

Susan reports that she's tired but not in much pain (how could she be, given all these drugs?) She can take her bandage off in two days and we'll hear from pathology on Friday. However, for now, it's all over and the Cubs go for their fifth win in a row tonight. Life is good.

Day of Surgery

We're off to surgery in just a few minutes, but we wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for their calls, good thoughts, and gifts. We really appreciate all your support and look forward to coming home later today to report that all went well. On Friday, we'll have the pathology which will tell the tale about what further treatment is needed. Next Wednesday we'll meet with Dr. Khan to talk it over in more detail and to make a treatment plan for the Fall. I will also start a series of four classes that address various issues regarding breast cancer treatment and recovery. The week after that I am scheduled to see Dr. Krystyna Kiel, a radiation oncologist. Yikes, cancer treatment is starting to feel like a full time job!

Shaw's Crab House - Restaurant # 4

Last night, in prep for the big day, we had a really nice fish dinner at Shaw's Crab House, downtown on Hubbard just east of State. Shaw's features a cool art deco era bar. Everything you eat there is drenched in buttery goodness, just the right level of comfort for the night before surgery. We started out with crab cakes and then Kate had halibut and Susan had mahi, topped off with a huge piece of key lime pie. Home by 8:00, Susan promptly fell asleep while watching the Cubs come from behind to beat the visiting SF Giants in the ninth inning. That's a good sign, right?

Movie # 1 - Once

We've been here several weeks now and Once is the first movie we've seen here. Kind of odd given how many movies we see in Athens. The first thing to note is that movies cost 10 bucks a head here. Ok, 9.50. Even at 4:45 in the afternoon on a Sunday. Interestingly, popcorn, etc seems similarly priced.

Once is an interesting movie that's playing with form a bit. Though not a full out musical, there is a lot of breaking into song to move the plot forward. We thought it was something like Before Sunset meets Rent. We both liked the former but disliked the latter, so it's perhaps not surprising that we had mixed feelings about this movie. The critics loved both and loved this movie too, so it might be worth a look if you liked them both too.

Place # 5 Sunset Ridge Golf Course, Performance #3 - The Knitters, and Place #6 - Annoyance Theatre

The Sunset Valley golf course is located in Highland Park, about 20 miles or so north of the city. It's a beautiful course with narrow fairways and a good bit of water. (Not sure how it got the name Sunset Valley, as it is about as flat as anything else is here in the mighty midwest.) Challenging but not impossible. Susan played 18 holes there yesterday with several new acquaintances, one of whom (Josie) revealed that she has two half season tickets to the Cubs and is often looking for someone to join her -- how great is that? She was shocked to hear that we had not yet been to a game.

By the way, the Cubs won again today to sweep the Astros on their weekend homestand. Right now they are a mere 3 1/2 games out of first place with half the season in front of them! Who knows, the Cubs could move into first when they beat the Mets while Nicole, Susan, Maddy, and Maya are in town to see them play at the end of the month.

After golf Josie and I met Kate and Karen for a concert in the park sponsored by the Old Town School of Folk Music where I take classes. We saw The Knitters, who bill themselves as traditional music meeting punk. They are led by John Doe and Exene Cervenka, who fronted the L.A. based punk band X in the 80's. (They had a great song entitled "Johnny Hit and Run Pauline" which I use in my women and rock class. John Doe has said that they eventually decided to stop playing it live because even though they intended it as an anti-rape song a significant part of their audience felt compelled to root for the rapist when they played it live, much to the band's dismay.) Great show here in Chicago, though we didn't find much punk to speak of in this particular performance.

Finally, we headed off for a nightcap at the Annoyance Theater which features comedy with an edge, and including a storefront bar in the Uptown neighborhood, an area which seems to be gentrifying in a somewhat gay direction. The bar was crowded and active, but we were able to find a table to sit and have a drink and talk. All in all it was quite a good day, with lots of fun, activity, and distraction -- just what the dr. ordered, so to speak.

Book # 4 - Breast Cancer Treatment

While not exactly a page turner, this book by Judy Kneece is filled with information that I wasn't aware of even after reading several other books and visiting many web sites about breast cancer. But let me get this out of the way before I go any further: does every book about b.c. have to be pink and / or have roses on the cover? (So far Dr. Susan Love's Breast Book is the only one that I've seen that isn't and doesn't.)

There are 15 types of breast cancer. Each is named accoding to the part of the breast they develop in. Mine is in a milk duct. It is the most common kind of breast cancer. Because it has not infiltrated beyond the walls of the duct it is called in situ. So, I have ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). In surgery on Tuesday Dr. Kahn will remove the cancer that they detected on the mamogram. Unless they find out that it has spread beyond that, the treatment will remain local -- excising the tumor and then radiation later to make sure that any cancer cells they might have missed don't continue to multiply. (This is very fortunate -- if the cancer would have invaded other areas I would have had to have more systemic treatment -- chemotherapy which all in all sounds like an extremely grueling process.)

When Nicole was here last week she explained that the reason they wait a month or so before heading into radiation is because after surgery there are cells being generated that help to heal the wound. This needs to be allowed to take place before radiation is used to eradicate any remaining cancer cells.

On Tuesday we will arrive at Northwestern at 8:30 in the morning. I'll go up to the Breast Center where the mamographer will localize the calcifications and place a wire which will extend from the calcifications inside the breast to the outside of the breast. There is already a metal clip inside there from the previous biopsy in Columbus which should serve as a guide. The wire shows the surgeon where to place the incision (at this point there isn't a discernible lump on the exterior of the skin and that's good!) Then I will be taken into surgery, put to sleep (although I will be breathing and so forth without assistance), and the cancer will be removed.

I feel pretty good about the surgery and am confident that Dr. Khan and her team will do a good job. I am not super excited about the wire part, as I will still be awake at that point, but I hope that it will be less of a deal than it sounds like on paper. When Kate had heart surgery she was concerned about what the cardiac catheter would be like and it turned out to be not much. So that is what I'm hoping for too. In any case, I will be asking for drugs at every opportunity available. Seriously.

It feels weird that it's almost here, but I'm really looking forward to having surgery behind me and getting on with the rest of treatment and healing this fall. Thanks again to everyone for all your good words and thoughts in email and here on this blog. It makes a big difference. Kate and I really appreciate it!

Places # 4 - Marty's and Restaurant #3 - Angels

Our new friend Karen from the bookclub invited us out last night to meet a bunch of her friends at a cozy place in the Andersonville neighborhood called Marty's Wine and Martini Bar. Open now for about a year, everyone seemed to know each other in this small but very comfortable establishment. After a few drinks and lots of laughs the group wobbled across the street to Angel's, a cost -effective Mexican restaurant with great backyard seating. The temperate weather made it a great place to close out the evening. Susan was invited out to golf with several of the group this Saturday after which we will all meet up for the Old Town Folk and Roots Festival, an annual muic, dance, and culture fest sponsored by the place where Susan has been taking lessons and held in a park where she used to ice skate as a kid.

Cubs update

Have I mentioned that the Cubs had the best record in baseball during June (21-10)? If they keep this up it could be awfully exciting around here come September! They were sizzling before the All-Star break, winding up only 4 1/2 games behind the division leading Milwaukee Brewers. They're back in town tomorrow, playing the struggling Houston Astros. Stay tuned!

Book #3 - Cancer Vixen and Beer #6 - Goose Island 312

Cancer Vixen (CLICK ON THE TITLE FOR A GREAT CARTOON SHORT INTRODUCING THE BOOK) by Marisa Acocella Marchetto is a funny yet also sobering graphic novel about a high powered NY based cartoonist whose fast paced, socialite, fahionista lifestyle is turned upside down by a diagnosis of breast cancer. She's on top of the world one minute, publishing cartoons in The New Yorker and preparing to marry one of the most eligible bachelors in Manhattan, when suddenly she learns that the lump that she's discovered is indeed cancerous. Despite the dissimiliarities in our life circumstances, a lot of what she had to say resonated with my experience thus far with breast cancer and the ins and outs of the medical establishment.

Her account made me really happy that I don't have to get chemo, as it sounded entirely dreadful, but then she says, without further explanation, that she found radiation psychologically more difficult than chemo! Yikes! For now at least, I'm going to chalk it up to the cumulative effect -- perhaps she was so worn down after 6 months of chemo every three weeks that she just couldn't take much of anything else, let alone daily treatments for six more weeks.

Great book, but its subject matter (or maybe the looming surgery date) led me to experiment with a new beer, another in the Goose Island line, 312 Urban Wheat Ale. 312 is the area code of the center of the city where the Goose Island breweries are located here in Chicago, just a few blocks away from where the infamous Cabrini Green housing projects used to be located before the city tore them down a few years ago when the neighborhood was starting to gentrify. 312 is a tasty beer, very light with a touch of a wheaty / yeasty flavor. Even if you're not a huge fan of wheat beer, you might like this one, as the wheat aspect adds an interesting flavor without dominating or being too filling. I liked it.

Gerber / Hart Library, and Joie De Vine Bar- Places #2 and #3 and Fun Home - Book #2

Last night we went to the Gerber / Hart Library, an LGBT Archive near Loyola University to participate in a book group discussion of Alison Bechdel's graphic novel, Fun Home: A Tragicomic. Bechdel, best known for her longstanding comic strip, Dykes to Watch Out For, has written a compelling and complicated story of her troubled relationship with her closeted and ultimately suicidal father and the import of how he chose to deal with his sexuality for the way she chooses to deal with hers. Everyone in the group gave it an enthusiastic thumbs up.

The discussion was quite lively and much more tied to the book itself than any other book group that either of us have participated in! Everyone was asked to say whether they liked the book or not and to give a brief overview of its high and low points. Afterwards, several of us went to Joie De Vine, a bar in the Andersonville neighborhood, frequented mostly by lesbians. All in all, it was quite an enjoyable evening. We'll definitely be back for the next installment of this book club! (Though, of course, everything pales in comparison to our beloved book club in Athens ;^)

Fun Fact # 1: Graphic novels meet snooty french literature

Yesterday I went to our neighborhood branch of the Chicago Public Library looking for a copy of Alison Bechdel's Fun Home, a graphic novel about her wacky family. I wouldn't have guessed it in a million years, but the category right next to graphic novel on the shelves seems to be snooty French literature (Beaudelaire, Camus, Genet, Proust, etc.) How great a juxtaposition is that? Who knew they had such a good sense of humor at the Library of Congress?

Susan inducted into Chicago Poker Hall of Fame - Experience #9

Last night, Susan was chosen to be inducted into the Chicago Poker Hall of Fame, having won the Open Table competition of the 2007 Chicago No-Limit Poker Championship. This win guarantees Susan a seat in the 2008 Chicago Grand Poker Championship. For a photo of Susan shortly after winning the tournament click on http://www.chicagopokernews.com/ and scroll down to second picture. Don't you think this should make the Athens (potential) sponsors of my trip to the 2008 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas pretty happy? ;^)

Nicole and Judy in the Danskin Triathalon - Experience # 8

This weekend our friends Judy and Nicole were in town to participate in the Danskin Triathalon. Held just over the Illinois border in Pleasant Prarie, Wisconsin the race featured over 4,000 women participants, including over 100 breast cancer survivors, raising a huge amount of money and awareness regarding breast cancer. Judy and Nicole both reached their goal of completing the race in under 2 hours. The first picture is one taken shortly after they completed the race. Don't they look happy?

In the third picture, Judy waves to the crowd after just having emerged from swimming 1/2 mile across Lake Andrea, the first leg of the race. She's on her way to the transistion area to claim her bike for the next leg of the race. Seeing over 4,000 bikes coralled in one was site was pretty amazing! Participants biked 12 miles in this portion of the race, leading to the final leg of the race, a three mile run. The second picture is one of Judy near the finish of the race, a huge accomplishment for all of the participants.

It was really great to see Nicole and Judy participate in this race and to see all the kids cheering on their moms, with their dads on the sidelines. For these kids, racing moms and supportive dads will be normative. How great is that?

Beer Additions -- #4 (Lamar Street) and #5 (Summertime)

Not exactly sure how this happened, but we seem to have omitted from an earlier post several new beers that we explored at Jude's lakehouse. Lamar Street Organic beer falls under the Goose Island label, a Chicago brewery with a home base not very far from here. It's a tasty pale ale that has a nice bite after a swallow or two. We recommend it. Getting in the spirit of things we also drank several of Summertimes, another Goose Island offering. It was good, but not as distinctive as Lamar Street.

Jude's Lakehouse - Place # 1

These are pictures from our Fourth of July visit to our good friend Jude's excellent lakehouse. (Jude and Pam left, Kate above.) We used to live down the street from Jude in Milwaukee and now she has this great lakehouse about an hour and fifteen minutes outside of Chicago, so we're likely to visit with her several times this year. We had a great time relaxing, watching fireworks, barbequing, and laughing over a few beers with Pam and Jude. It felt just like old times on the portch in Milwaukee. It's always great to reconnect with old friends (and to meet fun new ones like Pam!)

Meeting the Surgeon, Dr. Khan - Experience #7

Sorry that I didn't post this last night, but we got home at about 8:00 or so (after a big dinner at my favorite rib place downtown) and promptly fell asleep.

The visit went well and I have a date for surgery, Tuesday July 17. The Lynn Sage Breast Center at Northwestern is a very impressive place and we both liked the doctor assigned to me, Seema Khan, a lot. Her research is in breast cancer risk and prevention. She explained my case to us in detail and very well. We both thought we had a pretty good understanding of DCIS (ductal carcinoma in situ) going in from all the reading we had done, but we both felt that we gained valuable additional information in talking with Dr. Kahn. For example, it is a very good sign that my calcifications are small, but until they do the surgery they won't know what the extent of the cancer is for sure. The calcifications are a kind of guide, but the cancer can be larger, going beyond the area of the calcifications. Still, it is good that they are small.

The prognosis looks very good, but the doctor explained that with this particular kind of cancer you really can't know for sure whether it's invasive or not until after the pathology comes back after surgery. That will happen on Friday July 20. I have intermediate grade cells, which are not bad -- chances are that such cells would not be invasive at this point.

The surgery will be short, about an hour total time in the room. The idea is to get the cancer out and to establish a "free margin," a border of healthy cells. We'll be arriving at the hospital at 8:30am and hope to be home in the early afternoon or so. I will be having radiation, but that doesn't start until a month or so after surgery, and will run every day for about six weeks. With radiation I have only a 5-10% chance of recurrence. As a poker player I'd say those are odds definitely worth taking.

My receptors are estrogen positive, which is good news in the sense that it means that I am likely to respond to a drug called Tamoxifen which I am probably going to be on be for the next five years. If effective, tamoxifen will probably also foster hot flashes, given that it is designed to alter the level of estrogen in my body.

That's all for now. Thanks to everyone for their support and good thoughts from a distance. It means a lot to us!

Athens folk in Chicago

Here's a picture of the Athens' Women's Studies' contingent in Chicago last week for the National Women's Studies Association conference. It was taken at Mama Desta's, an Ethiopian restaurant in our neighborhood. We haven't laughed as hard as we did that night since we left Athens! Clockwise from top left: Julia, Kim, Susan and Judith.

Recipe #1 - Belle's Beans

Before we left town, my friend Belle was kind enough to spend some time teaching me her recipe for beans, Texas-style. I don't think it's a carefully -guarded family secret, so here it is -

1 lb black beans or pinto beans
1 healthy splash of olive oil (you can use butter, but who needs those extra saturated fats?)
1 medium onion
3 garlic cloves
1/2 jar salsa (Belle uses a Frog Ranch variety, I tried the Whole Foods House Brand Medium)

First, think ahead that you want to make this recipe and soak the beans over night. This is a very important step - don't believe those people who say beans don't have to be soaked. It's a lie.

The next day, peel both the garlic and onion. The former needs to be minced, but the latter can just be cut into quarters (one of the things I love about this recipe because I hate to chop onions.) Splash olive oil into a big heavy pot and heat it up. Put in the garlic and onion, breaking apart the onion with your spatula as you brown them.

Drain the soaked beans and add to the pot with the onions and galic after they've cooked some. Cover with about one inch water (this is where I screwed up, putting in too much water. This required extensively boiling down to remedy but I won't hold you in suspense - everything came out okay in the end). Stir in the salsa. Turn up the heat, bring to a boil and immediately reduce the heat so the beans are simmering but not at a rolling boil (which makes them break apart). Simmer two hours (or in my case, about 5). Serve over rice.

Thanks Belle! Mine turned out very good but a little more tomato-flavored than yours (probably because I put in more salsa to compensate for the extra water! (-:).

CD # 1 Patti Smith, Twelve

This is a fun new CD by Patti Smith, called the mother of punk rock by many. It consists of 12 covers of a variety of rock standards, mostly done true to the original (though "The Boy in the Bubble" is done with dulcimer of all things!) Perhaps because she is a poet, she enunciates in a way that has the effect of foregrounding the words rather than the music. Did you know that Kurt Cobain was talking largely about his libido in "Smells Like Teen Spirit"? My favorites so far are "Smells Like Teen Spirit," "Gimme Shelter," and "White Rabbit". We're going to be playing "Smells" sometime in my women's acoustic ensemble class this term. All in all, a great way to initiate the 10x40 "CD" category.