Remember That Guy in RFL Who Didn't Have Cancer?

Be honest. You never fantasize about wearing or looking like this in RL.

Sitting in a local coffee shop and enjoying their choice of 60s Latin exotica while waiting for an omelette.  The two large fans are doing their job and there's a crossing guard across the street although school isn't yet open here.

I'm running oppressively late today.  Work for me begins at 8am and at  8:45 I'm here, checking in sporadically on iPhone.  I don't like working remotely and never have.  There's something unclean about working from a location I see as a refuge from work, something work funds so I can live and do what I want.  At the same time while I am not cleared to endure the merciless rigors of commuting via public transportation, I'm glad I am perfectly capable to connect directly to my office PC and keep my PTO for PTO.

It is now one week later.  Today I get a CT scan and on Thursday I finally see the surgeon for my post-op evaluation.  I've scheduled my specialist prior and my primary care physician for right afterwards, both for consultation.  It's been encouraged that I receive three mild radiation sessions to ensure nothing stray takes hold.  The oncologist explained the difference between types of "got it all out" and where mine came in.  Big decision to make and yet a no-brainer.

I'm now sitting at Doshi Diagnostic for a CT scan.  It's long past my scheduled time and it's a veritable cattle car of people waiting and checking in.  People sick and well, all sitting in close proximity of each other, side by side in a sea of rows.  Checking in on work email periodically but mostly useless.  No word from the boss, who has an automated response up.



I have a permanent scar on a cheek and an eyelid.  They knew I had sensitivities to  adhesives but they had to seal my eyes with some goopy agent while I was under.  I reckon the welts happened immediately, then after five or six hours they ripped off the stuff and gashes happened.  I didnt even realize the source of irritations until I finally made it to my room 6+ hours later and saw myself in the mirror for the first time.  The nurse helped wipe the rest of the gunk off and out of my eyes and apply Bacitracin on the wounds.  The eyelid (rather the space between my eyelid and eyebrow) healed better with a less prominent scar but the cheek is impossibly conspicuous as though I'd been in a fight.

Watching people enter into the place I can confirm what they say about some cultures, where the woman walks a distance behind her husband.  I wonder if this is to advertise the male's availability to other females?  There's a lot of double standard in the world.  Some myth about more women than men, discounting such factors as the age range of fertility vs virility, availability and so on.

The CT scan is done.  I've been here for almost three hours and still waiting.  I'm thinking if my boss wasn't out I would take the rest of the day off; there are prescriptions to pick up at Walgreens from SK.  As soon as the CD of films are in hand I'm off.

It is now days later.  I'm alternately queased from taking Prilosec at the same time as an antibiotic; both end tomorrow.  I finally met my surgeon for the post-op checkup and she's pleased.  I'm asked to ease into things like walking up entire flights of stairs and lifting more than 10lbs (ah laundry, someday you'll wash yourself).  I can resume commuting Sept 3rd.  September 1st is test show for Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

It's after 3 and almuerzo is here at Arepa Lady.  I want to work on art for Burn2 before I go back to the office.  It was all so much easier when I had a table.  Now I lean a drawing board on the only table I have: the computer desk.  I want to take my time on the details.  I miss the Pelikan inks I used to lay down as a base.

Next step other than seeing my parents this weekend by bus is to phone the oncologist for my first radiation session.  Everyone agrees this is something I should not turn down.

It's a day later at 7:20am.  I was too early to get Asian vegetables (getting sick of summer squash and green beans) and started walking around, Right now I'm in Elmhurst sitting on a public bench after my knee started getting to me. I can't have breakfast yet and I'm between express stops on the Q53 bus.  After a bit I'll head back or to the nearest stop.  Stupid torn meniscus...

The good thing about walking into Elmhurst nowadays is that it's dominated
by Koreans & Chinese.  Hello big 24/7 Asian supermarket...