Ready? Forward --- March

Here we are at the beginning of March, and I have to tell you that I lost my bet with Sue. Although I gave it a good effort (not my best), I could not get my waist down to a 32. I could get into some of my pants that were 32s, but it was a painful experience. The bet was in good fun, but she'll have that to remind me of until we can find something else to bet on.

We worked on Sue's vegetable garden this weekend, and finished getting it ready for planting. We finished off the construction of it and by lunchtime on Sunday, she was already poking seeds and a few plants in the ground. It'll be interesting how things go. The spinach we had already planted is doing very well and producing leaves four times larger than any I've seen in the store. If the tomatoes do as well (I've never raised tomatoes), we'll have them coming out the wazoo in about six weeks. So far, so good.

I try not to listen to politics, but sometimes it's almost impossible. It's in our faces every day, and no matter how hard we try to avoid it... there it is. So I'm going to have my brief say and from there, forget about it.

I have not been pleased with whe Iraq war and the deceitfulness that seems to be part of the normal mode of operation of giving us the facts as the government sees them. They point so many fingers back and forth, that you can 't even keep score anymore. John Kyle and John McCain were steadfast republican supporters of Bush and his war. McCain even said that we needed to send more troops than even Bush wanted to send. Kyle has basically disappeared from the landscape after the election. I supose he's in an undisclosed location keeping his head down.

I wrote letters to Kyle and McCain teling them that if they were going to continue to support Bush, I could no longer support them. A few days later, I heard reports that McCain was losing popularity, so I guess I wasn't the only one. A lot of Bush supporters like him are going to have to do a lot of backpeddeling and distancing, if they are to keep their own image in the popular view. However, I meant what I said about McCain. As far as I'm concerned, his run for the White House is just exercise.

Did you ever notice that before the last election, there was hardly ever the mention of the word "bipartisan"? Now that Bush is set back on his heels, it bipartisan this, and bipartisan that. I'll be glad when he's out of the media focal point and I don't have to look at his smug face anymore. He's giving self-righteous people a bad name.

I start session 10 of my chemo treatment on Monday. Two more to go after that. Wahoo! I've been doing that stuff for so long, I've forgotten what it feels like to be normal. The working out has helped. I'm a lot stronger than I thought I was and I'm making progress improvements as I dive into the next change in my program. I'm surprised to find that the best I feel all day is when I'm working out and pushing my body to its limits. The worst I feel all day is when I'm sitting on my can. I do believe there's a message there somewhere. This is especially true as the weather gets nicer everyday, and being outside feels so good. Sitting on my patio and using my wireless connection somehow feels so right.

Tax procrastination

I REALLY need to get going on my taxes, but this is a whole easier, so that job will have to wait just a little longer.

Aaron and I have been working out for about three or four weeks now, and I think we are beginning to see some improvement. Our strength has improved and I feel better than I have in a long time. We also play racquetball once a week. He continues to outscore me, but it takes him a half hour to do it. The gap in our scores is also closing. I do get tired and so we only play for an hour now. This is a great time for Aaron and I to spend together. We talk a little, but mostly just spend our time together doing something we like. He's really busy these days, so I treasure the limited time we have together.

I going to try introducing a little running into my routine on the days when I don't lift weights or ride the bike. My waist isn't changing much, so I'm going to ratchet up my workouts up a little to see if it helps.

Last weekend, I built a (sort of) greenhouse for Sue. It started out as an engineering project to see if I could create one, and turned out to be pretty neat. It's not especially large, but will give her some dedicated space to grow vegetables and stuff. It's partially self-watering also, so it won't take as much effort to keep going. We'll see how this pans out.

The big deal this week happened when I went to see the dentist. Since the surgery last year, I've noticed an acceleration in my teeth showing signs of wear. My dentist took a look and said that people who have had radiation treatments like I have, often have the same sort of things happening to their teeth. Deterioration increases, along with the added propensity for cavities. It doesn't help that I grind my teeth in my sleep like a millstone.

The good news is that he can fix it.
The bad news is the amount of damage requires some extensive work. This also means extensive charges, to the tune of about $9000 or so. Yikes!! I suspected it was going to cost, but I never imagined that sort of amount. He itemized it all out, and it all makes sense. It just doesn't make it any easier to swallow. Who has that sort of money for this sort of thing anyway? Maybe if your're a celebrity with lots of cash this wouldn't be a big deal, but an average joe like me, it's huge, huge bucks.

I guess I won't start building my new hot rod for quite a while. That gardening thing might turn out to be a something I can do in the mean time. Maybe I'll learn how not to murder the plants before they produce something good.

Ten Month Hiatus

From the begining of my brain tumor problems, I have laid off doing any kind of real physical working out. The result was not pretty. I've gained at least two inches to my middle and about 30 pounds. This was not only disappointing, but unhealthy as well. Although I've been wanting to get on some sort of program again, the chemo and the fatigue from it seemed to put my drive in "Park". But I've decided that I had had enough when my pant were beginning to get tight again... not to mention my profile in the mirror was looking less and less appealing.

I bought a Bowflex and a recumbent bike and decided that I was going to put a stop to my increasing diameter and limited energy level. Aaron, my youngest son felt the same way. He had backed off from his past activity, and for different reasons was feeling too big for his britches.

We have been working out regularly for just two weeks, and I have to say that for myself, I am already feeling the difference. My weight hasn't begun to drop yet, but my physical abilities on the machines has improved considerably. The best I feel all day is when I am working out. I already am feeling an increase in my energy level, albeit small, but I can tell it is having its positive effects. We have also begun playing racquetball once a week for an hour. We aren't back to our pre-tumor form, but the games are still way more lively that I ever expected.

I am just about to begin a new chemo cycle, so I don't know how all this will effect my performance, but I can already see that I won't be slumping back to my old level. I hope as I get stronger, my lack of energy will begin to fade and I can feel more like my prior self.

I bet my wife, Sue, $500 dollars I could be at a 32 inch waist by March 1. We never exchange the cash on our bets, but the pressure to live up to my bet is there all the same. Let's hope I didn't get in over my head this time.

Dimwit drivers beware

Recently I found a few sites that you may find of interest.

http://www.driversrevenge.com/
http://www.idiotdriveralert.com/
http://www.safedrivinginstitute.com/index2.html

We've all experienced bad drivers almost every day. People using their cell phones or pdas while driving, putting on make-up, eating, changing clothes, or just being a blockhead on the highway. I only drive a short distance to work everyday, but I see a never ending supply of bad drivers. I guess they feel that rules of the road are for everyone else. There are plenty of examples of really bad drivers on these sites, so I won't repeat them here. Check them out for yourself.

If you're tired of just putting up with all the idiot drivers out there, here is your chance to let your feelings be known. Record the pertinent information, then go to to one of these sites to voice your ire. If nothing else, you can let off a little steam. Maybe some real good will eventually come of this.

Warning! Rant Approaching: The new normal

I've been bugged by this for a long time, but this is the first time I've said something that probably bugs others as well.

Why has dishonesty become the norm? We see it and hear it every day... from politicians, diplomats, movie and TV stars, criminals, officials that are paid to serve us, etc. When asked a direct question, even when the smoking gun is obvious, their answer always seems to be that they didn't do it. "I did not have sex with that woman", "I didn't say that. It never happened", the plea is always "Not Guilty", or their memory no longer clear. When asked a direct question and their back is tightly against the wall, the facts suddenly seem foggy and unreliable. Their publicist tells the media that she was just going for a burger. It was the band's fault, not mine. It was a costume malfunction. I didn't know the stunt was dangerous. The files were inadvertently destroyed. Make a long winded statement and dance around the question, when all we really want is a simple Yes or No.

Is it me, or has personal integrity, moral principals, and responsibility become just a thing of our honored past and replaced with hypomnesia. I would have a hard time directly lying to someone I knew, let alone an entire country or group of admirers. However the people we most look up to do this to us every day. Deniability is practically cliche'.

Have we become such a jaded society that we have come to expect bullshit expanations instead of the simple truth?... Even under oath?... I hope not, but these days I'm not sure what the actual truth of any matter really is. Who can you really trust? If anyone knows, please tell me.

Spare tire

For the most part I've always been in pretty good shape. I've never had six-pack abs or bulging biceps, but I do OK. For the last ten months or so, I've found myself laying back... mostly because the chemo leaves me fatigued a lot of the time, but also because it's easier than fighting it. As a result, I've put on weight that I am not pleased with. I've lost a LOT of my muscle mass and I tire that much easier.

Well that's going to change, starting now. I've turned half the garage into a quasi-gym, and am putting in the things that will help me get back some of the muscle and drop some of the non-value added bulk I've put on. My most recent addition is a recumbent bike. I've always liked these and I find that with some good ole rock and roll playing, I can go for quite a while.

The Bowflex is for the strengthening thing, and I hope to get back some of what I have lost. I know I have to start out slow, but my main interest, is recovering my recovery rate. With a gym in my garage, I should be able to be a little more dilligent about it, but also I need to lay off the sweets, which have become a valued comfort food during my chemo treatments. My taste buds have suffered some, and this is one of the few foods that makes me feel good... a little too good I suppose, so it's going to take some will power to keep walking past the kitchen and into the garage. Maybe I should buy a set of blinders. Let's see how it goes.

Happy New Year

It's 2007 finally, and I'm as happy to see 2006 pass into memory as I can be. Some good things happened, but the year had to have been the worst one on record for me. What I plan to do now is focus on the coming one and don't dwell on what has already occurred. It's hard though. Having a brain tumor changes you in ways I never thought about.

I am one of the lucky ones though. Although I am destined to be in the chemo loop for a little while longer, for the most part I am unchanged. when I was in the hospital, I witnessed a number of people who were far worse off than me, with a significant uphill road ahead of them. I can't imagine what they had yet to experience, nor the dependence they will place upon their families during their recovery. And there were those whose tumor was not in a good place. Their time is limited, and there is little technology and medicine can do for them. We have learned much about the brain, but it seems like there is a lot more we don't know, and have made few real advances in the past twenty years. There is much to do.

This year I am setting my sights on getting back some semblance of myself as I was efore this all started. From nearly a year of low level activity, I have lost nearly half my muscle mass. This bothers me. I used to be in pretty good shape for me age, so I am anxious to get back some of what I've lost. Something tells me it's going to be a lot more of a challenge this time. I'm ready for the challenge, I just need to remember to pace myself and try to not do it all in one day.

Based on the Chinese Astrological chart, I am a metal tiger. I am passing out the negative three year cycle and into a positive one. This couldn't come at a better time, and I am looking forward to all that it may bring. My wife Sue keeps me laughing and admonishes me when necessary. I take this on the chin and use it as a reminder that I need to keep good thoughts in my head and a cheerfulness in my heart. I love this woman.

I'm not really lazy... Really!

I know it's been a while since I made a post. I didn't realize how long until I checked the date of my last one. Needless to say, I was a little embarrassed at my procrastination. The past several months have been a series of highs and lows because of the chemo and other outside influences, which were highlighted by the Toshiba drive in my laptop losing its lubrication, and therefore spinning at a speed less than appropriate to access my data. In other words, it essentially died.

It took a while to get the problem narrowed down to the fact that I had to send it somewhere to do a proper disk recovery not available locally, and it was going to be EXPENSIVE. Prices went as high as $2500 or so. After I regained consciousness I contacted a company in Florida called ECO Data Recovery. You can find them at http://www.ecodatarecovery.com. These guys are professional and fast. They have their own clean room facilities, and were able to disassemble the drive, and then do whatever was necessary to save my data onto an external drive I sent them, and then send it back to me. In the end, they recovered 100% of my volatile files, so I didn't lose anything from the experience. Their price for me was much less than anyone else I talked to, and they were understanding and sympathetic to my issues. If this is sounding like a plug for them, well I guess it is. I'd use them again in a heartbeat.

I've crossed over the six month of my five day chemo treatment and I'm feeling fairly good. My last MRI was clear with no lingering signs of the tumor. This is a terrific bit of news for me. I'm not saying I've beaten it yet, but as long as things stay the way they are now, I have a good chance of getting back to normal.

One of the first things I need to do is get back into shape. I weigh about 10 lbs more than I did 10 months ago, and because of my inactivity, I've lost about half my muscle mass. This bothers me a lot, because my profile in the mirror has really suffered. Before all of this tumor stuff I was in good shape. I went to the gym regularly and I taught martial arts twice a week. Because of my loss of muscle, I'm considerably less strong as I used to be. I can still do some things reasonably well, but I tire faster.

I need to come up with a plan to lose the spare tire and get my muscle strength returning. I'm a little concerned about jumping into a regimen and blowing myself out in the process. I've done this plenty of times when I was healthy, so I don't want to especially do it now. My diet isn't bad, I just don't seem to be able to lose any weight, which won't happen until my activity level increases. I sort of have a plan, but if I had a better idea of how to proceed, it would keep me on track. My willpower seems to have suffered during the last 10 months, so getting back in the saddle is all the more difficult. If I could afford a trainer to work with me, that would be the best way, but since I can't, I'm going to have to depend on my own fortitude to get things back to some semblance of the way I was.

This isn't a New Years' resolution, but it should be.
I still have more to add, but right now I need to pull the Christmas lights off the house.
Stay tuned, I promise to be back soon.

Long hot Summer

Well, here we are in mid-August and I'm 30% through my new chemo regimen. So far it hasn't been too bad, but I find that the fatigue is still hanging in there. I just pace myself and the days seem to glide by. Work doesn't seem to be affected, but there are times when I get a little sleepy in the afternoon, but I'm more inclined to think it's because of lunch, rather than anything else.

I have another MRI coming up in a little more than a week, so things should come more into focus for the longer term with that. I can't help but be a little tentative though. Those scans tend to be milestones, and I feel a little a little anxious as it approaches. I've become somewhat hypersensitive to what's going on inside my body now. You tend to analyze every little ache, or twinge, or soreness, and relate it back... especially when it's in the head region. Some of it is just stress I suppose.

I stopped reading about this, because there is nothing good or encouraging written. Everything has this gloom and doom approach. I don't need that. I want to keep positive, and I can't do that when most that is written has a negative spin.

I'm busier now, and I'm trying (in my own way) to work at projects that have been hanging around. I'm even getting them done... although not at warp speed.

Tumor update

It's been three weeks since my chemo and radiation sessions ended, and I think I'm beginning to feel closer to my old self again. I still have a little way to go to be ready to do my old gym routine, but if there's anything I've learned in working out over ther years, it 's that no matter what you did in your lay off time, it'll take a bit to recover the old form. we'll see how this goes.

Yesterday I had my new baseline MRI, and had a chat with both doctors. The whole thing was as positive experience as I could hope for. It went very well and the doctors were encouraged. I saw the MRI comparison and from what they can see (certainly MRI resolution has its limits) there is no visible trace of the tumor, except for the artifacts of the surgery. However that's not to say that there isn't something there. A tumor about the size of an eraser head has about 30000 cells in it, so a few virulent cells could be present and invisible to the scan. It's not a perfect world, but the future looks bright... at least for the short term and medium time frame we know of, but that is also a double edge sword. It was made plain to me that since we can't know whether it's ALL gone, there always a 90% probability that it will be back... in time (one year, three years, who knows?). I'm hoping for the 10% side of things and can say good bye to it for good.

I am unbelievably fortunate though. Because of the location, even though this tumor is as nasty as they get, there is still reasonably good options for future treatment, should it ever come to that. Nearly all people with this type of tumor are not so lucky and can potentially suffer adverse results of additional treatment. No one is happier about this than I am.

For the future, I still have six months of off and on five day a month chemo treatments to deal with at twice the dose I was getting. The chemo actually hasn't been much of a problem. I take an anti-nausea pill 30 minutes before, and then the chemo drugs about bed time. I wake up with a bit of a bad taste in my mouth, but that about the extent of it.

MRIs will come at increasingly longer intervals and as long as I keep showing no new growth, it bodes better for me as the months pass. The doctors made it clear that they are not done with me and will continue to act aggressively if the need should arise. Now it's just a matter of monitoring myself and being sensitive to my normal behavior. I can no longer take glitches in my physiology for granted, but as long as I feel right, everything else is just as right.

I'm not sure how to pull this all in to a big picture, but for the moment it's time to relax and celebrate the current victory.

Too much too soon

It's been a while since I posted here, and I know a few of my friends look here from time to time to see how I'm doing, so I thought I'd better write something new.

I went through six weeks of chemo and radiation therapy, finishing up a week ago. While it wasn't the worst thing to happen to me, it certainly put my constitution to the test. The chemo was taken at night just before I went to bed, and with the anti-nausea pill taken a half hour before, so the treatment wasn't bad. Over the six weeks I lost the desire for anything more to eat than I needed to keep me going, because I developed a bad taste in the back of my throat. It also constitpated me pretty bad, and took almost the six weeks to get that dialed in.
The drive to and from the radiation treatment was 50 miles a day, so that got to be a drag. But all in all, it was a long but uneventful six weeks. I'm glad it's over... sort of.

I've been free of the treatment for about a week now and I'm not snapping back like I expected. It's going to take a while, and I need to be patient with myself. I tend to push myself too hard and then I pay the price... like last weekend.

I put in a new slab and moved one wheelbarrow at a time of almost 2 yards of concrete from the truck to the slab during what turned out to be the hottest day of the year so far. By the time it was over, I had worked myself into a state of extreme heat exhaution, and spent the next two days laying low and drinking as much as I can to recover to a minimum level. Dumb, dumb, dumb. I know better, but obviously that didn't stop me from doing it anyway.

I need to take it easy for a while and let my body tell me when I'm ready to go to the next level again.

Yoga boy

Sue and I attended our first yoga class last night. It's offered for free at the gym we go to, so we figured, "why not?" We have been talking about this for a little while, so this was an opportunity to check it out. We step into an ongoing class and figured we could at least get a taste.

Let me tell you... this stuff is not for the unprepared. By the end of the class I was sweating as much as I do on a normal visit to the gym. Although we didn't work all that hard, the application of balance, stretching, flexibility, and muscle tension was a real workout. I enjoyed it a lot, and I can see that I have miles to go before I will feel comfortable with my abilities in this class.

Sue felt the same way, and even though she is getting is pretty good shape, she definitely felt about the same as I did after class.

I think I should have tried this about ten years ago.

Glioblastoma Grade IV

I will be starting my therapy soon and it looks like I have quite a fight ahead of me. It parallels the old wagon train approach of putting the wagons in a circle to fight off the Indian attack. I don't know how well they succeeded in their method, but there is nothing more serious in my coming life.

I've done a significant amount of reading and research, and I can only hope that health technology makes a breakthrough fast. What I read does not look very promising. I have done what I can to prepare so far, and I am leaving no stone unturned in my quest to find some magic that'll turn this whole thing around, but short of the miracle of miracles, the long term prognosis is a dark fog.

This is what I learned so far:

The only therapy(ies) that could possibly cure primary brain tumors must:
1. Treat the whole brain
2. Cross the Blood:Brain barrier
3. Get to each and every tumor cell
4. Kill all cell types within the tumor
5. Spare the remaining normal brain.

Using the Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) as an example, the physician needs to consider the following factors:

GROWTH DYNAMICS (GBM)

Growth Fraction = 20 % (Only a percentage of the tumor is growing at any one time)
Cell Cycle Time = 2 - 5 Days (This is how long it takes a growing cell to reproduce)
Cell Loss = 80 - 90 % (A high percentage of cells spontaneously die off)
Doubling Time = Around 7 Days

Therefore, any therapy aimed at controlling the growth of this tumor must recognize the above dynamics. Therapy must catch the cells at the appropriate phase of the cell cycle (when they are sensitive to treatment), take into account tumor doubling time, and acknowlege that the growth fraction is relatively small.

There are other problems to take into account as well:

Many cells live in a low oxygen environment (hypoxic). These hypoxic cells are:

• * radio-resistant
• * often chemotherapy resistant
• * far from the blood supply

The blood supply to the tumor is quite peripheral, surrounding rather than entering it. The center of the tumor (necrotic center) contains living tumor cells. Therefore, much of the tumor is virtually unavailable to chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy or any other therapy.

Standard Therapy

To date, the best treatment for the malignant astrocytoma and GBM is a combination of:

• * Surgery (Gross total removal, i.e. 80 - 99 %)
• * Radiotherapy (5,000 - 6,000 Rads)
• * Chemotherapy (BCNU)

This combination is now "standard therapy", and has been the benchmark to which all other therapies have been compared. Unfortunately, this protocol represents only a single month of improvement over surgery alone! In other words, in over thirty years of clinical research, very little has been done with any outstanding success! (The newly formed Foundation for Neuosurgical Research, however, is dedicated to changing this track record. It will be focused specifically on brain tumor patient improvement alone!)

"Standard therapy" in this country has failed to alleviate, despite spawning 400-plus new, different protocols. This presents a mind-boggling problem for patients and their families, especially when ofttimes they don't even know what a brain tumor really is! Added to the confusion is the enormous proliferation of new technologies becoming available to treat these tumors: lasers, stereotactic computers, cryosurgery, thermal killing machines, ultrasound, radiosurgery, the Gamma Knife, the X-Knife, photoirradiation, blood:brain barrier disruption, boron neutron capture, etc.

Where do science and technology meet the logic of brain tumor biology? What is purely experimental? What is logically worth the effort? What are the numbers? Where does a therapist's enthusiasm for new technology or protocol end, and logical approach to these tumors begin? These are just some of the newer questions which arise during the first weeks after coming in contact with the problem of a malignant brain tumor.

A Guide to the Perplexed

Considering all of the above, the following is a suggested method for approaching the therapy of malignant primary brain tumors. Be logical.

Imagine that a particular tumor weighs about 100 grams. Consider the following:

100 gm of tumor = 100 billion cells, approximately.

If a tumor size can double in volume in a matter of weeks, it would make sense to decrease the size of the mass of the tumor right away. Otherwise, a patient could not make it through a treatment course. Surgery is the way to radically reduce the volume of a tumor, removing anywhere from 80 to 99% of the tumor mass. Recent advances in surgical technologies have aided in the removal of brain tumor tissue with a newer, higher net percentage tumor reduction of 90-99%. These include computer assisted stereotactic surgery, laser instrumentation (carbon dioxide, argon, and Yag), ultrasonic aspiration, operative phototherapy, etc.

Consider the following:

• 90% removal of tumor (100,000,000,000 cells), leaves 10 billion cells
• 99% removal of tumor (100,000,000,000 cells), leaves 1 billion cells

Thus, no matter how good the local surgical therapy is, the patient is still left with at least 1 billion tumor cells!

There now remains the combination of therapies: follow up the initial volume reduction therapy with something else. The usual choices are radiotherapy or chemotherapy. In the best of circumstances, one could expect another 90-99% reduction in tumor cell number. Another 90-99.9 % cell reduction still leaves 1 million to 100 million cells.

The logical procedure now would be to hit the tumor again with yet something else, (usually radiation or chemotherapy) that might attack the remaining cell population.

If left without treating a third time, it is possible that the tumor could return to its original size in as few as 6 weeks, factoring in the numbers mentioned above.

This is not encouraging news, but Sue and I are committed to battle this thing with all the fight we have in us. Feel free to send any positive vibes our way. We're going to need them.

It pays to be wierd

What a difference a week makes. Last week at this time I had just had my skull opened up and a tumor taken out... and this week, I'm ready to pick up like nothing had happened.

I've had plenty of time to read and gather information on my present situation and I've learned some amazing things. That if you're a caucasian male over 50, you have basically a 2-3 in 100,000 chance of getting a tumor. Now the one I have or (had, I hope), is just a fraction of that number. In fact, a tumor in the cerebellum rarely occurs. Which is why I say it pays to be wierd. I never considered that to be an advantage, but I guess I'll stay with it.

I feel great, and although the 4 inch line of staples behind my right ear is not the best thing to see at the moment, I'm grateful for the fast action by the medical team at the Barrow's Neuroloical Instutute in Phoenix. Those people are THE BEST.

I witnessed first hand the other side of the coin. Guys with the same tumor in their cerebrum (the thinking part) and it made me realize how lucky I really was. Those people have a long and difficult recovery process, and a huge burden will be placed upon the people closest to them. I hope they get through it OK and can get their lives back on track. It won't be easy in any sense of the word.

I know I still have a long path ahead and I can't become complacent as time passes. It would become easy to do when you're feeling good and can forget about the trauma of the experience, but I need to be sure I don't. The quality of my life in the future depends on my never forgetting what just happened. I was incredibly fortunate, and with persistent awareness I can keep things this way.

It's been a wild week

Saturday thru Tuesday were bad days. Monday I couldn't keep anything down so we went to to doc on Tuesday morning. He told us to go to Barrows Neurological Institute ER as fast as we could arrange it and he would tell them I was coming. We went that afternoon and they admitted me to the ICU right away.

I had surgery the next day for the tumor and after spending the next few days there was released on Friday afternoon. The dizziness is gone, but I have a long road of radiation and Chemo therapy ahead. This tumor is somwhat of an oddity to they bacause tuomrs of this type aren't typically found in the cerebellum, but in the thinking part of the brain. This is extremely fortunate for me.

The Barrows folks are going to discuss my case and decide just what they are dealing with and how to treat it, but in the meantime I still need to focus on my life and my job and get back to normal as soon as possible. The sooner, the better.

Astrocytoma

Astrocytoma doesn't seem like a very scary word, but it should. The beauty and the curse about the internet is that there's more information than is possible (or needed) on any subject that you care to look up. Words that you didn't know existed, suddenly become part of your everyday existence, and change the way you look at your life and the people around you. That's what happened here.

A couple of weeks ago, I began to have symptoms of vertigo. I had had the flu or something like it recently and attributed my sudden equilibrium problems to an inner ear instability. My brother had suffered through this and I first assumed it was something like this. My problem was that my imbalance would last for three or four days, and it was all I could do to work my way from the bed to the couch. I had migraines and the muscles at the back of my neck ached incessantly. After four days I was able to go to work, but the vertigo never totally left me. It just subsided to a point that I felt competent to move about and not look like I was on something.

I functioned reasonably well for a few days, when I woke up one day and it was back with a vengence. I spent the next four days barely able to negotiate from one point in my house to another. I was nauseated from the vertigo so bad at times that I found it necessary to scurry on my hands and knees to the bathroom the vomit.

The doctor ordered a CT scan and called me the very same evening to inform me that I had an astrocytoma on my cerebellum, or in simple language, a tumor at the base of my brain. At this point I am waiting to see him again to come up with a plan to deal with it, but knowing it's there and the cause for all my balance problems has changed my life.

Of course I went out the the internet right away and did my research. However, not having any specifics yet raised more questions than it answered. I now know that my vertigo will not pass on its own and that surgery is the primary method with dealing with an astrocytoma. The grade of severity is as of yet unknown to me, but I'm hoping from the sketchy information the doctor gave me, that my own problem is not as bad as it could be.

At this point, I am functioning on a level that's a fraction of what it was. I've always pushed my physical abilities when I hit the gym or taught martial arts, or even working in the yard around the house. For the moment, those times are all on hold and I just do what I can without aggravating my condition. This is not the way I viewed the beginning of this year, that's for sure.

Another week gone

I started a new job on February 7. It's actually with a company I worked for before, and left to go to the job that laid me off. They were in need enough to want me back, so I took the position. It's a good thing I did, because other offers didn't come. I had a few people contact me, but they were just fishing and not actually interested in hiring me. In some cases, they were hoping I knew someone else that was looking for a job, but they weren't interested in me. That's a load of crap, but in cases like that, I don't even dignify their contact.

We've had the new Artha Gallery site up for about two and a half months now, but we seem to be drifting into obscurity. We've redone the site completely and added a lot more merchandise to broaden the appeal, but we are getting little activity. This is a puzzle and a disappointment. I'm not sure what to do about this at the moment, but it doesn't look like going with Yahoo was my best choice.

I'm glad February 2006 is history.

On the street

Well, Tuesday turned out to be the low-light of the week. Budget cuts and lack of work forced my employer to let me go. Reality still hasn't sunk in yet; I guess I'm still in shock. Sue hasn't said much either. I guess she senses my disappointment and loss and prefers to just say silent.

Since I didn't sleep very well, I've already put my resume out on all the various job boards, but in all the years I've had it out there, nothing ever came of it. I don't expect anything more than that now. For the moment I just plan on taking the next several days doing things that have stacked up in the normal course of daily life.

I haven't come up with a plan as to what to do next. Maybe I'll just have breakfast and think about my options.

Back to normal... sort of

Recovering from the holidays is underway and as a result the annual tradition of having more to do than time allows is also in full swing. Sometimes I feel like I'm at the precipice of chaos, without ever quite falling off it. Of course the load of stuff will eventually diminish and I’ll once again begin to feel like I have control over my time.

Sue and I got the last remaining links of Artha Gallery up and running, although there is still merchandise left to get on the site. This takes a little pressure off, and I can focus on some other matters for a bit.

The iPod Nano I got for Christmas makes my workouts at the gym seem a little less boring. I still am having trouble getting the after-holiday blues out of my system, so the momentum required to get my butt to the gym is ever-present.

Right now all I want to do is have some quiet time with Sue and forget about all of this other stuff.

Happy 2006! Where did 2005 go?

I can hardly believe this year has flashed by the way it did. At this point last year I was packing up to relocate back to Arizona, after a fantastic year in Seoul, Korea. Man, how I miss that place! I know now that if the conditions were conducive, I would move back there in a heartbeat. Living in Arizona has lost its appeal for me. I'm here because I have to live somewhere and work somewhere, but I can say now that this is not the right place.

Sue and I have accomplished a lot though. We both are working, bought a home, and have settled in about as much as any normal couple could be expected. I'm teaching Shinkendo through one of the local city parks and recreation associations and am enjoying it very much. I have always liked teaching, and this give me the double satisfaction of doing something I like and introducing new kids to the art. It's a great oportunity for me.

The most significant personal accomplishment we made is to restart ownership of a retail web site. You can find it at Artha Gallery. A long time friend (who in fact I have yet to meet in person) had this site and offered it to me to take over. Sue and I had considered cranking up a site, and when this chance was placed before us, it seemed like the right opportunity at the right time. We shall see. We don't expect to quit our day jobs any time in the near future, but it may offer us some other way of saving a little more money for the future.

Blog cancer

Yes, it appears to be true that my poor blog, which never did anything to hurt anyone, is dying a slow and painful death. It was never my intention to let this happen. I tried to do all of the right things to keep it healthy. Nevertheless, it contracted this condition through ignorance and the fact that it's not the most important thing in my daily life.

However, I am hoping to bring it back from the brink of death. There is much to be told and commented on. Ten months have passed since my last entry, and since I am no Rumplestiltskin, I also have not been idle. In fact a great deal has happened. Actually , I made my last meaningful entry on December 18. Geez, Has it been so long already? I guess so.

Everything about our life has changed since then, and fighting to keep this blog alive may also help me retain some semblance of keeping my life on track and ordering my thoughts.

It's a hope anyway.

Big Changes

Lately, I seem to be suffering from a bit of guilt for not posting to this journal as I have promised everyone... including myself.

However, a great deal has happened in the past few weeks, and I have attempted to put my best effort where it would do the most good. Unfortunately this meant that my blog would be pushed off until I could have the time to give it the appropriate attention.

Major changes have taken place for us, and the one we have talked about... that is, the move from Seoul, Korea, back to the USA, has taken place. Well, at least most of the move has. I am here and working on reestablishing our life as we wish it. You know, the usual... find a place to live, get a car, phone, internet connection, blah, blah, blah. And once that is done to some satisfactory level, find a new job.

Well, most of the major obstacles have been cleared, so I will begin the arduous task of getting my resume out there in hopes someone will give it a look. Ha!! With the present state of the job market still in the doldrums, wish me luck. I am always cautiously optimistic. Finding new employment now is sort of like jumping on a moving train, piloted with Bush's hand on the throttle... scary!! Oh yeah… If anyone has a good idea I haven’t thought of to make this task more triumphant, I’m all ears.

So where is Sue during all of this?
She is still in Seoul, tidying up the remnants of our life there, and spending some final treasured moments with her family. It’s tough being apart, but it was the only plan we could come up with to make the best use of our energy. Thank God for new technology though. We have been having video chats with our Macs and iSight, which makes the distance between us seem less afar. Just to catch a glimpse of her smiling face (just when I need it) is all the lift I need sometimes. I’ll be glad when this separation is passed us though. I miss her more than she knows.

I plan to catch everyone up on the past few weeks (with pictures), as time permits. There is plenty to share, and I want to get it all down before the excitement of the moments remembered fade and the details become foggy. My memory is pretty good, but after all this time, my brain is getting full.

Yeah... we all get busy

You'll notice that I haven't put anything up in a little while, but it has been because I don't think about it. In the last couple of weeks before my departure from Seoul, there has been a long list of activities to attend to... dismantling our life here in Korea and reestablishing one back in the USA. As a result, getting something significant written and published on my journal here has fallen to a secondary event.

In conjunction with this, my youngest son (Aaron) has come to spend our last week here with us. It's his first real international experience and his first trip to Korea. We are trying to give him a nice cross-section of Korean culture and the life here, and he seems to be taking it all in with great enthusiasm.

Once I've made the flight back to Arizona and gotten my system back on-line, I'll be back on schedule and putting up some pictures of our recent escapades. Until then, look back over what I've done or check out one of the other blogs. There's lots off good reading out there.

Sue's Korean Embroidery Project

Cabinet, originally uploaded by tgolamb.

Sue has finally completed what turned out to be a four year project. She has been working on some Korean embroidery panels to be built into four especially designed wood cabinets since she first came to America in 2001. The one you see above is the largest of the four.

I am especially proud of her efforts on this, because this kind of embroidery is painstaking work of weaving one silk thread at a time into the pictures on silk material for each panel section. All of the shading on each of the pictures is done with different color silk thread, giving the images a 3-dimensional look. Once finished, each panel must be sealed on the back in preparation for the cabinet work.

Because we are about to return to the USA, it was important for her to complete all of her embroidery work before we left. Now that all of the panels were completed, we took the finished work to a local business that specialized in this kind of Korean art form, where he cut up the embroidry into the individual panels and built them into the cabinet you see.

Embroidery, originally uploaded by tgolamb.

Here is a closeup of Sue's embroidery handiwork. It is much more beautiful in person than in this photo, and you can get a better appreciation of the thousands of hours it took her to do it all. Even though this was more of a hobby project and a personal goal to accomplish, the woman at the business that specializes in this kind of art form gave Sue high compliments for the professionalism of her ability. This added an extra exclamation point to the completion of this job for her, and I am thrilled at her dedication to getting it all done.

Christmas in Korea

Christmas in Korea, originally uploaded by tgolamb.

A few people have asked me if we are doing anything for Christmas here... if we are decorating, etc. So I thought I would answer that question for everyone. The answer is no.

If we were planning to stay here longer (which we had originally), we might be going to some lengths to spruce up our humble apartment with some holiday cheer. We didn't bring any sort of Christmas decor with us, so this would mean we would have to make some purchases here. Now that we have decided to leave Korea, and are actually in the process of packing everything up in preparation for our departure right after the first of the year, the appearance of decorations for the Christmas holiday is entirely absent.

The picture you see above happens to be the sum total of our obvious Christmas cheer, and this was purely by accident. Sue and I needed some tissues to assist us in recovering from our colds, and this box was the only single one she could find in the store. It does add a curious bit of color to an otherwise spartanly festooned apartment.

It does feel quite strange though. I have always had some degree of Christmas adornment, including a Christmas tree, in wherever I lived in the USA, even when living alone. I remember even having an oddly decorated tree on the aircraft carrier Coral Sea, while I served in the Navy during the Vietnam War.

Just as Thanksgiving had passed us by here without even so much as a whimper, I’m afraid so will Christmas. I have already promised myself that 2005 will usher in a new spirit of Christmas for us, and we will make up for what we have sacrificed in 2004.

Thursday at the movies

BigFish, originally uploaded by tgolamb.

TV here has gotten to be a real drag. I've probably mentioned this before, so I won't rehash the point too much. Even our favorites like CSI are being shown for the umpteenth time, making our evenings a challenge to find something interesting and certainly within the law to do.

Anyway, we wandered over to the little video store down the block to see if there was anything of interest. As we reviewed the selection of English films, which can take all of three minutes (anyone desiring anything in the adult movie category would find their selection more than adequate), we ran across a movie I didn't know much about. Tim Burton's Big Fish was one I had heard of, but avoided for some reason. I don't know why. Well, since it was about the only one we hadn't seen, we brought it home to give it a look.

I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. It wasn't a blockbuster type of movie, but it was fun entertainment... kind of a silly, fantasy, romantic-comedy, with an interesting blend of characters (I happen to like Albert Finney). It was a nice change from the cop, mystery, conspiracy, heavy CGI, things blowing up kind of movie, and I'm glad we took the chance to give it a try.

Ultimate Solitaire

ecstatic, originally uploaded by tgolamb.

My previous comments about Eric's Ultimate Solitaire, and the discovery of Ambrosia's upgrade of Apeiron to Mac OS X got me thinking... "I wonder..."

So I did a quick search and to my (almost) surprise found that Eric's Ultimate Solitaire is currently in upgrade mode to Mac OS X as well. It has some interesting small enhancements if you poke around a little. This is another great little time waster, and I have owned the original version for just about ten years. You can get the OS X version of this is in an Alpha test version at Delta Tao Software.

The download of this is only good until Feb. 2005, but I'm guessing they plan to have the final version ready for purchase by that time. This should be plenty of time for you to get hooked on it. They also have Eric's Ultimate Solitaire for PC too.

Apeiron for Mac OS X

Ambrosia has put out some great software for many years. I you aren't acquainted with them, I encourage you to give them a look. They put out some terrific games and utilities, some of which I have been playing for a long time.

Apeiron is one of these. It is similar to the old classic Centipede game, and although I never played that, when I first downloaded the Shareware version of Apeiron some years back, I was hooked. High scores became a family feud, which I was often on the losing end when facing off with my two sons, but I always had a great time with it.

When I upgraded my software to Mac OS X, I was a little disappointed in how Apeiron worked in OS 9. Ambrosia was continuing to develop new software, but I still liked the old classics.

ApeironX, originally uploaded by tgolamb.

I was thrilled when Ambrosia just announced that they had released the OS X version of Apeiron. I immediately went out and upgraded my old version, which was a bargain at $5. The initial price of $15 is still a great buy for this game. It is addictiive and a fantastic way to waste a little time (or in some people's case, a lot). The new version also includes links to add your high scores to the internet base, and also lets you view others who have made it their mission to put up scores so high that it will be several lifetimes, before I'll accumulate enough points to be their equal. However, this has not stopped me from giving it my best. Sue also has found it necessary to take a break from Ultimate Solitaire to satisfy her closet addiction to Apeiron. It's frustrating, unforgiving, and lots of fun. I hope Ambrosia continues the upgrading of their other classic games and makes them also OS X worthy. I'll be waiting.

Mission accomplished... Wahoo!

iPodiBook, originally uploaded by tgolamb.

Anyone who knows me very well, knows that I have been an Apple Computer advocate since... well forever. I enjoy working with them and I supported them as a developer and system administrator in my prior employment for many years.

Earlier this year I purchased a 15 Gb iPod and planned to fully load it with my library of music. Well, life and its associated priorities tend to get in the way of plans less significant, so although I had made a partial stand at doing it (and was happy with what I had done by the way), I never found the block of time I needed to complete the project. However, now that Sue and I are winding down our life in Korea, we have less to do and all the time in the world to do it, and projects like finishing my iPod music became realistic.

I am delighted to report that this is one project finally completed for the moment... although like anything of this nature it is a work in progress and will never be completely done. At any rate, at this moment all of the music I have and deemed worthy has been transferred from my iBook to my iPod. What is truly amazing is that this little 2.5 X 4 inch little unit could hold so much. It makes me wonder why anyone would consider having anything else to store and listen to music on. To date, mine has store about 2500 songs, amounting to somewhere over 200 albums and only has taken up about 11.5 Gb in storage, meaning I still have a little over 2 Gb left for future additions. Truly amazing when you think about it. I could listen continuously for more than a week and never hear the same song twice, which is better than I could hope for from any radio station. I'm more impressed with my iPod every time I delve more into it's capabilities... and I only use it for music. I know it does much more.

iTunesScreen, originally uploaded by tgolamb.

My iTunes on my iBook is equally amazing. My music interests run the gambit, from Punk to Classical... from Korn to Motzart to Uttara-Kuru to Consolidated (of course I do draw the line at Rap). Needless to say, I have lots of variations in my playlists and how I arrange my listening categories and genres. iTunes lets me do this with the greatest of ease, and although it was a LOT of work, it even lets me put in the album artwork. This can be particularly important as my music library grows and becomes even more diverse (as if that was possible). If you've never taken a look at compiling your music library like this, I encourage you to give it a glance. You might find it changes your thoughts on the matter. I can tell you that now that I have my music united into a central and easily manageable personal audio studio, my CDs may never again see the light of day. Isn't technology great?

Monster Island?

MonsterIsland, originally uploaded by tgolamb.

On our trip back to the USA from Korea at the beginning of November, our flight routed us through Japan with a layover in Tokyo. As we approached Tokyo, I looked out the window and happen to catch a glimpse of this apparently dormant volcano. I snapped a couple pictures and promptly forgot about them. It was only after going back through my digital camera that I ran across them again.

Now I watched plenty of Godzilla films as a kid, and at one time I knew the details of them as intimately as anyone my age. As I looked at the picture again I had to wonder, could this be Monster Island? Hmmm...

It's just a guy thing...

CraneDone, originally uploaded by tgolamb.

My wife has recently been calling me a country boy in a big city. This is all due to the major construction that has been going on next to our building since we moved in. We can look out our window and track its progress, which is what I've done from time to time. However, since they've been in the beginning stages for so long, it's only recently that the action has picked up.

They laid in some underground structural iron work and I knew it would only be a matter of time before the work picked up some speed. Now there are huge cranes all over Seoul; you can see them everywhere. As I looked at those, I could not imagine how they got those things assembled and working. I'm not a construction savvy guy, but I'm fascinated by the immensity of some of the equipment they use, and I always wondered, "How do they put those things together?"

My wife just sort of rolls her eyes when she catches me scrutinizing the job, but I just tell her, "Hey, it's just a guy thing I guess."

Anyway, they finally piled up the pieces to put up a crane at this site, so I took the opportunity to document for myself just how they do this. In case you were wondering yourself, the above photos should give you an idea. It only took these guys a couple of days to have it up and running, and I was impressed with the way they got it done. I also now understand how they will add sections when they need to make it taller. If I had a hard hat and could speak Korean, you could bet I'd be down there asking all sorts of questions (much to Sue's chagrin).

I made points with Sue though. She was commenting on the new portable cranes they had down there. I took her to the window and explained that those were actually cement pumpers, and described the process of what they were doing. She was quite surprised and impressed with my knowledge of the whole thing, but I didn't have the heart to tell her that this was general knowledge most dudes picked up in "Guy-101". Hey just watch a little of the Discovery Channel, some Home Improvement, bang around a little in your own garage and you're ready to go. More power, yeah!!
I did enjoy the praise though.

Blogs a plenty

My wife was still asleep this morning, and since I had already read and answered all my email, read the news of interest, I decided to poke around Blogger.com for a bit by clicking on "Next Blog" to see what was out there.

I found it interesting and worthy of a little of my time. In doing so, I realized several things. Here is my "Top 10 list" of what I learned:

1. There are a lot of people out there experimenting and enjoying the blog experience.
2. There are a lot of people out there with an axe to grind. All that's missing is the soap box.
3. There are a lot of people out there who have no idea what to do with their spare time. Maybe they should find a life away from their computer.
4. There are a lot of people out there with silly, blockheaded, and sometimes vulgar ideas about with to do with their blog. Freedom of speech can be a powerfully good and regretably bad thing in front of an unknown audience.
5. There are a lot of people out there who have some important things to say about serious issues. I promised myself to take more time to look at these in the future.
6. There are a lot of people out there contributing to a common blog collective who speak many different languages. Who knew there were so many?
7. There are a lot of things I don't know about what else is happening in the world, but would like to. I will keep working at this until my brain is full.
8. There are now a lot of things I'd like to say, but don't know how to express them.
9. I have come to realize how insignificant and yet important my one voice is among the many now contributing to the chorus of voices out there.
10. I think everyone should take the time I did and wander around to see what else is out there. It's not a critical "must do", but it will open your eyes to the volume of thoughts and ideas so very different from your own.

Planes and Noodles

OK, we've made the trip back to Seoul for the last time. This last trip was real torture too.

Normally we don't mind it so much. Although the 12 hours or so is a -- not so great -- way to spend your time, the airlines do a pretty goood job of feeding you, entertaining you, and giving you what comfort they can under the circumstances. We've flown Asiana, American, Singapore, and we both feel that Singapore Air is definitely the best among the three, so far. We'll be trying Korean Air too, so judgement has yet to be passed on it.

Anyway, the reason the last trip was so bad has nothing to do with the airline we took. The 6000 miles was an eternity due to a young child of maybe a year old or less. I swear, she must have cried, yelled, or otherwise made a ruckus once a minute for the entire time we were on the plane. Everyone around us was wornout as well. I felt sorry for the parents, but not enough to not be frustrated with them. Next time I'm taking a set of ear plugs with me.

After we got back we treated ourselves to one of my favorite restaurants here called Pho Hoa. It's Vietnamese style food, tasty and a great treat when you're hungry. You can check out their web sites at:

http://www.phohoa.com/ -- or -- http://www.phohoa.co.kr/

I really love the rice noodles there, and get them every time we go. One of these days I'll try something else, but I'm in no hurry. I like what I like and that's good enough for me.

Back in Arizona

Sue and I have been in Arizona for a couple of days now, and in some ways it feels like we've never left. Not much has changed, but the environment has a different feel to it. Staying in a hotel in my own home town feels strange to be sure.

One of the things we didn't expect is that the change in climate has left both of us quite dehydrated most of the time. We have had to increase our intake of fluids, but so far it hasn't helped a lot. We both still feel like we need to drink more to get our systems back in balance.

We took a break from looking at future apartments the other day and went to see the new movie "The Incredibles." Funny movie. Animation has come a long way, but the humor translates fine. I'm sure the subtle adult humor is something that passes most kids by, just as it did me when I was young, but all the kids in the theater seemed to enjoy it as much as we did.

No pain, No gain

As you can see from the dates, we haven't written much lately. Not much has happened here, and we have been (for the most part) focused on getting ready for our visit to Arizona, and for our relocation back to the states early next year.

We've consistently been hitting the gym and I think it's beginning to show some results. Over the past couple of years our lifestyle changed causing us to be more sedentary. As a result, we got a little softer, and I lost some of the muscle mass I had built up. Getting our diet back in line with the right proteins and carbs has helped, but getting the right workout combination of weight training and aerobic workouts has made a big difference in the way we feel and look. I am regaining some my lost muscle, although it hasn’t been without some pains, to be sure. Sue and I both enjoy the new us, and I think we feel we are getting to the point to where, if we don’t get out and get some sort of workout, we have missed an important part of our day. I hope that is now a habit we can sustain. Our new approach inspired me to get my certification as fitness trainer. Although the credential is nice, the education I received in the process was well worth the effort. I wish now that I had done it earlier.

Jeondeungsa

JeondeungsaTemple, originally uploaded by tgolamb.

On Friday, Sue and I went with Sue's sister and her husband to a place called Jeondeungsa. Jeondeungsa is an ancient Buddhist temple complex located near the Mt. Jungjok Fortress Wall, on Gangwha Island. Ganwha Island the largest of a group of islands located on the far North West corner of South Korea, about 500 km away from Seoul and connected to Kimpo with the Gangwha Bridge. This is the closest I've been to North Korea, which is only separated from Gangwha Island by a small span of water.

Anyway, we drove there to get a look at this very old and lesser know temple. We had lunch and made the steep, but short walk to the entrance. There were lots of young school age kids there, who were eager to take the opportunity to use their English and say "hello" to an English speaking foreigner. I said Hi a lot, but when I tried to engage any of them in more than just Hi, I usually got blank stares, then a quick retreat to the safety and giggles of the rest of the group.

No one know exactly when the temple was originally built, but it is estimated to be somewhere around 381 to 384 AD.

There is a web site where you can read about Jeondeungsa. It has English, so if you're interested, check it out. It's really quite fascinating.
Go to: http://jeondeungsa.org/eng/info/index.html

TeaHouse, originally uploaded by tgolamb.

There is a really beautiful and interesting tea house just below the temple complex. We didn't go in it, but it looked very inviting.

Who's smart and who's not?

The following is from an article from a book published by Morgan Quitno Press, an independent private research and publishing company, who have been doing studies like this since 1989.

States are ranked from smartest to dumbest. These are the findings of the Education State Rankings, a survey by Morgan Quitno Press of hundreds of public school systems in all 50 states. States were graded on a variety of factors based on how they compare to the national average. These included such positive attributes as per-pupil expenditures, public high school graduation rates, average class size, student reading and math proficiency, and pupil-teacher ratios. States received negative points for high drop-out rates and physical violence.

The smartest state in the union for the second consecutive year is Massachusetts. At the bottom of the list, for the third year in a row, is New Mexico. Unfortunately, Arizona placed 48. Maybe because we are the 48th state, but I doubt it. Not much to brag about here.
Ms. Napolitano, I hope you are reading this.

Here’s how things stack up…

1. Massachusetts
2. Connecticut
3. Vermont
4. New Jersey
5. Wisconsin
6. New York
7. Minnesota
8. Iowa
9. Pennsylvania
10. Montana
11. Maine
12. Virginia
13. Nebraska
14. New Hampshire
15. Kansas
16. Wyoming
17. Indiana
18. Maryland
19. North Dakota
20. Ohio
21. Colorado
22. South Dakota
23. Rhode Island
24. Illinois
25. North Carolina
26. Missouri
27. Delaware
28. Utah
29. Idaho
30. Washington
31. Michigan
32. South Carolina
33. Texas and West Virginia (tie)
35. Oregon
36. Arkansas
37. Kentucky
38. Georgia
39. Florida
40. Oklahoma
41. Tennessee
42. Hawaii
43. California
44. Alabama
45. Alaska
46. Louisiana
47. Mississippi
48. Arizona
49. Nevada
50. New Mexico

Great Sushi in Seoul

SushiHiroba, originally uploaded by tgolamb.

Last night, Sue and I went to one of our favorite spots to eat. Sushihioba takes a little over 30 minutes by bus from our place, and I don't know about Sue, but my mouth was already getting prepared all the way there. We went there for the first time a few years ago when we made a short trip to Seoul. Sue's sister took us there and I never forgot it. Now that we are living here, it's one of those small rewards we give ourself from time to time.

They're only open for lunch and dinner, so you have to time your visit to them, but once there, they will keep tempting you with dishes passing by in front of you until you finally say, "No More."

It's a bit pricy, but if you don't do it every day, you don't mind rewarding yourself as we do for a great eating night out.

You can check out their site. Unless you can speak Korean, the site won't be too informative, but you can click around and checkout the menu, etc.

Homeward bound

If you haven't heard from us already, Sue and I have decided to move back to the states. We'll be visiting there in early November to take care of some things and to set up our move back, which will be in early January. It's something we've been building up to for a lot of reasons, but I guess we've gotten to the point when it's time to act on it.

I think Sue is ready to go back. We both miss some of the things that we couldn't get or see in Korea. We've watched a lot of movies here, because if you speak English (and not Korean) TV is not that great, and radio is worse. I'm not so sure people listen to radio much here, except in taxis and busses.

Once we're back the first order of business will be to find a place, drag all of our pots and pans out of storage, etc., etc. Next will be to find a job, and visit a few places I've missed... A&W, Krispy Kreme... you know, important stuff.

Myst IV Revelation

MystRev, originally uploaded by tgolamb.

For any of you out there who know anything about Myst and it's history, then you'll want to know that Myst IV Revelation was released in September for both Mac and PC. I already have the first three and have enjoyed them immensely. If your curious, check out their web site.
http://www.mystrevelation.com

Tink and Sue in Hong Kong

TS_HK, originally uploaded by tgolamb.

Here's the requisite composite tourist shot of the Golambs in Hong Kong. Don't we make a gorgeous couple? This was actually sort of a late honeymoon for us... about three and a half years late to be more precise. We always planned to do something, but for some reason never got around to it. Sue wanted Hawaii, but budgetary constraints made Hong Kong a better choice this time. She made me promise to take her to Hawaii one day before we are too old to enjoy it, and with some coaxing I agreed. (The cast on my broken arm will come off in about six weeks.) HA!

Hong Kong was a great break from our life in Korea and I hope you enjoy the following shots and commentary.

AberdeenSampan, originally uploaded by tgolamb.

One of the first things we did was to take a tour, which included a ride in a sampan around the fishing village in Aberdeen. It was amazing to think that the people who live on the boats in this fishing village seldom set foot on land. They spend a lot of their life there on their boats, eating, sleeping, and doing business. We saw kids, dogs, and plants all residing comfortably in this setting; a real life "Water World."

OldAndNew, originally uploaded by tgolamb.

I was continuously amazed at the contrast between the old and the new, the modern and the antiquated. The people there still do many things in the tried and true methods they always have. But even in an old setting, you will invariably see a bit of new technology tossed in to replace or enhance some portion of the job that needs to be done. You'll find 200 year old buildings next to sparkling new architectural marvels. Many of the streets with their tall buildings on either side of the road form a maze of deep canyons, where if you aren't familiar with the terrain, it's not hard to lose your way. Hong Kong is an odd but exciting mix of cultural diversity, and well worth the time to explore.

JumboRestaurant, originally uploaded by tgolamb.

This is the Jumbo Floating Restaurant in Aberdeen. It is one of the most well known sites in Hong Kong and is parked in exactly the same place it has been in since I first came to Hong Kong in 1970. In Fact, it looks EXACTLY the same as it did then (to my recollection anyway). Sue and I didn't go there to eat. We had so many things to do, we never made it back here to check it out on the inside. I'm sure it is quite good though, because there seemed to be a steady stream of small taxi like boats ferrying people to and from it's waterfront entrance.

Man Mo Temple

ManMoTemple, originally uploaded by tgolamb.

Man Mo Temple was built in the 1840s and is one of the oldest in Hong Kong. 'Man Mo' means civil and military, and the temple is dedicated to the God of Literature Man Cheong and the God of War Kuan Ti. Man Mo Temple is used by both Buddhist and Taoist.

ManMoTemple2, originally uploaded by tgolamb.

Huge hanging bell shaped coils of incense are burned by the devout. The temple is normally enveloped in smoke and the scent of burning incense. This can be quite overpowering to some, who find it necessary to take some quick photos and leave.

The Yuen Yuen Institute

YuenYuenInstitute, originally uploaded by tgolamb.

This shot is of the Yuen Yuen Institute, a temple complex dedicated to the three major religeons in Hong Kong, Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. It was founded in 1950 and advocates the integration and the teachings of these religeons.

A curious blast from the past

RedLipsBar, originally uploaded by tgolamb.

I don't know why, but the memory of this particular experience came to me as Sue and I sat at a spaghetti place having lunch. As I looked across the street and saw the signs, the image of one particular evening came rushing back, as vivid as if it happened only a short time ago. I took the picture and told the whole story to Sue. Now let me tell it to you.

As a young sailor of about 21 or so in the Navy, one of our ports we visited for liberty in 1972 was Hong Kong. It was an exciting time for someone so inexperienced.

One evening, another friend in our squadron and I decided to roam around Kowloon and sample from as many bars as we could manage (silly us). As we made our way down the narrow streets and dropping in to one nightclub or another having a beer and then leaving, we happened down one tiny alley to a place called the "Red Lips Bar".

It was a curious arched entrance with one of those beaded curtains you had to pass through. The bar was dimly lit in a deep red glow, giving it sort of an exotic feel. Business was apparently slow for them, because my friend Dave and I were the only two in the bar. There weren't even any of the requisite female hostesses we had come to expect, waiting to surround you as you entered a place, hoping to get you to buy them a drink, and maybe more. We didn't know or care why by that time in the evening, mostly because by then we were well on our way to having a pleasant glow ourselves, and just wanted to see how long we could continue our undertaking.

Anyway, it seemed like an interesting place, so we ordered a beer and sat down at a table in the middle of the room. Only a brief time has passed when we heard some commotion from behind another beaded curtain at the other end of the bar. The curtain spread and out from behind it came our hostesses.

For a split second I was excited and hopeful. We were the only guys in the bar and would get their undivided attention. In the next split second, I understood why. The three or four women that glided through the parted curtain were older than my mother. They weren't especially attractive, and the lipstick they were wearing looked like it was applied with a caulking gun.

Dave and I looked at them, looked at each other, and with nothing said further between us, turned our beer glasses up and downed our drinks in Olympic record time. We got up, said a very polite good night, and got the hell out of there. We chuckled about it later, and chided each other about who picked the bar in the first place, but it was a great story to tell the rest of the guys later on.

After our lunch and with a memory so alive, I couldn't resist my own curiosity and convinced Sue to accompany me down the alley to have a look inside the place. The alley now was full of hawkers, selling their merchandise, and nothing like it was all those years ago. As we got to the spot where I knew it would be, a darkened neon sign was above the entrance, and a metal curtain was pulled down in front of the door, covered heavy with dirt and dust. A display of cheap luggage was piled in front of the metal curtain and had been for some time. The Red Lips Bar was no more.

I had to admit I was a little disappointed to find it closed. I don't know what I expected to see, but I will always remember the look of distress (and relief) on Dave's face as we passed through that beaded curtain for the last time more than 30 years ago.

Some interesting facts about Hong Kong

Apts_HK, originally uploaded by tgolamb.

I found so many contrasts and blends of new and old technology while touring the city. The apartments in the picture are about forty stories or more. What I found the most facinating is that they still use bamboo lashed together for scaffolding on all construction, even on modern towers rising to eighty stories.

It is truly amazing, but when you think about it, it makes perfect sense. It is light, incredibly strong, and can be easily modified to suit any need. I have to admire those guys working on the stuff. Even the assembly of bamboo on the outside of the building is very impressive.

Cars are a total luxury in Hong Kong. The streets are packed with them, even very expensive ones like Porche and Ferarri. Since every car must be imported to Hong Kong, the government poses heavy taxes for anyone wanting to drive a car.

What is the tax for a car in Hong Kong you ask? The minimum tax to license a car there is 100%! That's right boys and girls... the tax is the value of the car. This means if you want to put your $40,000 BMW on the road, it's going to cost you an additional $40,000 in tax to do it. Ouch!

And it gets worse as the car becomes more exotic. That tax on a Ferarri or Rolls Royce you love so much, 130%. If you're on top, life is good in Hong Kong.

Of course you know gas prices is between $5 and $6 a gallon, and I'm sure insurance costs are commensurate as well. Maybe I'll just walk. I need the exercise anyway, and shoes are much less expensive.

Sha Tau Kok, China

ShaTauKok_China, originally uploaded by tgolamb.

One of the tours into the New Territories took as near to China as we could get. The view across an inlet of Dapeng Bay gave us a look at Sha Tau Kok, China. The border between Chins and Hong Kong is tightly controlled, primarily to keep people in China from sneaking across to Hong Kong. Apparently they have the same problems the border states in the USA has with Mexico... a chance for a better life. We were told that even residents in Hong Kong with passports issued in Hong Kong must obtain visas to cross the border.

National Day and our Lei Yue Mun seafood dinner

Lobster, originally uploaded by tgolamb.

October 1st was the birth of the New China, in which the National Flag was raised over Tian'anmen Square on October 1, 1949. Since Hong Kong is now part of China, this celebration is also a part of the new Hong Kong. There was a huge fireworks display in the harbor, which we watched from a boat parked in just the right spot in the middle to see it all. It was very impressive.

But before we did that, we had a great dinner at the Lei Yue Mun Restaurant. To get there we had to walk back past dozens of small restaurants and fish markets. In the tanks displayed along the walkway was some the most interesting fish and sea creatures I'd ever seen. Some of the fish were big enough to feed ten to fifteen people. These lobsters were huge, with bodies easily as large as my upper arm.

CuttleFish, originally uploaded by tgolamb.

I wonder if these cuttle fish know they are on tonight's menu for someone? I've had dried cuttle fish long ago, but seeing them in the tank looking back at me gave me a curious feeling. Watched too many programs on the Discovery Channel I guess.

The Victoria Peak Cable Car

VictoriaCableCar, originally uploaded by tgolamb.

Riding the cable car up Victoria Peak is one of the must do's while in Hong Kong. This attraction has been in operation since 1888 and is still one of the most popular ways to get up the mountain. The original cars were coal-fired steam engines, but they switched to electric in 1926. It takes you up the 368 meters in altitude in about five minutes. The view from the top is the best in Hong Kong.

Sea horses anyone?

SeaHorseSoup, originally uploaded by tgolamb.

As we were walking around in the Hong Kong airport, to return to Korea, we happened upon this restaurant. Everyone thought I was odd taking a picture of the menu in the display case, but I couldn't resist. They had a dozen different selections to choose from displayed in the case, but the one that caught my eye, was this sea horse, green turtle, abalone soup. Kind of a Chinese seafood minestrone I guess. The locals may like it, but I think I'll stick with chicken noodle.

Shark fin soup... Yum!

SharkFinSoup, originally uploaded by tgolamb.

One of the last purchases we made before we left Hong Kong was this boil-in-a-bag shark fin soup. Sue has always been wanting to try some, and although this isn't like the kind you'll find in a restaurant, it's not bad. Very rich. Not all that cheap either.

Sky Captain in Hong Kong

SkyCaptain, originally uploaded by tgolamb.

While we were in Hong Kong we had an opportunity to see Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.

If you like comic books and the old black and white serials, this movie might be for you. It was an interesting look back at the way films were made, but I think they were trying to do too much.

I really enjoyed parts of it. Some of the aspects of the film were well done, especially the way they attempted to use old technology of the time to do clever things. However, they introduced some things into the film that just popped in and out without any explanation, and really didn't add to the overall story.
Because of the washed out color nature of the film and the fuzziness of the scenes, it was hard to tell where CGI came into play, but I'm sure there was plenty.

I walked away from the film not able to decide whether I liked it or not. I'll probably watch it again sometime on DVD to take a closer look.