Thanks to my youngest godson, Chad, I've joined the wacky world of Facebook.  This means I've spent the better part of two days figuring out how to add applications, how to update my profile, what "wall to wall" means, and why so many people are engrossed by this social networking site.  My two-second take on the phenomenon is that it's the next generation of email...just as email took over from snail mail, social networking will take over from email.

The old obsession I've been toying with is reading.  For the first few days after my diagnosis, I couldn't read anything at all.  The words bounced off my brain and lay there on the page, dead.  Now, that the initial shock is over though, I'm beginning to read again.  Not that I've suddenly started reading the classics...no, I'm back to reading thrillers, cop stories and a new sci-fi tale given to me by Erik.  But it had been nice to be interested again, to lose myself for a few moments in another world.

Last, but not least, is poetry.  I've written poetry for as long as I can remember.  And one of the things I quickly decided the past week is that I want to write a poem a day for a while.  So that's what I've been doing.  Not editing, not rewriting (although those things will have to come) but writing a new poem every morning.  So far, I like two of the three very much.  And it's wonderful to be flexing those neurons again...the ones that make yellow leaps and fuse together words that clearly belong together but don't usually occupy the same space.

Other than these three obsessions, Dan and I enjoyed an invigorating walk today.  I watered the plants.  Took back my kitchen (by putting things where they belong <grin>).  And we hung out for three hours with my brother, Dennis, and his son Brian, daughter-in-law June, and our great nephew Avery and his sister Ainsley.  The kids played in the yard, happily dismantling the putting green, tossing the balls in the jacuzzi and throwing in some tub toys I'd bought a while back for Avery.  The adults watched the little ones while talking and snacking...truly a memorable day.

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