Jan Curran Events

The News on Friday...

Let the good times roll!

Gather round, raise your voices in a cheer.  How come?  Well, yesterday, for the first time since 1995 an oncologist looked at me and said these magic words..." I don't see any reason to do a Pet scan now..."

Huh?  Did I hear her right?  Whew!

I see the doctor again in six weeks, but for now, I can relax, carry on with out feeling that nervous stomach that goes along with having a scan and the anxiety waiting for results.

My neck looked fine, she said, no signs of any nodes doing bad things. Ditto for under the arms.   I didn't gain any weight, nor did I lose any.  Still have no fat on me, still underweight, but I'm not losing which was a good sign.  I do try hard to gain weight, but food often doesn't appeal to me, or the eating is difficult ( that swallowing problem carry over from radiation).  One of the things that is getting better is I am having some more taste buds -- for the longest time everything tasted like cardboard..with the quality of the food here at " the home" so poor, was never sure if it was my taste buds or just their crappy food.  Doctor verified it is my taste buds!

The ongoing cough?  That will still be ongoing.  Has to do with my now narrow throat , the low level of saliva - well, that is more info than you need to know. The bottom line, is no PET scan for now and that's the reason to cheer.

Another reason to cheer..

There's  a new book out, well, actually it has been out a couple of months... title is " Hollywood and Crime" and it is a collection of short stories written by the best mystery writers in the business.  My son Lee is one of those who wrote a story for the book and he was singled out in the review in yesterday's LA Times  -- they loved his story!  Gotta agree, the kid can write, and he is one funny guy.  Go get the book, you'll enjoy it.

Another early celebration..

Tonight, here at " the home" we are having a dance. I know, with so many people using walkers or canes, a dance seems to be a stupid idea.  It's an early New Year's Eve, which also seems rather silly but the good news is a great group is coming to entertain. It's a bunch of elderly women who play a mean sax, a clarinet, drums, piano and sing like the Andrews Sisters.  They've entertained here before, for other events, so I will go knowing that the music will be fun and nostalgic.

Another little celebration..

With the news that I don't have to go through the agony of a PET scan, my friend, the writer Ann Shields, and I are meeting for a "Yippee" cup of coffee at 10:30 today. 

Will come back home to this apartment and try and read more of the stories in " Hollywood and Crime" before it's time to get dolled up for our New Year's Eve Early Party.

~ Jan

Travels ...

Treks in my Honda CRV...

I did go to daughter Linda's, just as  I said I would.  All the kids were there, the food was plentiful and the laughs ongoing.  We always have a grand time when we get together and on the 22nd it was just that -- grand.  Linda and  Dustin's house is charming, inviting, and we all like going there.......... besides that, Linda made my Mom's cookie recipes and that was an extra bonus.  Mom would have been proud.

The route from Ventura to Castaic where Linda lives is a pretty drive, through rural areas, past fields and farms and small towns.  It's not all freeway, some sections, known for their high accident scores have stop lights and small strip malls, so I was brake ready as I drove through those areas.  Luckily for me, traffic was light, there were no accidents.  I had a vivid memory of taking that same route to get to the Burbank airport last summer and being stuck on the road for five hours due to an accident, missed my flight -- a horror of a drive.   But this time, with Rod Stewart blasting away on a CD, the scenery mostly pleasant, no big trucks involved in accidents, the trip was an easy one. 

It wasn't such an easy drive for son Lee ( leegoldberg.com) and his family. They had taken some short cut from Calabasas, got lost and had to call for more directions. Son Tod ( todgoldberg.com)  and his Wendy hit gridlock from the time they left their driveway in La Quinta until they pulled in to Linda's driveway and were on the road for hours.

As we waited for Tod and Wendy to arrive, we passed the time eating dips and chips, cookies, and I taught my 13 year old granddaughter Emily how to play gin rummy.  In years past it was almost a tradition for my mother and my son in law Bill to have a gin rummy game -- so now it was my turn to be the matriarch and try to beat the family at the game.  Now, I must tell you, Emily, at 13, is a math genius and is in her second year at Moorpark University taking advanced math classes.  I gave her the basics of the game of gin, dealt the cards and she immediately ginned on me!  It was a tough game with only a few points between us.  We each had 123 points when Tod and Wendy arrived and decided to call it a draw and quit to concentrate on family time.  I think I held up the family honor with my playing, but it's a difficult thing to try and beat Emily!

The gift exchange was fun, always a treat to watch the kids open their gifts and the clever gifts they give to each other is guaranteed to bring a lot of smiles.

I got nice things from everyone -- books , CD, lotions, t-shirts, gift cards.

Pictures?  My little camera was on the fritz ,so I couldn't take any - -however, both Karen and Linda with their fancy high end digital 35mm cameras were clicking away so as soon as they email me photos I will put them on here.

Tod and Wendy knew they might be facing four hours of gridlock to get back to the desert, so left pretty quickly after dinner. I hung around for another hour, then got on the road.  The highway was almost deserted, and very dark and had me feeling a bit anxious cus my night vision just isn't as sharp as it used to be.  Made it back to my exit within 35 minutes!  Whew. 

I was back on the road again on Monday, heading to son Lee's to spend two days, see grand daughter Madison open her gifts on Christmas morning, and just have a lazy relaxing time -- which is exactly what I did.

It was very cold and windy, dropping down to the 30s at night.  Madison and I took a drive in my car, checking out all the holiday decor in their neighborhood and the wind was so strong, I could barely shut my car door.  Okay , so I know that those of you in really cold climates are shaking your head at my saying it was cold, but for those of us in Southern California with houses that don't have double pane windows, that cold wind seems to come right in to the house.

I came home on Wednesday , mid day, and arrived to cold winds in Ventura, too, and a forecast for temperatures to drop down in to the 30's with a high of only 55.  Hey, for us, that's winter!

Today is Thursday, D day, the day I see the oncologist.  It will be a routine visit, get my mediport flushed ,and then talk about my next PET scan which I assume she will schedule for sometime next week.  I dread the scan, always do ---  my entire life revolves around the results. Literally.

On the hope that the scans will be okay, then I can start thinking about a trip back to Palm Springs to visit friends ,maybe take a day or two and stay at the Spa hotel and get massages and facials and be pampered.  I don't even want to think about what could be in store if the scans aren't great.  I feel okay, just still have the fatigue from radiation ,the legs that get weak -- that may never go away, the doc says, so I try to compensate for that, go to bed early, not walk or stand for long periods of time.  Think a lot of that leg and back problem is not from the cancer but directly related to my lupus and degeneration of my spine. That always shows up on the scan.

Tomorrow is a holiday party here at " the home."  An orchestra playing, some buffet kinds of food, and a bit of a hint of New Year's Eve.  I used to always spend New Year's Eve with my beau, we'd go to the La Quinta Hotel for a brunch or lunch, walk through the gardens, then home to prepare a good dinner, or go out somewhere good.. then spend the evening just being together and happy ------------ so whatever is planned here pales in comparison and makes me feel a bit sad.  Makes me wonder, if I had never gotten the cancer, would I still have the beau and the good times, would I still be living in my terrific house back in the desert.  Listen, living in a senior retirement residence was the furthest thing from my mind and there are so many days I long to be with people my own age.  The average age here is about 85 and we have a lot of people in their 90's ----------- on the good side, I sure have a lot of surrogate parents!

On the chance that the doctor won't schedule my scan until after January 2, then I will head back to Lee's for two days ,spend New Year's Eve and day with them.  Their house is huge, two story , but the guest room and en suite bath are on the first floor and I love that room. It is filled with my old antique oak bedroom set, some end tables from my first home almost 50 years ago, so it has such a familiar feel to it... and it's comfy and I sleep so well!  They are putting in a new jacuzzi pool and it might be done by the time I head back, so will tuck a bathing suit in my suitcase. 

I'll be back on here to tell you how it went at the doc's today.... in the meantime, stay warm!

~Jan

Ho, Ho, Ho...

It's Saturday the 22nd and I have the gift bags for my kids and grandchildren lined up in my entry hall ready for me to transport them to daughter Linda's ( visualchronicles.com) for our family gathering, food Marathon, and gift exchange.

The best part of the day , for me, is getting to see all four of my kids and their spouses - -well, yeah, of course, the grand kids, too..... I always miss Tod ( todgoldberg.com) a lot. You know we used to live in the same country club complex and saw each other often, but now, we live four hours apart so the seeing each other is for family events.   I'm semi planning on a drive back t o Palm Springs in late January or early February to spend some time with Tod and the beautiful Wendy, see some friends, hang around old hangouts.

It's only 41 here today and will reach about 55 but with a strong wind. For those of us in Southern California that's winter ,and that's cold, and we day dream of days of warmer sunshine. 

The news...  I haven't anything earth shattering to report, and it seems the talking heads on T.V. don't, either. Was watching the news the other night when the anchor said, " late breaking news..."  Suddenly, I was more alert. Was there some war story, a murder, an announcement from our president?  No , none of the above. The urgent story, the lead of the national news was the word that the young Spears girl was p.g. at 16.  You had to laugh at it all, really.  Her comment that she was shocked, didn't know how this happened.... what , no one told her how babies are made? And her idiot mother with her statement that her daughter was a good girl,  always home by curfew, as if no one ever has sex prior to 10 p.m.

I haven't talked to my tween grand daughters yet about this, but surely it has been a topic of discussion in my children's homes the last few days.  Unwed mothers seems so glorified lately, they get the covers on magazines we all see at supermarket check stands, it's blasted in the news.  It makes me think of actress Ingrid Bergman who was the subject of much debate on her morals in our Congress, had to hide out in Europe when she was pregnant -- and she was no kid.  Actors used to have morals clauses in their contracts -- even a hint of some affair and their career could be pretty much over.  Jaime Lynn Spears will pocket a cool $1 mill when she releases photos of her baby to OK!Magazine.  Now, if that isn't making it all seem like a good idea to get p.g. at 16..... what must young girls be thinking when they read that??

Okay , it's time for me to slap on some makeup, start carting bags down to my car, get ready to see all the kids and have a fun day.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas, a fun holiday time, memorable moments with your family.  Stay warm, be happy.  I'll try and post some photos on here next week so you can see how my family celebrated.

~ Jan   

Brrrr....

WET and WINDY...The storm that hit the pacific northwest is visiting us this weekend. Temperatures have dropped, it's windy, it's cold, it's a good day to stay indoors.

My original plan for today , Saturday, had been to drive to Calabasas and watch grand daughter Madison play in a soccer match, but this weather is not the best for me to be outdoors for a couple of hours getting pelted by rain and wind.  Will have to cancel out.

It's Hanukkah, today is day 5 in the 8 days of lighting candles and gift giving. Here at " the home" there are no gifts, but we have been lighting the candles in the building lobby  each  night and it has turned in to a charming get together with most of the residents taking part.  Those who are Jewish, ( only 5 of us) have shared stories of Hanukkah when we were children, told the others about getting Hanukkah gelt and how that has transformed in to the chocolate covered candy that looks like coins. We have told the story of Hanukkah, too , and played a CD of Hanukkah music. It has been quite festive and I have enjoyed it, and thought a lot about my mother and how she would have enjoyed it, too.

On the hunt...

I've been driving around Ventura, mostly staying within a 5 mile area near this residence. What  I have been doing is checking out the new apartment complexes. I hadn't looked for an apartment in about 50 years and the only time I have "lived" in one is the years my Mom and I had a condo on Maui that was designed like an apartment building.

Most of the apartments have very small living rooms, almost too tiny, but nice kitchens and interior laundry rooms and nice decks. The downside  is that the complexes are huge , one is 400 apartments. There are no garages and , for me, the places are too big.  Makes me long for a place in Palm Springs with security, a golf course and lower rents!  Ventura is very expensive , almost as bad as Santa Barbara.  The average apartment I have seen runs about $1850 a month. Add on utilities and you're counting out over $2500 a month before you even buy groceries.

Why have I been looking, you ask.  I want more space, another bedroom so a grand child or guest can stay overnight... and I want to get my things out of storage, want to cook myself some meals.  There are a lot of pros and cons to consider. If, God forbid, I was sick again, being alone in an apartment with neighbors who may not give a hoot about me, it could be a bad scene.  There wouldn't be a handy man to do things for me, nor would there be maid service once a week.  I'd have to hire a cleaning woman -- add on $60 to that rent -- maybe even have a handyman now and then. 

When I lived in the desert I had a cleaning woman once a week , a handy man every other week.  Do I want that expense again? Would I need those people in an apartment?

Noise. I think about noise and would I hear the people upstairs, next door?  I wouldn't like that.

I've also thought about a condo, townhouse or small house to rent -- but that might be too isolated for me.  Okay if my health is perfect, but if not and I am not up to dragging garbage cans to a street ,who does it for me?  As you can see, there is a lot to consider.

In between dragging myself through various apartments, I have been shopping, trying to finish off the family gifts.  I've taken care of out of town pals by calling Harry and David and ordering gift boxes of fruit. When I lived in the desert a friend used to send me those and  I loved them , so hope my friends will love them  , too. 

We finally settled on a date for our family get together. Believe me , it is hard to coordinate with four families on a day when there are no sports events or other kid activities. Dec. 22 will find us exchanging gifts and laughs.  Not sure where we are going yet - but most likely it will be at either daughter Karen or daughter Linda.

We don't invite outsiders. Is that rude?  Maybe, but it is our once a year time to just be us, do some of our silly traditions and have some fun.  Son Lee is in Germany but will be back in time, so everyone will be there.

My health? So far, so good.  I see the oncologist on Dec. 27 for a routine checkup and on that date we will schedule my January PET scan.  I'm already dreading it. The outcome of that scan will play a big part in my decision to move or not.

Today  I need to start wrapping gifts cus it looks so messy in my little entry with packages from stores piled up.  Will be more of a holiday spirit look if I get the gifts wrapped.  I can stay in the spirit of the holidays if I open the box that came in the mail yesterday from my friend Patty in Rancho Mirage. Every year she makes fudge and delivers it to her friends. It is wonderful fudge and the kids and I , and Mom, always loved it..........  Felt thrilled when she mailed me some, too! 

Another chore  I want to complete is purging my book case of books that I have read and don't need to keep. I've already donated all my Susan Isaacs books to the library and next will be a random selection of books - -maybe donate some Scott Turow.  The books are like friends and I hate to part with them, but need the space.  My kids keep writing books and they are taking up two shelves.

Son Lee's new MONK book is out and I have it here to read. " Monk In Outer Space". Have started it and it is going to be a fun read.  Many of the residents here read Lee's books and he has donated the large print editions to our library, much to the delight of residents.

Okay, this should be a wrap now. Enough blabber for today.