Nice Day 12/6/05

First, for the medical update. They called this afternoon and told me they collected .34 million (that’s 340 thousand) stem cells today. That isn’t enough to proceed. Therefore, I will go in tonight at 8 to get more growth factor. I will go in tomorrow at 7 for a blood test and growth factor injection. I will “rest” tomorrow and continue growth factor injections twice a day until my CD34 level comes up to 10 again. I was about ready for a break anyway.

This is the third day of beautiful clear blue skis and bright sunshine. According to Minnesota wisdom, there is a balance to everything that happens. So if something good happens, it is followed by something bad and vice versa. Or two good things in a row could be followed by a bad, another good, and two bads. The point is, things balance out sooner or later. Therefore, every time something good happens to you, it isn’t necessarily a reason for unbridled glee. It might be more a reason to proceed with cautious optimism, probably, but you never know.

I looked out the window of the tenth floor of the Gonda building around 2 PM after completion of my stem cell collection at the American flag on top of the Plummer building across the street. The flag was hanging limp almost motionless. That doesn’t happen too often.

I remember when we first arrived here in Rochester, some friends took us to Uncle Monty’s Restaurant in a small town south of here to eat supper. On the way, we passed the airport with its runway lights all lighted. It sort of looked like a big Christmas tree had crashed out in the dark on the prairie. Not too long after that, I noticed what appeared to be a grid of red lights twenty or thirty feet off the ground out in the distance. I asked my friend if that was part of the airport. He told me it was not; that it was an array of huge tall wind mills which generate electric power. So you can see why it is rare to see the American flag hanging limp on a flag pole around here.

Thanks for checking in. Please check again later for further developments.