It's Scan Week

"When Home Won't Let You Stay"
ICA, Boston

It's that time again. Friday I go in for scans, results on Monday.

Today at work I was talking with our admin - talking about how hard it is to keep the weight off when you are 50+. He told me I look great and I said, "and you know I have cancer, right?". He knew. He's worked with our group for many years now. But it was a weird thing to hear myself say. Because I honestly don't think about it very much and don't think of my self as having cancer. It actually kind of startled me. Shit, I do?! If I heard someone else say they had cancer, I'd react... but somehow I have mostly blocked it out all these years. It will be 12 years in August.

When I was first diagnosed, I remember asking The Vixen if she had patients with same diagnosis/prognosis, and how long they lived. At the time, the longest living person was 12 years.

As Glenn sometimes says, it's a mind f___.

In the meantime... I'm enjoying my life more than I ever did as a young woman.

I joined a gallery - Galatea Fine Art - in the SOWA district of Boston. My 2 year membership started last month. And I have a show in March! So I'm painting A LOT. And parallel to that deadline is another project for New England Wax which is also due March 1. It's called The Memory Project and I agreed to make 28 pieces, each 8"x8". So far I've made 24 so that's in really good shape.

And am very engaged in playing bluegrass. My teacher/mentor/neighbor/friend Judy and I co-organized a monthly jam at the local VFW and we've met 5 times. It's great fun. Yesterday was our jam and for the first time I played a few breaks, i.e. a little solo that follows the chorus. I play every day now. And recently found an amazing guitar at a little obscure music shop in Bethel, CT. We had some time before meeting family for dinner, so I went in and checked out the guitars. I walked out with what turns out to be a very valuable instrument! More on that another time. But it's a Levin LS-18 that I bought for $200. One of those stories that everyone hopes to experience.

In the meantime POTUS has assassinated Major General Qassim Suleimani.
So writing about cancer... or guitars... or art... seems ridiculous.
Then he tweets (WTF) about targeting 52 Iranian cultural treasures in response to kidnapping 52 Americans 40+ years ago.
WTF?