Glancing down at my iPhone told me what day it was. September 11 is like a bookmark that reminds you of every detail of that day with stunning clarity. Waking up to an NPR reporter yelling: "Explosions heard inside the Pentagon." Watching footage of a plane hitting and falling backwards realizing it was a passenger …
Crossing the first day finish line
September is intense. Steven went to his first day of middle school; Liv, first day as a fourth grader. I burned through so much energy being annoyingly happy at drop off, I'm beat now. I'll bet thousands of parents go to bed with visions of their children's homework dancing through their heads.THREE POSITIVES:1- Nothing says …
Hi, Honey, I’m home!
The kids went to camp; we went on vacation. We needed a reset and hours of uninterrupted conversation. We took the dog with us. For the first two nights, it was like having a two-year-old jumped up on espresso...in a cage. She calmed down when we let her sleep with us. Very romantic. When we …
Scenes from Oregon camping
Ahhh, summer camping. Deer grazing with no apparent fear of humans. A tiny lizard stretched out on cool concrete. And a post-radiation mom with Maxi-Pads strapped across her chest. Nothing says sexy summer camping like that. There's no romantic escape from cancer treatment. My chest looks like parchment paper continents in an angry red sea. …
Done! Done! Done!
About 20 minutes after my last radiation, I went to pick up my kids at my bud Julie's house. They had cider and champagne waiting - so nice! Steven was super emotional and made a toast saying: "Thanks for being so strong for us." Livvie cuddled up next to me. I told them it's okay …
The nicest thing
My friend Kelly Wilson is one of the funniest people I know. Who else writes a book titled Don't Punch People in the Junk? She's walking the Portland-to-Coast Relay in my honor, which is so incredibly nice. Thanks, Kelly! Here are the details:Kelly's Awesome WalkTHREE POSITIVES:1- No one can tellWe went to the wedding of …
The countdown begins
Just FOUR more sessions of radiation. I was cruising along thinking I could beat the radiation system and escape with just burns. After five weeks, my skin broke down all at once. Nothing prepared me for what that would feel and look like (an audition for Walking Dead). The nurses at Good Sam have tried …
Back awaay from the keyboard
And the oven. And the car. Five weeks of radiation has finally taken its toll. Yesterday, I sent out an email to everyone I know, including the entire elementary school list, vowing to: "increase the changes that another family will get breast cancer." Nice. While I was at it, I spelled my own Race for …
It’s PMS983
There's a new color where I've been getting radiated on one side of my chest and under my arm. It's like busted-up plum/got fried in a microwave. The worst part is it itches like crazy. But if you succumb to going all Wolverine and scratching it, the entire thing erupts in burning. I put the …
Talk squawky to me
I love a bitch fest as much as the next guy. So why am I not feeling the phone vibrating my ear drums as I hear about another less-than-cranial move by a husband? Where's all the talk about parenting angst and general unhappiness? And what about the searing deception when movie boyfriends suddenly get married? …
jacki kane 