In Answer to a Steadily-Diminishing Number of Requests...

I have promised to show my Manny Ramierez dreads, etc. [Note: I will not wear this every day - nor to every game!] Without the dreads I sill wear the baseball hat, which obvisouly has slipped over one eye. Under the hat is a bandana (which Manny also wears under his hat or helmet, as the case may be).

I think this is the longest my hair has been since I was a kid!!!

The News that Fits

I am in the middle of chemotherapy to treat my breast cancer. Every three weeks I go for an infusion of two medicines, cytoxan and taxotere. (I've looked both of them up.) The treatment takes about four hours, during which I'm hooked up to an IV. I bring books and a supply of snack foods since the office doesn't supply lunch :(

"Cytoxan" rang a bell with me, as I recall taking it in pill form during my last session of chemo some 15 years ago. I'm now getting it as an IV, and don't have any pills to take at all besides my usual medications.

I have to go to a lab for blood work before I have the chemo. I found a lab in Burbank that takes patients on Saturdays, so I hopped the first of two buses that would get me there in time. I had made an appointment online, and even though I was early I was taken quickly. Then it was back to the bus.

I went to Best Buy to purchase a cable replacing the one that connects my camera to my laptop. They didn't have the cable, but sold me a card reader. When I got home I found the readere didn't fit my memory card. After I finished with my chemo session, I went back to Best Buy. They replaced the card reader with absolutely no problems.

I'm not nauseated - just very tired. Stayed home Thursday and Friday to rest.

Catching Up

It's been nearly two months since I last posted here. Here's what's been happening:

• ALA - The annual conference in Anaheim was a good one. I essentially went to Council and did the exhibits. I stayed at one of the headquarters hotels, the Anaheim Hilton, with my usual conference roomie, Patricia Clark.
  

We wound up eating most of our meals at the hotel - pricey, but good food. One night we went to the Cheesecake Factory, where I had shepherd's pie and chocolate cheesecake for dessert.

Since I no longer drive (and wouldn't drive to Anaheim anyway) I took Amtrak, which stops at the parking lot for the Big A. Naturally, since the Dodgers and Angels were engaging in interleague play, those games were being played at Dodger Stadium. Grr.

• Health - I had two major health problems. I attended the game June 21 vs. the Indians, and made several dumb errors. (1) I sat in the sun (temperatures on the field were in the triple digits) for eight innings. (2) I didn't keep hydrated. (3) I didn't wear sunscreen. (4) I didn't take my potassium. Combine all that, and I was dizzy and somewhat nauseated when I tried to leave. The usher, seeing my distress, called security, who in turn called paramedics. The upshot: I spent the afternoon and evening in the emergency room at Good Samaritan Hospital, with electrolyte IVs.
  

The other was the second of my two surgeries. My plastic surgeon had been carefully enlarging the skin on my left breast, and installed the silicone implant. He also reduced the size of my right breast to match the left. I took vacation time to recover, which means I don't have to get a "return to work" slip. I have to be careful about lifting or pushing heavy items.

The Dodgers have given me hope, as today with a victory against the hapless Nationals we reached .500 for the first time since late May. I'm making no plans for October!

Teachers Protest at Schools Today

Los Angeles Unified School District teachers staged a protest today angainst the Governator's plan to cut state-supported school funding. Teachers, parents, and even some kids marched in front of the schools. The protest occupied the first period or first start time of the school day.

At Manual Arts High School a large number of protesting teachers (visible because they wore red t-shirts) filled the sidewalk at the school entrance. (Students were essentially warehoused during that time; someone doubtless came and sat in the various classrooms to preserve order.)

Only a few teachers were protesting in front of John Muir Middle School I do't know if their first period was over or a majority of teachers didn't support the walkout.

Teachers from a continuation high school and an elementary school marched along the sidewalk to the bus stop, where they handed out leaflets explaining the issues and asking people to take action.

I'd like to see library workers take the same kind of job action - choosing a time when the library is busiest (say the hour school lets out), performing informational picketing, and handing out leaflets. The public still doesn't know what library workers do, how cost-effective libraries are, and how much bang there is for the buck. IMNSHO, librarians' unions are not aggressive enough in negotiations. Perhaps a few cases of "blue flu" would get the message across.

Progress Report

I'm back at work following two weeks of recuperation. The library appears to have jogged along without me.

On the medical front, the plastic surgeon removed the drain implanted to catch fluids. He is gradually expanding the implant. We haven't discussed when I will have more surgery.

My primary doctor will refer me to an oncologist, with whom I will discuss such things as what chemo I'll be taking and for how long. No radiation, because I had it 15 years ago in the same breast.

Oh, No - Not Again!

In October, 1993, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. After three months of radiation and six of chemotherapy, tests showed that the disease had been caught in time. For 15 years, I felt I had conquered cancer.

I should learn not to be too complacent. When I had my routine mammogram, the doctors saw some irregularity in the films. I had another mammogram and an ultrsound, and the results of those tests led to a biopsy.

You guessed it - my breast cancer had recurred. On Monday I had a simple mastectomy with the first step in reconstruction. I came home yesterday. I was in a lot of pain - 1 being no pain, and10 being worst. I had trouble finding a comfortable position in which to sleep (pain at one point felling abot a 7). Today, however, my friends Billie and Marilyn went to the drug store and filled a prescription for Vicodin. I took two tablets, and they have really helped.

I am now awaiting to hear from my surgeon about the pathologist's report. That will determine whether I have chemo.

Meanwhile, I have yet to see the Dodges lose! We played the Rockies over the weekend. Saturday we scored 10 runs in the first inning. Matt Kemp came up with the bases loaded, and as soon as Vin Scully commented that he had never hit a grand slam!

Why Time Begins on Opening Day

Everyone else in the city where I work may have been commemorating Cesar Chavez's birthday March 31, but I was at Dodger Stadium (along with some 55,999 of my closest friends) to kick off the 50th anniversary of the team's moving to Los Angeles.

In years past, the Navy SEAL parachute team has dropped in (with one of them carrying the baseball for the first pitch); a flock of doves has been set loose; and mild fireworks accompanied introductions of the starting Dodger players. The only remembrance of things past was a fly-over by a B-1 bomber. (Another phenomenon missing from any gave against the Hated Vertically Advantaged) was the booing of His Steroidness. He's not working in baseball - probably too busy staying out of jail.)

Since we are celebrating the team's golden anniversary, the pregame ceremonies included introduction of many former players - those who moved with the team from Brooklyn, and others who have been associated with the team in years past. The greatest ovations were for Fernando Valenzuela, Tommy Lasorda, and Sandy Koufax.

The game was WONDERFUL! It's always great when we can beat the team from up north, and shutting them out - how sweet it is! Brad Penny pitched a shutout, and we won 5-0. The fun thing about winning a home game is singing Randy Newman's I Love L.A. after the ninth inning. Because of injuries, Joe Torre had to start a kid from AA ball, Blake DeWitt, at third. He did an outstanding job of playing the hot corner, and got a hit his first time at bat. Jeff Kent came through with a two-run homer, and that was all she wrote.