Rome invited me for breakfast at the Co-op and I was so happy! The selection was quite good, everything I chose was tasty, and everyone we ran into was delightful. In the stairwell at the Co-op. Thanks sweetie!
.
Another day Sharon and I went to a place I’d never been, Lunetta, and we enjoyed good food and a good visit.
A couple of the dozens of Sharon’s mom’s Hummel figurines
Dudamel Launches His Final Season
I could hardly breath through the first piece, it was the premiere of a composition by Ellen Reid, Earth Between Oceans, commissioned by the LA Philharmonic. There isn’t a recording yet and I doubt that a recording would give the same smack-in-the-face glory of this live performance, the stage shoulder to shoulder with musicians and the LA Master Chorale making me shiver. Marsha wasn’t over the moon for it, there was rarely a melody to be found, but she did like being there to experience it live.
The second half was a Richard Strauss composition An Alpine Symphony, a wonderful piece that rocked the rafters too. The wiki article is particularly interesting I think and you can click the link to read about it.
Marsha and Becky sing in this choir and I enjoyed a lovely performance held at the First United Methodist Church in Pasadena. It was a splendid venue and a good crowd. My favorite piece was Bach’s Mass in F major, BWV 233, including soloists and a small orchestra. Nice!
Hail hail the gang’s all here! Chris, Jordan, Kelly, Jenn, John
Luna, me, Judy, Susan, Marzieh, Victoria, Maniya, Hilda
My poetry group, although we’re reading a book now and that’s fun too!
I went out for a yummy bagel lunch with Rome.
These bags were all over the oncology office.
I wanted to give my right arm a rest but the left arm just wouldn’t deliver.
.
NOT A PG IMAGE! One of Marsha’s sisters, Mindy, made this for me back at the beginning and it has found a home here on the kitchen counter. I smile every time it catches my eye.
YES🤗, from yesterday’s PET scan report: “IMPRESSION: Overall Improved Appearance.” This is excellent news for my long-term well-being since the doctor said it means the current treatment plan is providing a positive outcome, and the longer I don’t have to change treatment plans, the better.
When people ask me how I am I’ve been saying “I don’t know, sometimes better, or worse, or the same. I’ll wait for the test and let science say.” Science says better so YAY. And even when I feel worse or the same, still, the answer is I’m Better!
Continuing complaints which pale in light of “Overall Improved Appearance” include lack of stamina but now that I know the medication is working I hope I can generate the will-power to do more PT On The Regular. The lack of stamina in my legs also impacts flexibility, which, after strength, will be a focus of PT. Very secondarily, the medication does have some chemo in it and my already very few hairs are dropping at a visibly unfortunate rate. And I still need to be prepared to do nothing for several days after the infusion, but that’s not bad since it happens only once every three months. Also of interest, the only time I feel unwell at all is after the infusion and if I’ve done too much. Fortunately aggravation from the infusion and doing too much are both easily remedied by taking a rest.
Here’s SO many thanks to all who have sent blessings my way, you did it! (And as we used to say…back in the olden days…better living through chemistry.)
.
It looks like I never shared this image here, it was for my Reading Group who did an amazing meditation for my recovery. They also created deeply heartfelt gifts I appreciate beyond measure. I’m making a place for them all on my wall and will include a picture when it’s done. Below is the first PET scan and a picture of how I want to feel that inspired the meditation and the art projects.
.
The Report – unless you’re a big fan of minutia and want to google all these medi-words, please just roll on by!
| NECK AND CHEST: Mildly FDG avid left neck lymph node with an SUV max of 2.1, previously demonstrating an SUV max of 2.4.  Left supraclavicular lymph node with an SUV max of 1.3, previously demonstrating an SUV max of 2.9.  No new FDG uptake in the neck. Mildly FDG avid left axillary lymph nodes with an SUV max of 1.9, overall stable to slightly decreased in FDG avidity since the prior study. FDG uptake in the left breast with an SUV max of 2.1, previously demonstrating an SUV max of 3.1. Mildly FDG avid mediastinal lymph nodes with an SUV max of 2.8, not substantially changed since the prior study.  No other abnormal FDG uptake in the chest. Coronary artery calcifications.  Several noncalcified pulmonary nodules scattered throughout the lungs with no abnormal FDG uptake, unchanged since the prior study. ABDOMEN, PELVIS, AND THIGHS: FDG uptake in the left adrenal gland with an SUV max of 4.8, previously demonstrating an SUV max of 2.9, which is nonspecific. No other abnormal FDG uptake in the abdomen, pelvis, or proximal thighs.  Surgical absence of the gallbladder. BONES: Multiple FDG avid bone marrow metastases, all of which demonstrate varying degrees of decreased FDG uptake compared to the prior study. For instance, a lesion in the T1 vertebral body with an SUV max of 2.6 previously demonstrated an SUV max of 7.1 and a lesion in the right iliac wing with an SUV max of 6.3 previously demonstrating an SUV max of 7.8.  No new bone marrow lesion.  Interval sclerosis of many of the bone marrow lesions, likely a healing response. |
| IMPRESSION: Overall improved appearance of the previously seen metastatic disease, as detailed above. |
Result History
PET CT Skull Base To Mid Thigh 9/23/2025 COMPARISON CT of the chest from 7/17/2025 and PET/CT from 3/21/2025
Darryl, Angela, me, Rome, Gary, Liz, Lilly
Lona took the picture above, and a grand time was had by all!
Jo Ann and I set off to enjoy an exhibit at Japan House in the Dolby Theater complex, next to the Chinese Theater, and across from El Capitan. I forgot that Jimmy Kimmel films right there too. It was so satisfying to see the demonstrators were still out.
The exhibit was prepared in the back of a store: Looks Delicious! | Exploring Japan’s Food Replica Culture
Not only were there a ton of items to admire, there were information posters and demonstrations too.
Nice!
Children’s bento boxes you buy at the train stations.
Looks Delicious!
Rome was over and we took the opportunity for a stroll around Douglas Park which is .3 miles from my house so it’s barely a walk, but lovely nonetheless. It’s always Duck Town over there, so much poo the water is almost always green.
For some unknowable reason my hearing has improved slightly from November 2023 until now. I have no idea why. In both cases the audiologist said my hearing loss was not so bad that I couldn’t put off getting hearing aids if I wanted.
Even though the entire habitable space in the two studio rental, combined, is less than 600 square feet, still there are two kitchens and two bathrooms and a bunch of windows and everything else one needs to live, so there is a lot that can go wrong. Whenever something does go wrong and then that something gets fixed, I remind myself how it could be worse.
And for the first time in memory, here are some plumbers I would call again, which makes me happy!
So many birthdays between Windy on the 10th and Rome on the 21st. Windy shares a birthday with Lynn and Fred, then comes Tony, then Hilda, then Lilly shares a birthday with Carol, then Caleb, and then Rome. Happy Birthday One and All!
This day we are celebrating Lilly’s Sweet Sixteen, and never was there a sweeter sixteen. She had a big party for her friends last night and I’m so looking forward to the pictures!
I met up with the gang on Abbot Kinney where everyone enjoyed first fancy beverages, then a tasty lunch, then the richest fanciest most odd-uniquely-flavored ice cream around. We also looked in some shops and had a little tour of the Muck Rock Open Studio home for the work of the artist Jules Muck.
Rome’s picture of the bunny at the studio.
This isn’t Jules Muck but who could resist?
…Susan Meiselas
I was about to punk out entirely because I’m just too lazy and I thought I’d have to stand in a long line. Then Jo Ann said “come, we’ll save you a seat so you can come later” which I did do and am so glad I did!
There’s a lot to be said about Susan Meiselas. I googled her name and after 14 pages of citations I stopped.
Alan, Muriel, me, Jo Ann
Two birthdays in a row! I and Jo Ann and Alan took Muriel out to a Lebanese restaurant for dinner and then to a Persian ice cream palace for a tasty birthday sweet treat.
Yesterday I went to Lona’s because Trevor was in town and got to enjoy the always wonderful experience of sitting on Lona’s balcony to watch comings and goings on the Venice channel.
Rome joined us during a school break, and then there’s Windy, Lona, and me. What fun we had – Lona and I brought a tasty lunch of Windy’s favorite ingredients, and then we watched an excellent BBC documentary about the Silk Road. I didn’t make them watch a BBC documentary, it was Windy’s idea and it was quite entertaining and informative.
Travis came from Texas over the weekend to surprise his mom so she got to be with both her sons. They went to the Getty Villa in celebration of Windy’s birthday. Lucas took the selfie.
We did some chores and had a tasty dinner. Food and List Ticking, just the way we like it.
I went downtown with Ingalill for a tour of the LA Central Library. Actually we just wanted to eat lunch and take some pictures. It was entirely fun, as always.
Notice the pyramid on top of the library building.
Another picture from the same spot below. What my new phone, the pixel 10 pro, can do with its telephoto, not that it always works this well … the subject has to be completely still, and the phone has to be completely stable, and it doesn’t really work on people since it’s all AI processing. And sometimes it’s so sharp I have to soften the results.
I always liked the Bonaventure.
I remember the long-ago olden days when I could crouch like that.
Those are Rome’s blue eyes, and a pano from the Hermosa Pier, and Lilly’s party box preparing for her Neon 16th Birthday Party.
A clip out of the pano above.
The LA Philharmonic and the LA Master Chorale put on a show, wow, ending our season in glory. And these might be our best seats ever.
