After a few weeks of just tending to the house, we have blasted off into the stratosphere. 

• This past weekend we flew to NYC Thursday night and then had a whirlwind two days in NYC.  Friday we started in Park Slope, eating bagels with Emily and goddaughter Lily (who was all smiles and giggles when we there and we thank her for the great disposition) then went to the Upper East side to hang with Billy for a bit, then down to Grand Central for some happy hour delights, followed by a trip to Citi Field (Mets won) and the night ended hanging with Jason and Selena at Muldoon’s.   Saturday we got up, went to nephew AJ’s christening and left around 3:00 for Boston. 
• Brendan then caught a flight to the UK that night (I went home).  So now I am hanging with the pupster alone this week and Brendan returns Friday night. 
• Then dinner with UK friends and the Meklers. 
• Saturday we go to the first BC game of the season, then head back to Logan and take another flight to NYC – for Lily’s baptism on Sunday.  Then we head home Monday. 
• That Thursday, Brendan leaves for Las Vegas and I leave on Friday.  We will be going to his friend’s wedding there.  Then we come back on Monday morning (love the red eye!). 
• We have a two week travel break and then I am back to Switzerland for a week. 
• And there are two more potential work trips for me before Christmas (Frankfurt and another Swiss trip).

I need a nap just thinking about all this.

Going to dinner at Hungry Mother.

To celebrate just how far we have come, Brendan and I cashed in a christmas gift and went to erbaluce for dinner.  (We both wanted what we got last time but branched out.  I got the steak and Brendan got the poached lobster)  And in talking, we both never thought that 1 year later we would have a dog, be buying a house and Brendan at a new job.  And while I am still technically “in treatment” and still finishing up the reconstruction, we are doing tremendously well.

And we have to thank you for all your support, cupcakes, well wishes, food, babysitting, prayers, etc.  We couldn’t have made it to this point without you.  And I am serious.

While watching day time tv I saw a commercial for Huggies Jeans. Diapers that look like jeans. It is so bizarre and stupid. I think the tagline is something like “The only way to be stylish while pooping in your pants”. Seriously? Crazy.

Dr. T: Are you having any problems with the tamoxifen, any side effects like hot flashes?

Me: No but I do have mood swings.

Dr. T: OK, tell your husband it is the medication and fairly common.

I heart her and I will see her again in 3 months.

Again just my opinion and call me a cynic but what I have yet to hear is anyone demanding for a better screening tool.  Obviously at these rates (From USA Today.com: Doctors would have to screen 1,904 women ages 39-49 for a decade to prevent one death, vs. 1,339 women 50-59 and 377 women 60-69, according to a study accompanying the recommendations in the Annals of Internal Medicine.), mammogram is not good at what it needs to do – detect cancer.  And it would not have detected mine and it didn’t detect Ann’s so why isn’t anyone saying “let’s get a better test?”

I understand the MRI is a more sensitive test (and more likely to have false positives) but the expense and yearly exposure to radiation is not advised at the population level.  So work on a better imaging test that can be used for screening of average risk patients.

Can someone help me off this soapbox?

For the past year, we have been donating through Kiva.org.  It is a micro-finance site that allows for direct person-to-person lending.  (And since it is non-profit, you don’t make money on the loans, it is charity people.)  According to the website, “Microfinance is the supply of loans, savings, and other basic financial services to the poor.  As the financial services of microfinance usually involve small amounts of money – small loans, small savings etc. – the term “microfinance” helps to differentiate these services from those which formal banks provide.”

We found out about Kiva through a gift.  Jody and Katie gave us a Kiva gift certificate for our wedding and we have taken that giift and helped out four people (in Kenya, Ghana, Peru, and Tajikistan).   The premise being tht you take the money and as you get repaid, you loan it right abck out.  The one thing I wish is that they would post stories after the loan is repaid so you can check in and see how these people are doing.   

Which leads us to wanting to help out more in our own backyard and we plan to work with BostonCares, Somerville Homeless Coalition or some other organization. We have the applications, just need to feel them out and send them in.

“It is every man’s obligation to put back into the world at least the equivalent of what he takes out of it.”
Albert Einstein

Surgery date has been changed from the 30th to December 7th.  This means that my first surgery was on my niece’s birthday and the follow-up will be on my nephew’s birthday.  Weird.