I'm planning on busting outta this joint maybe in January before there's too much snow on the ground. Who thinks they may be up for a visit then? 
Boom Boom's Great Getaway
Mon, 2013-10-21 15:11
#1
Boom Boom
Boom Boom's Great Getaway
Mon, 2013-10-21 15:56
#2
Where are you going, Ottawa?
Mon, 2013-10-21 16:04
#3
Boom Boom
Down south and out west. Have invites already to North Carolina and California. 
Mon, 2013-10-21 16:05
#4
Oh.... well do let us know if you are coming this way.
Mon, 2013-10-21 16:17
#5
Boom Boom
Haven't made any plans yet - open to anyone who'll put me up for a few days.
I did this before in the years 1999 - 2002, just travelled to anyone that wanted a visit from a real live mobster.
Got to see New York City, Washingtonn DC, Orlando Florida, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Ohio, and Michigan, and British Columbia and Ontario on the way home.
Mon, 2013-10-21 16:26
#6
We have moved back to Vancouver Island so PM me when you are going to be out this way. We definitely can find room for you to visit.
Mon, 2013-10-21 16:30
#7
Boom Boom
That would be great - I have a cellmate in Surrey.
Mon, 2013-10-21 16:42
#8
If we have enough warning we might be able to get some bars on the window in the guest room so you feel more at home.
Mon, 2013-10-21 16:54
#9
Not travelling to the US.
Mon, 2013-10-21 18:10
#10
Boom Boom
Krop: 
Mon, 2013-10-21 18:25
#11
Our place is about the size of a shoebox, as wage zombie can attest, so I'm afraid we'd have nowhere for you to stay. If you're passing through Montréal, though, drop me a line -- we may be able to link up for a few hours, schedule permitting. I'd love to be regaled with tales of the Basse-Côte-Nord. I keep meaning to make it out there, but it's just suuuuuuuuuch a long drive!
Mon, 2013-10-21 18:28
#12
Boom Boom
I just fiind Montreal to be the scariest place in the world to drive - but I've never been to Paris.
Mon, 2013-10-21 18:36
#13
It's pretty bad, for sure -- I almost never do it myself. I do live at a transit hub, so maybe you could park on the South Shore or in Laval and take the métro in?
Paris is something else altogether. In New York people will park wherever they can, in Montréal they'll park wherever they can't, and in Paris they'll park on top of people who have parked wherever they can't.
When I ask my wife, though, she says "Cairo. Not even close." (The way her relatives drive seems to bear this out.)
Mon, 2013-10-21 18:44
#14
I'll talk to my partner. If you are of a mind to come this way, and we are here, I'm sure we can do a night or two.
A couple of things - I don't know how you are travelling, but the train is super cheap here in the winter. Also, if you are going down south, and need hotels, those online sites get you in for about half the price. We went down to Phoenix for a course a few years ago, and didn't pay more than $50 a night with a good breakfast on the whole trip.
And if you are going to NM and AZ, you have to check out Arches National Park in southern Utah, in the same stretch as monument valley. It is unbelievably, jaw-droppingly beautiful, like some hallucination landscape.
My list includes a return trip to Chaco Canyon, but it is hard to get into. In Arizona, I recommend the Wupatki site, Montezuma Castle (and the well) and Casa Grande in Florence. Florence was a bit of a shock, as it is basically a prison town - prisons, and deportation camps. But Casa Grande is amazing - basically a prehistoric apartment/astronomical observatory complex.
Tucson is a great town.
Mon, 2013-10-21 19:40
#15
Yes, in the Montréal area the métro now goes up to Laval (three stations) and for a long time it has gone to Longueuil. I can access Laval very quickly; I'm near the junction of the orange and blue lines.
On the bike, I shepherded a friend around with (very) partial vision; I can do the same with you (with hand signals) for limited hearing. I'd be rather afraid to cycle here if mostly deaf. In Amsterdam, I've seen "disabled" and "deaf" signs on the rear end of bicycles, but almost everyone cycles there.
I don't know when cco was last in Paris, but things have improved there immensely, due to the efforts of the Socialist-Green coalition in City Hall there, under Bertrand Lanoë (who is also openly gay). There is a great increase in dedicated bike lanes and bus lanes, and a lot of greening, walkability and traffic-calming measures.
Mon, 2013-10-21 19:40
#16
Yes, in the Montréal area the métro now goes up to Laval (three stations) and for a long time it has gone to Longueuil. I can access Laval very quickly; I'm near the junction of the orange and blue lines.
On the bike, I shepherded a friend around with (very) partial vision; I can do the same with you (with hand signals) for limited hearing. I'd be rather afraid to cycle here if mostly deaf. In Amsterdam, I've seen "disabled" and "deaf" signs on the rear end of bicycles, but almost everyone cycles there.
I don't know when cco was last in Paris, but things have improved there immensely, due to the efforts of the Socialist-Green coalition in City Hall there, under Bertrand Lanoë (who is also openly gay). There is a great increase in dedicated bike lanes and bus lanes, and a lot of greening, walkability and traffic-calming measures.
Mon, 2013-10-21 19:40
#17
Yes, in the Montréal area the métro now goes up to Laval (three stations) and for a long time it has gone to Longueuil. I can access Laval very quickly; I'm near the junction of the orange and blue lines.
On the bike, I shepherded a friend around with (very) partial vision; I can do the same with you (with hand signals) for limited hearing. I'd be rather afraid to cycle here if mostly deaf. In Amsterdam, I've seen "disabled" and "deaf" signs on the rear end of bicycles, but almost everyone cycles there.
I don't know when cco was last in Paris, but things have improved there immensely, due to the efforts of the Socialist-Green coalition in City Hall there, under Bertrand Lanoë (who is also openly gay). There is a great increase in dedicated bike lanes and bus lanes, and a lot of greening, walkability and traffic-calming measures.
Mon, 2013-10-21 19:50
#18
Boom Boom
Never been to Utah. That's an interesting suggestion, but I don't know anyone there. I have good friends in North Carolina, New Mexico, and California that I hope to see.
Part of the reason for thinking about doing this is to get away from the snow, but also it may be my last trip anywhere for a while.
Thu, 2013-10-24 08:59
#19
Boom Boom
My physician put the kibosh on any travel for a while - he's sending me to Quebec City tomorrow for more tests and observation. Damn.. I was so close to busting out of here.
Thu, 2013-10-24 09:18
#20
You've been under observation for years.
Thu, 2013-10-24 12:26
#21
Well, Québec City is a much larger place than anywhere they've sent you recently. What neighbourhood will you be in? Will you be hospitalised, or in a hotel or resource for people undergoing medical testing and procedures?
Thu, 2013-10-24 13:20
#22
Boom Boom
Infant Baby Jesus hospital - so my guess is it's not an atheist-run hospital.
I'm hoping it's a short visit - don't know at this point. I'll be in the hospital for the duration, probably chained to the bed with a couple of Sheriff's deputies at the door.
Thu, 2013-10-24 14:06
#23
'bout time they rounded you up. You have too many associates swimmimg with the fishes.
Thu, 2013-10-24 14:47
#24
Well, Hôpital L'Enfant-Jésus is just as nationalized and state-run as any other Qc hospital, though I'm sure there is some morbid Catholic statuary left here and there. And secularism is NOT atheism.
It is, as I wrote to you privately, well-located in a central urban neighbourhood, Limoilou, with shops and services, and good public transport to the old city centre. It looks a lot like old Montréal neighbourhoods, with triplexes and wrought-iron balconies. I have friends who live near that hospital, and have sent you a map/list of the local main drag and the commerces there.
It is also a very nice area to just walk around, if you feel up to that.
Thu, 2013-10-24 15:42
#25
When we went down (in february) the snow tapered off south of the Black Hills. Denver was like a fall day. On the other hand,. the morning we left Phoenix it was in the 30s (C). Two hours north in Flagstaff there were two feet of fresh snow on the ground. But really, we didn't return to winter until we crossed into Montana.
Thu, 2013-10-24 16:52
#26
Boom Boom
I know Phoenix a bit - had a gf there in the 1990s. Freaky hot - and there's a beautiful Episcopal (Anglican) church there. When I break out of my imprisonment in Quebec City, I'll try to post some photos.
Fri, 2013-10-25 11:12
#27
Boom Boom
A bit more than hlfway there now I think - Im in Sept-Iles, with a six hour layover.
Fri, 2013-10-25 11:25
#28
Certainly more than halfway in terms of travel time, as I imagine that you were in a very small plane (I've been in those in Nunavik. Still skeert.)
Fri, 2013-10-25 12:59
#29
Boom Boom
A Beechcraft - twin engine prop. Waiting for Air Canada now - leaving around 530 pm, should arrive in Quebec City around 7. Sept-Iles restaurant is a joke. High speed \internet is $11 for two hours (actually four hours).
Sun, 2013-10-27 23:46
#30
Boom Boom
Day Three in Quebec City about to start. Anyone interested? :)
Mon, 2013-10-28 07:51
#31
Boom Boom
I have some ground-breaking ideas for citizen participation in health decisions - probably a profoundly bad idea. But here goes: invite friends on a forum to vote on health alternatives.
Here's a fantasy scenario: patient has a life threatening disease, and invites friends to say "yay" or "nay" to options presented. These options could be related to quality of life after agreeing to treatment, and quality of life without treatment (ie: death arrives fairly soon).
Too much? Too extreme? Illegal?
ETA: Okay, you're all in shock. Bad idea. Move on to the next topic - that must have been the meds speaking.
Mon, 2013-10-28 07:57
#32
That doesn't shock me at all. People - patients - have the choice. I don't think it is their friends' business - they have to accept the patient's choice.
Mon, 2013-10-28 08:17
#33
Boom Boom I thnk getting imput from your friends that know you and have your best interests in mind might be useful. Then when you have heard those opinions you need to decide for yourself. As Lagatta said it must be your choice but getting feedback can help in making that choice.
Mon, 2013-10-28 10:00
#34
Boom Boom
Yes, understood. I guess I should start a new thread on the topic. Ethical choice? Health decision making? 
Mon, 2013-10-28 10:05
#35
Sounds like a Bishop's Counsel to me.
Mon, 2013-10-28 11:40
#36
Boom Boom
Heh. Let's not drag the Spanish Inquisition into this.
Thu, 2013-10-31 12:07
#37
Boom Boom
Well, it's come to this. I had to be admitted to L'enfant Baby Jesus Vampire Hospital here in Quebec City, because although I feel just perfectly fine, my tests showed a have advanced A Cute Myelogenous Leukemia. I'm in a strictly controlled protective isolation ward, and you don't get in for visits if you have a cold, the flu, or appear to be of disreputable character.
The specialist who did two bone marrows on me said we have to start chemo asap. I asked if there was an alternative available, and she said "death within two months".
I should have asked if I get a puppy with that.
That's five weeks of chemo ahead. Expct me to be a grumpy old bastard for the next few weeks. I'm pissed because I didn't get out in truck and made a grand escape before being admitted to hospital. 
Thu, 2013-10-31 12:14
#38
Get well soon my good friend.
Thu, 2013-10-31 12:50
#39
Boom Boom
It'll get much worse before it gets better. The doc said with this incredibly strict regimen there actually can be a cure. after five weeks, I go home for two weeks, then it's back to the hospital again for follow-up. it's a complicated business, but easier to get through when it's all explained ahead of time.
Thu, 2013-10-31 13:08
#40
Timebandit
I'm sorry to hear you're ill, Boom Boom. The good news is that chemo is not nearly as horrendous as it used to be, so I hope you tolerate it well and don't have many of the bad effects.
Thinking of you, wishing you the best.
Thu, 2013-10-31 17:59
#41
Boom Boom
The worse is yet to come, but supposedly at the end of five weeks you'd be back to almost normal again. Or dead.
Okay, I made that last bit up. Gallows humour.
Thu, 2013-10-31 18:52
#42
RevolutionPlease
Way to keep the sense of humour. Kick its' butt Boom Boom.
Thu, 2013-10-31 19:17
#43
Boom Boom
I've always liked the line associated with Oscar Wilde: destitute, and on his deathbed, he is reputed to have said, "Either that wallpaper goes, or I do."
Thu, 2013-10-31 20:20
#44
-
Learn enough to make decisions about your care. The term "leukemia" can be confusing because it refers to a group of cancers that aren't all that similar except for the fact that they affect the bone marrow and blood. You can waste a lot of time researching information that doesn't apply to your kind of leukemia. To avoid that, ask your doctor to write down as much information about your specific disease as possible. Then narrow your search for information accordingly.
Write down questions for your doctor before each appointment, and look for information in your local library and on the Internet. Good sources include the National Cancer Institute, the American Cancer Society and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
-
Lean on family and friends. It can be tough to talk about your diagnosis, and you'll likely get a range of reactions when you share the news. But talking about your diagnosis can be helpful. So can the outpouring of practical help that often results.
- Take care of yourself. It's easy to get caught up in the tests, treatments and procedures of therapy. But it's important to take care of yourself, not just the cancer. Try to make time for yoga, gardening, cooking or other favorite diversions.
..i looked it up and this is from mayo. it's back to work for you my friend.
Thu, 2013-10-31 21:09
#45
Mayo? I made some today. With olive oil and hot English mustard powder. And lemon, of course.
Thu, 2013-10-31 22:09
#46
laine lowe
Boom Boom, keeps your spirits high even through the most gruelling part of chemo - you have a great sense of humour which I hope helps you get through the lows. Fingers, toes, arms, legs and hairs crossed that you get through this next five weeks as best as possible. Hugs, sparqui.
Thu, 2013-10-31 23:43
#47
Boom Boom:
Fri, 2013-11-01 09:49
#48
Boom Boom
Thanks, all. Had a very difficult morning but I'll spare the details.
Here's where I'm at today: See That My Grave Is Kept Clean
Sorry - more gallows humour.
Fri, 2013-11-01 10:03
#49
I'm glad to hear from you at all, as the initial chemo is so hard on the system, killing a lot of good cells as well as the nasty ones... As timebandit says, it is much more targeted - and effected - than earlier generations, but still a very harsh cure.
By the way, BB is still alive at 88, despite living with diabetes and other serious medical conditions for many years...
Fri, 2013-11-01 13:27
#50
Boom Boom you need to take care of yourself and hopefully your recovery will be even better than you imagine. I love your gallows humour and think it wil help you heal. In keeping with that view here is one of my favourites. Its a cover song done by Saffire the Uppity Blues Women on their Ain't Gonna Hush album.
Fri, 2013-11-01 13:32
#51
Boom Boom
Chemo is very toxic stuff - the nurses wear protective gowns, masks and gloves while administering it. I get it for five more days, then I think a week of tests, and then more chemo.