Andy

Memorial Day

I was way too tired to post yesterday, but that's because I spent most of my day over at Ben and Rebecca's place hanging out with the D&D crew plus a few extras. Ben and Rebecca host a pretty nice cookout I must say, and it was nice to see everybody. I think that spending Memorial Day enjoying the company of friends is a great way to honor the memories of those who have died to protect our ability to do just that. If you have a few flags present, so much the better. (Don't forget to fly them at half-mast if you have an actual flagpole.)

What did you guys do over the weekend? Some of you are accounted for because I just saw you, and I know Pat was on a big hiking expedition because he has pictures to prove it. As for the rest of you, leave a comment and share your holiday with my loyal reader(s) and me.

Tennis!

That's right, I finally got back out on the tennis court today with Amy after a long hiatus. Everything went smoothly except that we're terrible right now. Not much to be done about that but to play more. We hit up the Cheshire Crab afterwards, which has no new menu as promised last time, and also has no seafood specials aside from some very mundane stuff. The place appears to have been Pasadenized. I am deeply disappointed, but if we could find another seafood place, things could turn around quickly.

I also indoctrinated Amy into the world of Pikmin. Hard to argue with that.

All in all, a great day. If I can get to Ben's tomorrow somehow for the barbeque, that'll make for two in a row.

X-Men If You Please

Ok, the film is out today, and I have no responses on possible group viewings. First of all, what is wrong with you people, and second of all, what is wrong with you people?! I read in the paper that it wasn't so great, but I don't care, and neither should you! Anybody want to go tomorrow sometime?

Wish I Could Help

I entertain my share of discussions about the Iraq war, but I find myself wishing lately that I could be over there doing something positive to help the people of that nation. Obviously that is impossible, as I would be more a liability than a boon given my health (and maybe lack of training.) Do any of you have similar thoughts?

Busy Weekend

Though I have been rather complacent about updating my blog here, a lot went on this weekend in comparison with the usually quiet world-o'-Mosmiller. Collin and Amanda were nice enough to help me out with an excuse to grab food (and of course watch Passions) on Friday, Dana's graduation party was on Saturday, and my aunt and uncle from Ohio arrived with my folks on Sunday. Yesterday Kevin stopped over and stayed late. I'm paying for it now, but it was worth it for sure. Today, Joe will be stopping in for a few hours later this evening, just before heading off to Hawaii for a week or two. Ah, the high life.

In health news, a lot of people have been asking me how I'm doing after my treatments and all, and I have been a little confused regarding what to say. It has been so long since I've experienced any kind of normalcy that my scale is skewed. On the one hand, I am making steady progress on my design website, and have worked every day of late on that. On the other, I feel pressed most of the time, like something might crack. I think that means that I am doing well, but with a risk-factor.

This whole health thing brings up an interesting topic that I have considered at length over the years... How do I address people when they ask how I'm doing, and how do I make sure that I can cover all of the health bases without going overboard? My tack has been to say something like, "getting by," or, "I'm doing ok," when asked, and to try to get a chair with arms staked out and to make sure someone in charge knows why, but maybe that places me in a more negative light than is in fact accurate. I hope that my demeanor takes care of everything for me, but I don't know. What do you think? Do I come across too negatively?

It has been a long evolution to get to this point. For the first few years, I just sucked everything up as if everything was normal, and paid for it horribly. Maybe there have been points where I've gone too far in the other direction too, but it's hard to figure out. Hopefully I am close to a balanced approach now. Let me know what you think.

Unsupervised

As I outlined a couple days ago, I am now on my own, fending for myself in the Pasadena wilds. Now that I am without supervision, do any of you want anything stolen or anyone roughed up?

Away Mission

My folks are heading out of town for some birdwatching at Cape May, so if any of you would like to drop in to hang out and simultaneously give me an excuse to go eat somewhere, I would be in your debt*. They'll be gone from this Thursday until next Monday evening/Tuesday. I believe I have Monday handled, and Saturday I'll be going to Dana's graduation party, but the other days are up for grabs.

* Any implied debts are void in Maryland and the District of Columbia.

Big Surprise Today

Today was chugging along and kinda blah until I opened an airmailed, handwritten letter around 4:00 from none other than Bryn Terfel, world-renowned operatic baritone, regarding my battle with illness over the past few months. Here is an excerpt:

Dear Andy,

Just a little note in the middle of my rather hectic "Wagner" year to hope and pray that you are holding up after your recent bout of illness. I hope a letter from the mountains of Wales will remind you of what music and its powers mean to so many of us whatever the complications of life.

Mr. Terfel continued with some detail about his latest engagement, tied it to the above quoted material with a well thought out comparison, and ended with a quote. He is clearly an intelligent and caring person to have taken the time to do something like this for a person he will likely never meet. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Bryn and his agent, Doreen O'Neil, for making such a wonderful gesture.

... but how did he even know about me in the first place?

That would be because of the incredibly creative and persistent Mei-Ling Johnson, who has of course received mention on this site any number of times for her continued efforts on my behalf.

Thank you, Mei, for setting this once in a lifetime occurrence in motion back in February when all of this cancer news hit. I don't think it's possible that I could ever have a better friend than you.

Advice from a Pro

This afternoon was rather eventful, starting off with a visit from my cousin Jim and his family, and winding down with a neat and friendly phone call from something of an unexpected source. After watching my younger cousins Matt and Chris receive from archery training from dad, Matt challenged me to some Mariokart action. We won some races, and he beat me up in "bomb blast" mode before I was interrupted by an instant message and a followup phone call.

The caller? Mani Sheriar from Sheriar Designs. I discovered her site and her work through a web design showcase site called CSS Zen Garden, added a few comments to her blog posts, and wound up sending an email with some questions for someone trying to get started in the business. It turns out Mani is of the incredibly friendly sort, and was happy to oblige. We talked for a good hour I figure, though I didn't keep track, and she imparted some really useful tips for advertising and the like that I probably wouldn't have been able to get any other way.

Thanks Mani!

Need Some Input

I am trying to get things in order to establish some sort of web design/card sales company, but I need a good name. I'm in a terrible rut, and only seem to be able to think of names with "Designs" at the end, all of which are terrible. I would like the name to capture a bit of the essence of my card line, which means it should probably involve nature or maybe faith in some sort of clever way. That said, I am not limiting myself to just those categories, because let's face it, I'm getting nowhere fast.

Lay your ideas on me in comment form. Hopefully one of you is more clever than I.

My Neighbor Totoro

As the title suggests, I just watched My Neighbor Totoro, a film created by same company and writer as Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Spirited Away, and Howl's Moving Castle. Out of all the movies that I've "netflixed" over the past month and a half, this one might be the best. I've seen some good stuff, too. Just a great movie, especially if you have or like kids.

One of the things I like best about this and the other films listed is that they're created for every audience. It's all G rated (not sure about Nausicaa), and a story is there for any age that wants to watch. Family folks, get these movies for your kids. They teach good values and are entertaining at the same time.

Doctor Zhivago

Ah, Doctor Zhivago, timeless romantic classic...

Yeah right!

This movie is notable only insofar as it is the longest movie I have watched through the Netflix program. Ah, but the romance... It's romantic if you like seeing people abandon their families while still believing themselves noble, and come on, who doesn't?

I will rebound tomorrow with The Dark Crystal. I'm pretty sure I'll like that one, if my vague childhood memories can be trusted.

Doins a-Transpirin'

Let's see, since my last update, the weather has become, well... perfect. I'm still trying to walk around the circle every day, and am looking for more excuses to be outside. It's a little tough when you factor in the recouperation process. Come on down and give me an excuse!

We've had numerous unusual bird sightings recently, including scarlet tanagers, tree swallows, rose-breasted grosebeaks, and bluebirds. I also reported a pie-billed whooping sparrow, but nobody believed me. The swallows and bluebirds are actually nesting here, so we'll be seeing plenty of them barring some sort of bird disaster.

I'm trying to get back into web design as well, and am working on improving Nic Kipke's campaign website. I'm happy with the changes, but can't publish them until I hammer out an inexplicable bug in, you guessed it, Internet Explorer. I may have to settle slightly in order to account for it. I don't like settling.

In movie news, I have recently returned E.T. and Chocolat, which both receive 18 stars out of 5. I'm gearing up for Doctor Zhivago in a few minutes I think.

Watching movies in the afternoon might be ideal for me, because it's my worst time of day. That kills the rough time for me with minimal effort and allows me to use the later evening period more productively. The only problem is that it's beautiful outside, but I can't expect perfection here. At least I can use the screen door.

Cancer Retrospective

Coming out of this cancer ordeal, there are a few ideas that have gone through my head over the course of it that I find worth sharing with you.

• I was only able to say, "I have cancer," with certainty for half of one day. Sure, there was a lead-in period where I was fairly sure, and a post-operative period where I might not be clean, but trust me when I say that "almost" is not at all the same thing as "for sure", and half a day is not much time for any of it to sink in.
• If I had not been diagnosed and treated, I would probably not be here in another 10 years
• I now have or have had the two most emasculating illnesses that I, in my meager experience, know to exist.

X-Men Action

Forget this health stuff. Who's in for seeing X-Men 3 when it comes out in a couple of weeks? The film opens on May 26th, but I'm game for whatever.

Days Off Do Me Good

As you can see, I haven't posted for a couple days. I figure the time of daily posting has come to an end, at least for a time. My health status is relatively unchanged at this point. My upset stomach is slightly less upset with each passing day. The weather shift is still getting me, but at least the past few days have been consistent. That is big.

I've watched a few movies over the past few days, and since I'm too tired to write out reviews at this point, I will give them a short-form treatment...

Let's see... Casablanca is a great movie for its time but is slightly lacking given my modern movie sensibilities. Citizen Kane - same deal. The Client is great, and Fever Pitch is mediocre. Finally, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind is pretty good, but not as good as Spirited Away, which was reviewed a short time ago in more detail.

Now where's my Pulitzer?