How Did It Go?

Wednesday, April 30, 2008
11w to pics--164.5#
Work 8p-6a (5th day on my 9 day stretch)


Forgotten Language
by Shel Silverstein

Once I spoke the language of the flowers,
Once I understood each word the caterpillar said,
Once I smiled in secret at the gossip of the starlings,
And shared a conversation with the housefly in my bed.
Once I heard and answered all the questions of the crickets,
And joined the crying of each falling dying flake of snow,
Once I spoke the language of the flowers. . . .
How did it go?
How did it go?

This is, from left to right, my sister, my baby nephew Noah, my niece Jessi, and my mom at Christmas last year. My mom is one of those people who will be young until she dies. She was 42 when I was born but she was always right in the middle of everything with me, first one on the roller coaster, down some crazy slide or leading the way on a random adventure. She almost died when I was in medical school and since has had to temper that sense of adventure, but even now she can't wait until the weather warms enough for her to walk barefoot on the cool new grass of the yard or take the grandkids outside. I'm just as likely to find her getting into trouble as I am the kids. So the poem above always reminds me of her. It's one of my favorites anyway,and that it makes me think of her just adds to the appeal.

We found out a couple of days ago that she has squamous cell carcinoma on her left hand, specifically the area between her 4th and 5th knuckles. It is a rarely malignant cancer that chooses instead to invade locally. Obviously, we are pleased that it usually is localized, but "they" have told us that her metacarpals and proximal phalanges (bones of her hand and lower fingers) will likely have to be broken to remove all of the cancer. At 76 years old, my mom has a lot of degenerative changes of the spine that have compressed nerves and severely limited her strength, even caused atrophy of the specific muscles that some of those nerves supply. As a result, her right arm has no strength, and she uses that hand for dexterity purposes. Her left arm is her "strong arm" which allows her to actually lift such necessary things as pots and pans. We all are still trying to figure out how she will manage for 6 weeks or so with a cast on that left hand. She will manage, though. She always does. She is an amazing woman, mother, and friend. I'm proud to be so much like her. I just wish that, like her, I'd not forgotten that language.


WORKOUT: Light Workout 2
A. 12kg C&P--AMAP in 15 min
10/10, 10/10, 10/10, 9/9, 7/7, 6/6, 5/5, 5/5, 4/4, 3/3, 2 71L/69R--same number as last week.
Rest 5 min
B. Unweighted split splat--AMAP in 15min
12/12, 12/12, 12/12, 10/10, 10/10, 8/8, 6/6, 6/6, 6/6, 2/2=88/88 (13 more per leg than last week)
C.12 kg Swings--AMAP in 15 min
200, 393(worked the entirety of the last 9.5 min to get those last 393)=593 (63 more than last week).