Category: Uncategorized

Today’s the first of thirty-five days of radiation and chemo for Chandra. There is no going back. I am gonna need everything in the world to see this through.

When I buy stuff for my gaming computer, I expect it to last for a while. This was definitely NOT the case for a recent monitor purchase I made, a gaming monitor from LG’s UltraGear line. I don’t exactly understand what has taken place in recent years, but the build quality of items like this have gone downhill significantly. Also of note, warranty periods for items like this have gone downhill too. What used to be a three year warranty is now a one year one.

What’s annoying to me about this is that LG is one of the noted makers of screen panels for this segment. Their panels are used in countless other monitors from brands up and down the price bracket. This monitor was also not cheap ($400 that had to be paid out over time), but the amount of time the monitor was in service is just outside of their warranty service. It is incredibly frustrating to have something like this break, just after a year of active use; and not be covered by any warranty.

There was a blog post I wrote a week or two ago that truly seemed desperate, at the time anyway. Fast forward about the same amount of time, and for the first time since the cancer diagnosis; things seem to be coming up Milhouse. The car is fixed and we’re able to travel again with (mostly) no problems, and we’re preparing for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays respectively.

Normally for Thanksgiving, Chandra will stay up for a insane amount of time cooking for the day. This year, I’ve forbidden her to do just that due to her treatments; passing those responsibilities to my daughters instead. As is a recent tradition, I also will participate in the local Turkey Trot with my grandson. This will be the second to last 5K for this year, with one more scheduled for next month before my winter break (I completed a 5k today, in case you’re wondering).

Have a great weekend!

“You have to do something. You can’t just sit or stand there and do nothing.” – the angel that sat on my shoulder

So, we’re talking routines again today.

Before the oncoming deluge of appointments and procedures over the next 10 days and beyond, I forced myself to take stock of how bad I let things physically get around me because of my current mental state. All this time later, and I’m still trying to process my feelings not only regarding said diagnosis, but facing fears over my mother passing from cancer last year. They are the same thing (as it’s cancer in both cases), yet they’re different (mum passed from cancer of the kidneys, and she’s suffering from cancer of the throat).

As much as I try to put a good face on, and a positive step forward; it’s incredibly easy to backslide into old habits; especially on bad days. Never the less, we must press forward.

I think the following image is most fitting (I know by using this image, I have most likely dated myself):

“Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality.” – Emily Dickinson

With her having the last two weeks off work, time doesn’t seem to pass as quickly as it normally does. This seems to be related to a post earlier this week I made regarding how routines are hard, in which I outlined a normal daily schedule that was followed, and will be started up again in a week and some change. My normal schedule outside of that remains the same, and is boring 90% of the time.

It is also very difficult to be effectively shut in, with a barely functioning vehicle. There is a update on this though, as we’ve bought the necessary parts and the car is being worked on as we speak! It should hopefully be fixed this weekend!

You are only as strong as the people around you.

Being a proud member of Gen X provides clarity on things sometimes, especially when it involves community. The people around you that interact daily in your life can either bring the mood up; or bring the mood down.

So what do you do when you primarily have family as IRL friends? A lot of like-minded peers have turned to online communities/social groups, full of individuals just like me. I am a part of a lot of communities that run the proverbial spectrum of things I enjoy.

I don’t like having to pick and choose who I hang out with, but it’s crystal clear that with our recent diagnosis; I will have to figure out who I continue hanging out with, and who I stop hanging out with. I no longer have the disposable funds to continue pursuing all the hobbies I enjoy, and we all have to start somewhere right?

Then there is the issue of finding a support group for caregivers …