Maladies

I am half way through the book, The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee. I bought this book with some hesitation as I am not naturally gifted in the sciences although I find science fascinating. A book that purports to examine the biography of cancer, written by an oncologist, not surprisingly made me question whether I was up to the task of appreciating it, being captivated enough to finish it or would merely drown in a barrage of arcane, scientific detail. However, the fact that it won the Pulitzer Prize tipped me over the edge as I figured it must have some broad appeal that made it comprehensible enough for a layperson to understand. And it does. I haven't been able to put it down. It is fascinating - it is not dumbed down but nor is it so rarefied that one would have no hope of understanding it.

Sadly, my choice of books has been incredibly apt this month. Christopher Hitchens, he of ferocious intellect, wit and turn of phrase, died of esophageal cancer last week. Whether one agreed with his views, (which of course I did - there was no one of greater eloquence when it came to atheism) it was impossible not to admit the brilliance of his way with words and his matter of fact, straight to the point perspective. He was the reason I paid a ridiculous amount of money to read Vanity Fair every month. Each time the magazine appeared in my mailbox, it was like a little Christmas present and I would save his article for last as it was always my favorite.

When his diagnosis was made, he wrote a brilliant article called the Topic of Cancer for Vanity Fair. It was completely devoid of any self-pity as he made no bones about the fact that he consciously made the choice to smoke and drink to excess and was now paying the price. But he also wrote in very spare (as well as "I have no time to spare") prose, about the topic of religion, those who purported to pray for him and how absurd it all really was. As heart breaking as it was to read his subsequent articles, it was also rather breath taking that he continued to be so prolific in spite of such misery right up to the very end. Hitchens was truly a loss for society and culture, no matter where you stood on the issues he took up.

A very good friend of mine is also faced with cancer in her family. After reading The Emperor of All Maladies and recently being confronted with cancer through others, I am reminded that despite decades of research, phenomenal sums of money and research efforts, cancer is truly the scourge of the human race. It affects so many people and it is disheartening to think that we really have not come all that far when one considers that we have successfully managed to treat so many other once fatal diseases so effectively and yet the victories against cancer are still relatively small. Cancer will touch everyone someday in some way so at some time in your life, volunteer, participate in a run to raise money, support someone who has cancer - do something that makes a difference.

Since it is almost Christmas, I will add some happier thoughts here. PB is thrilled with his new dirt pile from whence he watches over his sister:

Moooommmm, she's escaping again!

Yes, the dog I should have named Dora the Explorer, found yet another tiny little hole under the back fence and dug a *very* shallow depression which she thus escaped from. So off I went, half dressed, half in pajamas having quickly noticed the missing white dog and stood in the middle of the street yelling "Loooollllllaaaa" like some demented idiot. After several yells, she came racing down the street to me. Like many men, one cannot chastise for past behavior which is immediately forgotten - thus I could only praise her for her excellent recall while my inside voice cursed and threatened to send her back to Texas. I took her back inside, finally located the barely noticeable depression and put up lattice, piled dirt and rocks in a little wall and then buttressed it with two bags of sand. I examined the rest of the perimeter once again and was confident she couldn't dig out of anything. Not that she hasn't been looking:

Just looking for squirrels...ho hum.

It's been 4 days now and no more escapades so I think we may be good. Sigh. As a result of the incredibly fattening Satin Balls, Lola has already put on more weight to my delight. She looks much healthier. She does not have a bladder infection but does have a very high protein content so I need to lower her protein portions. She has an eye infection which will be looked at next week but she is coming around to looking more and more as she should. Given that she seems unable to find a way to tunnel out, she has resorted to flattening herself on the dirt and watching the street goings on through the small gap between fence and wall which is very amusing. She looks like she is conducting surveillance. I half expect her to get out a radio and notify the command post of her findings.

You do not see me.

Dexter has finally fully recovered, such that he has resumed his place under the bird feeder, tormenting the birds with no means to back up his threats. He still keeps a close eye on Lola but seems resigned to his fate at the bottom of the household food chain.

That's right, just go back inside where you belong dog.

Dexter rarely rests and has been driving me nuts lately with his ADD. My attempts to read by the fire are often disturbed by Dexie attempting to rearrange the Christmas decorations:

A little more forward I think.

Or else spying Stabby sleeping in front of the fire, sidling up to her like this:

I love you Stabby.

And then attacking with a vengeance which causes her to scream, hiss and leap onto my lap for protection, also not conducive to reading. Sometimes I feel like I run a daycare.

Lola has discovered the joys of being outside most of the day although she is always free to come in and sleep on the guest bed. She and PB spend most of the nice days asleep on the deck once they've had their breakfast and their morning walk. She still tires easily but is able to play for longer and longer periods with the PB who twists himself into yoga poses trying to get her to play.

Wake us for dinner.

While the dogs rested at home, I took H, my little sister through Big Brothers/Big Sisters, out for some holiday events. First we went ice skating. I would like to say my extensive hockey experience (ha!) helped me show her the ropes but all it did was make me quicker getting my skates on and off. Here's H, precariously balanced on the ice:

Is this fun?

After ice skating and hot cocoa, we went over to the Bellevue Botanical Gardens for their annual Garden d'Lights. I had not been before but although small, was very impressive and well worth seeing. Be prepared for ridiculous amounts of traffic and parking issues for both events. We spent about an hour between both events and almost 2 hours dealing with traffic and parking. The joys of the season.




















Merry Christmas!