Number Nine: Midst of the ninth treatment. Again, more "business" stuff plus weather issues kept me from any updates.

The oncologist said this morning that he "likes my numbers" (i.e., my blood work looks good) but told me that I should definitely build up my exercise routine again, with walking being the best option. I've slacked off this winter for several reasons, mostly because of the weather. We had about eight inches or so (by my guess) of snow on Friday, followed by freezing rain, which covered the top of the snow with a quarter inch of ice. Naturally, this made the branches on the area's trees heavy with snow and ice, ending in a lot of falling limbs and resultant power outages (we were without power for nearly a day here and lost numerous branches from various trees, including nearly half of the weeping willow...a little sad about that). I mentioned to the doc about how exhausted I was after shoveling path for the car yesterday, which prompted him to talk about keeping my fatigue at bay with regular walking again.

I should stress that I feel both better and worse than I did a few months ago. Better, in that I sense internal changes that are positive (i.e., the odd feelings that I had abdominally are minimal); I'm hoping the oncologist is right in his opinion that whatever discomfort I'm still experiencing is residual scar tissue. Worse, in that my energy reserves are on the low side. Adding to that is the nausea this time around; it's definitely on the bad side. Reaching for the kit...

Decided on the name for my new kitty: Zoey. She's a lot of fun, full of energy; she's still a little skittish of me, despite me playing with her for an hour or two every day, but not nervous enough to spend most nights sleeping on my bed. She was pretty wild this morning just before I left for the center, running around like a demented, furry maniac (i.e., typical cat behavior). I like having a pet again; it's been too long.

As for the (alleged) stray cat that I was seeing around the property, I decided that it was most likely a neighbor cat (or cats...saw different ones skulking around the area at times) that was sneaking extra meals. I stopped putting food out after I found raccoon prints on the deck about a month ago. Encouraging a raccoon to hang around is one of the last things I'm interested in doing.

All right...I'm tired, dazed and slightly nauseous. Going to relax and disengage for the night.

Update: It's 3:00 AM; I woke up and can't get back to sleep, so I'm playing "string" with my furry little nutball. At this stage, she's more playful than affectionate, as expected. I will say that she meows like the kitten she still is, but purrs like an adult cat.

Playing with Zoey is a welcome distraction from the way I'm feeling now...I swear that I could smell the chemicals oozing out of me when I was in bed an hour ago, which was just bizarre. Major blech...the doc did use the term "controlled poison" during my visit yesterday. Never before has this felt so appropriate.

At times like this, I put music on and let it play all night. Tom's Tiki Bar...open until dawn. The music changes, sometimes radically. The mood shifts, sometimes seismically. But there's no cover, and you can sit anywhere you like.