Well, yesterday was disconnect day and, as per usual, a little bit of an energy crash in the afternoon.  I was a bit more nauseated than usual too but managed to get through that with some ginger ale (thanks Erik) and some mint tea.

Dan is up visiting our friend in prison over the next two days...wish I could be there too.  I will be at least one more time before he gets out.  I'm determined!  While Dan's gone, my friend Lynne is driving down from Santa Clarita to take over Laura-duty from Erik.

The next two days will be (if all goes like it has in the past few months) about low energy activities, lots of naps, lots of snacks...maybe a few gentle walks.

I've posted a link on the Colon Cancer page of this website to a page where you can urge Congress to pass funding for colon cancer screening for those who are uninsured or underinsured.  Early detection is critical to colon cancer (as it is with many cancers) and there are direct corrolations between poverty and underinsurance/no insurance and death rates from colon cancer.

Please pop (how amusing...I accidently typed poop on my first try at typing that) on over to the Colon Cancer page and join me in advocating for funding these crucial scans.  It will save lives.   And it's something anyone can do...even on low energy days.

I didn't get to watch President Obama's first address to Congress live...I was a little too melded to the recliner last night.  But I take the time (about two hours total) to listen to Obama's speech and then to the Republican response by Governor of Louisiana, Bobby Jindal.

I thought Obama's speech was right on the money.  He inspired hope by reminding Americans of times in the past when we rose to meet vast challenges and overcomin.  More than that, he reminded us that it was in the very act of overcoming challenges that we became a nation of innovaters, of world changers, of moral character and bedrock foundations.

My favorite line from the speech speaks to this point:  "In my life, I have learned that hope is found in unlikely places."  It's obvious why that statement resonates with me given my current situation.  But it also resonates with me as an American who watched 8 years of this nation lose its direction, lose its character and lose its leadership through abject mismanagement.

Which is why I found Bobby Jindal's speech somewhat flat in comparison to Obama's.  Invoking the government's poor response to Hurricane Katrina (especially when it was his party's government) as a way to say that government is not the most efficient provider of recovery, strength and hope seemed to be reaching, imho.

Governor Jindal also talked about the Republicans offering "better ideas" but all I heard was more of the same mantra they've been repeating since 2000.  Cut taxes.  Provide businesses with incentives.  Turn more Americans into homebuyers by providing incentives.

We cut taxes for the last 8 years--developing at the same time the largest deficit in our history.

We provided businesses with incentives (let's call the businesses banks) to open up our lending flows again--and nothing's happened.

Part of the reason we're in the mortgage mess we're in is the assumption that every American should be a homeowner.

By comparison, Obama outlined three top priorities:  Energy, Health Care and Education.  He harkened back to the Great Depression, to the space program and to the building of a national railway system--well, heck.  He said it better than I do.

"For history tells a different story.  History reminds us that at every moment of economic upheaval and transformation, this nation has responded with bold action and big ideas.  In the midst of civil war, we laid railroad tracks from one coast to another that spurred commerce and industry.  From the turmoil of the Industrial Revolution came a system of public high schools that prepared our citizens for a new age.  In the wake of war and depression, the GI Bill sent a generation to college and created the largest middle-class in history.  And a twilight struggle for freedom led to a nation of highways, an American on the moon, and an explosion of technology that still shapes our world. 

In each case, government didn’t supplant private enterprise; it catalyzed private enterprise.  It created the conditions for thousands of entrepreneurs and new businesses to adapt and to thrive. 

 I suppose it is here that I see the biggest contrast between Jindal and Obama, between left and right.  Jindal painted a picture where the answers to all of our questions are provided by small government and the sweat of the American people; where government is the enemy and people are the heroes.

Obama paints a picture where government is the catalyst, during times of nationwide challenge, that boost individuals towards a better future by addresssing systemic problems in a way that allows individuals to thrive, grow, innovate and plant the seeds for a better future for our nation.

No surprise to regular readers, but I think Obama's is the more sensible, indeed, the more proven approach.

 

It was a loooong infusion today (6 hours), so I am a bit wiped.  I'm going to have dinner and become one with the couch.

Before I do that though, I just want to share a website with you that resonates with the journey that I am on.  The magazine associated with this site is called "Ode" and it focuses on stories that are good news.  (My sister-in-law, Cindy, turned me on to it.)

I find it so invigorating and encouraging to focus on the now...on what's good about this moment in this wonderful life that I've been blessed with.  And to have a source of news (as Erik and I were discussing earlier) that isn't obssessed with the latest gossip or the latest tragedy...well, it's damn refreshing.

Click here to check it out and see what you think. 

 

Golf:  I'll start with a great big THANK YOU to everyone who blew in a northerly direction (and to the Creator who listened), because Renee' and I were able to play golf with hardly any rain at all.  We just got a sprinkle on the 4th hole to remind us to be grateful for the sun.

I shot a 52 (17 over par)...which is just under double bogey golf.  A bit more than when I left off a few months back.  However, there's nothing like a dread disease to put perspective in your golf game.  I had some great shots (Renee' had some AWESOME shots)...and some trouble with sand shots.  And an absolutely enjoyable, relaxing experience with a dear friend.

We even had some iced tea afterwards, hanging in the clubhouse.  I listened to my body and called it a day at 9 holes...but I think I'm only a month or so away from 18 holes.

Academy Awards:  Was it just me, or were the Academy Awards particularly good last night?  I guess I'll have to see Slumdog Millionaire and Milk...and I'd also like to see The Reader (as, apparently, would Hugh Jackman).  This year I've been a bit behind in my movie going.  First year in a long time that I hadn't seen 80% of the nominations.  So I think it's even more remarkable that the awards were so enjoyable.

I liked the new format of having past awardees praise the current nominees.  I thought the dance numbers were entertaining.  The "The Musical is Back" seemed to be a non-sequiter, but I still liked it.  And I loved the young screenwriter for Milk.  What a great speech and he seemed very moved by the whole experience.  Can't wait to see what he does next.

Memes:  What's a Meme you ask?  On Facebook, it's a sort of creative exercise where folks ask you questions, or give you tasks.  Today's meme from Todd Truffin turned out to be a bit more complicated than I thought. 

Here are the instructions:
Here are the rules for the album meme:

1. Go to Wikipedia. Hit "random" or click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
The first random Wikipedia article that comes up is the name of your band.

2. Go to Quotations Page and select "random quotations" or click http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
The last four or five words of the very LAST quote on the page make up the title of your first album.

3. Go to Flickr and click "explore the last seven days" or click http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days
The third picture in the top row, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

4. Use Photoshop or whatever to put it all together.

5. Post it to Facebook with this text in the "caption" or "comment" and TAG the friends you want to join in.

I got it all done except for #5.  For whatever reason, Facebook would not accept my Powerpoint jpeg file.  So I'm going to post it here.

There it is...my fantasy album.  I quite like it!

Apropos of nothing, I point out that 2-22-22 will be a fun day to get married (for all you kids out there around 2 or 3 years old now).

Ah yes, I was supposed to be asking the Sunday Question.  This morning, I was listening to John Mellencamp sing "Your Life is Now."  There's scrap of lyric in the song that says, "We could shake the world, if you would only show us how.  Your life is now."

Then, on my teabag, the notice that "Your choices will change the world."

Which leads to the Sunday question:  How would you change the world?

So I guess that means I get a bonus weekend day this week.  Nice since that means I get an extra day with Dan as well!  Maybe we'll go hit a bucket of balls since the rainy weather is supposed to push off until Monday.

When I'm supposed to be hitting the golf course for the first time since surgery/diagnosis.  I'm hoping the rain will hold off.  Please join me in going outside and blowing your air out in a northerly direction tomorrow.  If enough of us do it, I may get on the links!

I haven't glanced at a newspaper today, so nothing by way of political opinion to offer.  We had a nice waffle breakfast (Dotty taught me to put blueberries in the little squares...what a great way to eat waffles!)  Later, we went to Las Brisas in Laguna Beach for a delicious lunch.

Dick and I both had sole with a light lemon sauce, capers and spinach in between the layers of sole.  Green beans and Spanish rice completed the plate.  I followed up with a bowl of fresh berries in a basket that closely resembled peanut brittle except with almonds.  Yum!

Since then, we've been puttering around the house.  I've done a bit of cross-stitch, went for a 50 minute walk and just finished my core exercises and stretching.  Nice all the way around for a Saturday that felt like Sunday.

Tomorrow, early, Dick and Dotty will head back to North Carolina.  It's been a great visit and I so appreciate them making the long, tiresome trip out here to see us.  We've had some great outings, some delicious meals, lots of loving (and tough) conversations...truly a time to treasure.

At long last, we have a budget in California.  It's a mix of program cuts ($14.8 billion focused primarily on education programs, health and social services programs and local transportation funding) and tax increases ($12.5 billion spread across sales tax increase, vehicle license fees, income tax increase and a cut in the income tax credit for dependent children).

Governor Arnie added some flair of his own with $1.3 billion line item vetoes, cutting budgets of various state offices including (and perhaps punitively) the Lt. Governor's office.  According to the Sacramento Bee, Scwharzenegger said he did it "to ensure that sufficient resources are reserved for key programs within state government. In these tough times, we cannot continue to fund the Office of the Lieutenant Governor at the level provided in recent years."  I note that he did not find it necessary to "ensure sufficient resources" by cutting his own office's budget.

I do give him props for cutting $400 million from the Department of Corrections and (ahem) Rehabilitation.  (I say "ahem" because there IS no rehabilitation in the DOC in this woman's opinion.)

The budget also includes borrowing from the lottery fund, among other things, to the tune of $5 billion from the lottery fund alone.  There were also some tax breaks for businesses aiming to keep business in California and expediting some work permiting processes for a few highway projects.

Overall, the budget has the stitched together feel of a Frankenstein monster.  Part of the problem is our process for budgeting.  The 2/3 vote needed to pass the budget allows people to essentially hijack the process and get pet projects added.  As an example, Senator Abel Maldonado of Santa Maria (a tiny part of the Central Coast), made a deal to vote for the budget only if the legislature agreed to modify our election rules to allow for "open primaries" where anyone can vote for any candidate of any party. 

Sounds good on its face but the catch is that only the top two primary vote getters are on the general election ballot.  This effectively would eliminate third party candidates from general elections.  For more on why this is a bad idea, check out this LA Times commentary.

The other part of our problem, as I have preached long and hard, is ballot box budgeting wherein through the Proposition process, California voters have hamstrung the legislature by reducing what's truly discretionary spending to a minority piece of the budget pie.

As far as I'm concerned, the increase in taxes ($960 for a person making $75,000 per year) is relatively palatable.  (I realize that many people will disagree with that assessment, especially during tough economic times.) What's not palatable, indeed, not workable is being tied to funding programs that may or may not work because they sounded good during a Proposition campaign.

On the personal front, we passed a lovely day with Dick and Dotty...doing errands, having lunch at the club, and eating a light dinner a few moments ago.  The day was gorgeous and I went for a walk (which is tax-free at the moment) with my hubby.  Sacramento may be all honked up, but a good day is still a good day.

I had an excellent walk with Hal and Charlie this morning at the Laguna Niguel Regional park.  We walked for an hour, sighting multiple California White Pelicans, some cormorants, a grackle or three, lots of mating pairs of ducks, some Canadian geese (and others with a nobbly nose whose name escapes me).

To my great delight, I also saw some early lupine in bloom along the trailside of the lake.  I will have to walk there next week, chemo or no chemo, to see them bloom.  And the week after should be just perfect timing for the full glory of their once a year appearance.

About the time we hit the lupine patch, Hal said that one thing he promised never to do to me was give me the "cancer face."  And I knew exactly what he meant...think I even grabbed his arm for emphasis.  It's something that everyone who's ever received a cancer diagnosis has seen on the face of someone (loved ones, strangers, doctors, nurses...or in yesterday's case for me, dental hygienists).

I described it to Hal as the "Oh, the poor dear is dying of cancer" look.  For those who haven't been on the receiving end of such a look, it's a rueful mixture of pity, awkwardness, a "thank God it's not me" sort of lurking guilt/glee, and the look your great aunt Nelda gave you when you spilled your milk all over the table at her fancy Thanksgiving dinner.

Bad enough having your teeth cleaned but when you get the cancer face to boot, it's downright not fun.

I'd much prefer people give me the lupine face.  It's the face that sees me as I am in the photo below.  Alive.  Connected.  Enjoying the beauties of nature and the love of friends, family and the world's best husband.  And pretty damn healthy for a woman fighting cancer.

Now that President Obama has signed the $787 billion stimulus bill, I've finally gotten around to reading a bit more detail on it.  As I suspected (and wrote last week), there are some parts of the bill that I think lawmakers got right--in other words, they will be effective at stimulating economic growth and cushioning the workers who are bearing the brunt of the downturn right now.  And there are other pieces of the legislation that I suspect will not provide much in the way of economic stimulus.

The parts of the legislation that I predict will be most effective are:

1.  Extension of unemployment benefits and subsidizing of COBRA co-pays for people who've lost their jobs since September 2008.

2.  Various infrastructure projects aimed at shoring up our roadways, putting us on the path to new and more energy efficient approaches to how we live our lives and consume our resources.

3.  I am cautiously optimistic that there will also be a good result from Obama's $50 billion plan to turn the tide on foreclosures.  It will depend on banks actually cooperating with the government on redrawing loans and accepting some portion of the losses they helped build up with the real estate bubble...but I am hopeful that it will cushion the downward spiral of real estate values, allowing us to bottom out sooner rather than later.

The parts of the legislation I'm most skeptical about are:

1.  Business tax cuts.  I don't see a lot of businesses out there who will either invest in new equipment or hire new employees based on (even more) tax cuts than they got under Bush.  I think they will more likely bank the excess and wait for the American (or some other country's) consumer to ramp up purchasing again.

2.  State budget help:  The shortfall faced by states, especially California, is much bigger than the help provided by the bill.  In those cases where the help is for infrastructure, I think employment will either expand or not shrink as much as it otherwise would.  Where it's allocated for programs, things can get a little less transparent and more hinky at the State government level.  Also, States may increase taxes to cover their shortfalls, so to the extent that the Feds provide tax relief, taxpayers might see more of a tax burden at the State level.

3.  Non-stimulus package related, but I'd like to see more on what the Obama administration has in mind for the rest of the TARP funds.  How will purchasing all the "bad debt" help us?  It may stimulate banks to lend more if the troubled assets are off their books but bankers are leary of lending right now...even to good credit risks.  I think there would need to be lending requirements tied to the funds.

That being said, our own little State, California, is in a mell of a hess right now.  The Governor is sending out pink slips after we failed (again) to pass our budget.  By one vote.

We couldn't get 3 Republicans to cross over and vote for a combination of tax increases and program cuts.  And in a State where you need a 2/3 vote for tax increases, the minority has the majority by the short hairs.  So afraid are our Republican bretheren of being associated with tax increases, they won't compromise at all.

Now, I don't know Anthony Adams, Republican Assemblyman from Hesperia.  He's one of the lawmakers who supports the compromise bill and for that, I salute him. 

But he also made a statement that's troubling me, that I think summarizes our issue at the national and the state level right now.  Quoth Mr. Adams:

"My job is to get the best possible deal for Republicans."

No, Mr. Adams.  Your job is to get the best possible deal for the people of California.

 

This is not the day I had planned.  According to my calendar, Hal and Charlie and I (and possibly even Jill), were going birding this morning.  I was going to get in some exercise and some interspecies spying.

It appears the weather did not agree with my plans.  So with a quick email shuffle, it appears I'll be birding on Thursday (when the weather should be more amenable); I got in a nice visit with Dick and Dotty this morning instead of running off with a Golden Doodle and an old friend.  My "old friend" got in some gym time.

And the birds (and I) will likely still be around on Thursday.

Hal emailed me a bit ago and observed how flexibility can be such a boon to our outlook.  None of us are worse off because of the rain.  Indeed, if we'd tried to stick stubbornly to our plans--well, Hal, Charlie and I would have been quite wet...birds would have been hiding...I might have caught a lovely little cold for next chemo week.

Instead, we stayed in and changed our plans to fit the flow of the world.  And I even got a nap.

Now if I could just read a bit more about the stimulus plan, I might have something intelligent to say about it!  Maybe that's what the rainy afternoon is for?