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December 22, 2006
Merry Christmas! You (might) Have Cancer!
Good thing I'm Jewish. Otherwise, my holiday season would really suck.
This post, by the way, is an anomaly. I don't plan to document my medical travails in the public eye. (Trust me, I've been through a lot since I started blogging and never bothered to blab about it here.) No one's even sure I have cancer. But it's highly probable that I have thyroid cancer. Just the news you want to hear a few weeks after starting a new job.
So here's the deal - last summer in Chicago, I was complaining about problems in my leg (numbness, sensations of heat, difficulty walking). My doc ordered a few MRI's to rule out MS. Those showed an enlarged thyroid, which sent me to an endocrinologist. She ordered a fine needle aspiration (FNA, aka biopsy). Never really got the results. A month later I called from LA and got some gobbleygook. My doc here sent me to an endocrinologist who decided to do another FNA - this time of both nodules. The nodule that wasn't checked in Chicago is highly probably for papillary carcinoma, the most common (and least metastasizing type) of thyroid cancer.
The upside is that 95% of people live 10 years following a diagnosis of papillary carcinoma. The downside, I might lose my singing voice. Oh, and I'll be on medication for the rest of my life and a bunch of other crap. That's if the second opinion agrees that I need to have my thyroid removed.
Merry Xmas.
It's times like this that I wish I had spent more time cultivating a social circle and less time on political activism...
Posted by cj at 06:49 PM | Comments (2)
December 12, 2006
Jeannette Rankin on Film
Do you know who Jeannette Rankin was? She was the first woman elected to Congress, a life-long pacifist, and a person who voted against both world wars. Her life was magical, her story is empowering. WILPF US Board Member Jeanmarie Simpson wrote and starred in the play "A Single Woman" about Rankin's life. Simpson and WILPF Life Member Cameron Crain have brought the story to the big screen - a film based on the play is now in post-production.
Rankin's life is truly awful, in the original sense of the word (full of awe). When I saw the play, it sent chills through my spine. It still resonates - and its been over a year since I saw it. I'm constantly questioning whether war is ever the answer because of Simpson's presentation of Rankin's views. I can't wait for the film!
Posted by cj at 09:53 PM | Comments (0)
December 11, 2006
Larry King Redux...and Impt info on Women in LA
As a weekly contributor to the Courage Campaign's blog, I just posted on the United Way LA's report on women in the county. The extended post includes a summary of my question on the Larry King Live show. Their "answers" to my question bugged the hell out of me, so I'm glad I can vent about it in a larger forum than my solipsistic blogs. Now it's time for me to collapse.
Posted by cj at 11:43 PM | Comments (0)
December 10, 2006
Dylan Video Premiered with Contest for Autographed Guitar
True Dylan fans already know that the first video from his new cd premiered on Friday on Slate. Here is the video:
To enter a contest where the one prize is a single autographed guitar (meaning all those entries, just one winner), you have to correctly date pictures captured from the video. Go to Slate for more deets.
And if you're interested in the lyrics to this song - which like most Dylan gems includes many words unclear to the common ear, follow me beyond the jump. Words by Bob Dylan, copyright Special Rider Music, found at the Expecting Rain fansite.
Thunder on the Mountain lyrics
Thunder on the mountain, and there's fires on the moon
A ruckus in the alley and the sun will be here soon
Today's the day, gonna grab my trombone and blow
Well, there's hot stuff here and it's everywhere I go
I was thinkin' 'bout Alicia Keys, couldn't keep from crying
When she was born in Hell's Kitchen, I was living down the line
I'm wondering where in the world Alicia Keys could be
I been looking for her even clear through Tennessee
Feel like my soul is beginning to expand
Look into my heart and you will sort of understand
You brought me here, now you're trying to run me away
The writing on the wall, come read it, come see what it say
Thunder on the mountain, rollin' like a drum
Gonna sleep over there, that's where the music coming from
I don't need any guide, I already know the way
Remember this, I'm your servant both night and day
The pistols are poppin' and the power is down
I'd like to try somethin' but I'm so far from town
The sun keeps shinin' and the North Wind keeps picking up speed
Gonna forget about myself for a while, gonna go out and see what others need
I've been sittin' down studyin' the art of love
I think it will fit me like a glove
I want some real good woman to do just what I say
Everybody got to wonder what's the matter with this cruel world today
Thunder on the mountain rolling to the ground
Gonna get up in the morning walk the hard road down
Some sweet day I'll stand beside my king
I wouldn't betray your love or any other thing
Gonna raise me an army, some tough sons of bitches
I'll recruit my army from the orphanages
I been to St. Herman's church, said my religious vows
I've sucked the milk out of a thousand cows
I got the porkchops, she got the pie
She ain't no angel and neither am I
Shame on your greed, shame on your wicked schemes
I'll say this, I don't give a damn about your dreams
Thunder on the mountain heavy as can be
Mean old twister bearing down on me
All the ladies in Washington scrambling to get out of town
Looks like something bad gonna happen, better roll your airplane down
Everybody going and I want to go too
Don't wanna take a chance with somebody new
I did all I could, I did it right there and then
I've already confessed - no need to confess again
Gonna make a lot of money, gonna go up north
I'll plant and I'll harvest what the earth brings forth
The hammer's on the table, the pitchfork's on the shelf
For the love of God, you ought to take pity on yourself
Music and words by Bob Dylan
Copyright 2006 Special Rider Music
Posted by cj at 07:49 PM | Comments (0)
December 06, 2006
Sad News....and Useless Gossip
Alas, James Kim died. It was sorta inevitable. I know that sounds terrible, but this great father & geek wander off into the freezing cold in sneakers to get help for his family after living for days on wild berries and burning his tires for warmth. How could it have gone well? Sigh. Thank goodness his wife and children survived. It's just such a terrible tale.
And now for the PSA: if you find yourself out of gas or otherwise stranded in cold weather, just stay put. Wait for someone to rescue you - don't go looking for help. Keeping an emergency kit in your car is a good idea.
Now for something completely different....the Washingtonienne's book came out last year. That'd be Jessica Cutler. I lived in DC when the blog broke. It made it to Media Bistro's homepage b/c she cancelled an appearance at a MB panel. Women who make money on their sexuality are still put down in the media, shockingly. Men - like McDreamy or McSteamy - are simply venerated. This of course is what is meant by gender equality.
I agree with All Things Considered's music critic - our societal discourse is going downhill. Popular music is slightly to blame. But only slightly. The MPAA film ratings - which allow a ton more violence than sex in movies; the advertising industry; Hollywood; and every other industry dominated by males are also to blame. Our paradigm is male-centric. That's why US society venerates individualism. We're too separated from our maternal instincts.
Posted by cj at 10:53 PM | Comments (0)
December 02, 2006
Working Girl
At the beginning of the week, I got a part-time job digitizing video for The Social Uplift Foundation. In the middle of the week, I got a full-time job at an ad agency.
I also got a volunteer gig this week, blogging for the Courage Campaign.
Needless to say, I slept for twelve hours last night.
I'm still curious who is reading this sporadically written blog, so feel free to drop a comment and come out of the anonymity closet.
Posted by cj at 01:34 PM | Comments (0)