Irony And Cancer

Today marks the 3 month anniversary that I have quit smoking entirely. Not only have I quit, but I now hate the smell and cannot stand to be around it as the slightest whiff makes me nauseous! Yay me!

So where is the irony? She will deny it if asked, and does not know that I know, but my grandmother was diagnosed with lung cancer over the weekend. She went into the hospital with a distended abdomen and a twist in her intestines and, when examining her, they found an unquestionable shadow (or mass) on her lungs. She refused treatment, which is probably wise at her age, and feels that the doctors do not know what they are talking about. However, because she refused to cooperate, there is also no way of knowing what stage the cancer is at. Considering she is a veteran of WWII and smoked a pack a day for most of her life until a few years ago I am not the least surprised about this, but it is upsetting. Honestly though, if it keeps her happy for the rest of her life to be in denial about it then who am I to complain?

So there it is… irony and cancer… and a 3 month anniversary…

Bernard Pivot Questionnaire

This questionnaire originally came from a French series called "Bouillon de Culture" which was hosted by Bernard Pivot. However, I am more familiar with it as the questions that James Lipton asks celebrities at the end of the program "Inside the Actor's Studio" which some of you may have already seen.

I find it very interesting what the simple answers to these questions can reveal about a person without being too personal. Not to mention, the changing answers I have had over the years. If you care to share, I would love to know your answers as well, but for now here are mine:

01. What is your favorite word? My favorite word is “love”, in any language.

02. What is your least favorite word? A tossup between “victim” and “can’t”.

03. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? A real passion, good or bad, about someone or something can turn things up a notch, two… or ten!

04. What turns you off? Turn offs… being nagged, talked down to, being treated as a child.

05. What is your favorite curse word? “Fuckerhead” and, yes, the dreaded “C” word!

06. What sound or noise do you love? I love the sound of laughter, especially from children.

07. What sound or noise do you hate? Any sounds similar to and including nails on chalkboard. And, I can’t explain this one, whistling!

08. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? I’ve wanted to be a teacher for as long as I could remember and, in the past couple of years, event coordinator has interested me as well.

09. What profession would you not like to do? Any and all “dirty jobs”!

10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? “You will be sharing a suite with Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Antonio Banderas, and Johnny Depp” assuming they are all there already when I get there (not that I wish death upon any of them)!

More Updates

DH is home from Germany so life is somewhat back to normal again. Mind you, sometimes I feel as though him being gone IS my normal (after previously living alone for 5+ years), but I miss him when he is gone so I guess not. Who knows! His schedule is still a little off so he’s been leaving early this week, so, no stepping on each other’s toes in the morning yet! Yay! When he is away I get into a routine and when he comes back he always finds a way to ruin it! LOL.

A few days ago I had the pleasure of experiencing our wonderful and efficient medical system as well! Can you sense the sarcasm yet? I had a scheduled appointment and was not seen until 4 hours later! While waiting, I developed a splitting headache and thought maybe it was because I was hungry, so I went to the cafeteria and got a turkey sandwich and an apple juice for 10$! It was good but not worth 10$! By the time I came back up from the cafeteria, someone else had curled up on one of the small sofas to take a nap so I took the other and did the same. To make matters even more aggravating, once my name was called my appointment itself only took about 5 minutes but then I had to wait another half hour for the doctor to review my file, give me more instructions to follow, and tell me to come back a few days later! I go back tomorrow; hopefully things will go a lot smoother! I can be extremely patient when I need to be, but that was ridiculous!

Nothing is new with work. I don’t necessarily have more to do than usual at this time of year (although a bit more I guess), I just NO drive to do any of it. If I put my mind and all my energy into it I could probably finish everything by the end of this week, but why? I am tired of overdoing things so I’m not this time. It’s tough for me NOT to do things, but I have to learn one of these days, right?

Oh, and the plans for my sister-in-law’s baby shower are well under way! And, other than keeping her happy, my new mission is to not let others hijack my plans away from me! It has been a tug-of-war this last week to do so but I WILL win! Maybe this is where all of my determination has gone? Oh, and just to torture her, if anyone ELSE out there is curious to know what the plans are just ask! I don’t mind sharing!

And… I thought there was something else to add? Oh, right… apparently my mother re-married on March 4^th. This is basically all I was told a couple of days after the wedding, and I was told in much fewer words than I am writing now. Communication in my “family” is not the greatest, can you tell? A number of people have asked how I feel about it and the simple answer is – I feel nothing. Sure, she re-married and he has 2 children slightly older than I am but does that mean I now have a stepfather, stepsister, and stepbrother?  No. I know his kids and have not spoken to either of them in years, nor do I care to. As for him, I barely know who he is. I am happy that he keeps my mother happy (because I sure as hell can’t), but other than that… congratulations is about the only thing I have to say about the situation.

Simple Update...

"I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they're right, you believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together."
Marilyn Monroe

I saw the quote above today, and since I haven’t had much to say lately (don’t laugh) and I haven’t had any good quotes for awhile either I decided to kill two birds with one stone. 

So, this is just a quick post to as to let you all know I am alive and well, DH is in Germany again, things continue to be busy at work and otherwise, and that’s about it! Nothing overly exciting, huh? Well, at least you have a quote to think over and possibly be inspired from as well!