I think my dad said it best, quoting Homer Simpson:
"This is the SUCKIEST SUCK THAT EVER SUCKED."

What can I say. This was a HORRIBLE day in Cincinnati. What is it with the Bengals playing to the level of every team they play? Id be scared to put them up against a college team, since most college teams probably should BEAT the Browns. I dont know what the answer is. Mom and Dad came down and we went to our new favorite restaurant, JB's - all you can eat wings during the Bengals games - whohoo! The four of us polished off eight pounds of wings. yessir. Healthy chemo diet begone!!! Oh yeah, here we all are, pissed off about the game: This is NOT what we were expecting....

Could I LOVE THIS SHOW ANY MORE????

Here's an update for those of you who are or arent keeping up with my favorite show dujour...Rock of Love! Its down to 2 - Jes & Heather. Crazy Lacey is out thank God. But guess what - I cant be surprised, I went online and googled "ROCK OF LOVE SPOILER" and did some hard-core investigating. Im on board with what I read. Jes wins over Heather, but I was sincerely bummed to read that its likely that Jes and Bret Michaels ARE NOT, read, ARE NOT together, and furthermore, the producers, who had Jes picked from the get go, apparently told her to "act nice" so the fans would like her more. What the FUDGE? You S.O.Bs....IT WORKED!!!! Ive been picturing Jes and Brets wedding for sometime now, based on her sincerity....Ive known she was a shoe-in from the get go. So even more than next weeks final episode, Im more excited for the "reunion show", because no doubt the two will have gone their separate ways, and it will give me a chance to see crazy, manipulative tattle-tale Lacey get slammed by the other contestants, as well as the obnoxious audience. Thats it for now.

OH YEAH! CHECK OUT THE TUB!!!!!

So Purty!!!! If any of you are interested, you can book an appointment at http://www.uglytub.com/ Tell them you have the $175 cupon. I think they advertise for like $225 or something, but the guy didnt ask me for the cupon so you should be good to go.

I AM PRETTY PISSED ABOUT THIS:

http://www.daytondailynews.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/09/12/ddn091207pink.html

Very nice. So the Archdiocese of Cincinnati wont allow it's girls volleyball teams to donate their funds to the Susan G. Komen foundation because they have contributed to Planned Parenthood. Really???? Thats super. Shuffling around pedophiles from church to church is only recently a concern, and this, THIS they're gonna take a stand on???

I can accept that the Catholic church doesnt agree with Planned Parenthood (although, lets face it, their unrealistic promotion of abstinence has probably led to WAY more shameful abortions than they'd like to admit), but if you're going to pick and choose what issues you want to stand on your soap box for, make sure you do your homework and make that call before you use all the resources and dontations the promoters worked so hard to achieve (FOR THE SUSAN G. KOMEN FOUNDATION)......What about the businesses who donated their profits on the t-shirt sales (for KOMEN) or the volleyballs (FOR KOMEN), what if they dont want their money going to organizations that are still trying to shove 15-year old, disproven science down the throats of women.....

Just in case you were wondering, ABORTION DOES NOT contribute to BREAST CANCER: http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_6x_Can_Having_an_Abortion_Cause_or_Contribute_to_Breast_Cancer.asp

Furthermore, do you think I would have had numerous doctors tell me that it was "ok to consider abortion" when I was pregnant with JP if they thought it was going to worsen my condition? Of course I never considered that, and you might be surprised to find out that I think abortion as a form of birth control is wrong and could never do it myself, I just think if a person is of the thinking that its ok, they're way past being convinced by a picketer to turn around. I think if more people were willing to save the hundreds of thousands of dollars on reproductive assistance and offer to love an unwanted child thats already been conceived, and if the time and money spent on "Abstinence programs" would be redirected to a little better birth control, the world would be a better place, and maybe people would feel a little less likely to take that route.

Trust me, Id LOVE to have just one of those babies!

Im just saying, if they dont like the fundraiser, have a separate function. Its as simple as that. Im not trying to get all controversial, and im actually a fairly open-minded person despite my liberal ways.

Geez, WHO's STANDING ON THEIR SOAPBOX NOW???? Sorry folks, I know you all dont agree with me, this just hit me a little hard.

BIG, SCARY PET SCAN ON TUESDAY.....

So I want to update you since my last post. I had a lot of people call me asking me if everything was ok, and that my posts werent usually that morose. I guess I just try to post mostly about the "ups" instead of the "downs".

This looming PET scan, to be perfectly honest, has me scared out of my wits, and im sure some of you are thinking, "With that Pro-Choice additude, God is definitely going to strike you down anyway!" Ha ha, ok, seriously though.

Remember last year? All the "hoopla", all the dare I say it, "media attention", my "healer experience", all the chi-gong, blah blah blah.....I really felt ready for that scan. Like I did my homework for it.

Now, I just feel like this is coming flat out of nowhere. I havent been doing my chigong, I havent seen any healers, and I havent been feeling well AT ALL. I suppose the fourteen hour days of fulltime work and chemo and coaching probably have kept me from doing much at all, but this scan just feels like the most important one Ill have and I dont feel "ready".

Physically, Im still feeling about 20%, and the best Ive felt since Ive been on this chemo has been about 70%! Also, for the last four days, Ive had bloody noses and Ive been blowing out blood clots. Sorry, i know thats so gross. Also, for the last three days, ive developed a high-pitched ringing in my ears that will not go away. I know Im not supposed to self diagnose on the internet, but it doesnt look like theres any sort of remedy out there short of "getting used to it". I have a digital watch in the dining room that goes off everyday and I was sitting in the living room and mom looks at me and says, "Is that thing going to stop?".......I COULDN'T HEAR IT!!!! Are you happy Clark??? IM DEAF!!!!!!

On the positive side, my last two tumor markers have gone down, and I guess I could look at it this way, If the chemo is making me feel THIS BAD, its got to be killing a lot more bad cells along with the good, right?

I guess we'll find out!!! I have a game tomorrow night at Country Day and then Im driving straight up to Dayton for my PET scan Tuesday morning at 7am. Yes, 7am, why do I subject myself to these early appointments? Ugh, geez.

One last thing, This Sunday's POSTSECRET is pretty jaw-dropping! http://postsecret.blogspot.com

What is everyone else's opinion on the Volley for the Cure issue? Im so curious. Am I out of line?

Its the best of weeks, and the worst of weeks....

Oh, where do I start.


I enjoy living my life in grey. Little bit of this, little bit of that. Although my bads have been pretty bad, and my goods have been phenomenal at times, I really just wish my life was more grey.


My last chemo of this "round" was Tuesday. If some of you are confused about this round, here's how it went: a total of 12 treatments over the course of 18 weeks. Chemo for four hours on a tuesday, the next tuesday, off the next tuesday. Repeat five more times.



This one started out like the rest: a breeze. A guilty chemo patient sitting in the treament room, all my hair in tact, feeling on top of the world. Doing work with my IV in, calling customers, studying volleyball coaching books, booking train trips while getting pumped full of chemo.


But it didnt stay that way. The last few weeks, no work was done, no trips were booked, not much of anything was accomplished in ANY MANNER. Frankly, this one has kicked my ass. Pushing 14 hour days on chemo has sucked, but Im not regretting the coaching - the adrenaline from those games has been the only thing keeping me connected with my pre-cancerous life.



Its nice to remember how important a high school volleyball game is. Im just sick of all the heavy stuff.



This has probably been the hardest week of all - im nauseous, I actually did miss my game last night and cancelled practice for today. That was a tough decision because I know the girls wanted to practice, but I just couldnt do it.



Whereas my bosses when I was first diagnosed asked me when I was going to come back a day after my son's funeral, my boss Karen came up to me Wednesday, and said, "You know, its okay to say 'no'" Im thankful she noticed - because I think i was on the brink of a physical meltdown.



I took today off, which worked out, because over a month ago, I scheduled to have my tub reglazed. My initial plan was to have a friend, or mom, or a neighbor come over and sit with the guy while he worked, but this way, I was able to be here. And the house is full of toxic fumes, and im so congested I cant smell a thing. Ill take what I can get. I wish I had a picture of the tub when it looked its absolute worst. Rusty rails from where the glass doors once were, cauk residue everywhere. It was gross. Those of you who have experienced it first hand know what Im talking about....its the color of urine. But not anymore. Ill have another shot up once I get everything in order- but heres the before, and the "primed tub" stage. (right now I have to leave it alone till about 9p, then we cut the paper, cauk it, and then we have to wait 24 hours before we can use it. Yes, we're showering at the Schniebers tonight.

Before, sort of....
After, not really...not yet:
So anyway, that looks good, now we've got to get the tub draining again as well as the dishwasher. One step Forward, two steps back!

So, with the expection of being physically blown away with a sinus infection or allergies or whatever is making me deliver road kill from my nose, I did have one spectaular lunch this week.

Last week after chemo, I ran into my ALL TIME FAVORITE HS TEACHER, Mrs. Sharon Rab. I LOVE MRS. RAB!!! She has always been my own personal Oprah. Smart, funny, encouraging, thoughtful and sincere just to name a few qualities. I had her for Junior comp at Fairmont, and then the following year, I took both of her honors English classes - Comedy & Satire, and Creative Writing. I told John that if Mrs. Rab had offered a class on Self-Loathing, I probably would have been the first to sign up for it. As far as Im concerned, everything that comes out of that womans mouth is gospel. I imagine if there was someone to take a picture of me every time she opens her mouth, Id probably look like an eager child. At least thats what I feel like.


Karen and Angie used to make fun of me (ok, they still do) in high school because all I did my senior year was a few mandatory classes, everything Mrs. Rab offered, and of course YEarbook and Flyer with Mr. Riley.

They used to sing my schedule.....

"MooooooorreeePainterRabRileyMooreRabRileeeeey" Well, it was pretty funny then, at least.

Here's a few pic's I drug up from high school.....Mrs Rab at her all-powerful podium, enlightening the masses:

Junior Year: our classes "Chaucer Pilgrammage", where we walked from Fairmont to the Peasant Stock for lunch, where we were assigned a Chaucer character, found their modern day equivilent, and wrote a poem about it, where we recited it at lunch.
Thats me in Laura (Friemuth) McCall's silky robe. I was assigned the Miller, and my modern day equal was a big time wrestler. Probably trying to get into my dads good graces. I have no idea what I wrote, but here I am, reading it.
So anyway, I disclosed to Mrs. Rab that I had 50 pages of a book Im working on and I had been working on getting it published -its not a memoire or anything like that, something a little more cancer-surviving novelty item - but she took me next door to Books & Co. and bought me the Literary Agents Guide and gave me some quick pointers to get started. (Lets just say she guided me to the onramp to the highway, after I had been on a tricycle going the wrong way)

Id like to start working on this after volleyball is over, right now things are just crazy.

So now I have another PET scan on Tuesday. I dont know how Im feeling about this one. It was just over a year ago that I was going through this, huge PET scan on the horizion, everything at stake, all the hoopla of the article....and the miraculous PET scan....

All of the sudden I feel like I havent been preparing for this one. I need to see at least marginal improvement or im going to be in trouble. Im sick of being sick. Im ready to kick this for good.

Its so hard when you're nauseous and wanting to yak all the time to get all motivated and thinking positively. I cant deny that these last few weeks, Im probably more scared than I want to admit. Those morbid thoughts start creeping in. Should I start thinking about cremation? Would Stacy honor my wishes and sprinkle some of them in the front booth at the Cats Eye like I said I wanted years and years ago? I have to stop that. I guess its natural. But people probably never admit that they think that.

Then what usually happens, is I convince myself that I MUST subject myself to these thoughts, because the worse things get, the better the achievement of overcoming it will feel. You have to come back from the bottom of the barrel to really make the biggest impact.

If you dont have cancer, you probably dont distinguish between stages, but honestly? I dont want to hear about the struggles of a Stage 1 survior. They're the lucky ones. Stage 2? 3? Still struggling but a better chance of keeping it at bay. I need to either FIND the Stage 4 survior that wont die or BE the Stage 4 survior that wont die.

Its as simple as that.

Thanks for reminding me, Misti....Britney at VMA's???


Britney Spears added a new dimension of crap to her repitoire - this VMA performance last night. I actually didnt see it live, i missed the first 10 minutes. I get a text from Misti this morning asking if a saw it, so of course I couldnt start my day with out Youtube-ing it...and thank God I did. I need to get this out of my system before I start my day. Just in case you didnt catch it, the link is above.

Britney reminds me of when I play volleyball and I have gas real bad. Like, Ill try not to make any sharp, sudden moves. Thats what she looks like! And this song SUCKS...this girl needs to get her $hit together before she tries to throw a song together in four days. That was pretty much AWFUL. Please feel free to post your own comments.

While we're on the VMA's, did anyone else think that was one seizure-enducing show? I like RAP, but the first 50 min of the show they gave THREE awards total and camera hopped from private party to private party. 50 Cent or Kanye? Which do you like? You better pick one because thats all your gettin, all night.

The only bright spot I could see was Justin Timberlake, not once, but TWICE, getting some airtime telling MTV to start playing more videos. No $hit! MTV played "America's Top Model" episodes back to back ALL WEEKEND LONG. Thats way too much Tyra Banks than ANYONE needs, and the show sucks anyway.

Went to the hospital last night, was worried I was getting a bad sinus infection. My counts were fine, and they just put me on antibiotics. Ive got games today, tomorrow and wedesday (chemo tomorrow too) so this week is really going to suck in the worst way.

Please - I want to hear your feedback on Britney & the VMA's in general....

Here they are!!! My girls!!!

EVERYONE! Mark your calendars!

VOLLEY FOR THE CURE at

Finneytown HS vs. TAYLOR - Wednesday, Sept 26

(below - details from Varsity Coach Baker)

Hello all-I hope everyone has had a great start to the school year! I just wanted to let everyone know that the Finneytown JV and Varsity Volleyball teams are participating in a state wide event called Volley for the Cure.

This event was started to raise awareness about Breast Cancer last year by 2 schools in Cincinnati, Sycamore and Loveland.

The goal of these schools was to raise money to donate to the Komen Foundation and pack the stands in pink. They had an amazing turnout, and now the OHSVCA has made it a state-wide event. Our Volley for the Cure game will take place home, Wednesday September 26th against Taylor High School. Throughout the next couple of weeks the girls will be doing various things to raise money; bake sales, a table at Kroger's, selling pink ribbons, etc.

We are also going to be selling Fan Shirts, which are a unisex hot pink t-shirt that says Volley for the Cure '07 800 teams vs. Breast Cancer for only $5!!! All proceeds made from the event are going to be donated directly to the Komen Foundation. Please email me back if you are interested in buying a t-shirt with your name and size. Also please mark your calendars for Wednesday September 26 at 6:30 so you can help us Pack the Stands in Pink!

Thank you!Megan Baker

Details at: http://www.ohsvca.org/volleyforcure/index.php

HERE'S our UNDEFEATED VARSITY!

I have to put in my order for shirts ASAP!! So post here if you want one - THEY'RE only FIVE FRICKIN' DOLLARS PEOPLE!!!! I want everyone in these shirts and at the GAME!!!

AGAIN - They are only FIVE DOLLARS! Did I mention they were Five dollars?? Heres a picture below - They'll look like the ones on the right. Please post if you want me to order you a shirt - You can pay for it at the game, or you can get your five buckaroonies to me whenever. I mean, afterall, its five dollars. All proceeds are going to the SUSAN G. KOMEN FOUNDATION.

I have to tell the varsity coach how many shirts im going to need by FRIDAY! So post here if you want a shirt and what size. Post Post Post!!!

Feelin pretty good - our girls lost tonight and played their asses off and still lost in the third game and lost 31-29. So close!! It was a bummer but the girls were wired and played well. We're playing Deer Park tomorrow at Home.

POST HERE ASAP AND LET ME KNOW HOW MANY SHIRTS YOU WANT!!!

Oh yeah - One last thing, Im totally ripping this off Aileen's blog because it's (Say it like my brother), "HIL-lay-rious"....Back when all the cousins were little and Aileen was what? 30? Ha ha just kidding....apparently baby Katy let a stinker, and my husband really put on a show to express his distaste, even at the tender age of threeish. Id love to see him in those red plaid overalls again - how cute!~

Yes, I chopped all my hair off again.

When I was in the 7th grade, as some of you dont know, I chopped all my hair off, giving my self a giant "wedge" in the back. I rode my bike up to Van Buren shopping center where my old babysitter, Kelly Young, was working at TCBY Yogurt. She immediately saw the back of my butchered hair, pulled me behind the counter and into the back room, where she "cleaned up" the chunky parts hanging out. Later, I had to go to a beauty shop to have it further fixed.

Thats when all the kids at school started calling me the "Millenium Falcon" because my hair looked much like a spaceship.

Friday I just had one of those days. Id been thinking about chopping it all off again and I was just in a really brave mood. The problem, was that I had decided I was going to take John's hair clippers and use it like a "Flobee", you know, just give myself the one length, one-shot quickie haircut. What I learned was that mens beard clippers dont work like a Flobee, and simply arent meant to cut 4" of thick women's hair. (The hair is thick....ok the woman is too, but whatever)

So then I got the scissors out and thought I just needed to get it shorter before I could use the clippers. Well...it wasnt pretty. I didnt take any pictures, but I did have to haul my ass to Square one Saturday morning.

My dad said, "those who dont remember the past are doomed to give themselves rediculous hair cuts again".....a coworker at the fireworks train asked, "What did you do to your hair?" No body asked me about it, which is usually a clear sign that they arent impressed. Nothing I can do about it now.

(VB Practice got cancelled so mom talked me into coming up to the football game) Overall, Im happy with it. I just got fed up waiting for it to grow. The chemo hasnt made it fall out, but I think its slowed the growth, and it just looks mangey and blah.

I guess Ill try to keep this up for now.

Saturday was Kats Party - She has an adorable new house and as you could have guessed, flipcup was in full effect.

Now, Im almost 30, and Ive been lucky enough to have escaped every keg stand chant. I cant chug. Keg stands & Beer bongs have never been my thing. Others seem to enjoy it. The only thing that was a little sad was that there were so many new girls out from the team that I dont even know! I feel like the club has been such a massive part of my life for the last 7 years, and now I dont even know half the team. Weird. Two girls showed up who used to play for Western Michigan and said they remembered me whoring for them at one of the Savannah tournaments and that I was "awesome".... Thats right girls, I was awesome.
Enjoy this picture while you can...I have a feeling someone might ask me to remove it. While waiting for a beer, someone (who's name I will not divulge) stepped up for a keg stand. I dont know what proked me to stick the camera between her head and the keg. Im impulsve. But I did get a great shot - and Kat seems to be enjoying herself tremendously!
Sunday was the fireworks train - It was hot, busy, and then it just got hotter. Rodney (Far left) said it made him think about all the Jews on the trains going to Auschwitz. Ok, Rodney it wasnt THAT bad. It was fun, but I was mostly hot the whole time. We were back in the coach cars, but I did help the gal who took the tavern lounge get ready for her group. (Rodney, Mom, Dad below)
Heres the tavern lounge - many of you were on this last year. A woman leased it out for her group of friends and had Bill Thomas over at BBQ Revue cater it. Sounds like they all had a great time


And of course, the grand finale of my blog entry.....a grand finale!

Sorry about these posts.....I know they're kinda lame. Im not feeling controversial these days. Chemo is tomorrow so Im getting ready for another crappy two weeks. Just one more hopefully.

Happy Tuesday!

Im re-writing the entire post I just wrote ten minutes ago.

Ang told me to watch this show on TLC about this girl with Stage 4 breast cancer. I did relate to a lot of the emotions, the fears, all that, but in the end, I stopped watching after about 30 min.

Why? Because It annoyed me. Nothing against this girl, but what the hell? I guess Id just rather see someone with an actual 8-5 job, bills they cant pay, too much on their schedule. Someone who indulges themself a little bit ( or a lot).

Im watching this girl - ok, so you DONT WORK, and you have FIVE HOURS every day to prepare your stupid expensive as hell microbiotic diet food you just got from Whole Foods Market. OH how sweet, your boyfriend prepares your wheat grass smoothie for you every morning.

John walked in the living room while I was watching this (he had no idea what was on) and saw 15 seconds of it and says, "WHEAT GRASS? F**k THAT." I told my mom to start watching this and she called me at the commerical and was like, "What exactly does this girl DO?" Then she made some comment about the crazy diet, which relieved me. For a second I thought she was going to tell me it was a good idea, but then I forgot, this woman has known me almost THIRTY YEARS. She knows better than that.

I dont know. I guess if you have a fat bank roll and an entire day to spend at alternative healing conventions, your yoga class, having one on one sessions with all your professional, deeper than thou close friends, then way to go. Ill admit it, Im jealous. Id love to have that kind of time and money to do that.

But for the rest of us, an actual REAL LIFE is happening...with debt, fast food, bosses, salaries that have you living from paycheck to paycheck, no time to study every possible solution.....

Its just frustrating. Dont plaster that all over as the poster child for breast cancer. Those of us living in the real world cant live up to that. Simply cant afford it.

Despite all this- Ive actually had a pretty great week. Lots of energy, getting a TON of work done, and looking forward to a really good weekend. I cant go to the lake with John because I have to work the Fireworks train on Sunday, so Ill probably head over to Kats for a little bit on Saturday. Ill have some pictures I PROMISE!!!

We play AT Maderia Thursday - Come on out!! my girls are 1-2....shooting for .500 tomorrow!

:)

Ive had a few requests for the schedule....Here ya go! These are JV Starting times, Varsity will follow - plan to stay, they're great and a lot of fun to watch!

Wed 8/15/2007 Away *Scrimmage - Taylor High School * 11:00AM
Mon 8/20/2007 Away Walnut Hills High School 5:00PM
Wed 8/22/2007 Home *Scrimmage - Princeton High School * 4:15PM
Mon 8/27/2007 Home Seven Hills School 5:30PM
Tue 8/28/2007 Home Mariemont High School 5:30PM
Thu 8/30/2007 Away Madeira High School 5:30PM
Tue 9/4/2007 Away Taylor High School 5:30PM
Wed 9/5/2007 Away Northwest High School 5:00PM
Thu 9/6/2007 Home Deer Park High School 5:30PM
Sat 9/8/2007 Away Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy 10:00AM
Mon 9/10/2007 Away Wyoming High School 5:30PM
Tue 9/11/2007 Home Indian Hill High School 5:30PM
Mon 9/17/2007 Away Cincinnati Country Day School 5:00PM
Tue 9/18/2007 Away Reading High School 5:30PM
Thu 9/20/2007 Away Mariemont High School 5:30PM
Tue 9/25/2007 Home Madeira High School 5:30PM
Wed 9/26/2007 Home Taylor High School 5:30PM
Tue 10/2/2007 Away Deer Park High School 5:30PM
Thu 10/4/2007 Away Indian Hill High School 5:30PM
Tue 10/9/2007 Home Wyoming High School 5:30PM
Thu 10/11/2007 Home Reading High School 5:30PM

So Im sitting at chemo today, and the lady next to me is talking about filling out paperwork to get her government aid for chemo.

"You'd better belive I shot to the top of that list when I made it clear I had a disease I WAS GOING TO DIE FROM!", she said.

I had to interject.

"HEY NOW! Dont say THAT! You never know! You might beat this cancer! And you could walk out the door today and get hit by a TRUCK!"

Some people just dont know how to think positive.

FINNEYTOWN JV VOLLEYBALL beats WALNUT HILLS in TWO GAMES!!!

Way to go girls! It was the first scrimmage I had with my girls and they did great! Looking forward to Wednesday's scrimmage against Princeton.
FYI - Our first game is THIS SATURDAY at Middletown HS- JV starts at 10:00 am, Varsity to follow. GO WILDCATS!

Awww....how cute is THIS!!! Nick and Sam Mittermeier (Karen's little girl) show off their pearly whites at Bone's Cornhole Tournament!

So- Bone had his cornhole tournament this weekend. It seriously started off like a dream. 30 random people, guys and girls teamed up by pulling numbers out of two hats, and who do I get as my partner??

So now we've got all the pressure in the world. People expect perfection with a team like this. Cunningham is walking around calling us "Fortener Nation" and we start our two first games with convincing wins - 21-0, 21-3. We're gonna walk right through this tournament.

Bone and his dad playing against each other:
J-Mac teamed up with Debbie, Bone's mom, and did ok. I think they pulled one off in the losers bracket, still, he was never satisfied....

Vince Dean (my senior year turnabout date and Sarah's fiance...dont be jealous, Sarah.), me & CUnningham. We kept singing Duran Duran songs all night after John said Cunningham looked like Simon LeBon. "Her name is Rio......."

Bone models angies new hair bows as he marks one of the worst bracket posters ever seen in these parts.
So yeah......Nick and I make it into the finals. I was really more tired than I was confident, and who really gave a rats ass? We knew everyone there anyway, the championship game didnt REALLY mean anything, right? Wrong.

Nick approaches me and demands that we "Kick their ass"....and.."This girl we're playing has been talking S*hit all night and she's driving me crazy.".....blah blah blah. Apparently this girl had been pretty obnoxious all night and was annoying people left and right. I never saw it, but I was going to do my best regardless. Whatever Nick.

Two minutes later, Sadie Shit-Talker comes strutting out, pointing at me, telling me to "JUST CONCEDE.....Just Concede.....YOu're Goin' Down.....blah blah blah....Dont even try.....blah blah blah"

Now, there's friendly banter, and then theres tiptoeing across that line once a 12-pack bloats your ego to the point where you're REEELY begging to get punched in the face. Im a pacifist for the most part, but this girl made it very easy to imagine her face covered in blood as she continued to cross the line of drunken shit talking......all the while kicking our ass......

Yes folks, thats right. We lost in the finals. In all fairness, her male counterpart did the most damage - she didnt perform quite enough to back up her mouth, but did it matter? no. We lost. Nick was so pissed off he whipped his last bag at me and this other girl. He said he was aiming for her, yet I was the one who got drilled in the leg.

We then sat around licking our wounds, and Nick confessed that no loss suffered in High School or Collegiate Football quite compared to the bite of this defeat. I feel ya, bro.

We then went out to celebrate mom's birthday at LaRosas on Sunday.

Ive got chemo Tomorrow. I only have tomorrow, off a week, and then TWO more Tuesday treatments before Im done. At least done for now, then another PET scan and we'll see how it goes. This week is going to be SUPER HARD. Getting blasted with chemo and trying to push out 12-14 hour days is very taxing but I dont feel like I have much of a choice. Ill probably lay low this weekend after the game. Im supposed to work the Oktoberfest at Germania Park on Sunday but I will relax if Im feeling bad. I promise I wont push it.

DONT FORGET!!! -

Scrimmage AT Finneytown on WEDNESDAY - 5:30! First game at MIDDLETOWN HS on SATURDAY - JV at 10:00am- Varsity to follow.

Stayed at mom & dads Monday night before chemo....how cute! Mine and dads coaching clipboards.....like father like daughter. Jami - this is about as far as I got with the second fan....I did manage to take out the old fan in the master bedroom, but I cant get the base on. Otherwise I think it'd be fine. Theres like, a square (but technically an octagon) insert in the wall....and the base I have is supposed to go into the beams but this little metal "insert" is nestled in the ceiling and the 3" screws I have to put the base on dont fit into the holes in the insert. I dont know what to do. I may take pictures of the issue and take it to someone who knows what they're doing. I no longer feel smart.

John on the other hand, will be LOVIN IT, becuase he CANT STAND having the ceiling fan on in teh bedroom and I cant sleep without it! Should be interesting. - oh, reminder- just went upstairs and turned the window ac on. I like it to be cold.

Tomorrow is team picture day - arrgh! I dont know what Im going to wear...but I might try and take my camera and get some secret team shots. Should I order John a button?

Sorry - this is my only real night off this week - vb practice tomorrow and friday. Ill try to write more. My eyes are just burning. I think these last few chemos are going to wear on me. Lately ive been in a fog after I get that second dose in two weeks. I just had a week off and I shouldnt be this tired right after my first dose after a week off!!!

Sounds like Ill have chemo next Tuesday, off a week, and then chemos the two following Tuesdays and Ill go back for another miraculously successful PET scan. Ill be looking forward to getting off chemo for awhile. I do hate feeling like Im at about 60% living a 110% life.

Im just tired. Its gonna be difficult getting through the next 2 1/2 months..... anywhere from 2-4 more hours after I get off work? What have I gotten myself into?

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.....................................

What I am about to share with you is both INCREDIBLY true, and INCREDIBLY dull.

Ang has informed me that my posts of late SUCK, because its all about home improvements, so for the rest of you who dont give a hoot about hard labor, painting, and electrical pursuits, feel free to walk away. Because this weekend was, no joke, about 28 hours of cleaning, swiffering, pitching, painting, and screwing.....- with my Black and Decker you pervert!


Well, I had chosen the color of paint I wanted to use in the living room. I was happy with it. Then I made the grave mistake of sending Stacy a computer generated painted room showing my choice. She said she saw "purple in it". I said she was crazy and copied Kristen on the email. Kristen would definitely back me up. "I agree with Stacy, theres purple in it." These exchanges went back and forth and Stacy actually wrote, "Whatever. Its got purple undertones in it, barney. just letting you know." SHE CALLED ME BARNEY!!!!!!


So these crazy biz-nits put this bug in my head that had me at Lowes on Friday for about an HOUR longer than I should have been there, doubting my original choice. But in the end, I went with my gut. Im happy with it, although Stacy said it would be to "dark" ?????? So I painted the living room, and its all connected to the hallway upstairs, so I painted that too......

And bought too much paint! I had a whole gallon & a half left so I did the den as well. I finished the living room at 2am Friday night, and worked on this room most of the day Saturday. Check out the new curtains! We picked those up at Wal-Mart. Moved the couch around for those of you who have been here.... Heres a better shot of the dining room light. No joke, replaced those old tacky things with something a little more updated.....2.30 a pop. Let me remind you again....an $11 improvement vs. a new $150 lamp...


This is probably, hands down, my greatest technical feat ever. I got a wild hair to bust open this ceiling fan grandpa had lying around and gave to us. I have NEVER attempted to replace a ceiling fan, so I did not have very high expectations. Three hours and 47 F-Bombs later, I give you, the new celing fan in the green room. But the lights arent working. Im not sure why. Get into that next weekend I guess.....
After I put a celing fan up all by myself, I walking around like a Rhodes Scholar. John's parents had a left over porch light that didnt end up getting used at their house in North Carolina, so they gave it to us. Honestly, I knew we needed one on the back porch, but neither of us have any electrical skills at all, so I expected it to stay in the garage for another four years.....UNTIL NOW.



I went outside and inspected the light thats out there now. Bad Stuff. Its so rusted that I couldnt even twist the screws out to replace the light when It went out last winter.

But now that I had my masters in electrical engineering, I had a new optimism about the crappy old light and the gift from my in-laws. I pryed out the rusted nail, undid the old white to white wires and black to black wires, and got started on assembling my new porch light.....

An hour later, I had John come out and inspect....the light. It works!
And finally, I took the two blinds we had in the den and moved them into the bedroom...again, only about 8 more F-bombs to hang these bad boys.

All in all, it was probably the most productive weekend we've had since we moved into the place.
Sorry this wasnt more exciting, Ang.

Oh yeah, Shannon called me the other day to give me a few pointers about this 3-day walk and to remind me to start training a little. So I walked to winton woods, about 6 miles and it kicked my butt....I am NOT ready for this.

oh well.

HAPPY MONDAY! Chemo on Tuesday.

If this article doesnt make you sick, something is seriously wrong. And these righteous folk wonder why so many people are chosing to be "Spiritual" over "Religious". C'mon people.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20221295/?GT1=10252

Before I tell you all about my next crusade, how about a collective, "Awwwwww".....

That's my brother & I at my aunt Mary's wedding. I was a Junior Bridesmaid, which, in my mind, made me mature enough to drive a car. Ironically, im 30, and apparently still not equipped to drive legally by myself....

Anyway, KJ and I were emailing each other today and she spouts this grammar correcting email response to something I wrote:

"BTW, loose and lose are not the same word :P
It’s a giant pet peeve of mine."

Ive never claimed to have copy-editor quality grammar skills, but something sparked inside of me when I started to think about it, and I responded:

"Ive been doing that since the third grade. And probably will not stop.

Loop…hoop…boop…coop…it makes the ewww sound. Im going to petition that “lose” be corrected in the dictionary as it should be properly spelled: LOOSE. My superior brain actually corrects it, despite what we’ve all been taught.

So lose has the ewww sound, so do we pronounce pose? “puze”?.....rose is “ruze”….dose is “duze”…

Im taking a stand against society as a whole for allowing this to go on as long as it has. Im going to petition “Society” to change “lose” to “loose” and officially call it a heteronym. It shouldn’t cause any harm.

Heteronymy. Heteronyms are homonyms that share the same spelling but have different pronunciations. That is, they are homographs which are not homophones. Such words include desert (to abandon) and desert (arid region). Heteronyms are also sometimes called heterophones. ("Heteronym" also has a specialised meaning in poetry; see Heteronym (literature).)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homonym

Screw you wavy red lines!"

So there you have it. Im going to take stand and continue spelling "lose", as "loose", just because in my opinion, its correct. I would encourage you all to do the same.

Dont forget to keep those elbows on the table....(Which KJ doesnt like either...)

feel free to vent your own personal gripes with the english language.

UPDATE: LIVING ROOM AND UPSTAIRS HALLWAY ARE PAINTED!!! I bought too much paint so I have PLENTY to paint the den, which needs it desperately!

Oh yeah...One more quicky home improvement....I was never crazy about the light fixture in the dining room, but didnt want to spend $150 bucks on a new light. I dont even know what you call these things....sconces? vases? Anyway, I noticed I could just pull them off. So I went to lowes and picked up six of these for like $3 a pop and turned this:

INTO THIS!!!

Im REEEELY proud of this one - a 15 dollar improvement as opposed to a new $150 light. >patting myself on the back<

I told John if I got the den painted tomorrow we were celebrating at Haps...I think he might pitch in with that one!!!

GAAAHH!!! Why cant I find a flippin' TRIPLE TOGGLE SWITCH PLATE in DISTRESSED BLACK WOOD??? IS THIS TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR???

noooooo!!!! not BRONZE!!

So anyway, im going to paint this weekend and I reeeely want to change the switchplate by teh door. Right now its a cheap bendy gold one and Id really like get a black one. I was just kidding about the distressed wood. It doesnt have to be distressed. But it could be. but not flat either. Something with a little girth.

G'head. Try to find one.....YOU WONT!!!! I called Lowes AND HD and both said they didnt carry anything like that. WHAT EVER.

Also, I am ashamed....

Had my 1st real practice with my JV squad tonight and gave them a pep talk that included a blurb that I stole from many a rugby pep talk. I actually said, "Ladies, the water tastes SOOO much better after a win."

Ok, let me have it. I just couldnt say beer right? Especially not after the Fall Sports drug & alcohol policy kickoff event yesterday.

But then I got to thinking about it, and Aquafina swapped water for beer a LONG time ago! I love this commercial.

Everyone have a good weekend, Ill keep you updated on the painting!

Another "Poor-Mans-el-cheapo-but-aesthetically-pleasing" Home Improvement brought to you by Fort & J-Mac.

So, our computer workstation sits smack dab in the middle of our living room and dining room, and its always been a bit of an eyesore. Ive been keeping my eyes open for a "cleaner" looking desk, as the plywood monstrosity below has seen better days. that drooping desktop looks even more dramatic from the couch - so i finally found a cheap and perfect matching desk off of Target.com.

So I had to go to the Finneytown HS Fall Sports drug and alcohol policy kickoff, (yeah, it was as fun as it sounds!) but it was mostly a bear because it was ninety-some degress the whole time...very uncomfortable. Anyway, John put the desk together when I was gone and set everything up - I think it looks pretty nice!!!
Although, as Murphy's Law would have it, now theres even more shit all over everywhere else:
Monday & Tuesday we had our volleyball tryouts and I only kept 11 girls for JV, which meant cutting 3 nice young ladies. It wasnt easy - especially since we didnt just post a sign, we had to conference with each player. Ive never been in a position to fire someone (unless you count when Nick worked at the Donut Man for like two days and quit becuase he didnt respect my authori-TYE when I told him to go wash trays) so giving the face to face "your cut" meeting was not easy!

We had a great group of girls tryout and Im happy with my JV squad. Hopefully some of you can make it out to some games. The next 2.5 months are going to fly by - the first weekend after the season is over is the Atlanta 3-day walk so my butt is gonna be KICKED!!!

thats it for now. We actually have NO plans this weekend...so, you may not hear back from me for awhile unless something greath happens. Oh wait, I think im going to paint the living room all weekend so I will post pictures of that....ohhhh....I know you're all SOOOOO excited!

PS - Judy or Bobby? Im finishing up my thankyous from the stack of envelopes you sent me and there are three envelopes that dont have names....one is from a Signet Drive in Dayton, one is from Rancocas, NJ and one doesnt even have a return addy so Im at a loss for that one. Can you help me on the other two - just need names... Thanks!

Ok everyone - question to take you into the weekend:

Its 100 fargin degrees out - you're staying in for the weekend with the AC cranked REAL LOW....What are you going to watch on TV all day??? (or, for you smarties, what are you going to read?)

WHY??

Why did I insist to the waitress at Tanks that I wanted the "Regular" size omelette, even after she looked at me like, "Are you reeeealy sure?" On the menu they have omelettes and then a cheaper, "Girlie" omelette (the menu really says "girlie")...I guess I just thought I was hungrier than that. All I really wanted was a bite of someones french toast, but I can never bring myself to order that much sugary carbs for breakfast. Someone else always does. Anyway, I was so ashamed of my complete waste of a good omelette I had to post it and repent..

Turns out Mom, Dad and the Kaysers got a wild hair last night and decided to drive all the way home from Florida. They got home around 3am and then went to breakfast with us today - He'res me, Grandpa & Dad.

And John, Mom & Nick:
And another great t-shirt my brother likes to wear:
Then when we got home, there was an auction going on two houses down....ALL DAY! I blocked my parents driveway and someone called the cops. funny.
No chemo this week, but Monday and Tuesday starts Volleyball tryouts and then its EVERYDAY after work -practice or games until the second week of October....I dont know WHAT Ive gotten myself into! I hope it doesnt wipe me out too bad. Could make for a long fall with only a few blog posts....at the very least, Ill try and keep you updated on how the teams doing!

In other news, Something is going on with my right arm. A few weeks ago, I could feel some sort of tendon, or vein or SOMETHING that had "popped out" under my skin. I could touch my arm and feel it moving around. Weird. Then a few weeks ago, I had volleyball on Monday and at chemo the next day, I told Joni to "Check this out" and I start feeeling my arm (its actually in the video), trying to find whatever had popped out. It was gone. So I thought maybe it had gone back to where it was supposed to be but then for the last two weeks, my arm has been in more and more pain....now my arm is a bit swollen, but I really dont want to wait two weeks to get into a hand specialist....I think its probably just going to go away anyway. But this should make volleyball practice suck if im only 75%.....>SHRUG<> Can you tell? Just a little swollen I guess.

Thanks to nick and mere for having us over - someone let me know if they've ever experienced this wrist issue. Im perplexed.

One more thing....Ive been completely fixated on this new ice cream flavor I saw the other day at UDF....I had to try it tonight.

The verdict? Definitely dates like a red creme soda float, although its a bit "sugar shock" sweet...I guess thats good because it was SO sweet I couldnt even finish half the pint, and lets face it, I shouldnt be devouring pints of ice cream in one sitting anyway.

Question of the week:

WHAT ARE YOUR TOP THREE FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVORS??

Ugh...my 14 hour day is still haunting me....
I was pretty much in a fog all day, and after dinner tonight came home and crashed from about 730-930. Unusual, since im not a napper at ALL. Ive pretty much come to the conclusion that my two week on, one week off chemo regimen has been hitting me the hardest the 3-4 days after the second dose.

Didnt win the iPhone, I checked out the winners blogs - very professional! Personally, I would have picked the Frecklephoto one, but Im just here to be entertained - I dont want to learn anything, at least not about wine....snore! >Stacy sings< "Jealous"! Brent at work sent me the following email: I saw you did not win the iPhone contest. Luckily, there is a consolation prize. Hope you like it. J

Brent L. Collins
Sales & Marketing Manager
Commonwealth Inc.

(click on the word Consolation) - very nice, Brent. In honor of Brent, for, if nothing else, bringing the term "Weak sauce" into the lexicon (John keeps trying to use it in general conversation) here's a video he filmed in his basement of his two friends having a "Dance Off" to Michael Jackson's "Beat It" -- Please stay tuned through about half way to see Josh (blond kid) make an unsuccessful attempt to swing the pole..

Top 10 Blogs in Cincy!

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20070801/BIZ01/708010334/

Big thanks to any and everyone who sent in a nomination....I was shocked to see that seeing as we only had a days notice! Today the chamber is hosting a Blog "boot camp" and at the end they'll name the top two winners, who will receive iPhones. I checked out the other blogs and they're all really good.

I dont really get into the ads and all the other features you can do with a blog, so on a technical scale, Im definitely the red-headed stepchild in the group, and as far as being "informative" goes, I dont know if J-macs cooking and my weekend benders on chemo count as important community information.....but who knows? Stranger things have happened!

On a funnier note, my boss came in yesterday a bit in a huff because I was supposed to remind him of his hair appointment the day before and I forgot.

I was all, "Um, did you SEE cincinnati.com today?? Im one of the top ten blogs in Cincinnati. You'll need to be reminding me of MY haircuts from now on."

he didnt laugh.

Im taking off for work late today...I worked a 14 hr day yesterday, heading off to the railyard at 5 to see the private railcars off to Chicago en route to Petoskey....got to meet all the people Ive been talking to on the phone for months - Everyone was great & they're going to have so much fun! Let me know if you're interested in any of the upcoming trips.....

www.cincinnatirailway.com