What It Means

She got the results from her latest scan today.

The tumor has grown a little bit since the end of the radiation treatments, but not much.

She has come to the end of the line with radiation, there will be nothing but chemo from now on.

The tumor is too big to remove.

It will sit there at the top of the lung, laughing it's dark malignant laugh, until the day it takes her.

From here there are basically three paths.

Path one is that the tumor explodes into growth and she lasts months.

Path two is that it sits there, growing a bit at a time, and she lasts years.

Path three is that it shrinks on it's own, and she lasts forever.

Basically, she's like the rest of us in that she doesn't know how much longer she has left on God's green earth. Only He knows, and He is silent on the subject.

She does have the advantage on us, though, because she knows what it is that will do her in. At least, if nothing else gets her first.

So what do we do about it?



That's about all you can do.

Public Service Announcement

Today's public service announcement is brought to you by Chris Rock:



Eldest daughter, please heed the above message. Especially when the man says "Be Polite." Please remember that you do not win arguments with the police on the side of the road, you win arguments in the courtroom in front of a judge. That's why they call it "presenting arguments" when your lawyer stands up to say something in a courtroom.

Policemen, firemen, EMT's, and others who work in what is called the public service sector often do not get to see us at our best. Do what you can to counter that image, won't you?

That's Amore

Another budding romance dies aborning.

Mr Fixit has some advice.

I myself have loved and lost, as have so many. Almost 20 years later I harbor no animosity towards my ex. Meaning I no longer want her dead and in hell. There was a time though...

If we were still on talking terms (I haven't spoken to her since shortly after I got married again) I would tell her that I understand.

The simple fact is that being a Navy (Marine, Army or Air Force) Wife is a hard job, and not everyone is cut out for it. She wasn't, but she gave it her best shot.

She wanted someone that was 9 to 5, supper at 6, off weekends and holidays, split level ranch in the suburbs with the white picket fence, the whole 9 yards. That wasn't me, especially when I was Navy, and it still isn't to this day.

Lucky for me I found someone who would put up with me, which is half the battle right there. She is married to the guy that introduced us so long ago, one of her ex-boyfriends that was a good friend of mine. They have been married for over 14 years now so it looks like it worked out for them as well.

Now that it's so far in the past I would tell her that I wish her well, and hopefully there is a good memory or two in there for her.

AD and Babs, I hope there are good memories for the both of you, too. I'm sorry that time and distance could not be overcome.

God bless you both.

Atlas...

Neal Boortz had a story in the Nuze (link on the sidebar) about the latest oil company "questioning" in Congress.

Short story: the oil company execs went to Congress again, to explain to them again, the difference between profit and profit margin, which again the Congress doesn't understand since most of them have never held a position of responsibility in any kind of for-profit company in their lives.

And once again the execs played the lapdog, not a single one of them pointed out that they are complying with the law, that the "subsidies" that keep getting thrown back at them are in fact tax breaks that all American corporations take advantage of, and that their primary responsibility was to the shareholders, not to the hired temps that make up the Congress and Senate.

Where is Hank Rearden when you need him?

Atlas sculpture on a building on Collins Street, Melbourne