The Itchy and Scratchy Show

Purty, no? This is the street outside my sweetie's building, full of lushly blooming trees. To the right is a pocket park, a la Bryant Park or Tompkins Square Park (hey, in an urban area, you do what you can). And just like Tompkins Square Park's history, you would never know from looking at it that when he moved in over a decade ago, that loud bang outside was NOT the sound of a car backfiring... At the moment, this particular leafy green park is actually closed for renovations, and as with all municipal projects in any city, who knows when it will re-open?

Actually, it's kind of peaceful without all of the various inhabitants (children, dogs, skateboarders, boomboxes, etc.) who/which normally hang out there until all hours of the night, so we're enjoying the peace and quiet when the windows are open to catch the spring breeze.

Or I should say, the spring breeze and tree pollen. See how close this tree is to his window? And that's just ONE tree. You see the others in the photo above, no? So although the Decadron seems to have protected me from the enormous expanse of greenery in Central Park, it appears a little overwhelmed by the sheer proximity to this park, since the trees are RIGHT there, literally next to his window. Either that, or these varieties are more itch-inducing. Oops.

Still the itching in my throat and eyes is way better than most years, so I'm not too bothered. Hopefully, it will stay that way. And on the whole, this chemo cycle (so far -- knock on wood) seems much better than the last, for which I am PROFOUNDLY grateful.

I am hoping that this means what my PoW told me about her experience also holds true for me: each cycle is different and the body will behave unpredictably across cycles. So just because round 2 was horrible, doesn't mean round 3 will be the same. And so on, and so forth. Hoorah! (Since I am typing, I can't cross my fingers at the moment, but my ankles are crossed. Does that count?)

So I'm also hoping that this means I will feel perky enough to attend the traditional end of semester party this Tuesday at the pottery studio... which I haven't been to since before the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday! My teacher invited me, since I may be (temporarily) gone but not forgotten by the gang there. I plan on attending classes again at some point, but it feels so removed, in the sense that it's sort of from the "BC period" and well, this year my life has been all about the "AD" period.

On to more lighthearted topics, I like this mug I saw in some store window. Now that's MY kind of math! Although really, I am happy to still have a job -- especially these days! -- and one that I actually like and enjoy, with people who are supportive about my health issues (and consequent occasional absences). Yes, I know I've said it before, but I (superstitiously and gratefully) think it never hurts to say it again.

Whoops! -- I just remembered a project I was supposed to have worked on over the weekend! DOH! We're a bit behind, what with the same volume of work but half the staff as last year. Oh well. Better that way than the reverse: idle time = "so why are we still paying you folks again?"

And now, I leave you with another pretty view from my sweetie's area of Jersey City, since I had better get to bed so that I can get a decent amount of sleep prior to getting up for said job in the morning.