Not Dead Yet

Long time, no blog.

I am still alive and well and living in Philadelphia. Michelle and I bought a house in the northwestern reaches of the city and I'm busy with work trying to pay for it and working on it, trying to make it pay for itself.

The kittens are now a year old and have pretty much adjusted to their new home. They are not allowed outside here because our (larger) yard is not fenced in.

There's no baby news yet, thanks for asking.

I went to see Dr. Judy last week - he told me 'the tumor should be back by now - you should be dead.' But I'm not, so that's good. He feels I'm past the critical point - it's not over and never will be, but, statistically at least, I've gotten a lot farther than most. So take a quiet moment to consider those less fortunate. Thank you - now, let's party!

Milestone MRI

A week ago, Monday, July 30, 2007, I had my first post-treatment MRI, which was clear. This means I've made it to 1 ½ years post-surgery without any sign of tumor. I haven't heard anyone mention the term 'remission' and I'm not sure that it's used for brain tumors, but I'm feeling some distance from having a tumor and this is great news for me. Dr. Rosenfeld wants to keep getting MRIs every two months for the first six months after treatment - that means through November 2007, then space them out to three months, and more. The catch is the insurance coverage. So far, so good for me, but she told me sometimes insurance refuses to pay and that ends up setting the schedule.

In other news, I've been working a lot this summer. We've had some short breaks and I was planning on doing a blacksmithing workshop right now, but I had to cancel because... last week was Michelle's big week for IVF and I needed to be around for that. I'll post any big news on the blog, of course, but things are looking good so far.

We're also seriously looking at houses to buy, which is very exciting. We're thinking pretty seriously about the Mount Airy neighborhood here in Philadelphia - larger houses with more space inside and out, quieter, tree-lined streets, and some very nice older architecture among other things make it very appealing. No offers made yet, but probably quite soon.

Michelle's show 'Disarray' for the Philly Fringe is coming up in early September - that means lots of work for her ( and a little for me as her 'technical director' ). September 2nd is also our first marriage anniversary, so we're going to get away for a day or two to celebrate.