100 days

100 Days, a time span not graced by the usual cues of Weeks and Months. 10 Days longer than 90 days, the three month quarterly catch-all. 90 days doesn't sound as long as a quarter year, because it's not. A quarter year is 91 1/4 days. Awkward.

Follow over the jump for a look at some other 100 day milestones.




Soundtrack

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Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings "100 Days, 100 Nights"

What were Napoleon's 100 days?

Nappy calling Josephine on his i phone, "Honey,  Able was I Ere I saw Elba "

     Napoleon abdicated in 1814 and was exiled to the island of Elba, off the coast of Italy. In early 1815, he escaped and rallied his troops. He returned to Paris and assumed control of the government on March 20. The Allied Powers, particularly England and Prussia, attacked and defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo on June 18. His reign officially ended with the restoration of King Louis XVIII on July 8. The period of Napoleon's reign in 1815 became known as the Hundred Days, although it actually lasted 110.

The Presidential 100 days:

     A precedent of presidential judgment started by FDR in 1933, who set an agenda most ambitious for the country. His plans for the country and the 100 day schedule has become a kind of benchmark by which subsequent president's efficacy has been measured - the days when the newly elected president has to please his entire constituency, and make good on all those campaign promises. Reagan was almost assassinated on day 88 of his first hundred.

Here are just a few of FDR's accomplishments:

The 100th day of school:

A celebration of the approximate half way point in the school calendar, and a cause for celebration by students and faculty.

My 100th day since transplant: 

     Like Napoleon, we will probably stretch out a bit further than 100 days. Today is 100 days since I was transfused with my sister/donor's stem cells. It is already 110 since we moved up here to Durham from Beaufort. We are hoping to be on the road this weekend, but may stay through a Monday appointment at the clinic to discuss the results of my recent bone marrow biopsy. These results will tell us a lot about whether the chemo destroyed all of my marrow, and how well Laurie's cells are doing in their new home. 

     As I write, Anne is packing up stuff from the pantry into the boxes we got yesterday from the Likker Store. Paula, Vicki, and Julie drove the truck up last week, and after a fun lunch visit drove Anne's car back to Beaufort. So we are getting close to checking out of this apartment. Future trips to Duke, of which there will be many, will hopefully be "up and back" in one day, though I foresee some overnights with Anne to finish up some of the stuff on our Durham bucket list - visit some museums, finish hiking the trails along the Eno River, hit some of the restaurants,  sit in at the Blue Note, etc.

     We especially look forward to the day when my platelets and blood levels are high enough to come up here for an appointment and ride some of the back roads on Brunhilde, our 1976 BMW R 60/6.  Unlike the somewhat geograaphically boring coastal plain, the piedmont ( literally foot hill ) has some great hills and curves.

The next milestone will be my natural birthday, Nov. 7th, 118 days out in the future. Stay Tuned.

Chris and Anne