Chuckay Day

Chuckay Day

The Counter Burger

Doug and I went to the Counter Burger for lunch today. The Counter seemed on the empty side today; Doug though it was because of Taco Tuesday. Maybe he was right.

I had the Red Eye Burger and I really enjoyed it. The Red Eye is made with a bison patty, tomatos, lettuce, cheddar cheese, bacon, and a fried eye served on the toasted English muffin. I opted to not have the spicy sauce. I think that was a very wise move on my part.

Doug had a veggie burger.

I exercised some restrain when it came to my dessert. I had a large scoop of vanilla iced cream. It looked small because the only bowls or plates that were good for iced cream were large salad or pasta plates.

Phone Calls

The Princess called me to wish me a Happy Birthday. I think she was in Atlanta because she was being interrupted by her dogs Zoe and Lucy. I guess they wanted to play or have another meal.

My brother also called me. It was good to talk to him. We hadn’t spoken in some time.

Teaching

I went to teach my Project Quality Management course after lunch. It was a fairly good class. it was my annual faculty classroom observation day. I earned the best evaluation from my department chair ever.

My chair has a philosophy of ‘you can always improve’ so his usual maximum grades are 2s on a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 being highest. This time, I got three 1.5, a 1.8. and 2.0. The 2 was because my class attendance could have been better. 27 out of 32 students were in class.

Cinema

I saw Ironman III yesterday.

I really like the film in general. I sort of felt that Ironman II was a better film. It was a generalized feeling more than anything else. Having said that I liked Ironman II better, I will go see Ironman IV, assuming for the moment the film is made.

Plan Changes

It looks like we’ll have to delay the traditional Chuckay Dinner at Morton’s because of schedule conflicts with Doug and me. Right now, it looks like the middle of June will work nicely for both of us.

I haven’t made it to Coldstone Creamery yet. I still have plenty of time and this Friday looks like an excellent day to visit the Creamery.

Be well and stay happy.

It's Chuckay!

It’s Chuckay!

Yes, it is time once more to celebrate Chuckay, a month long festival of all thing Chuck

The celebration began early this year.

In April, the blog crossed the 70,000 viewer mark. I find it amazing that the blog is still pulling in viewers with no new content and no new Women of the Moment. I have been driving more recently and the MINI passed the 49,000 mile mark during April.

Radiation and Chemotherapy

I had a growth or tumor detected last July during a routine follow scan. It was small and it was originally thought to be scar tissue since it was found where I had two prior operations.

I had another scan in February and the growth or tumor had changed its size by one millimeter. That was not much growth to me. But, it was significant to my doctor, a liver specialist.

Next, I had a series of consultations with a colorectal surgeon, a radiation oncologist, and medical oncologist. After reviewing the scans and other information, the City of Hope Medical Center’s Tumor Board decided to take radiation and chemotherapy as the preferred approach. Doug and I would have liked to go ahead with surgery. There was a problem with surgery. The growth or tumor was not located in an ideal situation for surgery; it was too close to my aorta.

My treatment consisted of twenty five days of radiation, five days a week, and three thousand milligram of Xeloda each treatment day.  My last session was the 30^th.  I didn’t lose any hair. I didn’t get nauseous. I did lose some weight in spite of the nutritionist’s best efforts to have me a full meal at every meal and to increase my protein intake as well.   

I am going back in June for another scan to determine how effective the treatment was. I have a follow up meeting with the surgeon at the end of June to learn what happens next.

Molly the Stylist and Me

I went to see Molly the Stylist today. It had been two months since my last haircut or styling as she likes to say.

“Oh my god Charles, your hair is so long and shaggy. You are way overdue for a styling.” Molly was surprised at how long my hair had gotten.

I have become of longer hair now. She left me with much longer hair than what she usually does. Molly did agree that I looked good with the longer hair.

Upcoming Chuckay Events

I plan to visit Coldstone Creamery for some homemade ice cream on Friday.

Doug will join me for lunch on next Tuesday at the Counter Grill for some customer built burgers. I am leaning towards a bison burger right now.
We plan to go to Morton’s for the traditional Chuckay Dinner. I think the 18^th would be perfect. Doug and I are undecided for a firm date.

Be well and stay happy.