Good luck, be vigilant.

dear L,

what eerie said.

--raf*

Joining the chorus, even if you detest choruses.

not flying with the chorus...

i hope the bluehairs rip your headphones off and make you listen to them rattle on and on and on about the most trite of things.

after one session of that, you'll either be ready for the asylum or be cured.

fight the good fight against those blueharis, L.

A cure, even if difficult, is better than death, seizures, and convalesence inertia.

This process is to getting through cancer what learning Arabic was to getting through MENA. Difficult, but necessary and doable, though learning Arabic doesn't usually involve the risk of nausea, unless, of course, you are Daniel Pipes.

You know, I was thinking he should name his tumour after Pipes or Friedman. Get some extra spiteful joy out of the process.

dear e,

as much as i loathe friedman, pipes is much, much worse. so i vote for "pipes".

--raf*

Plus "pipes" can refer to the whole trachea idea...very appropriate.

Agreed, raf*. Pipes is the ideal candidate to be shot full of chemicals and shrivelled into oblivion.

Hrrmmm...decent idea, but "Pipes" strikes me as a poor name for a tumour. To blunt, but also to ambiguous - could be a real life object or D.P.'s cold warrior historian dad, Richard Pipes.

I think "Danny" is much better. More euphonious and just about sits up and begs for someone to ask what that could be referring to, setting up the punchline.

Well, he could also use "Mr. Pipes" or "Pipes the Younger", which would also set up a rather funny punchline.

Best wishes...

Chemo was a breeze for me, although I am weak.

The tumour, is "Danny P" - I like that. His father I liked. He is a joke.

A distraction in the form of an idiotic American:

U.S. Teen Runs Off to Iraq by Himself
http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2005/12/29/ap/headlines/d8eq5hm00.txt

Of course Pipes the Younger has a nice ring to it as well.

You realize this isn't funny to anyone but us.

I operate for self amusement

And the kid is a stupid git.

I should note the blue hairs were as insufferable as I expected.

Pinching your boyish cheeks, were they? Perhaps they will bring you cookies next time.

"Danny P" - I like that. His father I liked. He is a joke.

His father had flashes of brilliance and good insights and style. Danny Boy is like a McCarthyite who missed out on the Cold War and needs a new enemy.

The hardest thing is to stay positive. May the drugs not be too oddly drowsiness-inducing.

begs for someone to ask what that could be referring to, setting up the punchline.

Calling from glen to glen, and down the mountainside? Or am I missing something?

I should note I shave me beautiful hair off. It was a painful moment. But I was certain I would find clumbs falling out rather more distressing.

Ooops, I was just going for the photo, the somewhat related illness was accidental, sorry.

Looks like the photo didn't run anyway, so never mind. And maybe this'll cure the cousin of her infatuation, otoh, it might make you more exciting.

Well, in regards to a photo, no one is not going up here.

Regarding the cousin, she didn't like the loss of the devilish toss of hair but my walking her through Bourne Idenity repaired that damage.

Wonderful girl, maybe I can inspire her to something.

So much for avoiding attachment, eh? She is probably too far gone at this point.

You could always go for a different devilish something-or-other: tattoo? Ear piercing? If the latter, you can just let the hole close up when your hair grows back.

Why would I want to look like some empty headed hippy Left scum who I normally regard with utter contempt?

re: left leaning hippy scum

because, when in the den of the enemy, one must try to blend in.

i suggest a tattoo on your newly aquired chrome dome. something whimsical and age appropriate for the little girl whose heart you've stole. when you let the mop grow back, the tattoo is gone. perfect!

Well, there is the small issue of chemo increasing likelihood of infection and anemia. Not exactly the best time to be getting tattoos, unless they are stick-on.

Plus, doesn't he strike you as a bit too "Establishment" for tats?

E: that's the beauty of it. who'd suspect? It could also open up a new opportunity for L in the western kingdom. he could be the founding member of the casa hell's angels chapter.

L: i hope you like riding motorcycles.

Hippes do not shave their heads. In fact, a close friend of hippie background (Jewish parents who raised him Quaker, so they'd have ammo to get him conscientious objector status if the draft were ever reinstated) shaved his head purely to piss off his mom. (That, and the male pattern baldness, because few things look more ridiculous than a shoulder-length comb-over.)

Other than that, I agree with Dr. Fir. Plus the accessorizing could be fun - maybe a killer black leather jacket and boots to match? With a white silk aviator scarf, like Le Petit Prince, but as a Schwarzenegger flick?

eerie:

any chance we can start making modifications to L's picture? james bond would look smashing decked out in a leather jacket with two foot long fringe hanging from the sleeves.

Luna:

did your friend, by chance, grow up in the pacific northwest?

all: anyone care to hazard a guess if L finds this all comic and a good break from the oppressing reality of chemo or just another annoyance?

Nope, friend is of East Coast parents, grew up part on Long Island and part right here, which is smack in the Midwest. (Urban Midwest, not farm country.)

As for amusement vs. annoyance: I can rarely tell which way it's going to go, so I've given up trying.

Sorry, I like Bond just the way he is.

i think that we may have chosen the wrong man to represent L. i don't ever recall L mentioning a martini. it seems that Cuban comfort would be decidedly anti-queen and country. also, i'm sure bond would know what an ipod is and would most likely have his own podcast already.

plus, i guess you're right. i could never envision bond bald. "waxed, not shaven"

Ha. Ha.

The answer of course is no across the board.

I add that my head is hardly chrome. Merely shorty.

Ooooh, I know! Eerie, I think it's time to pull out the heavy artillery, e.g. the Marbella Metrosexual Shirt photo. IIRC the model had some pretty close-cropped hair. Just the thing to add an air of whimsy, don't you think?

I did think of it, but the face is entirely obscured by window glare.

Jason Statham is nice. The Transporter was a terrible movie though.

I have a T-shirt for the Hollister, CA Mongols motorcycle club, the x-large size should fit you fine. Just don't go near any Hells' Angels hangouts without your pocket calculator, bicycle chain, Uzi, etc, 'tools of the trade'.

If you've the time for a new hobby, I would suggest handgun target practice. Just wear your ear protectors like a good boy, and pretend that the target represents your tumor.

"The name is Lounsbury, Col Lounsbury"

Yeah, it just doesn't sound right, too many syllables.