September 5, 2010
Swift Watch 2010
Well, here we are approaching September. And September is Swift watching month here in Portland. For those of you who do not know what Portland Firefly is talking about, I shall explain.
Portland is on the flyway for a type of bird called Vaux Swifts. They migrate from Alaska to Mexico every year and use Portland as a stopover on their long journey. These little birds like to roost inside of old hollowed out trees or very tall chimneys.
The old chimney at Chapman School in North East Portland has been a favorite roosting, resting place for these acrobatic birds for many years. And they do put on quite a show in the evenings just before they dive inside the chimney at night to go to sleep. It is this aerial show that brings Portlanders out for the free event!
These birds are predictable as to the time they go to sleep at night and so Portlanders bring out their blankets, their picnic dinners and we sit and watch the spectacular show.
The Audubon society provides information on this event and here is the link to their website. http://audubonportland.org/local-birding/swiftwatch/swift-watch
If you enjoy watching the International Space Station flyovers you can also coordinate an ISS sighting with your Swift watch. Go to this website for the ISS sighting times in Portland: http://spaceflight1.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/cities/view.cgi?country=United_States®ion=Oregon&city=Portland
So choose a night to attend and perhaps you will see Portland Firefly there…. our family makes it an annual event!
PS: This school is in a residential area so please be sure to respect the property of the local homeowners ~ don’t block driveways and take all trash back home with you. Enjoy!!!
August 30, 2010
Chris II
Last week, I found out that my girlfriend Chris who also has Primary Peritoneal Carcinoma, is now receiving hospice care at home. She has had a lot of cancer-related problems over the last few months and even though I was not surprised to hear this news, it was still a shocking realization to me.
She and her husband, Steve are Catholic and have many friends who are priests, one of whom we went to school with. They have all been over to pray for and bless her.
She has removed herself from all tube feedings and is not wanting to see any visitors; so she is withdrawing from this world in preparation for her meeting with Jesus.
I wrote a post about her on July 21, 2010 as she has been an enormous encourager to me in my battle with Primary Peritoneal Carcinoma.
This is such emotional news for Portland Firefly to digest. I plan to attend her funeral service, whenever it will be.
August 28, 2010
Kevin
When I boarded the little American Eagle regional jet in Springfield, Missouri, I took my assigned aisle seat behind the bulkhead wondering if I’d have the ‘entire row’ (two tiny seats) to myself or if the flight was full.
The flight was not full and just as the Flight Attendant was beginning the required FAA Safety announcements, a man came up from behind me and asked if the seat next to me was taken. But this was just not any man… oh no!!! He was absolutely gorgeous! Tall, muscular, and with an engaging smile. And he was wanting to sit next to me! Of course the seat was available!
His name is Kevin and he told me a lot about himself on our flight to Dallas. He owns a ranch outside of Springfield and has his own airplane and a lot of other ‘toys’ all made possible by his lucrative job working on a deep-water oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico.
Yes, the Deepwater Horizion Gulf oil disaster had just happened a few days earlier. When we were on our flight to Dallas he was being called into work for a special training session. He explained so much to me about how the deep water oil rigs work especially his job in keeping the rig level and stable and in position. All this is aided by computers of course and this handsome man was an expert in his position.
The oil rig workers endure many hardships while on the water-borne rigs but they are well compensated for the time they spend away from their family and homes. Yet this handsome man was sacrificing a family for this job. I think he planned to eventually settle down, but it is difficult to give up the lucrative benefits of such a job.
Any way we spent a most pleasant flight and he warmed my heart with his smile and conversation. I wish him safety and love….
August 27, 2010
Hood-to-Coast Relay Race
International Space Station Sightings 2010
This Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday you will have the opportunity to see two ISS flyovers each night! NASA publishes the times of the ‘sightings’ and you can be sure that they are accurate — it is NASA after all!
One point to remember is that the ISS path takes it generally from west to east, but it may show up in the sky from South West to North West or anywhere in between. Its path is then toward the East. The longer the flyover time, the higher the ISS is in your sky. On Friday and Saturday nights, there will be a 4 minute visibility so Portland Firefly strongly urges you to look at that time because you will have a better chance to see it if you have never seen it before. That will make your future sightings easier! Have fun!!!!
Go to this NASA link to map out your plan for watching: http://spaceflight1.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/cities/view.cgi?country=United_States®ion=Oregon&city=Portland
For those of you in a different region of the United States, you can go to the same web link just input your nearest large city! Your sighting times will, of course, be very different from ours here in Portland!
August 26, 2010
Back to Writing
Hello! I’m back at the computer today… and I have so much to tell you that I do not think that I’ll really be able to get you caught up in the next month!
I’ll try to give you a little synopsis of what has been going on.
This summer, Portland Firefly took not one, not two, but three trips and when you add the little trip to Branson in April that makes four trips in about four months. No wonder I am tired!
My doctor did say that when I went off of Chemo the end of February that this next year could possibly be my best year ~ so I took that to heart and scheduled several trips.
The first one to schedule was my annual Harmonica Convention which was actually the last trip I took in August.
Then my girlfriends were going to spend a week in Paris and knowing that I wanted to go there ‘again’, they invited me along. At first I refused because they were going to be in Paris the end of July and the beginning of August ~ the very hottest time of year ~ and the height of the tourist season (I hate tourists) and also the time of full passenger flights (I travel on standby). But as the summer approached, I changed my mind and decided to go with them in spite of all the negatives. And I am glad that I did because I had a fabulous time!
Then, after I had scheduled these two trips (and fairly close together because the dates were dictated by others), Portland Firefly received notice that there was an annual Ovarian Cancer Convention in Washington, DC. I was granted a scholarship to pay for part of my convention expenses and so I went to that one as well!
Three big trips in a six-week span. That might be enough to wear anyone out! But there are lots of stories to tell and hopefully I’ll be able to share some of them with you. And pictures!!! I took 600 pictures on my Paris trip so I’ll be sharing a few of them with you.
August 20, 2010
Writer’s Break II
As I posted yesterday, I am taking a little break from writing. But… just as soon as I wrote those words, ideas started coming into my head…..
I thought that I would explain further (what I think is ) the real reason for my little break. It seems that there is so much going on inside my heart that I need time to sort things out. Yes, I think that is it…. I just need time to sort some of these emotions out in my heart and my brain.
I have been reading books about Ovarian Cancer as a sort of research for my book that I am writing. It seems that there is really not very many (what I consider) good books out there on this topic.
Most are personal stories about how the woman went to the doctor, had this test done with these results, then had Chemo, then got better, then got worse, describes all of the complications, then got better, then got worse, then eventually died. I found them boring. I didn’t even like Gilda Radner’s New York Times Best Seller book.
I do not want my book to be like any of those; and it will not. Those books were all about what happened to that person physically, not about the disease. I want my book to be a book of substance, helpful and uplifting and not about me, me, me. Yes, my book will have very personal moments, moments of insight and understanding that will hopefully lead the reader on a little journey.
And then I found one book that follows the stories of Ovarian Cancer patients (in the same support group I attend), but is written by someone who does not have Ovarian Cancer. I have found this book to be interesting as well as very powerful and well-written.
I know some of the women that she is writing about and this book makes me cry. It stirs up emotions that are deep in my being; it stirs up that choking ache deep inside the center of my chest….
You know the ache… the one that when you have it, you think you are having indigestion or a heart attack. I hope you know this ache; not because I want you to hurt, but because this deep ache, this deep wellspring of emotion shows that our emotions are still working. And that means that we are alive!
This book is also thought-provoking and Portland Firefly’s Chemo brain needs time to digest all that she has been reading. The assimilation process just takes time…. Time that is needed for those thoughts to roll around in my brain while I do other things. Time for my emotions to soften from the stoicism that has been there these last 18 months. Time to gather my thoughts about my life and where it is going; a big change from the ‘high-powered survival mode” that I have been in since March 2009.
Yes, Portland Firefly is alive! A year and a half ago, we were not sure that I’d be alive today. And not only am I alive, I am feeling good and gaining energy weekly. I need time to process this….
And so…. I’ll resume writing in a week or so and I promise you… you will love what is coming up…..
With Love to my readers…. Portland Firefly
August 13, 2010
Perseids Meteor Showers
This is the time of year for the most famous and most reliable of all meteor showers. The Perseids. They are visible from almost every part of the United States and tonight is the night of maximum ‘events’ to watch. Look to the North East sky.
When Portland Firefly was a child, every year during the ‘dark of the moon’ in the month of August, we would take our Family vacations camping in the great outdoors of the beautiful Sierra Nevada Mountains. We had a very special campground that we would retreat to and there were several wonderful cold water trout filled lakes nearby. I loved these vacations in the fresh high altitude outdoors surrounded by the beauty of God’s nature.
And it was usually when were sitting around the campfire roasting marshmallows or on the dark nighttime drive through the desert that my little child’s eyes would look for all of the ‘shooting stars’ in the darkness of the milky-way night sky. I was never disappointed.
This meteor shower gets the name “Perseids” because it appears to radiate from the constellation Perseus. An observer in the Northern Hemisphere can start seeing Perseid meteors as early as July 23, when one meteor every hour or so could be visible. During the next three weeks, there is a slow build-up. It is possible to spot five Perseids per hour at the beginning of August and perhaps 15 per hour by August 10. The Perseids rapidly increase to a peak of 50-80 meteors per hour by the night of August 12/13 and then rapidly decline to about 10 per hour by August 15. The last night meteors are likely to be seen from this meteor shower is August 22, when an observer might see a Perseid every hour or so.
And so this childhood ritual continues with tonight being the night of greatest ‘shooting stars’.
Be sure to make a wish!!!!
July 27, 2010
My Favorite Plane
During all my years of flying, I was safety qualified to fly as a Flight Attendant on about 10 different aircraft. That may not mean much to you as a non-airline person, but it is a big deal to Flight Attendants. For instance, Southwest Airlines only operates one type of aircraft, so their Flight Attendants only have to be safety qualified on that one aircraft, a Boeing 737.
In order to be safety qualified to work a particular piece of equipment (aircraft), you must first learn all the safety features of the airplane. No big deal, you say? No, it isn’t if you only have to learn one aircraft; but for every aircraft that you are qualified on, you must take a FAA safety exam and pass the exam with a grade of 90% or better. And you must do that every single year, not just one time. In thirty-five years, I’ve taken a lot of FAA exams and passed every single one of them ~ many with a grade of 100% . Don’t ever think that your Flight Attendant is a ‘dumb blond’! Many women that I’ve flown with over the years had Bachelor’s Degrees, Master’s Degrees, Doctorate Degrees and even culinary Cordon Bleu Degrees. It was quite a varied and multi-talented work force.
The comprehensive FAA exam covers items such as the location and pre-flight of fire extinguishers (and don’t get mixed up with the next aircraft or you’ll fail), door operations (There are 5 different types of doors that I can think of just off the top of my head after being retired for 5 years!), operation and pre-flight of oxygen bottles (two different kinds), safety and medical procedures and emergency evacuation procedures.
Portland Firefly was hired by TWA, the premier United States Flag Carrier Airline. This means that TWA had the flag emblem of the United States emblazoned on the tail of each of their aircraft. Pan Am (Pan American) was the only other carrier allowed to have the flag of the United States displayed on the tail of its aircraft. Because you are supposed to light any flag if it is flying at night, the tails of every single TWA airplane had a light on them at night. We were the only carrier in the world to have aircraft with a light on its tail at night. It was really cool to be watching planes land and even when overseas or from a great distance, you could tell which aircraft were TWA’s because of the tail light. In some ways that tail light was a beacon that said to me “You’re home.”
Some of the aircraft that Portland Firefly was FAA Safety qualified on are: Boeing’s 707,727 stretch, 727 regular,747,757,767; Lockheed’s Constellation & 1011; McDonald-Douglas 80 regular and stretch, DC 9. Within each category, such as the 747, there were many different configurations due to the fact that TWA would purchase aircraft that were originally ordered by another airline to that airlines specifications and would therefore have a ’different’ safety locations from those of our TWA aircraft. We had two MD-80s that we purchased from Alaska Airlines and they were set up completely differently from the TWA configuration including Galley location and equipment.
I was originally hired by TWA to work the new 747 Internationally because I was fluent in a foreign language (not Spanish). I did love the 747, but eventually that beautiful aircraft became the workhorse of the fleet and had numerous problems. I doubt if I’ll ever forget sitting on my jumpseat being able to see all of my passengers and look out the big window on my emergency door and see the landscape as it fell away from us on take-off or came closer to us for our long-awaited landing. The 747 was my second favorite aircraft to work.
I want to tell my readers the reason for posting this particular story today, July 27th.
It is because today is 7/27. And the 727 Stretch was my favorite aircraft to work on in the entire TWA fleet.
Why did I love that aircraft so much? I think it was because it was so spacious yet had an intimate feel. The first class was really classy (for those days). The lavatories, were big enough to actually turn around in! and the galleys had plenty of space for all of our cabin service supplies. There were designated places for the crew to stow their luggage and the cockpit was really nice with three pilots, a Captain, a First Officer, and a Flight Engineer. Today, most aircraft are designed to fly with only two cockpit crew members. The seating configurations changed many times over the years and even one time TWA removed seats in the middle of the aircraft and installed (YES!) a piano! Yes, a piano lounge in the middle of the airplane. What was corporate thinking??!! There were the ‘blue chip’ flights from NYC to ORD. Then there was the ‘more leg room in coach’ campaign and now the airlines just have us all jamed in there as close together as they can get us. But nothing can compare to the glory days of the 727 and I was there!
And so today, on 7/27, I am thinking of my favorite aircraft ~ the Boeing 727 Stretch.
July 25, 2010
Ethiopian Refugees
While at the airport last week, I saw something that moved me.
It was one of those ‘airport golf carts’ that transport passengers from one gate to another because they have a special need. Well, if ever someone needed the cart this day, it was the woman I saw in the cart.
The thin black woman was from Ethiopia, I guessed, and surrounded by children. Sitting softly tall in the cart’s back seat, the beautiful mother had an African ‘baby sling’ wrapped around her complete with infant. She was also struggling to hold a restless child about 16 months old. Close in next to her was another boy about 3 years old who was mesmerized by what was happening all around him, yet not willing to leave the safety of his Mother’s side. He was seeing things he had never seen before and I wondered how this trip would affect him. Absolutely his life will be changed for the better, but what of this trip will he remember?
Then my gaze advanced up to the center seat — another boy identical to the two behind him, but about 5 years old sat with his mouth open looking mostly ahead of him. And in the front seat was the cart driver along with ‘big brother’ who was probably about 7. Again identical to his three brothers; there was no doubt that he was part of this same family.
I have seen such families before when working as a Flight Attendant. I believe that they ‘win’ some sort of lottery to come to America . And come they do. With nothing but the clothes on their backs. Literally. No checked luggage. No carry-on bag. Just their paperwork and maybe a few possessions in a white plastic bag with blue lettering.
This Mother had a large white / blue lettered plastic bag (about the size of our grocery bags) sitting where the luggage goes in the cart and that is how I confirmed my inclinations of their status. There is a very distinctive emblem on the bag and that plastic bag is ALL that she brought with her and 5 children to America.
They are sponsored by a family somewhere and that is where they will be living. The mother may decide to take ESL (English as a Second Language) classes and the children should begin school soon. Usually they settle in communities with similar families for common encouragement and because they can communicate with them until they learn English.
Anyway I still have the picture in my mind of this beautiful contemporary Madonna with child plus four more in the airport golf cart. And yes, Portland Firefly prayed a special blessing for this brave mother as I passed by.
July 2, 2010
Happy Fourth of July
Today begins the July 4th weekend celebrations. The neighbors started shooting off fireworks two nights ago, thankfully not too late in the evening!
Here in Portland and in the surrounding municipalities, including Washington state, MANY of the firework use laws have changed. It is important that you check your local rules so you don’t purchase or use illegal fireworks. Since the rules vary considerable, the fireworks stands may sell you a product that is illegal where you plan to use it.
Some of the stands were even unaware of the rules changes, so don’t rely upon them to give you the correct information. They are … after all ….. selling a product… and they want you to buy it. Also, some cities can only shoot off fireworks on certain days. So Buyer Beware!!! The law enforcement fines are very hefty this year.
Oregon law bans possession, use, or sale of any fireworks that fly, explode, travel more than one foot into the air, or more than six feet on the ground. These fireworks are illegal. You are encouraged to report illegal firework activity through the City’s non-emergency number, (503) 823-3333.
Why are most fireworks illegal in Oregon? It’s not rocket science: Oregon law states that fireworks outside the above definition are dangerous and strictly limit the use of these to professional displays only. Illegal fireworks cause:
- Countless injuries including trauma and burns from unplanned explosions
- Reoccurring trauma to many of our returning veterans suffering the effects of their service to our Country
- Enormous property loss each year by causing fires to residences, landscape, and wildland
- Emotional trauma and anxiety to many small children and animals, who are especially vulnerable
- Environmental pollution, measurable in both air and noise
In Portland, our difficulty is that many of the fireworks that are illegal in Oregon are legal in Washington and readily available to anyone who can drive across the Columbia River. Given the physical, emotional, environmental, and economic costs, as our population becomes more aware about these real consequences, it will become increasingly clear that illegal fireworks in the hands of amateurs is no longer a ‘patriotic’ act.
For those of you outside of the city of Portland, contact your local police or fire department on their non-emergency phone number. Now … if your house is on fire … call 911!
Happy and Safe Fourth of July!
July 1, 2010
Time to Fly Your Flag
Today, July1st is the beginning of our patriotic season!!!!
Patriotic Firefly is getting ready to hang her beautiful large flag outside. I’ll leave it up over the holiday weekend and that will be ok because I’ll have a light on it at night.
Won’t you make the effort to fly your flag also?
June 26, 2010
Portland Rose Parade 2010
Having grownup in Southern California, Portland Firefly was aware of only one ‘Rose Parade’ and that is the Pasadena Rose Parade on New Year’s Day in Pasadena California. Last June as I was sitting in my recliner recovering from chemo, I heard the news talk about a ‘rose parade’. I thought they were crazy because everyone knows that the rose parade is on January 1st, and not in the middle of June! Well, I was wrong!
Known as the City of Roses, Portland has its Grand Floral Parade during its June Rose Festival. Hence the name “Rose Parade” in June! Last year I watched it from my recliner; but this year a dear friend asked me along for the day. I felt that I could handle it as we took our lawn chairs and I could just sit for as long as I needed. After the parade, we wandered around the Waterfront Park until it was time to leave for home. We had a great day and a lot of fun. I might even do it again next year….
Here are some pictures from the parade. I hope you enjoy them. If you scroll over each picture, a title will pop up to tell you which float it is! Enjoy this on-line parade!
June 23, 2010
Landing in the Rain
While I was outside ‘playing’ with my flowers, it started to sprinkle. Since we have had the rainiest Spring on record (since the 1800′s!) Portland Firefly just continued with what she was doing ~ potting petunias. The sprinkles turned more frequent, but since I was wanting to finish this small project while I was still dirty, I kept on with my plantings. I just had a few minutes more until I was finished when a plane flew overhead.
Looking up, I see the plane through the misty rain and I am quickly transported to the interior of a MD-80. We are on final approach to Lambert Field in St. Louis, Missouri and I am sitting on the galley jumpseat strapped in for landing as I hear the rain hitting the fuselage. This particular jumpseat faces aft and you are looking at the galley coffee pots and the ovens and the beverage service carts facing you as you sit on the bulkhead seat. I make another careful mental check of all the storage latches. Yes, everything is latched down tight and proper as it should be.
The plane is in a rainstorm as it approaches Lambert Field. This is not uncommon, but today the rain sounds particularly hard. “Hu-u-m-m,” I think” perhaps we are in a little hailstorm. There were a lot of grey clouds outside just before I sat down and strapped in myself .” I look at my passengers (watching to see my reaction and for reassurance) and smile. I am not concerned. I am just noticing the fact that it is raining…. maybe a little hard…. no need to worry. I know these pilots and have flown with them off and on many times during our long careers. The plane sort of bounces a little bit in the air. I’ve lived in this air for so long, I can feel that the pilot has complete control and that everything is ‘normal’ for this type of weather. I feel the plane descend even more and soon we break through the clouds and I know by the passengers actions that they are looking at the ground below us. I think it is always a comforting sight, exciting and exhilarating at the same time to see that we have almost arrived at our destination. The plane wiggles ever so slightly as the pilots manuever into position for the runway, the rain still audible in the now quite interior. Planes get quiet in ‘inclement weather’ as passengers stop talking to listen and observe what is happening around them.
I am calm and at ease, however I am also very attentive. One never knows when she will have to use the years of Emergency Training that she has had. Years of flying also tell me that so far, this approach has been routine. I again smile at my passengers, as I wait and listen to the sounds of the engines. The engines sound fine. I tighten my shoulder harness and seat belt again just before the plane touches down. It is a habit that I have developed over the years and I will continue to make that safety belt as tight as I can stand it for landing and take off…even when I am a passenger.
This landing, like most others is solid and routine. Once again I am ‘grounded’ for a short while.
I finish planting the petunias and turn on the watering hose to give them a good solid drink of water before I go in the house. Somehow, it seems silly to be watering plants in the misty rain, but the dirt was dry before I started planting and it isn’t raining hard enough to soak the new plants roots. Now every time I look at my petunias I think of that misty airplane sighting and the memory it provoked.
June 22, 2010
Fathers
While sitting in church on Father’s Day, I glanced ‘over there’ and saw a man who resembles one of my step-fathers. My Mother had a zest for life and I had the privilege of having more than one ‘father figure’ in my life.
It is strange, because I had been thinking of my Father often during the previous week and the fact that his passing last year means that I no longer have anyone to purchase Father’s Day cards for was not lost on me.
I had not thought about Bill for a very long time as he passed away almost 25 years ago. He would come to mind mostly when I would find an item of his in my Mother’s things and then it would be a remote and fleeting thought. Usually I would set the item aside to mail to one of his daughters. This was my Mother’s last marriage and I was married with children of my own so his daughters and I never really had much contact with each other. Those four girls (lovely women now) did make a huge effort to contact my Mother and I as she became ill. The four of them sent ’the most beautiful’ floral arrangement (a natural rustic basket arranged with all white flowers ~ stunning!) for her memorial and one of them drove 5 hours one way to attend. And so my focus was more on them than it was on their desceased Father.
But this morning that changed. I had decided to sit on the other side of the sanctuary today and there was a man who resembled Bill so strongly that I actually just sat and stared at him several times. Oh, I tried to not be obvious about it, but my eyes kept being drawn that way. As I would look at him I started to think about how kind and loving he was to my Mother, my children and myself. He was very intuitively thoughtful with no ulterior motives. He gave because he wanted to give. He was a warm loving man who had experienced a terrible thing as a child – witnessing the violent death of his mother. Of course it affected him his entire life. How could it not? It is a shame that the demons of his life possessed him to the extent that they did for I would have liked to have seen the jewel of a man who lay hidden beneath the terrors of his childhood.
I will one day. So will his daughters.
PS: He always wore a ruby ring set in yellow gold. Before leaving the midwest I made sure that the ring was given to one of his daughters because it really is their family heirloom. And that is the jewel that I think of when I think of this ‘jewel of a man’ ~ a brilliant ruby.
June 15, 2010
Angiogenesis ~~ what?
Portland Firefly just watched a video that discusses “Can we eat to Starve Cancer?” The process has to do with increasing blood vessels or inhibiting them and is called angiogenesis. In the case of cancer, there are too many blood vessels (feeding the tumors). The premise is what you can eat to influence the production (or non-production) of these blood vessels.
The video is fascinating and even though it is a little bit technical, William Li, the presenter makes the information understandable for most people. The video is 20 minutes long, but be prepared for it to go by quickly. I even decided to watch it a second time, because I found it so interesting!
William Li presents a new way to think about treating cancer and other diseases: anti-angiogenesis, preventing the growth of blood vessels that feed a tumor. The crucial first (and best) step: Eating cancer-fighting foods that cut off the supply lines and beat cancer at its own game.
In this video, Li reminds us that the drug Avastin is an angiogenesis drug. Avastin has just recently been approved for treatment in Ovarian Cancer cases. In fact Portland Firefly has a friend who has successfully been on Avastin for two years for treatment of her Ovarian Cancer.
June 13, 2010
Who Am I
This morning, when I woke up I was myself; but I soon became my Daughter’s Mother.
Poor Firefly, what is she talking about?
Stick with me and I’ll explain…. I am having a period of “Mom Pride”.
Some of you have met my daughter who is very talented in many different areas. She has been involved in the ‘tech’ (read that computer) industry for probably at least 13 years. There are several of her jobs that I like to brag about….. one being her association with iAmaze (during which time that little start-up created Slideshow –yes , THAT slideshow). Then she went on to become a Vice-President of Marketing for AOL/Time Warner ( PS: Correction below). She helped organized the LA Tech community and continues with organizing events for several groups in addition to her job. She has a natural ability to merge the worlds of the technology with marketing and personality. A rare combination because most ‘tekkies’ are not very good ‘people’ persons and she is both!
Anyway, this morning I set my alarm bright and early so I could log on to a live streaming of the Humanity Plus (H+) Conference that was being held at Harvard University. Yes, that Harvard. Why? I am so glad that you asked! My Daughter was a speaker at this conference and I absolutely wanted to see her presentation. She did an excellent job and it was very cool to see her in that environment. Her topic: “How do we create I”; it has something to do with emerging technology and personal identity.
I spent the first couple of minutes just watching her and being amazed at how much she resembles her brother… How come I never noticed that strong resemblance between the two of them before now? Then I noticed how poised she is. I still see that cute little first grader with her bouncy pig-tails. Today she is sporting a more sleek hair style — but Mom can still see the remains of some bright ( is that magenta?) hair dye on the ends of her naturally almost platinum appearing locks.
I notice how professional she appears even though I can only see what is above the tall podium. Most of the speakers at this conference are men and only a small percentage of women were invited to speak. More Pride. Sorry, I can’t help it! What is that she is wearing? Is that a tee-shirt with some sort of writing on it? Oh well, somehow it still looks professional with her jacket over it. How does she do things like that and get away with it? She is amazing! Then I notice the earrings…. they were my gift to her last Christmas. I fell in love with them when I first saw them and they suit her perfectly. She has since told me that they are her favorites and she wears them a lot. I smile when I see them on her.
Then I start to listen in earnest to her words. Her delivery is a wonderment to me. Calm, quiet and precise, her voice is serene. What happened to the hysterical teenager that grew up in my home?! Has she gone completely away? (I doubt it). Her fun-loving personality shows through in an occasional point that makes the entire room start laughing with her. She is relaxed and confident and unflappable even when the moderator reminds her that her time is nearly up and she unflappably skips to the ending of her well-prepared speech.
I am sitting up straighter with so much pride! Wow! She is a great public speaker and I am so glad that technology has given me the opportunity to not miss this occasion. Her speech ended with a quotation from Alice in Wonderland … I hope I got the right one…
“‘Who are you?’ ‘ I don’t quite know. I was one way when I woke up this morning but I think I have changed several times since then.’ “
To me, the applause seems much more enthusiastic than it was for the previous several speakers. But then, I am being quite objective! ( yeah, sure!) She has become a wonderful, delightful contributing member of society. What more can a parent ask for? And so, off and on (especially today), I shall not be myself… but I shall be… my Daughter’s Mother…. filled with pride and love.
PS: Correction…. My daughter insists that she was never a VP of Marketing for AOL/TimeWarner. She was a Project Manager for them. All I can remember is that they had her flying coast to coast for big projects and product launches and they practically worked her to death. Maybe it is because she was a Vice-President for several internet start-ups prior to that time, that I got her titles confused. Anyway, she is a remarkable young woman that I would admire and respect even if I wasn’t related to her. She deserves all the accolades that she receives because she has worked hard for them and she has earned them on her own!
June 7, 2010
Why I Stopped Chemo
Background: I was diagnosed with Primary Peritoneal Carcinoma in March, 2009 and began Chemotherapy immediately. In May, 2009, I had surgery and then restarted chemotherapy a few weeks later. In October 2009, I was off Chemo for about 8 weeks and then the end of November 2009, I restarted what is called consolidation or maintainance chemotherapy. It was to last for one year.
Consolidation Chemo has pros and cons. If the standard regimen of Chemotherapy did not get all of the cancer cells, then hopefully, the consolidation chemo will zap the rest of them. Some feel that consolidation chemo does no good at all. One is either cured by that time or not. And it will be just a matter of time before the cancer returns. This cancer almost always recurs. If that happens, then I’ll be back in chemo right away. Many patients have 2,3, 4, 5, or 6 recurrences. The key is how soon the first reoccurrence happens. The longer the time from the end of the first treatment and the onset of the first reoccurrence, then the better for a longer term survival.
Ever since my first chemo in March of 2009, I have experienced side-effects; some of which can become permanent. Even though I had a remarkable response to the chemotherapy, my Doctor has always been keeping an eye on the side-effects. In January 2010, she expressed concern about these issues and we decided to watch and pay closer attention to the side-effects over the next two months. During that time, Portland Firefly became progressively fatigued and other side-effects either came up or continued.
The CA125 is the blood test that is done to check the progress of my cancer and it continued stable from December through February, March and April. That information added to the side-effects that were wearing out Portland Firefly led us both in the same direction. And so we made the decision to discontinue the consolidation chemotherapy in March 2010.
This decision comes with much hope. Number one, we hope that the prior chemotherapy took care of this disease and I am cured. Number two, if not cured, then we can hope that the treatments that I received will stave off this disease long enough for me to enjoy my life again. Number three, Portland Firefly was just so worn out that she had no real quality of life. I was so fatigued that I could hardly take care of myself and my home. Travel was out of the question as were many local events that I wanted to enjoy.
What is the biggest thing that I hope to accomplish by going off of chemo at this time? Portland Firefly hopes to be able to reclaim her zest for life and to bask in the beauty and the joy that is this wonderful world. I can only do that by having a decent energy level and so that is my focus for the next year at least.
June 4, 2010
Portland Rose Festival
This is the week for the Portland Rose Festival. There are many activties planned. Be sure to click on the Rose Festival link at the end of this post to find out more about the festivities over the next two weeks.
The Starlight Parade is Saturday, June 5th, 2010 at 8:30pm. It will be televised live at 9:00pm on KGW NewsChannel 8.
The Grand Floral Parade will be on Saturday, June 12th at 10:00 am. Again televised live on KGW NewsChannel 8.
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The Dragon Boat Races are planned for Saturday, June 12th and Sunday, June 13th.
 
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For more information go to : http://www.rosefestival.org/
May 30, 2010
A Memorial Day Flag for You
A friend sent me a video of an American Flag. I was astounded by this video. Please take the time to download this video. I have never seen anything like it and I hope that you will enjoy it as much as I did.
A special remembrance for those who died for our freedoms.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEP9gwmz9hw
And… for an encore… a slightly different view. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtqJOMSTczY&feature=related
What a way to fly a flag!!!
May 28, 2010
Memorial Day 2010
And what will you be doing to honor those who have died for our freedoms?
For one thing, you can be sure to fly your flag. I’ll be flying my flag all weekend starting today and ending Monday night. You can leave your flag out overnight if it has a light on it.
Another thing that you can do is to call a veteran and thank them for their service to our country. They are the reason we enjoy all of the freedoms that we have today.
And don’t forget the picnic!!!! M-m-m … Brats and potato salad and red, white and blue dessert!
Enjoy!!!
May 18, 2010
Mt. St. Helens 30th Anniversary
3,000 ft (1 km) steam plume on May 19, 1982, two years after its major eruption
Today, May 18, 2010 is the 3oth anniversary of the Mt. St. Helen’s volcanic eruption. Here in the Pacific North West there will be many television retrospectives recounting the event. There are also special ceremonies up on the mountain itself which Portland Firefly wanted to attend, but her low energy level prevents this and so she will watch the TV presentations.
This is the Wikipedia link for getting more info about Mt. St. Helens. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_St._Helens
Here is the Federal government link to the Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/mshnvm/
May 14, 2010
Branson
Several weeks ago Portland Firefly took a trip to Branson, Missouri to meet up with some friends. There was a total of six of us and we had two time share condos. We stopped at Sam’s Club on the way and bought most of our food supplies for the week. I still don’t know how we did it, but we all ended up paying about $20 per person for the week for food! That does not include the dinner show that we attended. One of our party won a side of bar-b-que ribs that was outstanding — Yummy!
People who have never been to Branson have asked me what it all about and the best description that I can come up with is this: “Branson is like a Christian Las Vegas in that all of the shows are absolutely Family Friendly and it is surrounded by natural beauty.” And that is a Portland Firefly quote!
We attended several shows. We saw ‘Noah, the Musical’ which was pretty cool because at the beginning of the second act, you are inside the Ark and surrounded by all the animals ~~ some of which are animatronic, some were real, and some were just stuffed! I bought a cute umbrella for my Grandson there!!
One of our favorite shows is the Dolly Parton Dixie Stampede where a dinner is served inside a huge arena while you watch and participate in a horse show. We arrived early so we could walk around and see all of the beautiful horses. One of my friends used to own and ride and train horses, so it was especially enjoyable for me to look at the horses with him and get his observations about the horses. Wow, what a great horse education I received in a very short time!!!
Then we saw The Shoji Tabuchi Show. For many years this show has been touted as one of Branson’s best. Portland Firefly was disappointed. I felt that the show was entertaining, but lacked the piazza that it should have had. It was ‘tired’. The restrooms at the theatre however are something else. The Women’s restroom is absolutely ‘over the top’ with wisteria-like crystal chandeliers and ornate gold mirrors everywhere. There is even an attendant that will squirt hand lotion on your hands after you dry your hands!
But the best show we saw was the last show we saw. It was The Haygoods show and consists of seven brothers and one sister all of whom are extremely talented. They presented a fast-moving, high-energy polished performance that was enjoyed by the multi-generational audience. And to my delight they presented for the first time ever, their rendition of ‘Firefly’.
All in all it was a wonderful week spent with wonderful friends having a wonderful time!!! Truly another trip for my memory book.
May 8, 2010
Happy Mother’s Day
Portland Firefly wishes all of the Mothers out there a very Happy Mother’s Day!
Mothering is one of the most difficult jobs in the world…. And often thankless…. Until our children grow up and become mature parents themselves…. Then they realize all that we went through for their benefit.
And so… Moms….enjoy this day of honor that is reserved for you.
April 22, 2010
Off Chemo!
Last month, I decided to take myself off of chemotherapy. It was a big decision and one that my doctor and I had been discussing for four months.
The reason I say that “I” took myself off chemo is as follows: Last month I had my regularly scheduled appointment with my gynecological oncologist set for a certain day. The doctor would be out-of-town that day so we moved the appointment up 4 days. But…the day before my appointment, I received a call from the scheduling nurse stating that my doctor unexpectedly couldn’t make her appointments that day and she wanted me to be seen by her colleague.
Normally, that would have presented no problem at all. But…..This was a very important appointment for me because I was going to discuss with her exactly what it meant for me to discontinue the chemo at this time.
I started crying on the phone with the appointment nurse. Not sobbing, but again that pitiful deep in-breath “I really don’t want to cry” controlled release of deep emotion. I explained how this was a VERY IMPORTANT appointment for me and that I really didn’t want to see anyone except MY Doctor. We decided that I would just skip the March appointment and wait until the next month to see my doctor.
Well, last week was my April appointment. My Son accompanied me as he has many times; to provide moral support ( and physical should it be needed); to ask questions that I wouldn’t have thought of; and to help me correctly remember what was said. I am always grateful for his gift of loving support and time that he gives willing when I am in need. He has made me extremely proud of the responsible man he has become and I have expressed these sentiments to him and his wife many times.
