It hasn't been an easy couple of days. It would appear that the chemo is having some sort of toll on me after all. Not that I'm on the verge of death mind you, but I could certainly do without this irritating cough. Most of my time has been spent couch-bound, some of it sleeping, and some of it catching up on TV that I've missed. I tell you one thing, I sure do miss having Jade wondering our lounge looking for buttons to press and nobs to turn. With my sister's return to England on Friday, this chapter is fast coming to a close. Well, we couldn't let it all finish off without that head shave I've been promising. Thanks to the chemo, my hair was starting to coat more of the floor than my head so we decided to take it all off. Not a pretty sight!

Thought we'd get a nice present from the Tax Man this year considering how things turned out at the end of 2004. Well Holy S#@$, I couldn't be more wrong! For some good reason, disability pay fails to deduct federal and state taxes from their paychecks (or more probably, I failed to complete some important forms during the initiation of the process). So now we have a lovey gift wrapped package for Mr. Tax Man instead :(

On a more positive note, we started the last cycle of chemotherapy today. Spent most of the session counting Z's as usual (got to love the Benadryl). One more session next week and then it should all be over (well, not counting the recovery and then the whole set of tests that will follow in good time). I was recently informed of a cancer patient who took January off from treatment to spend it in Sunny Florida. Seemed like such a brilliant idea that we decided to follow suit. So to finish off our treatment, we thought we'd spend a week on a sandy white beach in Cancun (doctor's orders :).

Bugger! Something I thought I might have gotten away with is slowly catching up with me. Me noggin is losing its hair! I don't think I have what it takes to pull off Kojak, but we'll do our best.

I know this should not be a big deal, but somehow for me it is. With Inna and Tania away to the stores this morning, I was left to babysit my little neice of 18 months. The big deal is that I completed my first nappy/diaper change ... ever! Still a little green I know, but this time next year, I expect to be pro.

At the same time, it's snowing a storm outside. Half a foot maybe so far and with the storm tapering off, I don't expect there will be much more. Nevertheless, my sister, just like brother Mac and my mom before her, is quite delighted with this turn of events.

Hit the first real snag in my treatment yesterday (considering that everything up until now has run very smoothly). My white blood cell count went below some critical level that now has me at an "extreme risk of infection." They've put me on Neupogen to stimulate my body into generating more white blood cells and with any luck, my blood test tomorrow will have me back up to acceptable levels and my chemotherapy treatment next week can continue on schedule. The unfortunately side-effect of this is that I'm suffering some serious bone pain. Hoorah for Tylenol which seems to be saving the day for now.

Wooohoooo! Congratulations to Owen & Tamlyn and a very big welcome Baby Ethan David Berry.

Arrived back to this good news from our night away to The Lazy Cloud in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. A HUGE "Thank You" to you-know-who for this incredible gift and wonderful experience! You don't know how much this has meant to us!

We know Owen and Tamlyn should be proud and happy parents by now, but we continue to wait patiently for their big announcement.

A great Dilbert from yesterday.

The latest Chemo installment has me feeling a little under the weather. Nothing too serious except the aches and pains seem a little more bothersome while the groggy feeling just won't let me go.

Today we say goodbye to my mom who has been with us these last two weeks. The puzzle she brought with her remains incomplete and awaits my sister, Tania, who will be joining us in just 10 days time. Talk about an onslaught of family :) I'm grateful that while she was here, she got to see a decent snowfall, although her highheels were hardly the footware needed to go out and appreciate it. The next time we see Moeder, we'll probably be a mom and dad ourselves!

Happy New Year everybody! Saw the new year in on a fairly quiet note, although there was enough champagne and cheer as the clock rolled over. We certainly hope 2005 will be better than its predecessor.

Is there a bug with mktime or strftime in php, or should I read the manual?