Original anecdotes, commentary, rumination, and occasional pontification.
JANUARY 17, 2023 – Today I had my monthly follow-up appointment with Dr. Kolla, followed by an encounter with the “infusion center,” where nurse Patty administered two butt shots plus a rabies injection. In more professional lingo, the butt shots were doses of csxzysesisterkappalambdaiotazonifer and xylicriminelamndanumuomicronpiclomyaquavazine, otherwise known as mono-clonal antibodies packaged under the brand …
DECEMBER 23, 2022 – This year I’ve fully grasped that none of us is as rugged or independent as claimed by our culture of “freedom” and “liberty.” I became acutely aware of my dependence. The great “cure” for the delusion of self-reliance, I discovered, was serious illness; diagnosis and treatment of a “killer disease” depended …
DECEMBER 19, 2022 – Today I met with my oncologist, Dr. Kolla, the saint who’d called me on December 29 last year—five days before my first appointment with him. His outreach had impressed me. When we met in person, I was even more impressed—and assured. At today’s appointment, Dr. Kolla started off by telling us …
DECEMBER 17, 2022 – When heavy snow flocks the woods, beauty reigns. But nature doesn’t care that its mantle blocks our satellite dish and thus, internet connectivity, so we can’t check your temperature gauge remotely. Nor does nature care about unleashing 30 to 40 mph winds and blowing down ice- and snow-laden trees onto power …
NOVEMBER 24, 2022 – Turkey Day has always been my favorite holiday of the year. As a kid, I savored the story of the Pilgrims and Wampanoags sitting down at a bunch of picnic tables against a backdrop of fall foliage and breaking acorn-squash-bread together in peace and amity. At the center of the whole …