Run For Research

Each year good-hearted athletes run the Boston Marathon as part of the American Liver Foundation's Run For Research. Run For Research team members raise critical funds in the fight against liver disease. Since 1987 the Run For Research has raised over $8 million to fight against liver disease. I have been fortunate to be involved with this event by participating in the Patient Match Program. This year I have been matched with two awesome runners named Terri Faucher and Kerri Pozzi. Both Kerri and Terri have such great enthusiasm for the work of the American Liver Foundation and their sport. Run For Research team members are required to raise at least $2500 to run with the team. Please go to the sponsor a member page and click on both Kerri and Terri's names to donate. I encourage you to support this cause. I know first hand how important liver research is. Love you Liver!

Changing Face of Davis Square

I was recently disappointed to see that Pluto in Davis Square had closed. I was unhappy about this because it was a great place to buy last minute gifts...funky holiday cards...and unique household items. I wondered what had happened. Were they not getting enough business? Had the building owner raised the rent? Were they making a gazillion dollars at their Jamaica Plain location and decide to put all their eggs in one basket?

Well I think I found out what happened to Pluto while I was at the gym (surprise...surprise...I do go to the gym once in a while) last night. My gym buddy told me that she had tried to go to Picante Mexican Grill in Davis Square over the weekend. She was equally as upset to find out that Picante had also closed. She spoke to a friend who told her that the owner of the building had increased the rent...which forced Picante to close their restaurant. My friend from the gym said that she will miss Picante's spinach quesadillas. I will miss having them so close by as well. I loved their burritos...and chips.

My guess is that Pluto suffered the same consequence as Picante. The fact that they were located exactly next to each other in Davis Square is a significant clue.

Fortunately folks living in the Boston area don't have to live their lives truly void of these very cool local establishments. Both Pluto and Picante have locations elsewhere. Feel free to visit them here:

Picante Mexican Grill
735 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge

Pluto
603 Centre Street
Jamaica Plain

Results Are In

I got the results back from my liver tests and they look good. Here is the breakdown:

ALT: 16
AST: 26
IgG: 1050

So what does this mean? Things are great. All my tests came back within normal limits. My nurse practitioner called and said I should remain on 100 mg of azathioprine and have bloodwork in a few months. I am scheduled to see my hepatologist in July.

Big Apple

We had a nice time this weekend. We took the Fung Wah bus from Boston to New York on Friday evening. We stayed with our friends in Brooklyn.

We went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Saturday . We spent most of our time at the Fra Angelico and Egyptian exhibits. The Fra Angelico exhibit is about to leave the museum. Check it out while you can. That night we had dinner at Ivo and Lulu's. This is a great place. The food is tasty.....the price is unbeatable. My potato gratin and salad was perfect. The baked pear with blue cheese and honey was wonderful. They don't have a beer and wine license, but they encourage people to bring their own.

Sunday we hung out at the Strand Bookstore and then had lunch at Otto. This was totally amazing. Mario Batalli has done it yet again. I had the yummy pizza special which consisted of marinated onions and goat cheese. B got the linguine con rapini pesto which was damn good too. We also ordered brussels sprouts and vin cotto as a side vegetable. For dessert we had the olive oil coppetta. This olive oil gelato, with tangerine sorbet, fruit, drizzled olver oil and sea salt was very unique and scrumptious. I would totally order it again. We spent the rest of Sunday running around getting things we cannot get in Boston like chocolate corn flakes from Chocolate Haven and coffee from Porto Rico Importing Co. We also stayed up and watched the L Word.

Monday we hung out with our friend Paul and had lunch at the ChipShop. I had the chicken in the basket with chips. I would recommend it. For dessert we split a fried snickers bar.

We took the bus back to Boston on Monday afternoon. The ride was pretty awful. It took five hours....the temperature in the bus was up and down....the bus driver kept pumping the brakes. I was happy to get out of that bus and finally arrive in our warm apartment.

Overall it was a fun weekend. The weather was awful....freezing rain...and cold. However we got to spend some good time with our friends....and take advantage of some things only New York has to offer.

Six Month Check-Up

I am going to see my hepatologist this afternoon. I will most likely have bloodwork done too. I am currently seeing my hepatologist every six months and having blood tests taken every three months. Lets hope things will continue to go smoothly. I am hopeful.

I got my Run For Research match the other day. I was matched with two runners this year....an aunt and niece team. I am looking forward to getting to know them.

Potty Thoughts

On January 4th I posted that I was reading the book Why Do Men Have Nipples by Mark Leyner, and Billy Goldberg. I finished the book and loved every word of it. I was thinking last night that it would be great if they did a sequel to this book that included questions that didn't make it into the first book. I have some questions I would like to see answered. Here they are: Where does poop from a fetus go when it is in the womb? Is it true you will die if you burp and fart at the same time? Just some thoughts.....

Ah Ha Moment

On January 5th I posted something about how I was getting bored waiting for Ariel Schrag to come out with the next issue of Likewise. The first line of my post read "whatever happened to Ariel Schrag?" Well I think I found out the answer to my question.

Last night I sat down with my partner to watch the third season premier of the L Word. This was a much anticipated event in our house. The season finale of season II had been so awful that we were hoping that season III would redeem the show. Fortunately the premier managed to pull this off. I am not 100% happy with the direction they are taking some of the story lines, but they did do a few things right. They brought back Lauren Lee Smith....she is so cute. They finally added what seems to be a real butch character (Moira). Jenny seems to be less annoying. Bette and Tina are back together. Watching Alice is like observing a train wreck, but it is keeping my attention. Beautiful Helena is back and certainly more likeable than last season. Kit appears to be having a better relationship with her son. I'm glad to see that Shane finally learned to trust another woman (Carmen). AND Dana....well I'm not loving her choice in a partner right now.....but time will tell.

That all being said...back to Ariel Schrag. When the L Word credits rolled I noticed that Ariel Schrag was listed as a staff writer. My guess is that this is the same Ariel Schrag of Awkward, Definition, Potential, and Likewise fame. So...thats why issue four of Likewise hasn't come out yet. She appears to be busy doing something else. Now it all makes sense.

Welcome Parker

Mary and Jen had their sweet little baby boy Parker at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston on January 5th. We went to the hospital to meet this cutie patootie on Saturday. Congratulations to Mary and Jen.

how do you solve a problem like Maria

My friend Joanie has an article on Maria von Trapp in Prologue magazine. Check it out. It looks like Maria von Trapp and Julie Andrews didn't has as much in common as we had all thought.

speaking of comics....

whatever happened to Ariel Schrag? Sighclub introduced me to her work a few years back. I love her autobiographical comics that chronicle her four years of high school. Awkward, Definition, and Potential were all amazing. Likewise was pretty good too, but nothing has come out since issue three...and that was a long time ago. I really want to know how the rest of her senior year of high school turns out. I hope issue 4 comes out soon. I am losing interest with all this waiting around. You can learn more about Ariel Schrag's books at Slave Labor Graphics.

Strangers In Paradise Lost

I was disappointed to see that Terry Moore has said that the last issue of Strangers in Paradise is set for May 2007. I beg you Terry Moore....please don't stop writing Strangers in Paradise. I love Katchoo...and Francine...and David.

I'm Back......

I stayed home from work yesterday. I was feeling tired......nauseous and a little headachey.

I spent the day doing laundry....relaxing.....and trying to make myself feel better. I watched the Buena Vista Social Club. I had not seen this film before. I would encourage you to see this film if you have not. The film gives an interesting insight into life in Cuba and its wonderful musical tradition. I also got caught up on some reading yesterday. My step-father gave me a fun book for Christmas this year. It is called Why Do Men Have Nipples. This book gives quirky answers to questions you would love to ask your doctor, but are too embarrassed to ask.

I'm feeling a bit better today. I am less tired...nauseous...and headachey.

Happy New Year

I stumbled across this cool 11 minute movie about the National Archives and Records Administration called Democracy Starts Here. The movie was created by NARA and the Discovery Channel. Check it out!

Have a Wonderful New Year!

Seasons Greetings

Happy Holidays to everyone. I hope folks are enjoying themselves this holiday season.

I was taken aback when I went to my blog today and realized that I had not posted since November 3rd. My life sort of took off in a tornado of activity at around that time. I should update you.

First off........my friend Elke's birthday was on November 4th....the day after my last post. Happy Belated Birthday Elke.

We went to my friend Mary's baby shower on November 5th. She and her partner Jen are expecting a baby boy at the end of January. I cannot wait. Unfortunately Mary has recently been put on bed-rest until she delivers. She is at home reading books and watching tv.

I went to the Christmas Craft Festival with my mother on November 5th. We had a nice time. The festival usually marks the beginning of the shopping season for my mother and I. I bought some nice things.

We went to a time-share sales pitch at Inn Season Resorts in New Hampshire on November 11th. We didn't buy the time-share, but we got some gifts for sitting through their presentation. We ended up making a weekend of it. We stayed at a little place right next to Franconia Notch. Looked at what was once Old Man of the Mountain, went out to dinner, went for a swim etc.

I had Thanksgiving with my parents in Belmont. I met some friends for our Thanksgiving morning breakfast tradition. I worked the day after Thanksgiving and got more work done than I could have if everyone else was in work on that day.

I found out around Thanksgiving that Cyn and Mike are pregnant. Yee haw! They are due in May.

I went to the Gilbane conference on November 30th. I went to the keynote on blogs, wikis, and rss and its usefulness across the enterprise. It was very interesting. I have been doing a lot of collaboration stuff at work lately....and am totally excited about blogs and wikis as collaboration tools.

We went dancing at Toast on December 2nd. We were celebrating Ronda and Trish's birthdays. We also met up with our friend Kim who we haven't seen in an age. She moved to New York and then Colorado a few years ago.

We went to Edaville Railroad on December 3rd. We had a lot of fun. I hadn't been there in 25 years or so. It was a little smaller than I had remembered. We also went to the new Ikea in Stoughton that night. We were only able to stay for 15 minutes. They were closing. We still need to take another trip there.

I went to a party at my cousin's on December 10th.

I made Christmas cookies with my mother on December 15th.

On December 16th we went to see the Christmas Revels at Harvard. This was my first time. I would definately go again.

I went to my friend Joanie's holiday open house on December 17th.

We had some friends over to watch the Godfather on December 18th.

We left for Frenchville, ME on December 22nd. We visited with family......and braved the cold weather. We left on Christmas morning to come back to Boston. We had dinner with more family.

I came back to work on December 28th.

That pretty much brings you up to date on my life. My mother is enjoying her job more now than before. She saw her doctor recently who said she looks free of cancer. My liver is pretty much status quo. I'm still on the same meds. I'm assuming my bloodwork will be normal when I go in January. I am hoping to be involved with next year's Football Walk in Boston. I just submitted a patient match form to the Run For Research folks. I'm waiting to hear if they still need patients to match with runners. I'm looking forward to the New Year. The new season of the L Word is starting on January 8th. I cannot wait. My step-brother is in town this week. We had dinner the other night. It was good to see him...it had been a while. Elke is coming for a visit next week. I am looking forward to seeing her. I need to run......

Happy New Year!

Some people like the toilet paper roll to go over....others like it under. I myself like it over. It doesn't come rolling off as easy.....and there is no chance of it running away from you. I am so adamant that the toilet people be over that I have been known to switch it in the homes of dear friends who happen to have a difference of opinion on the matter. My latest trip to the ladies room at work has confirmed my suspicion that the new maintenance guy likes his toilet paper under. I started noticing the toilet paper under thing on Tuesday....here it is Thursday...and the paper is still under. He seems nice enough...and I'm sure he will do a great job. I just wish we agreed on the toilet paper issue. I did an informal survey and it appears that most folks like it over.

I'm in College Park, MD this week. I just went for a swim in the heavily clorinated pool. I had a lovely day at work. I sat in on a class....met with a colleague. I went to IKEA for the first time in my life tonight. I had some super yummy swedish meatballs for dinner. I did some shopping. It was pretty swanky. I got in at around 6:00 p.m. last night. I managed to get to DC for a bit and hang out in Dupont Circle. I went to eat at Wrap Works...I love their tropical chicken salad. I also bought a tasty espresso chew at Firehook and grabbed a flavorful chai at Teaism. I have had a nice trip, but I am ready to go home. I'm looking forward to being back in my own apartment tomorrow night. I'm off to take a shower. I need to get this clorine off me before my hair turns green.

Not much to report on. Life has been busy. We are going to the Common Ground Fair this weekend in Maine. Going to see Dar Williams tomorrow night at Sanders Theatre. I got her new album My Better Self last week. I really like it so far. I am enjoying it a lot more than her last two albums. My favorite songs are Teen For God, Echoes, and Close To My Heart. My liver is doing ok. I am due for an ultrasound and bloodwork on October 3rd. Speaking of October. I am really looking forward to fall this year. We are going to the fair this weekend. We already have plans to go apple picking and to attend a fall party. I'm loving the fall vegetables at our farm. I cannot wait for caramel apples, foliage, and cool days.

What is on Yoyogirl's mind!

The Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance has a list of Hurricane Katrina Relief Organizations.

The Football Walk for Liver Wellness is coming up. This 5 mile walk to raise money for the American Liver Foundation will take place on Sunday, October 9th at Artesani Park in Brighton. Check it out.

Sandy Berger was sentenced to pay $50,000 and do 100 hours of community service from stealing documents from NARA. Serves him right for stealing. Read more about it at CNN.

NARA has released that Lockheed Martin will design the Electronic Records Archives. read more about it at NARA.

There is a lot going on in and around Boston this weekend. The Habitat for Humanity group at Harvard is having their Stuff Sale starting on Saturday. The JP World's Fair is coming up on Sunday. The Boston Arts Festival is this weekend too.

Have a great weekend!

I just got back from a week in Provincetown. We had a lot of fun. We went on a Whale Watch. We went to see Suzanne Westenhoefer. Went to the beach...stayed out of the rain. Rode our bikes. Went to the pool. One day we went to see Me And You And Everyone We Know. This movie is great. Go see it if you can.

I saw Jai Rodriguez walking down Commercial street at some point. A couple of days later John Waters rode by me on his bicycle. Cool huh? It isn't very often that you see two famous gay people walking down the street in one week.

So lets talk about food for a bit. We ate dinner at Cafe Edwige one night. I had the most amazing T-Bone steak. We ate at Chester on another night. Chester was good, but not as good as Edwige. We also had dinner at Fanizzi's. I really like Fanizzi's because the food is consistently good. We had brunch at the Martin House on Saturday. They just started serving brunch and more people need to know about it. My cranberry and blueberry waffle was pretty tasty. Of course we consumed a bunch of espresso shakes at Spiritus. Spiritus has the best espresso shake in the world. It costs $6.00, but it is totally worth it. I had lunch at Clem and Ursies one day. I really like Clem and Ursies, but it is totally overpriced. My overall impression of the culinary situation in Provincetown is that you need to pay a lot to get good food. That being said you could probably pay less in Boston and get better quality food. I have only had two meals in Provincetown that I feel were flawless. My meal at Edwige was incredible. The other amazing meal was at Gallerani's. Unfortunately Gallerani's closed about a year and a half ago. The gallerani's chicken was my favorite dish in provincetown for a while. They also had the most amazing lobster corn chowder. It is too bad that Gallerani's closed. Enough about food in Provincetown....

I'm off to see my hepatologist tomorrow. I will most likely have bloodwork done. We'll see what the results say.

I'm going to Lenox for one night at the end of the week. I will be stuck in the office for both days. I hope to get out and enjoy the Berkshires during the late afternoon and evening.

I'm staying in Lenox tonight at the Cranwell. It is pretty nice so far. I'm bummed I won't be able to take advantage of the spa while I am here. I drove out this morning and am leaving tomorrow afternoon. I was at work all day today and will be in the office tomorrow too. I did have a nice dinner with two colleagues at this restaruant called Zinc Bistro. It was yummy. I might stop off at the outlet mall on my way home tomorrow.

I had a wonderful time at Boston Pride this weekend. We went to the Dyke March....had breakfast with friends.....Stood out in the heat to see the parade.......briefly stopped by the festival (it was too hot)........spent a while at the Esme Block Party and checked out the Women's Block party yesterday afternoon. I am exhausted today, but it was totally worth it.

We went to out farm yesterday afternoon. We got there and went right to the potato plants. We smooshed the beatles and their eggs. I was tired...and hot and sweaty. I should prepare myself to do more of this type of work next week when we go. Oh yes and we picked up some tasty vegetables too. Scallions...lettuce.......spinach etc.

I cannot believe they found Michael Jackson not guilty on all charges. What does this say about our justice system?

My mother recently had a scare. She had a mammogram and they found an abnormality. She went for an ultrasound yesterday. They said that they didn't think she had much to worry about. The ultrasound revealed that she had big ducts. Whew! What a relief! This was my mother's first medical issue since her run-in with colon cancer.

I'm a winner! Yes I am! The Curves I belong to recently had a silent auction. Members earned "curves bucks" by answering trivia questions and getting a buck if one exerciesed at least three times a week. In the end I had 34 bucks. Much more than I had expected to have. I used them to bid on two Tupperware bowls and I won. I was pretty psyched. I never win anything.

I had dinner with Kent last night. He is in town for the School for Scanning. We had a nice time. We had yummy burger's at Bartley's Burger Cottage and got coffee at Cafe Algiers. When I first met up with Kent I noticed a big group standing in front of the Harvard Book Store. David Sedaris was reading from his paperback version of Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim . The bookstore had filled up and they decided to put a speaker out front so people could here out there. Kent and I were among the lowly on the street. We only stayed to heard him read one story and then we were off. That being said....what we heard was very funny. It was nice to see Kent. We talked about our jobs, lives, and library school. I had fun catching up.

I should run....I have a lot to do today.

My Memorial Day weekend was eventful. We went to the camp in Maine. This is usally a nice time. We do yard work. Pick up branches. Hang out. It was a nice time this weekend too. However the bugs made it a bit difficult. I got eaten alive by the black flies. And lucky me found a tick embedded in my right ear. I had a hard time getting it out. B managed to get it out of my ear. However it looks like it wasn't actually in my ear. B was able to flick it off with some work. I never drew blood. The tick head doesn't appear to still be in my ear. At first I was strssed out about it being a deer tick....and the whole lyme disease thing. After a closer look we believe it was a wood tick. We also realized that if the tick was hanging there that it couldn't have been for too. long. Certainly less than 12 hours. BUT we did decide to keep the tick and keep a lookout for a rash and/or other lyme disease symptoms.

We watched a bunch of episodes of the Deadliest Catch yesterday. I couldn't stop watching once I turned it on. The Discovery Channel was running a marathon. If you get a chance definately check this show out.

I recently met Sam Seidel and his wife Ann at a birthday party. Sam is running for Cambridge City Council. After speaking with him for a bit and scanning his website I think he is a good candidate. I like his ideas about parking in Cambridge. When I met Sam I informed him that I was not a resident of Cambridge, but would pass the word along. So here you go....vote Sam Seidel for City Council!

I went to see my primary care physician for my yearly physical. She said everything looked good. Having dinner with Cyn and Steph tonight. Getting together with a colleague who is visiting from out of town tomorrow night. My mother is feeling a little overwhelmed in her new job because no one seems to have taken the time to train her. I hate this. My supervisor is out of the office for the next three weeks. She had rotator cuff surgery this week. We might be going to Lewiston, ME for Memorial Day weekend. Too bad it is going to rain. I am sick of the cold and rain. We might stick around Somerville instead. I hated the season finale of the L Word. It was all filler. I am tired of Betty. Stood out in the rain to see the Butchies last weekend. They were playing at Youth Pride. We were probably the oldest people there, but it was fun to see the Butchies. We went to the new Danish Pastry House in Medford last weekend. It is a mighty tasty place. I am definately going back.

Did you know that May is National Hepatitis Awareness Month? Well now you do. This is the month to education people about the liver and the over 100 diseases that affect this football shaped amazingly important organ.

We went to the Living Well With Liver Disease" event at the Sheraton in Newton last weekend. This years event was great. I would encourage anyone with liver disease and/or their family members to attend next year.

Our CSA share is about to get started in a couple of weeks. We cannot wait.

We went to see Saving Face at the 21st Annual Boston Gay and Lesbian Film Festival at the MFA last night. The movie is very funny and totally worth seeing. See it if you can.

Mom started a new job at the hospital recently. I am proud of her. She has been through so much in the past two years. I had my bone density test. They told me I was dense. This is good news. I had my enzymes tests done too. They are looking great. I got a haircut. I am back to getting in done at Great Cuts. I cost a third of the price and it looks exactly the way I want it to. Went to see Amy Ray at the Paradise recently. I do not love her solo stuff. I am loving the L Word. I'm disappointed that the season is nearly done. I love Tina. Dana and Alice are great together. I am liking Bette again. Jenny is just as annoying. Helena is beautiful, but too controlling. Shane has grown on me. I have no thoughts on Carmen. And Kit is just amazing. I am looking forward to the season premier of Queer As Folk.

I tried posting recently, but my computer had a freak out. I hope it doesn't do the same thing today. My life has been busy as usual. We finally got out car back on March 9th. My liver is doing better. I'm off the Prednisone....up on the Imuran. We are going to Provincetown to get away for a few days. I'm off to New York next week.....and DC the week after that. My mother's health is better. She is done with school and looking for a job. I've been getting back into exercise again. I was so bad that the nice staff at Curves called me to say they missed me. Well....I'm back. I am so happy that the spring is coming. I am tired of snow. Of course we are expecting heavy rain and wind this weekend. Thats no good either. Street cleaning starts again in my town today. I should run along........

Looks like it has been a month since I posted last. I need to stay on top of this. Oh well. My life has been insanely busy. Taught a class in Newport, RI two weekends ago. Been teaching a lot at work. Planning a trip to Provincetown. Going to New York and DC for work in April. Had an endoscopy recently. They said everything looked good. There was a little bit of redness in my esophogus, but they didn't seem too worried. Off the presnisone. Up on the imuran. Liver enzymes are down. My sprained ankle is feeling better. We got our car back....FINALLY. Mom is done with school and looking for a job. She spends a lot of her time volunteering at the local hospital and looking for work. Celebrating my Step-Fathers birthday this weekend. Excited about Easter. Done with the snow. Looking forward to spring. Exercising at Curves. Have a bone density test in April. Guess they want to find out if I'm dense or not. Most people would say I am. Ha Ha!

So..my life....lets see.....

My ankle is feeling better. I'm not sure if I still need physical therapy. I went to Curves three times this week and experienced mild discomfort...but thats it. I think I'll be back to normal soon.

My insurance company is still being scummy. They keep blaiming the car dealer saying that it is his fault that they sent me a check for $320 less than they should have. They say he should have notified them if they were going to do extra work.....and if it were going to more expensive. I know for a fact that the dealer had notified them of any changes. The insurance adjuster was at the dealer's last week and said they could only find and extra $118 worth of work. Well.....last night I did my own math and what I found is that.....the insurance company did their math wrong. The numbers they gave me do not add up. Argh! I left them a nasty message last night...and I called the adjuster today. They probably hate me.......but they clearly keep %$^&ing up. We'll see if I hear back.

I heard from my hepatologist that my bloodwork looks good. My enzymes are normal...my IgG is low. So...she is taking me off the Prednisone and increasing my Imuran to 100 mg QD. This is very good news. I'm a little concerned about being on the higher dose of Imuran. Will I have cold sores left and right.....will I get colds more often? Will I have to be more concerned about being around sick people? I'm also a little nervous about not being on the Prednisone. Yeah I complain about the Prednisone all the time...it makes me hungry.....it weakens my bones.......it gives me facial hair.....BUT.......it's also a great anti-inflammatory. It saved my life when my liver was really sick. The small 5 mg dose appeared to take away the inflammation in my left ankle last year after I was recuperating from the broken leg. I currently have a sprained right ankle and am a little nervous that not being on the Prednisone will cause more discomfort in that area. Argh......I can never win.

Hmm...what else is new.....I'm going in for an endoscopy in a couple of weeks. I'm starting pt for my right ankle soon........I'm also having a bone densitometry in a couple of months.

Well...well...whats new with me. We still don't have our Honda back. It is at the dealer still. We are waiting for the check from the insurance company. I sprained my ankle recently. I went a little bit nuts at Curves. I'm icing and elevating it these days. I was in New York for a couple of nights this week. Guess who was behind me on the airplane to New York! Ming Tsai! Cool huh? Had a nice dinner with Christine while I was in New York. It was good to see her. Well I should run along. I have a lot of work to do.

We still don't have our car back. It is at the dealer.......and we are waiting to get the information from the insurance company.

We probably won't have it back until the end of the week.

I'm so angry at the people who took our tires. I'm also annoyed with the police department who have been close to useless.

I'm also sick of hearing people say things like...."yeah.....those criminals really love those Honda Civics"...or "Where do you live? Oh thats why." I know people are trying to be helpful...and they aren't blaming me for the situation, but it is hard to not interpret that as "well if you didn't drive a civic and live in that neighborhood then this wouldn't have happened to you."

On top of all of this I have been having lots of ankle pain recently. I think I overdid it at Curves. I am seeing my doctor this afternoon.

I'm also seeing my hepatologist this afternoon.

I have a fun-filled day of doctors appointments...yee haw!

This week has been pretty bad.

It started to look bad when I came home from work the other night and noticed that someone had hit the driver side mirror on our Saturn. Of course they left no note. I brought it in had had it fixed. I picked it up on Wednesday afternoon.

Bad right? Well the following takes the cake.

I left my apartment yesterday morning at 7:00 a.m. and walked towards our new car to drive it to work. I noticed that the car looked funny from a distance. Then....I noticed that the wheels and tires were missing...the back was jacked up...the front of the car was on the pavement. Yup....stolen. Soo....to the people who stole my four wheels and tires.....you can %$^& OFF!!

I'm waiting to hear back from the dealer about whether there was any other damage or not. I sure hope not.

I hope things start to look better soon.

It s snowing outside....what a surprise. I'm a little sick of the snow at this point. I am tired of being afraid to drive.....or that I'll slip on the snow and break my leg again. I'm tired of fighting for parking and digging out my car. I wish they would send us home early because of the snow. No such luck.

My ALF meeting was cancelled tonight. I met with the local public library Director last night. She was very nice. I'm supposed to be doing an inventory of their public history room. I hope I will have some time to get to that in the next week. I went to Curves last night. It was a lot of fun.

My mother is doing well. She is going to ask her surgeon if he thinks she is ready to start an exercise program. She is enjoying her volunteer work at the hospital and her classes.

Gotta run.......

Nothing much to report on. My mother is feeling well. I have felt like I am on the verge of getting a cold for weeks now. I'm busy as usual. Work is busy. Next week I have a meeting at ALF. I am also meeting with folks at the local public library. I might be volunteering in their public history room. I am preparing for a class I am teaching in March. I have an interview next week to get ready for. I just joined curves this week. I know it was started by a right wing fundamentalist...but aside from that it works for me. They have heavy people in their commercials...most of the people there seem to be regular folks...not gymheads...and it works into my schedule. I don't have time to go to the gym for hours at a time. Curves is just a half hour...a few times a week. I have only gone once this week, but am planning on going after work today. This weekend we are expecting snow. We also have a friend coming into town. I see my new hepatologist next month. My tibial plateau aches sometimes. It was 3 degrees when I left my apartment this morning. I need to get some coffee. I can taste prednisone in the back of my throat from when I took it this morning. It is an awful taste.

So.....I've been in Yardley, PA for the past few nights. I'm looking forward to going back to Boston tomorrow. Nothing against my colleagues.....I like them....this has been a productive meeting........I just miss home. Since I have been here I have only eaten brown foods. This is not good. I need to eat some vegetables or I'm going to get scurvy. Ha...ha. Thats all I need. Since I have been here I have eaten.....pork tenderloin.........an italian sub (aka hoagie in these parts).......a cheese steak.....a patty melt....and a falafel sandwich with fries. See my problem? Ok so.....I had potatoes and green beans with the pork tenderloin....and every morning I have had a bagel and a piece of fruit.....but still.....I can feel my arteries clogging....glug.....glug.

I forgot to mention that I fell on the ice last week...yup....right on the spot where I broke it a year and a half ago. I'm sure its ok......I was more scared than anything else. At first it stung really bad....then it hurt when I touched it. It sort of feels like it did when it was healing. I'm sure its fine....I would know if it were broken right?

I am sad about the tsunami in southern Asia. The devastaion there is beyond my understanding. I'm happy to hear that the world is coming together to help out.

Having dinner with Elke tonight....looking forward to seeing her.

I don't have a lot to report on.

My Christmas was nice. I spent some quiet time at home with my family. I also got to hang out with my aunt, uncle, and younger cousins. On Christmas I opened gifts with my family, watched The Life and Death of Peter Sellers, ate a yummy roast dinner, and got beat by my mother in a few hands of poker. Its not fair....she had never played before. Its ok...really...we weren't playing for money....and we had fun.

The rest of my weekend was spent catching up with friends and avoiding the snow that was accumulating outside my window. Fortunately we had enough snow that I didn't need to go into work on Monday. I love that I get snow days as an adult. Yee haw...and extended holiday.

It was back to work yesterday, but honestly it has been slow. I feel that I cannot get work done even if I want to because everyone else seems to be on vacation. I have tried to contact three colleagues this morning....to get my work done...and they all appear to be out of the office until Monday, January 3rd.

Lets see.....hmmm...what else is new. I went to see
House of Flying Daggers the other night. I liked it and it was beautiful, but....I think I'm getting a little sick of the genre....and it was too melodramatic for me. Went to dinner at a friend's recently. The soup she made was yummy. Also got dinner with another friend last night. Braved the storm on Sunday and had a late lunch with some other folks. Watched the movie Monster on Monday. Although sad...and disturbing.....I did enjoy it. I would recommend this film to anyone.

I should run along. Happy New Year!

We finally bought a new car. We got a 2005 blue Honda Civic EX. We love it so far. Although I already managed to drive into a shopping cart. It shouldn't have been in the road anyway. Good it wasn't a person or another car. I'm still getting used to the visibility. Of course I had a freak out the other day because the cd player was crackling. I think it happened because it was a homemade cd. I tried a store bought cd and it worked fine. There was a lot of squeeking going on in the back seat this morning. I'm wondering if it is the basketball in the trunk. Oh and the window cleaner sprayer doesn't seem to be working on the left side. I'm hoping it is just frozen and not broken. We are currently getting ice...and snow afterall. I guess I just feel that a brand new car should have no quirks. No such luck. I'll try to window cleaner again later.

I haven't written in an age. Sorry. I have been consumed by the process of buying a new vehicle. I think about it all the time. I have been worrying about the fact that other than my friend Joe...all car sales people are creeps. I am always wondering..."what are they trying to pull over on me?"......"do they think I'm stupid because I'm a woman?"...."can I get this cheaper somewhere else?" This is all very stressful for me. We went to test drive cars on Friday. We are going to test drive another one tonight. I went yesterday...and spent another weekend day a few weeks ago doing this. I just want this whole process to be over. Right now it is between the Toyota Corolla....the Honda Civic...and the Ford Focus. Two weeks ago the Focus wasn't even part of the equation. Today I was thinking about a Volkswagen. Argh....we just want an automatic four door vehicle with air conditioning, a cd player, anti-lock brakes, and cruise control...that is reliable, will hold up in a crash, and will last us for a while. What is so difficult about that?

It's 6:30 a.m. on a Saturday morning and I can't sleep. I have been up since 5:15 a.m. I didn't get to bed until almost midnight last night...which is late for me. Hmm.......I'm not sure why this is happening to me.

I finally got my flu shot yesterday. Thanks to Laurie Williams at the BIDMC and the City of Somerville for enabling me to do so. Ahh.....to be in a high risk group. I feel ready to fight any flu that comes my way.

Happy gay marriage anniversary to folks in Massachusetts. Unfortunately the debate isn't over in this country. Our President is determined to allow...even encourage legalized discrimination. Lets keep fighting.

I'm not sure if I already reported on this or not....but my liver enzyme tests are back to normal. They want me to stay on my maintenance dose of Imuran and Prednisone until I see my doctor in February. I have a new Hepatologist. I haven't met her yet, but I hear she is very nice. The last docotr I had moved to Washington.

I was in Hartford, CT recently and went for a tour of the Mark Twain House and Museum. I suggest stopping by if you are ever in the area. The building is quite beautiful.

My mother is doing well. She is in a medical office manager certificate program and seems to be enjoying it. Her health has improved and she appears to be enjoying life.

I went to get on the bus the other day and I had some bad pain in the part of my tibia I broke a year and a half ago. This always scares me. I am going to have to work on exercising that leg more.

Speaking of broken legs. My friend Theresa recently fell 20 feet from a ladder and broke her tibia. They put her back together with one screw and a washer. I know from experience that the next year isn't going to be fun for her or her leg. I wish her the best of luck and a quick recovery. Remember to do your exercises Theresa. That makes three people in my book group who have broken their legs in the past four years. This is not a good statistic.

I went to my poker group recently and won three hands. I started the night with $5.00 and went home with $6.20. I was very proud of my playing. I never win at poker. I'm getting good...my fellow poker players....you better look out....World Series....here I come.

My hepatologists office got some flu shots...and I was on the list, but it appears that some other patients took higher priority over me. I still haven't gotten my shot.

The City of Somerville called to say theyw ere having a flu clinic next week. I cannot make it on that day. I am going to try to make it on the other day of their flu clinic. I need to get a letter from my dictor explaining why I am at "high risk."

I am having one of those days where I am annoyed with the lack of care we get from the medical community. My eye doctor's office said that they did not take my medical insurance card. They say I need to file a claim on my own. I find out I have an eye discount program. My doctors office doesn't believe me....I'm not in their system they say. I call the vision discount program again. They say to call the doctors office again. My health insurance has this "better than nothing" policy with paying dental bills. Maybe my beef is really with the insurance company. I feel that I spend more money for healthcare now than I ever have before.

I am really upset about the recent election. Democrats don't have the House...or the Senate....or the Supreme Court........or the Presidency. 11 States voted against gay marriage. I am convinced that this country is made up of backwards folks who do not understand the concepts of democracy, freedom or acceptance.

Aside from all this craziness I am very happy about the recent World Series win by the Boston Red Sox. Yee haw! Finally. I am planning on heading to Landsdowne Street on Saturday to buy some World Series gear. I hope it's not too busy.

I am having bloodwork tomorrow. I wasn't able to get a flu shot this week. Maybe the next time around. I am currently taking 75 mg of imuran and 5 mg of prednisone.

I have both good and bad news.

My hepatologist's office called today. The hospital will be having a flu clinic. They offered to get me a voucher so I could get a shot. I am supposed to call next week to get the voucher.

They also called to tell me that my enzymes are slightly elevated. Back in August my ALT was 20....and my AST was 34. Now my ALT is 44 and my AST is 54. Keep in mind that 40 is normal for these....and my slight elevation isn't a big deal. Its only a sign that things are sort of going in the wrong direction. So.......here's the deal. I will be taking 5 mg of Prednisone starting tomorrow. I will have blood work in two weeks. Some possible solutions...stay on 50 mg of Imuran and a small dose of Prednisone for a while....OR.......increase my Imuran. We'll see what happens. I shouldn't fret.....it's not lke my enzymes are where they were ten years ago.........in the thousands. What's 14 points anyway? Practically normal! I never professed to be normal.

I have been a busy lady. I performed Mary and Jen's wedding this weekend. It felt cool to be the one marrying them....and to sign the official marriage certificate. I also felt honored to have been asked by them. Congratulations Mary and Jen.

I went to New York for one night this week. Did a ton of work during the day. Had a lovely dinner with Christine.

I have been trying to get a flu shot. It's tough. No one has them. I have called my primary care physician...my hepatologist........and the Somerville Board of health. The Somerville Board of Health said they would put me on their "at risk" list. They plan on calling people when and if they get vaccines. At that point I will need to provide proof of my illness.

I called my doctor's office today and made my case for why I should have bloodwork. I am feeling fine...but I only had it checked once...three weeks after I went off the Prednisone....and not once since then. Better to be safe. They agreed it would be a good idea. They reassured me that I was not being a "crazy" patient.

Support Liver Research

The leaves are changing and the air is getting brisker. Fall is upon us,and so is Moakley's Run for Research. Now in its fourth year, the 5-mile road race will be held on SUNDAY, OCTOBER 24, and we expect to draw 600+ runners, walkers, race walkers and wheelchair entrants. Attendees will enjoy free refreshments, T-shirts, awards, live entertainment and music.

We need volunteers to help with duties such as registration, selling raffle tickets, handing out T-shirts and removing timing chips at the finish line. Most volunteers will be needed from 8:00 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. In return for your help, we can offer you free T-shirts, refreshments and parking, as well as a great feeling of helping out a good cause and a fun and special event.

If interested, please email or call Beth Roche (617.527.5600) at the American Liver Foundation's New England Chapter. Thank you for your time and consideration.

I was listening to my favorite radio station WUMB this morning and I heard a lyric that I found somewhat amusing.

It went something like this: "...he moves his body like a cannonball..."

What does this mean? I don't get it. Why would ones body want to move like a cannonball?

I have been mad.....MAD.....mad busy at work. I am in the middle of coding the web pages for our New York office. This just got handed to me on Friday afternoon. It's due this Friday. Argh!

Outside of work....hmm. Mom is starting a medical office manager program next week. Went kayaking last Saturday. Spent time with my mother on Sunday. Celebrated Stephanie's 33rd birthday last Friday. We went to Finale for dessert and Flash's for drinks. Happy Birthday Stephanie. You are the same age as Jesus.

I'm not sure if I already posted this information....if I already have..I apologize.

My mother was laid off from her job recently. Yup....just two weeks before she was about to go back to work full time. Two weeks before she was about to go back to work full time after struggling with colon cancer and surviving two surgeries.........chemotherapy and radiation.

The most terrible part of all of this is that they base unemployment on a persons income for the year prior. The interesting situation here? Money earned while collecting disability.....DOES NOT COUNT.

So lets talk about kicking someone when they are down. This is the lowest of the low. My parents have done some research and it looks that this is legal...yet unethical. If anyone knows differently please email me and let me know.

The other part of this is that the company she worked eight years for who laid her off......tried to get by by only giving her part-time serverance. Even though she worked full-time for them for seven years...and only spent the past year working part time because she was having her body zapped and poisoned to kill the cancer in her colon. She put up a stink...and they offered to give her full time severance pay. They said it was a clerical error. I don't know......

I hate to sound dramatic......but this all really sucks and is WAY unfair.

The American Liver Foundation needs volunteers. The following is the text from an email that came from the Public Relations and Community Events Coordinator.

The American Liver Foundation is pleased to host an exciting new event, Viva Las Vegas, on Friday, September 10, from 7-11 p.m. at The Rack in Faneuil Hall, downtown Boston. Viva Las Vegas will be a Vegas-style evening of casino games, complimentary buffet, pool, a silent auction, an Elvis look-a-like contest, and many fun surprises.

We need many volunteers to help us at this new, unique event, and ask you to help the ALF by volunteering your time. Volunteers are needed for a variety of fun positions – from blackjack dealers to poker chip bankers to silent auction monitors. The event spans four hours, and you’d be assigned to a duty for 2-3 hours, allowing you to have fun and enjoy the event with some time off. You’ll receive complimentary entry to the event and The Rack,once the event is over.

This will be a wildly entertaining and enjoyable night - your help can make it a tremendous success! Please forward this on to any friends, family members or coworkers who want to have a blast while helping a great cause.

If you are interested in volunteering your time contact the American Liver Foundation--New England Chapter at 617.527.5600

I know I have been a bad blogger recently. I haven't written in what seems like forever.

I have been very busy. Went to a conference for work at the beginning of August. Also celebrated Cynthia's 32nd birthday! Happy Birthday Cyn! Took a week and a half off of work. Had some visitors from out of town. Went to a Red Sox game. We won..yee haw! Went camping in Provinctown during Hurricane Charlie. Came back to Boston and then went to Northern Maine for a few days. Got back to Boston last Sunday night and started back at work on Monday.

My mother's birthday is tomorrow. Happy birthday Mom.

Went to see my hepatologist today. Looks like my liver is back to normal. I am to see the doctor in six months. The problem is that my doctor is moving to Seattle. I need to find a new one.

I need a haircut.

I need to make a dentist appointment.

I need to lose weight....get healthy.

I need to get back to work........

Life has been super busy. Last week was a crazy one in the city of Boston. Fortunately it was a crazy one on the side of the Democrats. This years Democratic National Convention took place in my hometown. I wanted so badly to be able to participate as much as possible......but this did not happen. I was busy working....and was only able to take one afternoon off to go to a Take Back America event. Jesse Jackson spoke and he was very awesome.

The Paulist Center was in the news this past week too. John Ardis...the Paulist Center Director did the prayer at the end of the convention on Thursday. You can read his prayer and find links to articles about him at the following website.

Went to see the Corporation last night. It was very good...but also very long and I was exhausted....so I had a hard time staying awake.

Today is my anniversary.  Yup.....a year ago today I broke my tibial plateau.   I cannot believe a year has gone by.  I'm happy to be back on my feet again.   Yee haw!   

 

I got back to Boston on Friday afternoon.  It was a good flight.  Only spent 45 minutes waiting on the runway.  Bad weather over Pennsylvania and New York held us up.

Saturday I went to Amherst to have lunch with Amy.   She's off to Florida to teach for a year or two.  We had a yummy lunch at Judies and finished it off with ice cream at Bart's.  I tried to take my white bookshelf back to Boston with me, but it did not fit in my car.  So now it's Amy's forever.    In retrospect it's sort of funny that we lugged it all the way down the stairs only to bring it back up again.  Have a safe trip Amy.....and enjoy Florida.

Saturday night I made dinner and we watched the season finale of Queer as Folk "on Demand. " I love "on Demand."

Sunday we went to the Central Square Worlds Fair.  We ate Tibetan and BBQ.  We also enjoyed tea at Dado and went to see Bourne Supremacy.  I liked the Bourne Identity better, but this was still enjoyable. 

Now it's Monday and I'm back in the office.  I have been catching up from being away for a week.  We are getting ready for a two day training this week. 

I'm expecting this week to be a bit of a transportation nightmare.  The Democratice National Convention is in town this week.  Don't get me wrong...I'm a big leftist flaming liberal democrat.....I'm all about my political party.   I'm just a little concerned about my commute home today.  Other than that....I'm pretty psyched about the energy and excitement of the convention.  I hope I will be able to go to some of the events.

I'm off.............

Have been in Washington, DC for the past few nights.  Work is ok.  Having a WONDERFUL time catching up with people.  Carolyn....Alanna, Catherine, Nicole......Molly.  It is nice seeing old friends.  Went to NARA after work today.  Checked out the Charters of Freedom.  Feeling a little tried.  Will be happy to go home.

I know I only wrote four days ago......but I feel like it has been forever.  I have been out of the office since Tuesday.  I had  a wonderful time at the training I was at....learned a lot.....but I'm having one of those days where I wish I hadn't left.   Work is busy....my co-workers are a bit cranky.  I just want to go home.  Only one hour and five minutes left.
 
Went to see http://www.coffeeandcigarettesmovie.com/ on Tuesday and hated it.  Saw http://wip.warnerbros.com/beforesunset/ last night and loved it.
 
Hoping to stop by http://www.somervilleartscouncil.org/programs/artbeat/ at some point this weekend.  Lets pray for sun.
 
Going to Washington, DC for five nights on Sunday...for work.  Looking forward to seeing my friends...Carolyn, Alanna, Nicole, Catherine, and Molly while I am there.  Not looking forward to sleeping in a strange bed.  I think I'm a homebody at heart.  I like to travel.......but there is nothing like home. 

Cynthia and Mike's wedding was a great time this weekend. I had a lot of fun. My new nightmare hair was manageable. My heals came off and were replaced with birkenstocks half way through the reception. I danced. Saw some people I hadn't seen in years. Now I'm exhuasted.

I spoke with my dermatologist's office today. My biopsy results were in. Looks like the growth on my face is benign. Glad it's not cancer. Yee haw...just call me WartFace!

Good news. I found out at the end of last week that my enzymes are still normal. They cut my Prednisone to 2.5 mg qd. Yee haw. I go back in a month for more bloodwork.

Got a haircut this weekend. Not sure if the style is quite me. It's a little bit like Danny Partridge meets the L Word. Long bangs are in I hear. For the first time in forever I have an "in" haircut......but I don't really know how to "do" my hair. I haven't really had to "do" my hair since 1987. I'm working on it with new products etc.

Sunday was a GREAT 4th of July. Went to Ogunquit Beach for the day. Got a patchy sunburn on my upper arms and chest......ate yummy french fries.......took a dip in the ocean........spent time at the Front Porch singing cabaret..........had dinner...and watched the fireworks over the ocean. IT was all good. I didn't want to return to Boston. Spent the night in Kittery. Came back on Monday.

Got a Vitamin C Sea Spa Facial yesterday...it was dreamy. My face feels like new.

Gotta run.........

These are the days of political movies. I hope they will prevent George W. Bush from being elected.

I went to see Michael Moore's new movie Fahrenheit 9/11 on Saturday. It was great....I highly recommend it.

I also went to see You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train at the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline last night. This is a documentary about the life and work of Howard Zinn. It was pretty inspiring. It was tres cool to see the local footage. Zinn in and around Harvard Square...BU......anti-war protests on the Boston Common. I was at a couple of the events they showed him speaking at. I didn't see myself. I wasn't a star that day.

I feel like the rap singer Nelly. I suddenly have the desire to sing...."it's getting hot in here." I went to the dermatologist today. Had a skin tag removed from my eye lid. I also had a growth removed from above my lip. Hence...the bandaid on my face...and the Nelly thing. It could be a wart...it could be squamous cell skin cancer. They are going to test it. I am going to call the doctor next week to find out if it is something bad....or just an old wart. They tell me it is probably a wart.

Yesterday's Walk for Research was a HUGE success. Thank you to everyone who sponsored me.......walked....or volunteered. You are the best.

Had dinner with my friend Elke who was visiting from LA last night. It was really nice to see her. We went souvenir shopping...she bought me the new Beastie Boys cd for my birthday.....thanks Elke....I love it.....had dinner at the Border Cafe....and got some jamine tea at Dado. It was all good.

Congratulations to Lori and Sarah who were married just a few hours ago in Cambridge. I wish you a happy and healthy life together.

Getting ready for the Walk for Research. Only a few days left. I called the ALF office today and they said that things are coming together. Yee haw! I love walks...I love my liver.

Having bloodwork next week. I hope the results will be good. The hope is for me to be off the Prednisone very soon.

Seeing the dermatologist next week. I want her to get rid of this little growth I have under my nose. Could be a wart. Could be a skin tag. I don't really care...I just want it gone.

I have to run and do some work. Happy weekend!

I had a WONDERFUL birthday weekend. We went on a Duck Tour and had dinner with some friends at Tasca on Friday night. Thank you to Brenda, Cynthia, Dave, Lisa, Lori, Mike, Sarah, and Steph who all joined me at dinner and made my day special. It was a great time. Thanks!

Saturday we went to see Harry Potter and the Prizoner of Azkaban at the New England Aquarium IMAX Theatre. We also had dinner at Pizzeria Regina in the North End. The service was bad......but the pizza was yummy.

Sunday I took my father to Finian's in Quincy for brunch. I spent the afternoon with my mother and step-father. We went out to the Watch City Brewing Company . We celebrated not only my birthday, but Father's Day and their anniversary as well. It was nice spending time with my family.

The weekend was so busy that I'm feeling a bit tired today.

Yesterday was my Mom and and Step-Dad's anniversary. I believe this make 15 years. Congratulations to them.

I go home to Boston today.

Tomorrow is my 31st birthday.

Have been in Stockbridge, MA for the past few days. I'm here for a work related training. So far the training is informative. My colleagues are fun. I am staying at the lovely Red Lion Inn. I consumed some wonderful food at pearls in Great Barrington. Had dinner in the courtyard of the hotel last night. The dinner was tasty....and the entertainent good. Tonight we are having a bbq at my co-worker's house. Have gone shopping at the outlet malls. I tried to go for a hike with my boss and co-worker. They were too fast for me so I quit half way up the mountain. Came back to my room......washed up, and read a book on the veranda. I just grabbed a decaf skim latte with a shot of vanilla. All has been fun......but I'm ready to go home. I want to see my partner.....sleep in my own bed...watch my own tv.......use my own computer......take a bath.

I feel like crap. I have a scratchy throat.....I'm exhausted and......my head hurts. I have been feeling this way for a week now. I want to feel better. I called the doctor, but she doesn't have any appointments open today. I am waiting to hear back from her.

I hope I feel better soon. I have a lot going on. I want to go to Pride Lights tonight......I have a Walk for Research meeting tomorrow night...I'm seeing the Indigo Girls on Friday night....Saturday is the pride parade and festival....and that night is Cynthia's bachelorette party. Monday I'm off to Stockbridge for work for three nights. I just want to go home and nap...but I'm feeling like I cannot.

Went to see the Paw Sox last night. It was a good time. We got killed by the Louisville Bats.

Went to see the Triplets of Belleville this weekend. I highly recommend seeing this movie if you can. The animation was great...the music good...the story sweet. It was really cool how there was little to no dialogue.

I recently had an experience in my personal life where I used data migration as a preservation tool....and I'm pretty exctied about it. A few years ago I went to a college a capella competition at Smith College. I bought a Best of College A Capella cd at the concert and loved listening to it. Over the years I noticed that it didn't play well on any of my cd players. I cleaned the cd and it didn't make a difference. Sometimes it wouldn't play at all...or would fade in and out. This past weekend I imported those songs from that cd to my ipod and they actually sound great. I can listen to this music again...yee haw. I love seeing this sort of thing in my everyday life.

Mom is still working part time. I think she has been evaluating her long commute to work. She recently told me that she doesn't like wasting a lot of time getting to and from work. It's interesting to see her assess some of the things in her life from her new perspective as a cancer survivor.

I was excited to learn that a group of gay and lesbian residents of Dorchester have come together to form a group called DotOut. I am enthusiastic because not only am I a lesbian...but I also grew up in Dorchester. So there you go...these are my people. Their website states the following:

DotOUT is a grassroots, political organization representing gay and lesbian voters in Dorchester. We are committed to advancing a legislative agenda that will grant us equal and fair protections under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. We are further committed to working with and supporting those Dorchester elected officials and candidates for elected office whose personal conviction, public position and voting record demonstrate a commitment to us, their gay and lesbian neighbors. We believe in the strength of the gay and lesbian community in Dorchester and, together, believe that we will positively influence local elections and public opinion on issues that are relevant to us.

I have great news. I heard from my doctor today. He wants me to reduce my Prednisone to 5 mg. Yee haw. My enzymes are better than they were the last time I had bloodwork. He wants me to have bloodwork in another month. The hope is to take me off the Prednisone all together.

I have been sort of lazy about doing my ankle and foot exercises lately. As a result I have noticed more stiffness in my arch and ankle. I need to keep on it. I hope my foot issues won't re-surface with the decrease in Prednisone. I just did my exercises for the first time today. I will do them again tonight.

I am still walking and doing Pilates. I will admit that I have been doing a more modified...I'm in a rush...without the videotape Pilates workout these days. I need to get up earlier and do the tape slowly. But it's so hard to get up in the morning.

I have a headache....and a bit of a scratchy throat. I didn't go to work today. I hope it's not allergies. Allergies don't go away. Sickness does. I spent the day reading and napping. I'm feeling a little bit better.....

There isn't too much to report on with regard to my health. I am still on ten mg of Prednisone. Having bloodwork on Friday. Going to see my primary care physician tomorrow. Mom is back to work. She is looking for a new job closer to the city.

Went to Provincetown last weekend. We had an amazing time. I didn't want to return to Boston. We stayed at the Sandpiper Beach House. If you ever get the chance to stay here.....do. It was beautiful. We had a wonderful view of the harbor....a nice deck...access to a private beach...two bathrooms...all new appliances (microwave, dishwasher, stove)...everything is brand new...they only opened up in April......a nice gas fireplace (It was cold enough to use last weekend)....DVD player.........VCR....etc., etc. We had a lot of fun outside of the apartment too. We ran into my friend over at SighClub who I haven't seen in an age. It was great to see her. CabaretFest was going on so we got to see a lot of good entertainment. We went to a parade on Saturday and got to see the Cheer NY Cheer Squad and Dance Team, the South Philadelphia String Band, the Manchester Muchachos, and the Connecticut Alumni Drum and Bugle Corps. We also spent quite a bit of our time this weekend eating. We consumed had yummy espresso shakes and pizza at Spiritus, and had wonderful dinners at the Red Innthe Martin House,and Clem and Ursies. We also had a tasty brunch at the Mews on Sunday. I ran into my friend Juan who was working at the restaurant. We dated each other for a week in junior high. six years later we both came out of the closet. I also forgot to mention that we saw a cute movie called Latter Days while we were there. And we also rented these great seven speed beach cruiser bikes. They were a lot of fun. Very different than driving my mountain bike. I loved it. Oh yes......and this past weekend was the Monumental Yard Sale in Provincetown. So....we got to go to a bunch of yard sales. I didn't buy anything, but it was fun looking. See why I didn't want to leave?

Today is a historic day in the history of Massachusetts and this country. Massachusetts became the first state in this country to allow gays and lesbians to marry today. You can read all about it at MassEquality. I'm a proud lesbian living in the first state in the country to take such a stand. Pretty cool huh? Our Governor might be an idiot....but our Supreme Judicial Court has it going on.

Mom is back to work part time and looking for other employment. Her current commute to work is awful. Things with my liver appear to be going well. Still on 10 mg Prednisone. Am having bloodwork in two weeks. I was looking closely at myself yesterday....and I think my cheeks look bigger. No one else agrees. I have been eating like a hog lately too.

I was looking at some pictures of myself from about 12 or 13 years ago last night. Word of advice....never do this. I am a young person....only 30.....but for the first time in my life i could really see how I had aged in comparison. I used to be thin....and had amazing skin.......these days I'm heavy and my pores are getting a little larger. Argh! I'm trying hard. I do my pilates tape....and I walk...and I have been trying to eat better.

My life has been busy. Cynthia's shower was nice. Mothers day was yummy at Oleana. We also took a trip to Krispy Kreme. Having lunch with a friend visiting form out of town on Saturday. Going to a movie at the Gay/Lesbian Film Festival at the MFA on Sunday. Going to Provincetown the weekend after next. Had coffee with Mary T. last night..getting together with Mary P. tonight. Enjoyed mexican food with Joanie on Tuesday.

My friend Dawn has a new website. Click here to see it.

I noticed this weekend that I am finally showing side effects of the Prednisone. My skin has been more oily than usual and I'm breaking out like an adolescent. I also see the normal peach fuzz on my upper lip and cheeks getting a little bit longer and more noticeable. My mother says she can hardly see it. I'm self conscious about the whole thing.

Mom started back to work on Monday. She plans on working three days a week for now.

Things with my liver are pretty uneventful.

Did pilates this morning. Walked to the T on Monday and Tuesday.

Sorry it has been a while. Work has been WAY busy.....my life outside of work has been totally crazy. My life has been liver disease....summer vacation planning etc....planning to not plan. Argh! I do have some good news. I had bloodwork on Wednesday and the results came in today. My enzymes look great....and they are cutting ym prednisone down to 10 mg once a day. Yee Haw! I will have bloodwork done in a month from now. We'll see what happens then. I saw my podiatrist this week.....he said not to come back until I am off the Prednisone. We are hoping that my foot and ankle are actually better...and not being masked by the Prednisone.

I have some good news. My mother is going back to work part time the first week in May.

I went to see my physical therapist Jen today. This is probably my last appointment with her. My knee is better and my ankle and arch are probably 90% better. I will only go back to see her if things don't continue to get better with the exercises.....or if they get bad as I am weaned off the Prednisone. Speaking of my physical therapist Jen. She is going to be in the Boston Globe this Sunday. She will be featured in a piece on college debt. Glad to know I'm not the only one who owes a lot of cash to Sallie Mae. Look for Jen this Sunday.

My friend Mary and her partner Jen started a political action committee called Pennies4Politics to support legislators that are supporting gay marriage in a special way. Click on the above link to learn more about this group or make a donation. Mary and Jen are getting married in October of 2004.

Went to see Patty Griffin at Tower Records last night. I really her music a lot.

I am so tired. Work has been insanely busy. I feel like I have hardly had time to breathe. Between the recent trainings...and open houses...and pilot projects.....and visitors...argh. I'm tired. I am VERY happy that tomorrow is Friday.

Going to see my physical therapist tomorrow. I need to talk to her about my tibial plateau. It started hurting when I was driving my bicycle up hill the other night. Hmm.......maybe it will just hurt forever...or will get better.....or will take a while. I'm not sure.

Looking forward to this weekend. I'm tabling for the Walk for Research at the Living Well With PBC event on Saturday morning. That afternoon I have plans to get coffee with my friend Mary P. Sunday I am going to see Sleater Kinney. We also have plans to go to the movies with folks on Saturday night and maybe have coffee with a friend on Friday after work.

I fixed the flat on my bicycle tire last night. I was proud of myself for being so handy. Glad I took that bicycle repair class last spring. It felt really empowering to fix it all by myself. I will admin that B gave me some pointers along the way. So thank you to her. Ate dinner at Wok N Roll in Cambridge last night....and took a long walk. I am loving this warm weather. Watched the season premier of The Restaurant last night. I think Rocco DiSpirito is kind of a jerk. No offense to "Mama."

Not much to report on. Seeing my physical therapist on Friday. Have an appointment with my podiatrist next week. Scheduled to have bloodwork early next week. Spent quite a bit of time yesterday hanging upWalk for Research signs in Somerville and Cambridge. My bicycle has a flat tire. I am going to try to use the skills I acquired in the bicycle repair class I took at Broadway Bicycle last spring. We'll see how far I get. It is a beautiful day in Boston today. Work is insanely busy. My parents came to an Open House at work today. It was nice to introduce them to my co-workers. If you haven't yet sponsored my Walk for Research you can do so by clicking HERE. The Boston Marathon is today. I wish I could have gone...but no.....here I am at work. Went for a nice long walk on Saturday. Did my Pilates tape this morning. Got ice cream with Brenda, Cyn, Mike, Dave, Lisa, and Chris the other night. It was nice to see them..especially Chris...it had been about five years since we saw each other last. Waiting for my IRS refund. I hope it come soon. I should run along.

Has anyone ever taken Prednisone before? Prednisone has the most awful taste in the world....like medicine. Have you ever licked a plastic swatch watch band from the mid to late 1980's? That is what Prednisone tastes like.

My Easter with John Kerry

I had a wonderful Easter yesterday. I got up early and went to church. I arrived at church to find a plethera of news people outside my church. I asked the usher what was going on. He informed me that Senator John Kerry was celebrating Mass with us. I ended up having to sit in the very last row......in the balcony of the chapel and hardly got to see what was going on downstairs. I did notice the two Secret Service guys lurking around. I eventually did see the Senator with his wife Theresa sitting downstairs. I learned that some conservative Catholics were trying to discourage my church from giving Communion to the Senator because of his liberal political views. The press was making a big deal about it. Fortunately the Senator did receive Communion yesterday. Heck....if the Senator shouldn't be receiving Communion.......I guess I shouldn't either. I'm just as bad as he is. I have liberal views too. Hmmm...what do I believe? That taking Communion is a decision between me and my God. So...who are they to tell me...or the Senator that he shouldn't receive Communion?

On another front...I heard from my doctors office today. Looks like my enzymes are almost down to normal. I'm cutting my Prednisone in half starting tomorrow. I will have bloodwork done in two weeks.

Had dinner with Nora and Bill last night. It was nice to see them. I should see more of them.

Still no word on my bloodwork. Looks like the Nurse Practitioner is out of the office today. Hopefully I will have more information on Monday.

I had bloodwork this morning. Just one tube this time. I asked for the butterfly needle....I'm such a baby when it comes to needles...they were good to honor my request. I'm going to call tomorrow and see if the results are in.

I celebrated Passover with some friends last night...it was a lot of fun. The food was yummy...the company interesting.......I found the hidden matzo...and won a prize (a plastic lavender lei)...Yee Haw.....and the Haggadah was a wonderful mix of childrens activities, adult prayers...and song.....it was all good. I really liked the addition of Myriam's Cup to the meal as well. Lisa and Dave did a great job...and were very good to buy me non-alcoholic sparkling grape juice.

I'm having bloodwork tomorrow. Hopefully the results will be good. I haven't noticed any real prednisone symptoms yet. Although yesterday after work I was starving. I ate a bowl and a half of cereal......some chocolate covered almonds....a few jelly bellys....and consumed a bunch of water. This was all before the Seder. I need to watch what I eat.

I'm down to having physical therapy once a week now. My ankle is feeling a gazillion times better.

I have been walking the half hour to the T lately...when I can. On the other days I am trying to do my Pilates tape. My favorite Pilates exercise is the Seal.

Support the Hep Cats. Thanks for your help.

I heard from the Nurse Practitioner in my Hepatologist's office on Wednesday. She said the dirty "P" word. I started on 40 mg of Prednisone yesterday. I haven't been on Prednisone since 1996. I'm not happy to be taking it again. I will need to have bloodwork done at the end of next week to see if the meds are working. If everything goes well they will work on tapering me off the meds as soon as possible.

Separate, But Equal

That is the message Massachusetts lawmakers relayed yesterday when they voted to ban gay marriage, but allow for civil unions in Massachusetts. The numbers were close.........105 to 92. I would like to thank my Senator Charles Shannon and Representative Patricia Jehlen for voting to keep discrimination out of the constitution. This isn't the end however. Legislators wil meet again in 2006 where this issue will be voted on again before being put on the ballot in 2006. You can read more about this at MassEquality.

So what does this mean for the marriage licences expected to be offered to gay couples on May 17th? We'll see.

Just got a call from the doctors office. Looks like is in in Puerto Rico until Wednesday. I love that he called me with all this urgency and gloom and doom a week ago.......and then goes off to Puerto Rico...and leaves me hanging. Oh well..........I will know more at the end of the week.

Massachusetts lawmakers are meeting today to discuss gay marriage in Massachusetts. You can read all about it at MassEquality. I'm not sure I'm going to be able to make it to the State House today. I feel guitly. Maybe my guilt will push me towards the State House after work. We'll see.

The Massachusetts Catholic Conference distributed an anti-gay video to parishes and was shown in some churches this weekend. One gay Catholic took serious offense to the video and professed to the community that he was gay. You can read more about it on the Boston Globe website. I am appalled that such a video exists and that churches showed it. I am a practicing Catholic....and have been involved in my progressive Catholic community for years....and I'm a lesbian. I haven't been to church in over a month. The church is doing a good job at alienating some of their best members. For the first time in my life I am really questioning my place in the church.

I have some great news. My enzymes are down a bit. My ALT is 118 and my AST is 111. This is roughly 3 times higher than normal levels. Still..this is good news.....they are going down on their own. I haven't even taken any prednisone. Maybe....if I'm lucky.....they will decide to wait and see...monitor my enzyme levels and NOT put me on prednisone. I shouldn't get my hopes up. I amw aiting to hear back fro the hepatologist with a decision about my meds.

I walked from my apartment to the T today. It took about a half hour. I walked on Friday too. I had a mini revelation last Friday. For years I have dealt with this disease.....I have had cirrhosis.........had bloodwork every few months and stayed away from alcohol all this time. Aside from that...the disease hasn't prevented me from doing anything I have wanted to. I decided that I should run with the fact that I feel ok these days. Yes I have felt a little sick to my stomach lately....and tired....but I can eat......and my being tired hasn't stopped me from going out and doing things. I'm going to make more of an effort to walk...and exercise....and enjoy life.

Waiting.....and Waiting....still waiting...to hear from my hepatologist about my bloodwork. The bloodwork will tell me if I am getting better or not...and provide some background information for my hepatologist to use when making decisions about where to go with my treatment. He mentioned steroids the other day. I'm assuming this means prednisone. Which also means......big cheeks.....acne....irritability......hunger....weight gain.....and a lack of calcium. I'm not looking forward to it. A nice woman on the Autoimmune Hepatitis listserv I am on recently reminded me to focus on the positives....my function is ok....I can pretty much do what I have always done. I need to remember this.

I also have to say that response from my family and friends has been great. Thank you to everyone who has called or emailed to show their support. I really appreciate knowing that you care. I promise I will be in touch soon. I have been a little distracted.

I spoke with my hepatologist the other day. The biopsy was not inconclusive this time. It revealed that I have moderate swelling in my liver and that I have between stages three and four scarring. None of this was really a surprise. I knew that I had permanent damage from the severity of my first flare up. I had been healthy for so long....I had just sort of forgotten about it. I had more bloodwork done yesterday. My hepatologist told me that I will probably need to be on prednisone. I am optimistic because the inflammation was caught early on and my doctor is moving quickly.

Had a nice weekend. Went to a cheese and ale tasting. I didn't drink the ale. I had my cheese with VitaminWater. Saturday we had lunch at Bob the Chef's. We tried to go to the Museum of Fine Arts, but it was closed. Spent time with my mom and step-dad....and my father on Sunday.

Still no word on the liver biopsy....I should know something tomorrow. My side is feeling better. I've noticed a slight lack in appetite and that my blood sugars feel low if I don't eat every few hours. I have been feeling more tired than usual. I had physical therapy today. My Physical Therapist said I have swelling in my left ankle. I'm hoping I will have some ankle relief soon. I will be starting a new anti-inflammatory medication for my ankle tomorrow. Mom had a UTI last week. She ended up having to go to the emergency room. She was there for six hours. YIKES! Mom says she is feeling better.

I was supposed to get the results of my biopsy today. No such luck....they called to tell me that they didn't have any results for me. They suggested that I call back on Tuesday.

I decided that the piece of liver they took from me on Tuesday was more like angel hair pasta or spaghetti....not dentle floss.

Happy St. Patricks Day!

I had my biopsy yesterday. I arrived at the hospital at 9:30 a.m. I was put into a room and got an iv....and changed into a beautiful johnny that they provided. I was rolled down to radiology at 10:45 a.m. and prepped. They did a pre-biopsy ultrasound and gave me some demerol. I learned that not only is my liver small, but that my gall bladder is in a different place than most peoples. The marked the point of entry with a plastic straw and gave me some lidocaine. For some reason I was thinking that with all the relaxing meds and numbing injections that I wouldn't feel any pain. I was wrong. Frankly it felt like they were jabbing me with a big needle when they took the biopsy. I didn't see the needle, but I hear it was at least six inches long. They showed me the piece they took out of me. It seemed awfully small for the amount of pain I went through. It was probably an inch long.......and a little thicker than dentle floss. It was all red. I was wheeled up to my room at 12:00 p.m. I was on my side for an hour. I had some discomfort so they gave me a shot of demerol. My blood pressure was low...so they gave me some iv liquids. I ate a chicken salad sandwich and some graham crackers. I went for a walk at 2:30 p.m. and I was out of the hospital by 3:00 p.m. On the way home I managed to vomit twice...gross huh? I called the doctor....looks like it was a response to the demerol. I got home and slept for a few hours. Eventually I woke up.....ate some yummy onion soup and watched A Mighty Wind. I was in bed by 10:30 p.m.

I am working from home today. I have some pain in my side. It feels like I got punched really hard in the liver. Sometimes I get sharp pains when I breath deep. I took the bandaid off the entry site a few hours ago. It looks ok.

I was just eating lunch with some co-workers and the locally produced Community Auditions talent show came up. Does anyone remember this Sunday morning television show, from the late 1970's, with Dave Maynard as the host? "Star of the day......who will it be..." I always wanted to go on Community Auditions...it never happened.

I wrote an email to the Autoimmune Hepatitis listserv introducing myself. Everyone was really nice and supportive. I think it is a good group.

I have my liver biopsy tomorrow. I cannot eat after 9:00 p.m. tonight. For those who do not know the procedure...... I will go to the hospital an hour and a half before the procedure. I will get an iv.....and some medicine to relax me. Bloodwork will be done. Then I will lie on my left side and the outline of my liver will be marked. They will numb the area with a topical anethetic...such as lidocaine. The will use an ultrasound machine to guide them. The procedure should take a half hour. I will lie on my right side for a few hours...and then they will send me home.

This is the first time I have had an ultrasound guided biopsy. My first biopsy was a transjugular liver biopsy. That was awful..and took about four hours. They put a tube into jugular veing....into my vena cava and then snaked it into my liver. They put a needle through the tube into my liver and took a piece. The last biopsy I had was a regular old blind needle biopsy. It literally felt like someone was jabbing me.

I hear this ultrasound guided biopsy will be a breeze in comparison. I hope so. I am planning on working from home on Wednesday. AND...I am not to do any heavy lifting for a week.

On March 11th Massachusetts senators and representatives passed a constitutional amendment legalizing civil unions and banning gay marriage. You can learn more about the decision at MassEquality.

I went to work that morning and left at noon. I went to the State House at around 1:30 p.m. and stayed until 8:45 p.m. We spent hours across the street from the State House...then more time right in front of the State House. Eventually we got into the State House around 6:30 p.m. We watched the debates on a large screen in Gardner Auditorium....sung songs on the 3rd floor and watched a little bit of the Debate in the Great Hall on the 2nd floor. I held signs that said things like..."I support the SJC Decision"..."MassEquality"......"Marriage for All Couples"....and "Don't put Hate in the Consitution." It was amazing to witness such an event. The fight isn't over yet. The convention will re-convene in two weeks.