[cancer] Off to the doctor
I have two appointments today. One with a liver surgeon, the other with an oncologist. These are at UCSF in San Francisco, pursuant to formalizing the second opinion regarding my metastatic cancer and the associated treatment plan. I’ll also be getting the results of Monday’s CT scan.
Neither nor I slept any kind of decently this past night. Stress has been disrupting my sleep cycle for about two weeks, and we won’t even talk about what it does to my lower GI.
Next Monday is the appointment with my oncologist at OHSU, my “home” hospital. That’s when I expect the chemo to be prescribed and scheduled, unless something unusual and unexpected arises out of today’s consultations.
Tags: Calendula, California, Cancer, health
Posted: 4:58 am Wed July 22 2009 | Comments(1) |
[photos] Your Wednesday moment of zen
Your Wednesday moment of zen.
Photographed by me in Seattle, WA.
Tags: Photos, Seattle, zen
Posted: 4:53 am Wed July 22 2009 | Comments(0) |
[links] Link salad goes to the doctor
I am reading and signing at University Books in Seattle — Friday, July 24 at 7 pm. For those of you who are fans of , she will be there. I’ll also be attending the Clarion West party later that evening.
Anticipation’s writing workshop is still looking for a few good writers — The deadline is nigh. Very nigh.
Monopsony — Such a lovely word.
Speechless: Dilbert Creator’s Struggle to Regain His Voice
Big Oil Turns to Algae — The future is arriving. Efforts at hydrocarbon precursor production in a petri dish.
US Has Lost Moral High Ground on Treatment of Prisoners — Thank you, Republican Party and President Bush.
?otD: I wanna know, have you ever seen the rain?
7/22/2009
Body movement: n/a (overslept)
This morning’s weigh-in: 223.0
Currently reading:
Komarr by Lois McMaster Bujold;
Stupid Quest by C.S. Inman
Tags: Child, Conventions, Green, Iraq, Language, Links, Personal, Politics, Science, Seattle, Writing
Posted: 4:50 am Wed July 22 2009 | Comments(0) |
[sale] Collaborative fiction plus a related article
As noted here, , and I have made a joint sale to Tor.com. Sale was the two stories written collaboratively by and me back in March at San Francisco’s Borderlands Books [ jlake.com | LiveJournal ], “The Starship Mechanic” and “Looking for Truth in a Wild Blue Yonder”, plus an article about the event written by , all three items as a combined feature. Whee!
Tags: Calendula, California, Fiction, Sale, stories
Posted: 2:34 pm Tue July 21 2009 | Comments(0) |
[photos] Your Tuesday moment of zen
Your Tuesday moment of zen.
Photographed by me in the Columbia Gorge.
Tags: nature, Oregon, Photos, zen
Posted: 5:03 am Tue July 21 2009 | Comments(0) |
[links] Link salad goes for a walk
Hugos 2009 — Adam Roberts on sf short lists. (Snurched from Scrivener’s Error.)
More on cringe words — I love this stuff.
Pepsi Concorde — (Snurched from Dark Roasted Blend.)
Jupiter whacked — And a new black spot is born, at least temporarily.
Signs of an Alzheimer’s Vaccine
Teen pregnancy and disease rates rose sharply during Bush years, agency finds — Yep, that abstinence education policy is really paying off. Too bad conservative thinking isn’t reality-based. (As proudly proclaimed by the Bush White House.)
?otD: Fog? What fog?
7/21/2009
Body movement: 60 minute urban walk (Twin Peaks)
This morning’s weigh-in: n/a (forgot)
Currently reading:
Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold;
Stupid Quest by C.S. Inman
Tags: Awards, health, Language, Links, Personal, Politics, Science, Tech
Posted: 5:00 am Tue July 21 2009 | Comments(3) |
[personal] Walking weather
Some days, I’m too damned stubborn for my own good. When I’m at the witchnest, my walk starts at the bottom of Cole Valley, pretty close to Golden Gate Park. It takes me up to the top of Twin Peaks. About an hour round trip, and quite the climb.
This morning, by the time I got to Cole and 17th, the wind was howling, pushing a pea soup fog at 30-40 mph. By the time I got up on to Clarendon, it was knocking over fully loaded garbage cans. By the time I reached the wild part of Twin Peaks, I could barely walk into the face of the wind, and the fog was so thick that I couldn’t see the stripe in the middle of the road as I walked along the edge.
So did I turn around and go back? Hell no! Exhilarating and strange and chilly and lovely weather to be out and about in. But man am I cold now…
Tags: California, nature, Personal
Posted: 4:39 am Tue July 21 2009 | Comments(0) |
[writing] A new collaborative novel project
In order to while away the months of chemotherapy, and in recognition of the success of our joint short fiction career thus far, and I have embarked on a new collaborative novel project.
Our Lady of the Islands is set in a tropical version of Venice, in the same universe as Green, though with no plot crossover. We’re trying a different model for the protagonist — a middle-aged woman dealing with the adulthood of her children, the challenges of her business, and of course, a confluence of politics, religion and social turmoil in her city.
We brainstormed the plot and outline, which I then developed in some detail. is currently writing the first draft. She’ll have it to me late this fall. Chemo permitting, and working around my Endurance production schedule, I’ll revise her draft, then we’ll go into final production cycle before getting it out to to market.
Given that we’ve sold to Clarkesworld, Fantasy and Interzone together, we’ve proven we can write together. It will be fun to see how that blend of romantic and creative energy that constantly sparks between us will play out at book length. Watch her blog for updates, WIPs and other news about the book as it develops.
Tags: Books, Calendula, Cancer, Green, Our Lady, Process, stories, Writing
Posted: 3:28 pm Mon July 20 2009 | Comments(2) |
[publishing|sale] Endurance under contract
I can now officially and happily announce that Tor Books is buying Endurance and a third Green book, tentatively entitled Kalimpura. These are currently slated for 2011 and 2012 releases. So keep an eye on that girl, she’s going to go far.
Tags: Books, Endurance, Green, Kalimpura, Publishing, Sale
Posted: 3:19 pm Mon July 20 2009 | Comments(8) |
[cancer] CT scan-o-rama
Today’s adventures in cancer included a CT scan here at UCSF in San Francisco. That went in the usual manner, until it didn’t.
and I arrived early, and they took me in early. The IV was put in my left arm for the contrast dye, then I sat around for a while. They took me into the little room with the big white donut and set me up on the scanning bed.
At that point a long, confusing conversation occurred about precisely what my scanning orders were. As I explained to the tech, they were doing me “neck to nuts”, with a quad-phase scan of my liver. Several phone calls later, they announced that the radiologist wanted to handle it differently, and was that ok with me? Like, what am I supposed to say?
When the contrast dye went into my IV, they warned me I’d feel a little heat. I don’t remember this from prior CT scans, but boy were they right. My left arm got warm around the IV insertion point. Then my lips got warm, almost hot. Then my penis got hot. Then my anus got hot, and I had a nigh overwhelming urge to shit, right there on the bed.
I controlled myself, on all counts, but it was very strange.
As usual, the CT scan itself took about three minutes. We got me dressed and de-needled, then and I went across the street to the film library, where we retrieved the scan data for me to take back to OHSU, my hospital in Oregon. The scan disc they gave me is marked “Abd & Pelvis”, says nothing about a chest scan. I am not, shall we say, infused with the cheery glow of confidence.
On the other hand, if I have to go back in, I get another site-specific hot flash…
PS, I’ll get the scan results on Wednesday.
Tags: Calendula, California, Cancer, Funny, health
Posted: 3:05 pm Mon July 20 2009 | Comments(0) |
« Older Posts | Newer Posts »