The Song is Ended, But the Melody Lingers On

   Good Morning all. 

      As promised way back on June 22nd, today we will attempt to plant an earworm by means of this fiendishly designed post which will masquerade as a bit of Ethno-musicological dissertation.

    I know there are probably only a few of you blog followers - you know who you are - will have the time or the inclination to listen to all the cuts, all the way through, but trust me, there are a few in here that are most entertaining.  You have all weekend.

     What follows below the jump is a little study - an e-monograph if you will - of "The Song is Ended" from 1927 through 9 decades. The song is presented on Edison Diamond Disc phonograph, a Player Piano Roll, 45, 78, 331/3 Vinyl, and MP3, the youtube poster's digital format. 

So if you have headphones or ear buds put 'em on and let's jump!

Thanksgiving day nears...

Ahoy All,

         No medical content, just a quick note this morning, as there will be a rather lengthy musical post Wednesday night for your over- the -T-day weekend perusal.  It was promised back in June and may just plant an an ear worm.    New subscribers might want to take a quick look at the post on earworms found here: ear-worms-no-not-that-kind.html

      Turkey Confidential 2013 is this year's permutation of Lynne Rosetto-Casper's annual  Splendid Table  call in show- it used to be called Turkey Triage, and had some hilarious call-in disasters. Most notably,  the  one from the "guys" who were handling  "Cooking the Turkey"  in their new deep-fryer who had a "football accident" and tipped it over in the driveway mid-cooking.  This year she has an all star lineup and some great "Swanksgiving" recipies.  Check it out, and you can stream it on T-Day from her site, splendidtable.org

Soundtrack:
Anyone else find it interesting that what was a pretty strong anti-draft song has made it into the Americana Thanksgiving  Obligatory Radiocast. 

Alice's Restaurant Massacre Illustrated

( with circles and arrows )

       And as our gummint threatens to start talking 'bout maybe passing some kind of Immigration Reform, here are two 'toons  about the European Invasion Thanksgiving that might liven up the conversation should your table be too quiet.

bon appetit,

Chris and Anne

Songs that just stay relevant. Caution, political content- no medical content.

Good Morning All,

The title track of Bob Dylan's third Album, released in 1964, was The Times They Are A'Changing.  That was 49 years, 9 months, 30 days ago.

Have they?
Are they? 
Will they?

plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose 

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Today's post is dedicated to Toshi Seeger.


  NY Times obit/article here - Toshi Seeger, Wife of Folk-Singing Legend, Dies at 91

So put your ears on and follow us over the jump.

Day 221 Fatigue

 Hi to all,

    Apologies for the lapse in posting.  inexcusable really, so I will share a few medical and non medical reasons. 

     The 10 year old laptop continued to slow down in spite of being wormed, and boosted, flushed and tuned up. It was on its third battery and second keyboard.  I finally had to admit that working on it was beyond my ken.  Unsupported OS, Screen freeze, a half hour just to get online only to have the screen go black.  It was getting tired.  Overworked? Planned obsolescence? Fatigue. 

     A worthy patron set me up with a refurbished MacBook Pro, and this is the first post on the new to me Apple. I started on an Apple back at the dawn of the interwebs, and I wonder why I went over to the dark side. 

     This 62 year old laptop user/abuser  continued to slow down as well. Between the meds, the tapering of the meds, and the seemingly slow progress of my recovery, I was exhibiting some of the same symptoms. Brain Freeze and fatigue, and a feeling of things just not getting better.

 crumb art available at www.deniskitchen.com

 Ease on over the jump here for a look at Fatigue.

6 Months Old, or is it New?

        It has been quite a while since I posted, some due to computer problems, some due to system problems, my system that is. Here is an update.

               On or about Friday, October 4th I was 185 days post stem cell transplant.  Aside from two hospitalizations for infections since coming home in July, the medicos are satisfied with my progress.  I am feeling a bit frustrated that my blood type has not yet switched to the B+ of my donor/sister, and that I am still transfusion dependent, but I am told this is not that unusual. We are taking steps to force the blood type switch: I am now off the two immunosuppresants (tacrolimus and prednisone) and we  are experimenting with Rituxin.  It is also a possibility of getting another shot of Laurie's Leukeocytes. 

     As it is now, I have many of the same characteristics of a 6 month old -  virtually no acquired immune system, nor any of the inoculations for childhood diseases, and to varying extents sleep/nap patterns, diet, and diaper usage. But I am walking a little further each day, and have been repeatedly told I am going to rest, not exercise myself back to health.  Mask and gloves on the rare occasions I venture out in public, still observing quarantine, no travel, etc.

Update on my father:

       Also on Friday morning, my father passed away, in his own bed, with my sister in attendance. Here is a facebook posting from Paul DeGeata, ( some of you may know him as the Capt. of The Victory Chimes)  the nephew of Nick, one of Bud's Army buddies...

My uncle Nick emailed me to tell me his close buddy, Bud Siegel  passed away at 6:30 this morning in Long Island, NY. 

I got to know Bud over the last 20 years. Sometimes people slip away unnoticed. I hope you'll indulge me my memories because he's a man worthy of notice. 

My uncle Nick is 95. Bud was a few years older. The pair made Airborne History making America's first combat parachute drop with the 509th Parachute Infantry in North Africa in 1942. They fought across North Africa, Jumped in Avalino where Bud had to pretend to be a patient from an insane asylum as he was led by an Italian monk, through a German Patrol looking for paratroopers; they landed at Anzio where their outfit went through its numbers three times because of casualties. With Darby's Rangers, the 509 took a mountain (Venafro) the Germans held in 24 hours  that the 45th Division had been trying to take for a month.  

The 509 led the Airborne Invasion of Southern France. Bud, a Captain in A Company at the time, drew up the jump list so he was the first paratrooper out of the lead plane to start the invasion of Southern France. They fought in the French Maritimes and were called to Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge. They held a very important cross roads in Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge. Bud and his jeep driver were ambushed bringing entrenching tools to his company so they could dig in the frozen ground. He  was wounded and captured by SS Troopers. He understood enough German to know that the SS sergeant told the soldier guarding them to take them behind a snow bank and shoot them. Just then an American tank rolled up and he and his driver had just enough time to escape. Years back, Bud gave me a brass whistle he was wearing that stopped a German machine gun bullet fired by that SS patrol that ambushed his jeep and blew it up with a Panzefaust, he said the whistle probably saved his life.  While Bud was recuperating from his wounds, my  Uncle Nick was one of 6 of the original troopers in the outfit who was still standing after the Bulge. There only a 58 others out of a Battalion that usually consisted of more than  650 men.

Both men always said they were living life on borrowed time since WWII. Both lived worthy lives and had long distinguished careers in uniform, Bud a cop, Nick a firefighter. Both worked with disadvantaged kids in their retirement years. The pair used to entertain their outfit with songs and poetry at 509 Reunions and Airborne Banquets up until about two years ago.

To say they were part of the Greatest generation is an understatement. They are two of the best men I've ever met. I feel for my uncle Nick today, very few 509ers are left. RIP Bud, it was a great honor knowing a man like you.

-Paul DeGaeta

And Back Home Again

     Annie and I were able to drive home on Monday, after another spell at Duke, both in and out-patient.
Tests, Labs, and exams  showed infections of unknown origin. The treatment was antibiotics and anti fungals.
This stay at Duke was another great educational opportunity for us both, as we struggle to understand the terminology and conditons that our Medicos have spent years studying.  At least we now feel that we can pose relevant questions.

      This was a bit of a close call, with the high fever.  The lesson is to wear a mask, even if I am alone on the beach until my immune system has a chance to start acquiring a library of all the stuff out there that a normal immune system deals with every day.

    I am feeling lucid enough to trust posting some of the Blog entries I have been working on,
stay tuned.


C

Back at Duke

     Last Monday Anne and I were walking our mile on Radio Island Beach. At 11:00pm,  100.4 fever sent us to Carteret General  ER where we were kept until the fever broke, and sent home before we"caught something really bad in the ER".  0800 the following am found us at the Raab Clinic where they stashed us in a small exam room, ran labs and got a dialog going with Duke.    IV antibiotics were started for suspected possible pneumonia and staph infection on plastic catheter tubing.

     Admission to Carteret General was arranged, and I moved across the street and got settled in. After Hickman catheter was removed ( with the tip saved for biopsy ) and an  IV was started for meds and blood products.Chest x-ray showed fluid build up in and around lungs.

     And so on Friday the 8th of August I set off for Duke again, strapped down in the back of the Ambulance. Blew the inside left rear tire coming into Kinston.  The Medicos called around and there was a Dukemobile just up the road in Smithville, and I was trans-shipped right outside the McDonalds Drive-Thru there in Kinston.  No one laughed when I asked if Fries came with it.

     Got to Duke and the Night Doc said he had never see such complete and thorough documentation and set of medical records arrive with a transfer from "outside".  It gave me a chance to brag on the Raab Clinic, and CGH.

     So I have been here for 3 nights, and Anne has been up for two, staying with Robin and Willie. I have had  more Chest X-rays, a CT Scan, multiple labs,  tests, a new PIC line ( double Lumen )  installed ( very cool, got watch the positioning on ultrasound screen. The Guidance system also has a tiny gps in it, an works like the rigs for running underground lines, knowing where they will pop out it the ground!)

     I will be up here for a while, until we can get me balanced again and the risks of congestive heart failure and fluid filled lungs are sorted out.    Stay tuned.

Chris