Update

So far, so good, as she passed the 40th floor on her way down!  (Waves)

We are very adaptable people, which is lucky, since every day brings a new crisis. It's a full time education and a full time job. I had some sort of terrible fit yesterday that affected my breathing,  just before my chemo infusion appointment. I dragged myself up to the clinic anyway, had the treatment, consulted with the oncology nurse and followed up with a long talk with my GP. We reviewed and adjusted my meds and made up an appointment schedule for the next week. This a.m. I'm up early typing this and feeling pretty good, considering.  The emergency room does not handle such matters.

Thank god for Kaiser and the wonderful team of doctors and nurses who are saving my life every damn week! A few days ago some good buddies came by to visit. One of them has had breast cancer and a double mastectomy and the other breast cancer with a lumpectomy and thyroid cancer. They are both with Kaiser and we share some doctors. Like me, they are more than satisfied with their treatment. My brother in law is with Kaiser in California and was diagnosed five years ago with cancer, and he is still hanging in there.

In the meantime, I think Twitter is frying my brain, so I'm taking some time off it. The outrages are coming in fast and furious.  No more Meals on Wheels for you deadbeat seniors! Get a job!

As I mentioned a while ago, I got a one year $5.00  subscription to Vanity Fair.  This is how I deal with the magazine. First, I remove all the inserts and ads on heavy paper and tear out most of the fashion sections. Then I put it on the deck to air out all the odd, perfumy smells which just seem so gross and artificial to me.  Next, I browse through it, because I am somewhat interested in the photos, esp. of the doings of liberal high society celebs.  Within this gaudy exterior are buried some important essays and journalism, far superior to the venerable Nation, which seems to be going through one of its bad periods and has very little in it these days to bother reading. I've stopped watching Democracy Now, too. This is no time to be burnishing those conspiracy theories when we have a president who is out to destroy our country.

The editor of Vanity Fair, Graydon Carter, has  a pretty good screed about what a parvenu Trump is, and how taking revenge on the liberal elites who have spurned him is a big part of the Trump agenda.

Here Carter is on the topic of Melania's absurd $150,000,000 suit  against Mail Media inc:

She claimed that she "had the unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, as an extremely famous and well-known person...to launch a broad-based commercial brand in multiple product categories, each of which could have garnered multi-million dollar business relationships for a multi-year term during which Plaintiff is one of the most photographed women in the world."

What an absurd, low quality person, no better than Trump is. Selfish and stupid. It's a tough market she's in, and she's not getting any younger. She's about as interesting as a dead flounder.

There was also an excerpt from Chris Hayes's new book, A Colony Within a Nation. As he says,  "In the nation, you have rights;  in the colony you have commands." These are the two Americas. We need this  kind of structural historical analysis to understand the way systemic racism works. That is, those of us who live in the nation do. Those who live in the colony know all about it. It is absolutely part and parcel of what our country is. No use denying it.  I've pre-ordered the book and and can hardly wait to read it.

And hasn't Hawaii come through! The Aloha spirit lives. It's partly about the tourism on which Hawaii depends, but far more  about the injustices that minorities continue to face and can't ever forget for a moment. 

I was reflecting that not a single person on my Kaiser team is white! My primary care doc is East Indian, the chemo nurse Latinx, the oncologist Chinese and the pulmonologist Japanese, all hyphenated Americans. They never, ever, discriminate against me. They respect elders. I am very fond of all of them and tears in my eyes grateful to them. They are the unsung great people of this country, the people that Trump does not care about.

 

But Trump has his  Doctor Feelgood! He just keeps him full of drugs, I would guess

Well, I just took a digitalis tablet for the first time and am feeling mighty odd. Got to lie down. Talk amongst yourselves. 

 

Comments

[Cloudia]

Thank you for this post! Your attitude is praiseworthy and gives me much insight and courage. Mahalo

[Marianna]

Thanks, Cloudia.

[Brandon]

Let me know if I can help. I'm glad you're receiving excellent care.

[joared]

I, too, was pleased Hawaii quickly rose to the occasion for which we Americans can be proud. The efforts to bulldoze and bury what makes this nation unique continue from this President and his administration. What will it take for those ordinary Americans who support him to grasp how so many of his actions not only will not benefit them, but will, in fact, harm them? Meanwhile, we persist and resist. You fight on!

[Mage Bailey]

I stop by here, or on facebook, every day to cheer you on. Thanks for saying all the the things I'd like to say about Trump and Kaiser. Bravo....

[janinsanfran]

Great update. So glad to read your progress (?). And love your description of the Kaiser team. As you know, I too find Kaiser does the job for me.

Hawaii was much celebrated at a rally today in San Francisco against Muslim ban 2.0.

Like you, I get tired of the Nation. They mostly mean well, but so ... dull. And in dire times, I think conspiracy theories are a self-indulgence. I'm collecting material to write about that.

[Sabine]

You know how to face the chaos, inside and out. Keep it up, your blog is important.

[Mage Bailey]

Your chaos and trump chaos. Hey, he did it again to Merkle this morning. LOL I so hope your chaos is less. Hugs from the foggy Mainland.

[nick]

I like the way you carefully remove all the objectionable parts of Vanity Fair before tucking into the more interesting bits. Trump is indeed a parvenu, a Johnny-come-lately, trying to worm his way into the intelligentsia who want nothing to do with him. His visible desperation is embarrassing.

[Marianna]

That whole Merkel thing was amazing. I really believe Donald is in constant pain. Could be his gut.

[Musings]

Thank you for this post, Marianna and saying all the things so eloquently for me. I rely on all that you know. I couldn't believe #45 wouldn't shake Angela Merkel's hand. Good grief! How embarrassing for our country. That was so disgusting. Art does Meals on Wheels and knows how much people count on it. He's also worked for EPA and is appalled at what's happening there.

I'm so glad you're getting good medical help. Unfortunately we don't belong to Kaiser, but mom does and they do take good care of her.

[Marianna]

Kay: Well, as you know, I love Hawaii and its people. You are the best! I have only been here 20 years and have some of the the aloha spirit that you and Art exemplify, I hope!

[Z]

So true about Vanity Fair.

Great post.

Glad you're doing so well.