Scat is out for a September trip. Pretty bummed. I had two planned for this year. Hope everyone else had some killer trips. Eight chemos and I'm feelin a little ragged. Physically and mentally. Next step is to get a scan and see if the cancer is gone. There are some other not too pleasant things outside of the pesky disease as well, but I won't complain, for I am humbled to know that struggle is just a part of life's rich pageant.

I heard that on Hogan's Heroes the other day and have adopted it as my new war cry. Newkirk was consoling Carter who had just gotten a dear John letter from his gal Mary Jane. I got addicted to the show during my stint in the hospital. Hey, it works for me. Kind of a catch all for those times when life bites. You can use it if works for you. Not like I have exclusive rights on misery or anything. I'm more than happy to share.

As always, cheers, and keep pushing onward, towards the fog...

Keep fightin' the battle, Scat. Cancer is no fun and the side affects from the treatment can be just as rough. Keep a positive spirit and you'll be paddling as much as you want next year. You have my best wishes.

In fog I have often found that I can hear things much better.
So, at some times, in some ways the fog can provide clarity.
Keep on keepin' on.

You are an inspiration !! Keep on fighting..

Back in the 1980's I agreeded to a blind date as many desperate awkward people did back then. Your mind always creates what you think she will look like. An aquantance described her as smart and nice. I still thought positive and had a hopeful picture in my mind. We agreed to meet in a little restaurant and as she walked through the door I immediately thought she looked like a character on Hogan's Heros. Fraulein Hilda you ask? The Russian Spy Lady? Lebeau?
NO. She looked like General Burkhalter!
Unfortunately it didn't work out for us. We agreed that we were both going in different directions.

I just said a prayer for you ,scat,and sent good luck vibes toward Illinois .hang in there! I will be thinking of you! Marc from MN

Zulu - thanks bro. That is choice. That reminds me of the lines I love in that song:

Instead of being my deliverence
She bore a strange resemblance
To a cat named Frankenstein

Hilarious.

Some random observations:

- having a deeply impaired sense of taste has led me to eating way too spicy for me tacos, just to get the sensation, which leads to an extremely soppy, fuzzy head underneath an ever present baseball cap.
- but just think of all the money I've saved on haircuts!
- having no eyelashes to speak of leads to complications when inserting contact lenses. Last week I dropped one in the toilet which became stubbornly suction cupped to the side of it. I'll spare the grisly details, but I did retrieve it after a bit of effort and finesse. Talk about getting the stink eye...
- some people, if you tell them you've got cancer won't even look at you, like it's contagious. I have resisted the urge to sneeze in their direction so far. So far.
- unbeknownst to all till now, this is actually an elaborate ruse to justify my daily use of what I can now call medicinal marijuana. A friend in need indeed.
- anyone who has had cancer is my bro, like being a Marine or in an exclusive club. What's that Groucho Marx line?...

Thanks a million for the nice thoughts. I think I needed it, and it helps. Been a little freaked out lately. I am taking my Prism out tomorrow, wet a line, till my bony behind starts barkin.

Hang in there. Keep fighting the fight.

~

Man, you a funny guy, Scat. Shoot me an email, okay?

quote jcavenagh: "In fog I have often found that I can hear things much better.
So, at some times, in some ways the fog can provide clarity.
Keep on keepin' on."

Yep. You can do it.

Since I found a friend named Jack and his close friend cola for a visitation, I may have become a tad too chatty this evening, but I feel compelled to share this. I paid for health insurance for fourteen years out of my own pocket as an independent contractor and went to the doctor just one time. To get pills to kill the giardia bug I got on a BW trip. Think it was like $340 a month. If I had any brains I would have got health scans and would have caught this earlier. This isn't bad luck, it's bad decisions. I own that. My doc told me at the last visit that I'm lucky to be alive. If the infection had gone the wrong way, which in reality was probable, that would have been it. No more Bushmills for Billy. So, get checked up on! Don't be a dumbass like me and think you are untouchable or whatever. Get a yearly checkup. Never did that. Now I'm screwed with the blues and no tattoo to show for it. Just do it.

Don't want a tattoo anyway. Sounds ouchy. Cheers, BK

Been there, had to give up more tripping years than I'd like to remember. But found I can enjoy a cabin trip and some day paddles. We'll both get back into the wilderness. First step is getting healthy.

Didn't get hooked on Hogan's Heroes but during my bone marrow transplant we watched a lot of Burns and Allen. Sometimes you just need something light and funny to get through the day. Also watched a lot of sports. Fortunately, it was World Cup and the SF Giants won the WS that year. Made for a lot to watch.

Wait a minute there. You've got my spicy food. Due to current complications, I'm pretty limited on spicy food which I really miss. We've got to get this straightened out.

Had some tattoo dots done for radiation. That's enough ink for me. Was really glad that the next time they just used a sharpie.

Scat I will continue to pray for your complete recovery, continue to have a positive outlook it will serve you well !!!

Scat, I don't know you, but enjoy your posts. I am hoping you beat this damned cancer and get on the water ASAP and for MANY YEARS to come. Be strong. Hogan's Heroes is excellent medicine...

Thanks bros. Being an incorrigible smart ass by nature, I have among my idols Cool Hand Luke and colonel Hogan. And of course, my Lady Luck, Tonya Harding. Back in the day I was sure I could drink fifty beers in one day, to match Luke's fifty eggs. Still might try that. We'll see how it goes.

I think someone already said it so I will just repeat it
Scat you are an inspiration

Andym - the bone marrow transplant has been discussed as a possible future treatment if things aren't so kosher with the upcoming scan. If I heard it right, at least it's my own marrow being treated and recirculated back to me. Doesn't exactly sound like a picnic at the beach, but at least it's my own stuff. I wasn't real comfortable getting a blood transfusion from a joint in Waukegan. I suspect my recent fascination with chicken chimichangas has roots in the source of that blood. Ay carumba!

I love a smartass. Keep it up. Attitude is everything. Praying for you and have you in my thoughts.

Hey bro, your sense of humor is only equaled by the great Zulu. Haha. So was that contact lens tinted like sunglasses? I couldn't imagine what your going through. Mine was caught while in for something else. I'm hoping by having surgery on the 21st I can avoid the radiation and chemo... thus saving the last couple hairs on my melon. Not being able to paddle is a tough thing. I've pulled out my canoe several times and paddled around our lake. It always feels too good, then tomorrow comes... I pay dearly. So any kind of trip is out. But I did get to go down by the lake and see the northern lights last night and all the stars. The moon was pretty full and bright. Yesterday I had one of the nurses call me, she told me six weeks of doing nothing. So I immediately asked... so I'm ok to deer hunt? Sometimes you can see people shake their heads even though your on the phone. Well, I saw her shake her head. She said, well you won't be up to hauling a 200 lbs deer out. I assured her I wouldn't shoot anything over 190 lbs. I saw her shake her head again.
Scat... hang in there. I feel pretty lucky. I so far don't have to go through what you have to. Tomorrow we bury a very close friend. Camping on an island on Whiteface he was stung by a wasp. His epi pen was back at the truck. Well he didn't make it.
Life is full of tough situations, so it's our sense of humor and our iron will that has kept us going. Prayers to the folks involved in the recent fires, floods and earthquakes. And to those defending our freedom. Prayers to you scat. I hope one day to meet free and clear of this cancer. I hope your scans or whatever shows no more of that cancer.

Rootin' for you to get through this, & back up to the BW!



Maj. Hochstetter: Hogan? Since when is he running this prison camp?
Sgt. Schultz: Let me see. It was three years ago, in November I think."

Best of luck to you Ben. I was a tad depressed but a healthy round of bourbon and coke and gallows humor has perked me back up. Going to start doing stuff again. I hope you can too. It is a rough deal when you've always been a tough guy thinking your mind can push you through anything. Like a long portage or physical discomfort. Your mind can't fix this. And that is a hard pill to swallow at times. No pun intended. Again, thanks to all for the nice thoughts. It helped me out. Stay cool bros.

Yeah, the transplant is not an easy time but they have definitely gotten better at it over the last decade. And they are only done by major centers and so you will be with an experienced team, if it happens. And the transplant can really do the trick. But first, here's hoping for a good scan.

My cells came from an unrelated donor. But she lives on a lake and likes to paddle! Those are my kind of cells.

Nctry, glad you got to see the northern lights. We're up there soon and hope they come again.

Gotta like Cool Hand Luke. If the blues come looking for you, just holler:
"Shakin' the bush, boss... shakin' the bush!"

quote Basspro69: "Scat I will continue to pray for your complete recovery, continue to have a positive outlook it will serve you well !!!"

Couldn't say it any better! Chemo aint for sissies, it sucks. Keep pushin'!

I finally got up the courage to go through all my medical bills. I had a pile of envelopes that stacked on top of each other was literally sixteen inches high. The bill for my twenty three day stint in the hospital came in at a nice even number, $306,000. Just one page with the bottom line on it. I suppose an itemized list would be a tome the size of an unabridged version of War and Peace. What am I going to do, dispute, hey I don't remember getting that pill that day. Or that shot, or that procedure, the list for one day in that joint is almost endless. My copays for everything since is a tad under $24 Gs. Quite a figure.
And quite a racket cancer care. There are plenty of people getting rich on it. There is a high profile divorce case going on around here involving the guy who founded Cancer Centers of America. His ex to be is asking for $65,000 a month to keep her in the lifestyle she is accustomed to. I could work with that. Guy is filthy rich. Has like five mansions across the globe, she wants one of them of course. The stuff is marked up so high that even with defaulted payments they are still making a killing. Might be a bad choice of words considering the topic, let's just say they are making out like bandits. A ct scan costs ten Gs. I heard this last night on the Deadliest Catch show, life may suck, but the alternative is unacceptable. Might have to find a better source of inspiration than my TV perhaps. Going to enjoy the weekend. Hope everyone else does too. Cheers, BK

By the way - shakin the bush has been part of my lexicon for years. I might go so far as to say it was a previous war cry of mine. Shakin the bush. I've been selling lumber as an outside salesman for about thirty years and used to build big houses and when I knew I needed to scrounge up some work, I would say, time to go shakin the bush. It was also a favorite saying of a friend of mine Harry Walsh, Irishman, carpenter, drank too much, lost his business, wife, like a lot of us. You'd say how's it goin Harry. Shakin the bush Billy, shakin the bush, in like, a Burgess Meredith growl. Love Harry. I always said he had all the world's problems figured out but his own. Brilliant man. Haven't seen him since the crash. Fine fellow Harry Walsh.
I'll be honest, back in the day there were four stations, and Cool Hand Luke was usually on once a summer. We would never miss it for the car wash scene alone. It wasn't till much later that the nuances of the movie became apparent. Still love that car wash scene. Takin em off now boss. Damn things is blockin the scenery.