April 2005

- Friday April 29, 2005 -
Kings win! Finally!! Now we may be getting somewhere. As for Petra, she feels a little better each day, hopefully will feel pretty good for the weekend. Until Tuesday of course.

- Tuesday April 26, 2005 -
Those #$%^&#% Kings!!! They blew it big time tonight in game two of the NBA playoffs. Very frustrating. The next game will be here in Sacramanto, at least, where they usually play well. See you there.

- Sunday April 24, 2005 -
Petra felt better as the weekend went on and is doing ok now. Not great but at least ok. Hopefully that will last at least until her next treatment.

The Kings (no link until they play better) were bad in the first playoff game against Seattle. Still, they almost won, coming from 21 points down to just one point behind with about a minute left. But it was not to be. Mike Bibby and Bobby Jackson couldn't make a shot and that's not going to win you very many games. Arrgh! Well, bring on game two...

- Friday April 22, 2005 -
Petra watch: Today was better. Not especially good but certainly better. She was up most of the day and felt ok but spacey. A lot of lounging around but thats better than sleeping all day. The nausea seemed to be leaving too.

Almost forgot, on a different note, I saw Mellinda and Melinda, the latest Woody Allen film the other day. Woody is not acting in this one but it's his film, without a doubt. As many of you know, I consider him perhaps the best living filmmaker in the country, and also one of the funniest people. This film is part drama and part comedy. It tells the story of an unexpected guest, Melinda, in two separate stories that cut back and forth between each other. This is weird at first but after a little it it works great and makes for an unpredictable and intelligent film. Like many of his films, the characters do a lot of talking and have actually ideas and depth. I think that is one reason why his films don't make billions, because they are too intelligent for what most people want out of a movie (mindless escapism). The characters are New York yuppies who have difficulties with life and relationships. Some find happiness and some don't. As usual in a Woody film, the acting, writing, cinematography, and directing were first-rate. The film held me captive from beginning to end and I would give it at least 3 1/2 stars out of 4. The only real negative is the casting of Will Ferrell in a Woody-like role. Will brings absolutely nothing to the role. I have rarely, if ever, seen him actually be funny anywhere, and he is only funny here when Woody writes him a good line. As an 'actor' he is barely passable. What do people see in him? If you dislike him too, write me here so I know that other people think he is lame too. ;-) Comments on the movie are welcome too.

On a whole different note, tonight we watched the DVD of Freaky Friday, with Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan. I expected it to be pretty weak but is actually wasn't bad and it was an amusing and diverting watch. Nothing deep here, and it really was made for teens, but it went by fast and was harmless fun if you didn't think too much. I'd say 2 or maybe 2 1/2 stars out of 4.

- Thursday April 21, 2005 -
Apparently it could have been too much, or more likely the chemotherapy is having a bit of a cummulative effect because she had a bad night and got very little sleep. Lots of nausea too. Finally she took a second, different, anti-nausea medication and she was able to get some sleep off and on. She still felt pretty lousy this morning so I stayed home. She's eating 7up and soda crackers and not even much of that so that she can keep them down. Most of her day has been sleeping or resting. I hope this doesn't last past today, it's hard to see her feeling this whupped and not be able to do much to help.

- Wednesday April 20, 2005 -
It was a full day, perhaps too full for Petra. In the morning was the appointment with the reconstructive surgeon. He added another two ounces to her expander using one of those famous super-syringes like this one. Ouch! There was some humor though, like when he opened her robe to examine her and said, "Now which side again?" Ha!

That went ok so we had a bite to eat with Robin then met Larry. We went our separate ways before Petra's next appointment, for the day-after-chemo shot. The one that costs $3000 each time if you don't have insurance. Ouch again! The shot was pretty quick and Petra was feeling some fatigue. We went home and she took a nap, since we had plans to attend the Sacramento Kings last regular season game that evening which she wanted to go to. After she got up she felt somewhat better so we had a bite at Strings and then went to the game. She felt a worse as the game went on and got very tired. After the game we came home, she talked for a few minutes and then went to bed, complaining about how really tired she felt.

- Tuesday April 19, 2005 -
Well, once the word got out, other friends John M, Mike, and Kirk wanted to get involved too. So they came over in the evening and barber Larry fixed them up too, all about to 1/4 or 1/2 inch. Yikes! What if this trend swept the nation? If you, too, want to get your hair cut off in honor of Petra, be sure to email us here ;-)

Today was also the second chemotherapy treatment. It took a little longer but went ok and Petra felt well enough for us to meet Larry, Robin, and their son Brian (his bands web site) at PF Chang. Good food. The doctor told Petra she is borderline anemic because of the chemo so she ate a bunch of garlic spinach to get some iron into her system! So far so good for this second round.

- Monday April 18, 2005 -
Friends Larry and Robin arrived while I was at work and visited with Petra for a while. Once I got home from work, we all went for dinner at 524 Mexican food and then back to the house for the head-shaving event. Technically it wasn't shaving, it was electric clippers, but the effect is extremely short, as close to bald as you can get without a real razor. Petra is going to lose her hair becasue of the chemotherapy and her friends are very, very supportive. Other friends Jared (his bands web site), Karl and Betty showed up at times too.

Larry, also known as 'The Demon Barber of Santa Cruz' did the cutting. He offers bloodletting and leeches too but we wisely stuck with the cutting. In no time both Petra and Robin were virtually hairless. Then Jared took his to about 1/4 inch and I did mine to about 1/4 or 1/2. I don't have much anyway, but Petra, Robin, and Jared do. Make that did. There are a couple pictures here and here if you are curious.

- Sunday April 17, 2005 -
We didn't do much over the weekend, mostly nesting and enjoying Petra's better health. We know the second chemotherapy round starts Tuesay and wanted to have a relaxing low-stress weekend, as much as possible anyway. We got a new patio table for the backyard and put the finishing touches on the newly-remodeled middle room. Friends Larry and Robin will be coming up from Santa Cruz for a couple days and we are letting them stay in the new Chez Reule/Wynbrandt suite, also know as the prestigious "middle room". Hope Petra feels ok for this.

Petra cut her hair short a week or two ago and she will be croping it as short as can get on Monday before it falls out on its owm as a result of the chemotherapy. Robin is doing a 'sympathy" shave and they will both be bald or very near it by tomorrow evening. Others are invited to participate of course.

- Thursday April 14, 2005 -
OK, she is feeling better. We went a community meeting this evening to learn about some new planned retail in the area. This is a very fast-growing area, very soon there will be a lot more retail services and stores out here.

- Wednesday April 13, 2005 -
Time marches on. Petra is having some back pain today, which can be caused by one of the medications as a side effect. Yesterday we had someone come by and help clean up the yard a bit, we may hire them as a gardener, we'll see how it works out.

Email me here if you have extra words today.

- Sunday April 10, 2005 -
Petra is feeling better so we actually ventured out and attended the Kings game. They destroyed the Lakers, it was great, the Kings looked really good and the Lakers looked like they needed help. We had lunch afterwards at Jacks Urban Eats and even did a little yard work. A good day.

- Saturday April 9, 2005 -
More time working to remodel our 'spare room'. We're getting somewhere now. Friends Karl and Betty and their son Jeremy came by for a visit.

- Thursday April 7, 2005 -
It may be hitting her more today. She is complaining about not 'feeling right' and some fatigue also. She made a killer minestone soup, though!

I spent a little time working to remodel our 'spare room', putting some more shelves together. Talk about a big job. But it is like eating an elephant, you do it one piece at a time. Unless of course you are vegetarian. Then you are done before you even start!

Site news: old writings from October and November 2004 have been moved to the archive page.

- Wednesday April 6, 2005 -
We went back to the doctor today for the shot. Chemotherapy, at least this combination of drugs, lowers your white blood cell count. To counteract it, the next day they give a shot of a different drug. Petra likes shots even less than the IV but she was brave, probably as a result of yesterday's ice cream. The stakes must have been raised, though, because she felt ok and we ended up having lunch at Hamburger Mary's afterward. No, we didn't eat meat. Sheesh! They have plenty of vegetarian options and you can substitute a Boca or veggie pattie on any burger.

But I digress. Since she saw feeling pretty well, we walked across the street to The Beat (cheers) and bought some new music. We got these CDs:

Beck 'Guero'
Lisa Marie Presley 'Now What?'
Rolling Stone Magazine Hits Collection 1982-86 *
LCD Soundsystem
Prince '1999' Promo CD single *
Jackson Browne 'Lawyers In Love' *
Survivor 'Ultimate' (Not MINE, blame Petra!!!)
* = used

- Tuesday April 5, 2005 -
I am still recovering from that horrible dream I had last night. But no time for that, today is chemotherapy day. Yes, it was Petra's first chemo treatment. Well, the room was nice, comfortable recliners and just the two of us in the room, this time at least. There was room for three patients. Anyway, they just hooked up the IV and sequentially put different solutions and drugs into her for a little less than an hour and a half. My favorite drug injected that day? The one that 'goes in red and comes out red', as they warned her.

The good news is that she felt good afterwards and we went out for ice cream. She has earned it. So far so good. No real nausea yet but she is religiously taking the anti-nausea medication that they prescribed.

- Monday April 4, 2005 -
I had a dream last night. The doctor told me that Petra had died and it was my fault because I gave her my cold or something like that. He shook his finger at me and said 'this could have been prevented'. Nice damn dream, eh? I mean, give me a break! So, just to be on the safe side I did go to the doctor today and he told me that I wasn't sick enought to kill her, but not to cough on her anyway. ;-)

And we had dinner with Karl and Betty (friends) at Todo Un Poco, which was great. They say chemo can change the way food tastes so Petra wanted a huge Punjabi Pizza before that happens. And it was good.

- Sunday April 3, 2005 -
I guess it finally hit us. We ran out of adrenalin and both came down with colds over the weekend. Not major but still what a pain. We are both improving and should be ready for chemo on Tuesday. Oh boy.


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