It’s Official

I have four things that I can make official now:

1. I still have my hair. This is both a good thing and a bad thing. The good news is that I still look like myself. I do not have to worry too much about having to protect my head from the sun (although there is so little there from before that there is not much natural protection) but at least the sides are covered. This is important as my car has a huge sun roof (almost the full length of the roof) which is great to see up at the sky but does little to protect me if I leave the shade open. Don’t laugh, I have had some minor sunburns from driving too long with the shade open. The bad news though is that my hair is getting too long and I may need to get it cut soon. I am on the verge of looking like Einstein but without the smarts and a Nobel prize. I do not want to waste money on a hair cut if it is going to fall out shortly and I need to shave the rest of it. From what I am hearing from other people’s experience, it will probably fall out after the next round of chemo. This means that in about two weeks it could happen. My typical haircut cycle is about 5-6 weeks and I am at week 4+ since the last cut  so this is a big deal for me. I can’t cut my hair at home (and still have it look good) but I can shave it. Hard to believe that with a cancer diagnosis, this is my biggest dilemma to deal with at the moment! First world problems. I should talk to my cousin Brian (Cantin) to see if he still has his wigs handy since he is no longer using them.
2. I can’t eat wings anymore, at least not after hockey. I am sad to confirm that my theory is proving to be valid as I had no belly pains this week. I skipped my beloved treat this week and, low and behold, no pain. Again, good news/bad news. To ensure that my theory holds (and I am a sucker for pain), I will test it later this week. This coming Friday is our winter hockey banquet where we we’ll consume up our bar tab from the past season. There will be a lot of beer (which I sadly will not be drinking) and lots of food, including my beloved wings. I will be having some anyway so that I can confirm my theory and know, with certainty, that I will need to avoid them in the future.
3. I still have enough energy to play hockey. I was able to play twice last week. I was surprised by how well I played in both games and how I felt during and after the games.
4. Winter is over, in case you had any doubts. I can say this with confidence not because: the gazebo is setup; the tires are changed on the vehicles; the trampoline is put up for the kids; and, it is going to be 21C today, but because I have taken down all the Christmas decorations. It cannot snow after the decorations are down, it’s the law!

Last week was a very busy week for me with not just appts. for both MA and I but with a lot of driving around for all the kids’ activities. I am surprised by how each day goes by so quickly. I had thought I would have all this free time to do all these things I had been putting off but no luck so far. It is not all bad as I have had the chance to spend some time with people I have not seen in a little while like my friend, Cathie. She is a long time friend and former work colleague. We had lunch on Friday that lasted 3h. I had not seen her in a long time so it was great to catch up with her.

This week is starting off slower than last week but I doubt it will last. MA will be seeing her surgeon early in the week. We are crossing our fingers so that he says she can drive again. This news would be very much welcomed and would help me offload the taxi duties so that I can get a bit more rest. I will be seeing my Besty before he goes on holidays. He is going to review my progress so far and see how my body is reacting to the first round of chemo (by checking my blood counts). I expect that may alter the chemistry of my next dose of chemo that is scheduled to happen the following week.

Gen will be gone to Montreal later this week for two different activities. Firstly, she has a robotics competition on Thursday with the school. It is a one day event so she will drive there and back in the same day. Then, on Friday, she leaves for a fencing competition with MA, assuming she can drive by then. Gen’s foil competitions are both Friday and Saturday so they will be staying the night.

That was just a short list of the things outside of the norm for this week. This does not include the typical 4 practices of soccer/week, 1 soccer game/week, 3 fencing practices/week, 1-2 hockey games/week and 1 trampoline/week plus the numerous extra-curricular activities at school that prevent the kids from taking the bus home. Now you can see why having a second driver in the house is going to come in handy very soon.

Finally, I am going to need to spend some time on an investigation. As you remember, I have had some issues with the delivery of my paper in recent weeks. Apart from the delayed delivery on Monday, all went smoothly for the rest of the week. Ironically though, I have an issue today. The weird part is that the paper does not come on Sunday. I woke up this morning to see this at the end of my driveway:

Not sure what happened but I will need to check the security cameras from last night! I also found my first clue: tire tracks.

I am going to need to enlist the help of my friend, James Rodgers. He is an actor and recently played the role of lead detective in a TV show called “See No Evil”. He was quite successful in solving that crime so maybe he can help me with mine.