Two days!

We're coming home ... FRIDAY... night, forever!!


YEAH!!

Our original home date was Dec 10th. We may be home sooner, more later.

Thanksgiving was wonderful with Amy & Brian and Betsy & Ron. We had a little rain, but who cares, we're one day closer to coming home and one day closer to Bozo.

Have a wonderful THANKSGIVING. Next year in California!

Its been cold here. Somehow I didn't expect it to be in the 30's & 40's here, but putting up with the weather is a small price to pay for every thing they've done for us. Besides, we're getting closer to the unveiling of "our baby" and everyone at MDAnderson knows I will be home for his birth.

Jody & Scott told us that Bozo weighed in at a hefty 6 lbs 10 ozs today and he's not due to be born until Dec 24th. How could any one noy smile when we talkk about him?

Gail & Steve left today. When they left Pam & I went to the Imax at the natural History Museum. It was very cool. We'll proably go back when Brian & Amy are here. There are a number of museums that look really interesting.

We're really excited about this week. Not only will we have Brian & Amy, but Ron & Betsy will be here for the holiday. Oh yeah, we Also get 4 days off. We don't have to go to Anderson Thurs, Fri, Sat or Sun. We feel as though we got paroled.

Happy holiday to all.

Houston here. I keep getting good reports from the docs. Things are getting boring. Boring is good. There is nothing new at this end except that the weather has changed. Its cold. Today the high was 61 and the low about 40. We kept waking up last night because we were cold. A snuggle that warmed us up and we both fell asleep quickly.

We saw my neurologist today and he said I'm fine so we're still on schedule to come home at 100 days or ... ?

The Sills are coming to visit tomorrow, the Levine's are coming Tuesday and the Cheek's are coming on Wednesday. Boy, are we popular.

73/27/43

Pam and had a busy day - - walk around the lake, go to the gym [and work out when we were there], take a nap .. then its dinner time. Pam says "where should we go" I blurted out "Fried Chicken" ... I never eat fried chicken!!

How do find the best fried chicken in this town? I checked out the restaurant book that my friend Matt sent, a book of "cheap eats," the best moderately priced places to eat in Houston. We've been to a number of them and they have been good.

After checking out the reviews - - HENDERSONS - - off we went on our quest. We ended up in an OLD part of Houston near downtown. The area was deserted, The building was a cinderblock "fortress" with no windows and lots of hand lettered signs covering the door and the walls. We went in anyway. We ordered chicken and grabbed two of the seats to wait. Hendersonss makes everything to order so it takes 20 minutes.

There were a couple of "gangbanger" types who came in to pick up orders. While one of them was waiting he asked where we were from. When he heard Los Angeles he blurted out, "What you doing hear? This is like Watts or Compton, you don't belong here.

It turned out we had a short conversation with him and the lady who owns Hendersons was behind the counter [for 18 years] - - actually a little window with bars on it. We listened to her tell us what a nice, misunderstood neighborhood this was.

Off to the apartment with a whole fried chicken, what felt like a pound of very crispy french fries and a pile if white bread. Cost $9.00.

It was the best fried chicken we have ever had.

70/30/46 ?? According to the doc, I'm right on schedule. Lets hope Bozo is!

I was paroled last week end so the biker boys [John & Mike] could hit the road in the great state of Texas. More later.

It was nice not to have to go to Anderson for all those hours each day & still get treatment while watching a football game in our living room. The next step on the good news train is that I'm only required to go to Anderson on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays.

No jokes about any of this from me, I'm thrilled. Feel free to make all the jokes you want, even at my expense. Speaking of expense ... Pam got a call from Amy a few weeks ago and Amy was gasping ... she got an interim bill from Anderson!!

OK, here's the biker boy story, or one of them. John & I wanted to get out of Houston for the day so we decided to take a day trip to Galveston. We had a SENIOR breakfast at IHOP and hit the road. It's about an hours drive to the cute, quaint beachfront city of Galveston - - please, no Glen Campbell sing alongs. When we drove into down town, we were treated to 1,000's of BIKES and lots more people of every type. We found out that this was the culmination of one of the biggest annual three day rallies in the west, that started from who knows where. Imagine a quaint, quiet town taken over by bikers, booths selling biker gear, more beer than at a football game ... it was fun.

We were walking back to the car when I decided I didn't get enough attention from the crowds, so I stubbed my toe on a curb I was supposed to be stepping up on, ripped off my toenail [big toe] blood every place. Yep, thats what I did. I did have a cute, young "biker bitch" stop to help and she was willing to give me her scarf to wrap abound my toe. She was very nice to the clumsy codger [me].

Anyway, John got an EMT to wash the toe and bandage it. When we got back to the apartment, I soaked the toe in betadine and bandaged it. That part was easy. The hard part was calling Pam to explain. When we went to the hospital on Monday, my doctor, the APN [head nurse for the unit, my RN and various assorted people came in to see what I had done and had a good laugh at my expense. Oh, my other wife got his share of teasing also.

68/32/50

I'M FREE! Well, I was released for the weekend! I've beeen such a good boy, I was allowed to take the week end off. I am still having an IV Sat and Sun, but I'm able to do it myself at home. It's a very cool but of new technology that lets me take a gadget that looks like a short baby bottle, attach it to my chest port and the presurized medication is dispensed at the proper rate. When my bottle is empty, I disconnect, flush and I'm done. I don't even have to stay home while I'm getting the treatment. After I hook up, I can put the bottle in my pocket and go.

Pam is in California at a baby shower for Jody, Scott and Bozo. I'm envious because Pam gets to play with Wally, Gracie, Valery and Gus. I've been told that Gus now rules the house - - who would have thought a 3 month old kitten would take over as he has.

I'm only nominally a batchelor this week end. Pam didn't trust me along so she brought my other wife, John to babysit me and he's as tough as Pam.

Another class on the new gadgets making the treatment of sickies easier to follow - - of course it follows when I get around to it.

62/38/56 [I'm trying to keepup with the hospita transplant dating]

Haloween was a spooker here. Micky & Joam & Pam and I sat on our balcony for a while with lots of thunder and lightninng and no power for a couple of hours ans it got dark telling ghost stories. We only had one small candle an ywp mini flashlights, but it was fun. Our apartment is on the second floor overlooking two lakes, fountaing anda pool, so even when we were not able to see we could hear the fountains and the pouring raing.

On the more mundane side of things, I eat real food, harass the nurses and doctors and tell every one I come in contact with that I`'m getting a grandson when we get home. For a whilw Pam and our CA visitors weren't quite sure if I really told every one about BOZO. But when we showed the Donners aound our prior hospital floor everyone asled about Jody and Bozo [Scott, noone asked about you, you already did your part]

We've found some good places to eat [now that I do]. My research has found that Jello is in season in Houston, Texaans are particual about their bar-b-que [even though Pam and I are not thrilled with it], we went to a place last nightt that had sauted crayfish ... yum.

Things are good