ONWARD AND FORWARD IN NEW MEXICO

It has been awhile since we got a message out. Kind of had to have an attitude re-adjustment. Think that has been accomplished. Although, I am not absolutely sure - I have a new anger subject. I have been trying to get on the computer for two days and it just sits here and makes a noise and sticks it tongue out at me. I finally called Scott and he agreed to come up and fix it tomorrow. I leave and come back and Mary Marlin is sitting here just computing away like nothing ever happened. Oh - that upsets me! Its almost like discrimination. Now she thinks she knows more than I do. Time for another attitude readjustment.


NEW MEXICO MEDICAL TESTS:

Instead of being able to go to one facility and have a team of doctors work me over one after another, I have had to schedule appointments with various doctors all over town in Albuquerque. Each doctor is an automatic one hour wait in the waiting room in addition to your appointment time. Each doctor visit is another treat of three year old magazines that are worn and torn with all the cross word puzzles and Viagra ads torn out. I wonder how many contagious diseases you pick up in the doctor's office just by handling those magazines.

The first test was an Echo Cardiogram to check out my heart. I guess this is something new. They put all these wires on and their is this strange gurgling sound and these wierd pulsating images come up on the computer screen. I think that is your heart. When the procedure is all over you hear - "HEART IS OKAY" - "HEART IS OKAY" - "HEART IS OKAY" - "HEART IS OKAY" - "HEART IS OKAY" - just like an echo. No wonder they call it an echo cardiogram. I understand the faintest of these sounds can be heard all the way down to Houston. I guess that is the reason they wanted me to get it done here. The folks down in Houston would get the results right away - even beats electronic transmission.

I was in severe pain during this procedure. Not from the procedure but from stomach gas. After hearing the echo on my heart results I was determined to hold that gas on my stomach until I got out of there, otherwise it would have been a "Red Alert" and we would have had Homeland Security rushing into the hospital while F-16's were flying overhead. What a nightmare that was.

Yesterday i went over and had a CAT Scan at New Mexico Ongology. That wasn't too bad except they ask you to hold your breath for twenty seconds and then ask you a question. that's the way Dentists operate - fill your mouth full of tools and then expect you to carry on a conversation.

In preparation for the CAT Scan, I had to go in the day before and pick up two really huge bottles of barium which I was supposed to drink. Actually, I think they are about a pint, but when you're drinking that stuff each bottle suddenly becomes about 5 gallons in size.

This is a great improvement from the old days. They used to get that barium into your stomach a different way - like with an enema. Oh - I hated that more than anything. They would fill you full of that white stuff and you thought if you blinked an eye you were going to lose it all. You lay there careful not to breathe or blink an eye - or even have a new thought come into your mind, and then they finally finish up. They send you to a rest room one hundred yards away through this maze of hallways - to discharge the barium they have forced into your system. I kept looking over my shoulder expecting to see a white line like the center stripe down the highway. I remember one time I got lost on the way to the rest room and entered a door where I didn't recognize any of the plumbing fixtures. I didn't have time to analyze the situation, I had to get rid of that stuff. I'm just an old farm boy so I figured I just wasn't up to date on new plumbing fixtures. I learned after the fact that I had entered the wrong room and that was a laundry sink. I never went back to the hospital - knowing how unsanitary it was.

Anyway, with this new and improved system, they give you these two bottles which you are supposed to drink before you come in. In case you cheated, they give you another huge glass of this stuff to drink just before they scan your cats. They even have this stuff in flavors now - vanilla, bananna or apple. When I went in to sign for my bottles the day before the CAT Scan, she asked me what flavor I preferred. I looked her straight in the eye with the most serious face I possess and I said; "Budweiser"! She got this kind of shocked look on her face as her mouth fell open a bit. This whole business isn't all that much fun - I gotta have fun somewhere along the line.

Well I got some of the frustration off my chest by writing a kind of blunt - maybe a little bit nasty - ten page letter to a whole bunch of people in the Presbyterian system, including the President and Chairman of the Board. I figure that between this letter an my behavior at the two exams I have completed, they are going to pay me to go back to MD Anderson. On the other hand, they might just kick me out of the program altogether - we will see.

Talked to the General Manager at CarMax today, and after I had convinced a doctor to sign a work release I was able to convince the GM that I could go back to work tomorrow, so I will be the all time friend of the consumer again tomorrow as I show and tell everything I want you to know about any and all of our special one owner grandmother cars that have never been in the rain or snow and only driven for a total of 500 miles over the past two years. Just kidding - if I wasn't with CarMax I am sure I couldn't sell cars. CarMax is the best of the best, and starting tomorrow they will be the most betterest in the business.

Have a great weekend!!

I WANT A NEW CAR

STORY: I want a new car. I have done a tremendous amount of research and have outlined all of my requirements to come up with the car I really need. Safety is a major consideration, quality is also a consideration, value and perception are also important.

I am dealing with a broker and have signed a contract with this broker to be my exclusive agent in getting a car. This broker has many different cars and even has the ability to make a car through some of his automotive connections. But, I have decided I like the features of the Ferrari. It is a hand built automobile, the Ferrari name has years and years of research and perfection behind it. It is build in a very high tech plant with all of the most recent high tech systems. It is the best of the best! I want this car.

My broker says - "Hey that's okay - you have a contract with us but we will let you go and have your own special built Ferrari made to your specifications. We will get a small cut from the people who make the car. So, I take off for Ferrari land and spend a good deal of time and money with these people at the Ferrari Company, and the car is planned on the basis of my own particular requirements.

The Ferrari people, who have experts in every phase of the automobile business start to build the car. I am just ready to go back to the Ferrari plant to finalize some very important details regarding the engine, transmission and exterior of the car. I get a call from my broker who says; "According to our contract with you, we don't want you to go back to the Ferrari plant at this time. You see, we can supply the engine ourselves we have connections with one of the automobile plants here in the US. It may not be a hand built Ferrari engine, but it is an engine - and it will give us some extra profit. Besides, we have mechanics that are out of work here. The same thing goes for the transmission and paint. When we have completed all our work, you can go back to Ferrari and pick up your car and it will still have the Ferrari label on it - no one will know the difference.

I am heartbroken and totally stressed out. I thought I was going to get a pure Ferrari. I have confidence in these Ferrari people. I have seen too many mistakes with the local product. I am concerned about the safety aspect. I don't want to die early just because the brakes fail or some safety feature doesn't work.

I have a contract - I guess I can't do anything else. What a disturbing situation.

CAR BUYER = ME
FERRARI = MD ANDERSON
LOCAL BROKER = GUESS?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I found out today that Presbyterian is not going to approve next weeks visit to MD Anderson. I have spent the best part of the last four days pleading my case to no avail. This morning they called to tell me they can do everything that MD Anderson does locally. This is not true but I guess they think it is. The sad thing is that I called approximately 10 days ago, and after spending roughly 45 minutes on the phone was given confirmation that these charges would be covered. Obviously they have changed their mind. I spent most of today on the phone notifying MD Anderson people I would not be there and trying to arrange appointments here for the things that were supposed to be done in Houston. It was a nice gesture on the part of Presbyterian to wait until today when I am supposed to leave on Monday. After all, sick and old people have all the time in the world on their hands. That is why it is okay for you to wait more than an hour in the tiny doctor office waiting for him or her to come in. They are busy - you are not. You are just the token patient.

I know I had said I would go regardless. Perhaps I was a little careless as I didn't see any way that Presbyterian would refuse after all of this, but they did. After reviewing the tests and procedures that were going to be done, it is not worth $5,000 to $10.000 to me at this time to go to Houston.

I am too close to the finish line to quit the race. I have to take a deep breath, get my head screwed on straight and attack again.

Thanks for your prayers and support!!

LETS TRY AGAIN!

Its been awhile since I posted a blog. Actually I wrote a pretty long one several days ago and after reading it I destroyed it.

Things have been a little tough lately and the blog I wrote was pretty negative and I don't like negative so we will bury that blog.

Still having some after affects of the chemo and radiation and just feel drained. I don't feel like doing anything and have been sleeping a lot. My in-house support team, my wonderful wife Mary Marlin, has made life interesting for me in typical wife style. When she thinks I look tired she tells me to take a nap. When she thinks I have slept enough, she - not so inconspicuously, wakes me up. She has the ability of getting up in the morning, getting dressed, leaving the house and I don't even hear a tiny sound. On the other hand, when she thinks I have slept long enough she can't open the door without banging it around a bit. I haven't caught her, but I know that she pulls open any drawer and opens and closes that same door three or four times. She accidentally turns on a light - just long enough to get my attention and turns on the sprinkler system so the sprinklers just outside the patio door are making a whoosh - whoosh sound every few seconds. She has been a great help and asset but wants to make certain I know who is in charge.

She will casually suggest the lawn needs to be mowed, but when I start to do something on my own she will stop me with the advice I shouldn't be doing anything - just resting. I got sick and tired of feeling sick and tired, so the other day while she was gone I went up on the roof and serviced the swamp cooler. You are supposed to do that once a year when you turn on the air. I have already done it once, but I did it again. I took out all the pads and put in new ones, drained it and filled it up again. It was close to 100 degrees outside and probably hotter on the roof and I got a really good workout. However, it proves a point. When you feel like you are really tired you need to do something physically instead of resting. I was worn out but I really felt a lot better.

In the process of servicing the swamp cooler I discovered something that I should patent or copyright or whatever you do with some really smart idea you have. I thought it would be a great idea to add something to the water to help purify it and create a pleasant odor. I heard about someone putting fabric softener in the water which accomplishes this and also does something good to the pads. I couldn't find any fabric softener so I looked in the laundry room and found something that was a whitener and spot remover. I didn't realize it was bottled in a concentrated form and dumped the bottle into the water. Pretty soon I had these huge foam of bubbles coming out all sides of the swamp cooler. I was thinking pretty soon the whole roof of the house would be covered with bubbles and foam and it would be coming out of the vents in the house. Fortunately it didn't get that bad and I forgot to mention that aspect of my servicing the swamp cooler to good wife. I got bawled out anyway for getting up on the ladder and on the roof in the 100 degree heat. Just think what would have happened if foam was dripping off the edge of the roof onto the driveway as she tried to get her car in the garage. Lets say, if nothing else, she keeps me alive just keeping on my toes trying to stay out of trouble.

One of the things that distressed me more than anything else was another fight with Presbyterian this past week. I am scheduled to go back to Houston next week for a re-staging where they will do all the tests and procedures I had on the first visit including a CAT scan, x-rays, blood work, cardiologist etc. Trying to cover all my bases, I called about 10 days ago to make sure this would be covered by Presbyterian. They couldn't reach my representative, whom I don't get along with, but after 45 minutes on the phone they reached someone who said it would be covered. Two days ago my representative did rise from the dead and called me and said it would not be covered. Today I was on the phone all day and went over her head and talked to three different people - all very nice. By the way - my representative is no longer my representative. They are going to try to get it approved but at this point there are no guarantees. So, they either approve it and pay for it, I cancel the appointments, or I pay for it myself which will be between $5,000 and $10,000. Obviously I have been a little stressed over this. They have two days to make a decision, so I have my fingers crossed. I will keep the appointments - regardless.

Met with the Oncologist here in Albuquerque today to set up my chemotherapy. I liked him a lot, l Iike New Mexico Oncology and think everything will be fine here. He is a little independent and changed the orders he received from MD Anderson a little. Their program calls for a four hour long intravenous session. He has added some other stuff to their chemical requirement and a long session of saturating my body with liquids to keep from damaging the kidneys. His session is 7 1/2 hours long including blood tests at the end. I told him there was no way I could sit still for 7 1/2 hours. He said, you won't - you will be getting up frequently to go to the bathroom.

MD Anderson had an outline filled with information about what you could and couldn't do, it was kind of a rule book. Not much to my liking but at least I looked at it. Basically you eat nothing but fruits and vegetables, drink nothing but water and lots of it, get plenty of rest, resist all temptation, brush your teeth after every meal, and don't spit on the sidewalk. Maybe it wasn't quite that bad, but it was along those lines. It was not designed for me. This wonderful doctor told me to eat anything and everything I wanted to eat. This treatment does kind of destroy your appetite and he wants me to maintain my weight and strength more than anything else. He said drink anything you want. I asked about beer and he said - "I told you anything - I want your body filled with liquids." Obviously he doesn't want me sitting in a bar all day, but a beer at night is not a bad thing in his book. It is not a bad thing in my book either. I think I will like this guy except for the 7 1/2 hours. In Albuquerque we have these street people who sit at all the major intersections with cardboard signs telling you their unfortunate stories and asking for handouts. I'm thinking that after I get a feel for this place, I can slip out and get one of these guys to act as a substitute for at least four hours for a couple of bucks. I'm going to give it a try.

By this time next week I should be back from Houston. Hopefully I won't have a big hole in my wallet as a result of this trip. Give me some positive thinking and prayer on this matter if you will please.

THE FOURTH QUARTER - I GUESS

As I compare my little cancer experience to football, I guess we are at the beginning of the fourth quarter. The Kick Off was on February 16th in the emergency room when they discovered the tumor.
The first quarter included visits with a surgeon in Albuquerque, upper GI CAT scan, several consultations and finally the endoscopic biopsy. The second quarter included several trips to Houston for all the different exams including another biopsy. Also included were more consultations. We just finished the third quarter which included the treatment phase with a month spent in Houston for chemotherapy and radiation.

The fourth quarter warm up started this last week with another argument with the same woman at Presbyterian over payment of visits to Houston next week - which had already been approved for payment. I am confident we can get this turned around but the additional stress it causes - for no reason, is very upsetting. I will be in Houston the week after this next week - They will pay regardless of whether they say they are going to or not and it will be easier on both of us if they just go ahead and do what they are supposed to do and have already agreed to do.

I start the 4th quarter with my initial visit to New Mexico Oncology on Wednesday the 18th. They have been given the protocol by MD Anderson for the chemotherapy and it just makes a lot more sense to have that done here. I will have a four hour session every other week for two months. This would require four separate trips to Houston and I would probably need to stay over at least four or five days after each session. This way I can come home and get sick all over my own place and not have to pay $100 + per night to get sick at the Holiday Inn.

As stated earlier, it will be back to Houston for re-staging the next week. This will pretty much duplicate all of the exams of the first trip - including another biopsy to measure the progress or lack thereof. I just love that biopsy exam. They are sending down cameras, needles, cutting devices and heaven only knows what else - through my mouth and throat and then picking away at my pancreas. I have picked up my car from getting repairs done, only to find a tool or two under the hood. I hope these guys don't leave any tools behind, especially the cutting kind.

The rest of the fourth quarter will be spent doing the chemotherapy in Albuquerque and then hopefully back to Houston for surgery. I am hoping at the end of the fourth quarter we will win the game and - no overtime please.

*****************************************************************************************************************

WHY ME?

I read comments made by another cancer patient and he said that almost everyone who learns they have cancer can't help ask the question; "Why Me?"

This is a tough one - I don't want to try to sound brave or courageous but I never even thought of the question, "Why Me?" I was devastated when I first learned I probably had cancer only because I didn't expect this. It was like being blindsided by a truck. "Hey - I didn't come here (emergency room) to be told I had cancer. I came here about the pain in my chest." It was a real shock but I never did think it should be someone else or the "Why Me?" question.

Again, I am not trying to sound courageous or impress anyone, but as I progressed into the examination and treatment stages of cancer, it hit me that I was really very lucky. Think about it. The tumor was discovered February 16th. I have been gently prepared in a number of different ways to be able to deal with this thing. I have had time to get personal issues arranged so I can just kind of slide through the events I need to be involved in. I have had the opportunity of going through all of this - one step at a time. The trauma of this has been reduced because I know what to anticipate - no major surprises. And finally, I am on the tail end of my life span. I have already had many experiences that I won't be cheated out of because of a disability or death.

I can truthfully say I would rather it be me than any of my sons, my grandchildren and many of my friends who have their whole lives in front of them. I can deal with it - it isn't a big deal. If I was 21 or 22 and found I had cancer, I am sure I would say "Why Me?"

If I had small children at home, children in college, if I had just finally been promoted to a top position in my company, if I was heavily in debt and had a family - yes I might say; "Why Me?"

Maybe there are a lot of people who have a legitimate reason for saying; "Why Me" - and I certainly don't criticize them for that, but I feel I have been very lucky and have no reason to say; "Why Me?"

When you think of the lives that are lost or substantially altered by accidents on the highways and streets - with no warning at all, no time to prepare, no option to not be involved - my situation seems pretty mild.

When you think of all the people in Iraq and other hostile places that can lose their life in a matter of seconds or have it substantially altered, with little or no warning, sometimes with no time to prepare and usually with no option to not be involved - my situation is easy.

When you think of all the anger and hatred that leads to violence including shootings, domestic violence, rape and/or drug related date rape, other accidents besides car accidents where people not only have visible scars but phycological scars that no one can see for life - I am very lucky in comparison.

Please don't worry about me or feel sorry for me. Feel sorry for all the victims you read about in the papers or see on TV on a daily basis who have no hope - as I have. Reach out and touch the lives of single parents who are struggling, of young people who are need of love and friendship, of anyone and everyone who is troubled with debt, employment, domestic violence or any other issue.

Let us all see if we can make a difference in one person's life each day even if it is just with a smile and a kind word to start. The hurt and pain and suffering in our town today is the worst kind of cancer in the world - and MD Anderson - as great as they are, hasn't found a cure for it yet. We are the only hope.

Thanks in advance for being kind and considerate to your fellow man and woman!

LIPS ARE ACTIVATED BY FOOD AGAIN!

The computer is acting funky and won't let me do a title for this blog. I know Scott can fix whatever the problem is but it's late so I will do one without a title. Why do these computer programs decide on their own to change the rules?

(SINCE I JUST MADE A NASTY COMMENT ABOUT THE COMPUTER IT SUDDENLY ALLOWED ME TO CREATE A TITLE. I JUST KNOW THERE ARE LITTLE PEOPLE INSIDE THE COMPUTER THAT HEAR MY COMMENTS AND REACT ACCORDINGLY. THAT IS PROBABLY WHY I AM SHUT DOWN COMPLETELY FROM TIME TO TIME.)

Anyway, after a few horrible days with my stomach and a fairly substantial weight loss, my lips are back in action again. Watch out girls!!! I never knew what Lip-O-Suction meant before, but now I have it figured out. My lips are sucking up every piece of food that comes within 6 feet of them. Not too happy about that as I was happy with the weight loss. I think I am getting back into form again. Remember, round is a form! Actually a little over a year ago I was at 260. When I started with MD Anderson I was at 240 and just recently got down to 226 1/2, but that looks like history now. A few years ago my oldest granddaughter suggested she might get me a pair of sweat pants for Christmas with "Good Year" printed on each leg - like Good Year Blimp! Children just don't have any manners today.

Things are going along okay and I am feeling fit as a fiddle - an old fiddle at that. I still tire pretty easily but do a few errands each day. I have even cooked a few meals and washed a few dishes here lately. Hope energy level picks up so I can get to more exciting activities. Going back to Houston for re-staging the last week of the month. It is amazing - they discovered the tumor on February 16th - Scott's birthday, and so far all they have done is torture me. I will die of old age before they get that thing removed.

I have been so lucky and think I have had a pretty good attitude, after I got over the shock of having cancer, and I think that has helped me a lot. In my case it is a matter of "Ignorance is Bliss". Scott understands everything that is going on, in fact he probably could perform the surgery by now. I am a little laid back and don't pay all that much attention to details. I just flirt with the nurses and crack jokes and leave the detail work to Scott. But my dear brother, John in Denver, introduced me to a new book/DVD and while I think I am practicing much of what they talk about, this DVD was so fantastic and exciting I can't get to sleep. I recommend it to anyone and everyone. It is called; "The Secret" Go rent the DVD as I did and see what you think. My next step is to buy both the DVD and the book. In fact I think I will buy at least a dozen copies of the book to pass on to others I think could benefit from it. (Now go buy your own book - don't wait for me to send you one.)

Speaking of my brother John, I have pretty much introduced my whole family but I didn't tell you about John. He is truly Mr. Fantastic! He is the best brother anyone could ever hope to have. He and his wonderful wife Nancy have a beautiful family of three married children and also have some grandchildren. Piper is the oldest child, Austin and Holly are twins and they are all part of what I would call the perfect family. John and Nancy are in the real estate business and have spent a tremendous amount of their time the past few years caring for our Mother, Priscilla. She is a beautiful lady and just as sweet as can be. She had a new house at the edge of the lake that John and Nancy helped her get, but the last few years her memory has started slipping. John and Nancy turned their living room and dining room of their home into a separate apartment and have moved mom in and care for her 24/7. They never have any time for themselves anymore but they are just as pleasant and sweet as they can be about the whole thing. They want to keep mom out of a nursing home so they have committed their time and assets to keeping her comfortable and happy. Sometimes when I talk to John on the phone I can tell he is really tired, but he always has that smile in his voice and never a complaint.

By now you have met my 3 wonderful sons, my beautiful wife and now my brother and sister in law and their children and even my mom. I am sure you have figured it out by now, but there is one black sheep in the family. Hey - somebody had to take that responsibility!

Love you all and hope to be back in touch soon.

AL

HOUSTON LIFTOFF!!

In a few hours it will be "goodbye Houston", at least for awhile. It will be good to get back to familiar surroundings but I am not looking forward to the heat and the tall grass and stacked up bills and mail. I was apprehensive about the heat and humidity in Houston and it has been very pleasant. According to news reports, it is Albuquerque that is having horrible temperatures.

Once again, I appreciate everyones support and love and especially your prayers. I probably won't be doing a blog report on a regular basis for awhile as the next month is supposed to be a "rest period" so I doubt I will have anything to report on the cancer front. Please keep in touch with me through my email address if I don't have a blog report. Address is: albuqal@msn.com I will always look forward to hearing from any and all of you.

God Bless

AL

*** JULY 4TH ***

My good friend and cousin, David Hurt up in Northern Illinois, called the other day to remind me of how we spent every July 4th in the "old days". We didn't have all the government regulations in those days, and while we were not all so protected by "big brother" we seemed to get along okay.

We grew up on farms in Southern Colorado in the beautiful San Luis Valley, and our farms were about a mile apart as the crow flies. (We were too poor to afford a crow in those days, but if we would have had one - he or she would to have flown about a mile.

Every 4th usually started around the 2nd or 3rd of July while we tested out a few fireworks. The 4th was the big event and David's family and my family and the Allison's (my mother's side of the family) would get together. This often included the family of my cousin Bill, relatives of David's family, Bill's family and other friends and neighbors.

This big event would have caused us to be put in jail, stopped by homeland security and/or many other government agencies today. We started out with sky-rockets. Our dads created a rocket tube out of pipe and these powerful rockets would be put in the end and the fuse was lit - and it was star born. We had big six inch fire crackers and we would light them and then quickly put a tin can over the fire cracker and it would sometimes go ten feet in the air or more. We had Roman Candles you would hold and balls of colored fire would shoot out the end. One exploded and caught my sister's hair on fire and she ran around screaming until someone got it put out. She had a few scabs on her scalp and forehead, but nothing more. Then my grandfather Allison lit a fountain that would shoot colored sparks into the air. Nothing happened so he stood over the fountain to see if it was lit. Just as he moved his head back it shot off and had a beautiful display of colored sparks that showered down to the ground. In the process, Grandpa had singed eyebrows. Now he was a banker, so a pin striped suit doesn't necessarily give you an exemption from getting hurt when you do something not too smart.

This fireworks display went on and on and was supplemented with gobs of great food including my mom's special recipe for potato salad and lots of ice cream and cake.

The 5th of July, which is my birthday (39th this year in fact) extended the holiday another day as David and I searched around the farm like great treasure hunters finding all of the spent fireworks. Usually we would shoot off a few more that night in honor of my birthday.

I wasn't there at the time, but a few short years ago, my beautiful mother who is 94 years old now, went to one of these 4th of July celebrations and sat on a chair to watch the display. The story goes that a six inch firecracker landed under her chair and the next day she delivered me into the world. The legend is that I have been a firecracker all my life because of this trauma I went through. I think that means that I have been exploding all over the place all my life just to fall to the ground in tiny pieces. Some say I wasn't a firecracker at all, but just a fizzle - we called those duds.

FAST FORWARD TO JULY 4TH 2007 - HOUSTON, TEXAS

Had a great 4th July with my wife, Mary Marlin and son Andrew. Spent most of the day touring NASA headquarters and what an awesome experience. I came away with mixed emotions about a number of things. MM and I had been there about 15 years ago and it has changed so much in such a relatively short period of time.

There were photos of the headquarters back around the time it opened showing people working in NASA Control with cigarettes hanging out of their mouths and a celebration where everyone seemed to have a big cigar in their mouth. As a former smoker, I can't even believe that we used to work in environments with paper and other flammable materials and smoke and not think a thing about the hazard of fire, not to mention health hazards.

We saw the first manned capsule that went up which didn't have as much room as a toilet stall at the airport. Then they added another person but only increased the size of the capsule by 50%. Then a third person was added when they went to the moon and this included our own Harrison Schmitt from New Mexico.

Today the cost of the Astronaut's suit is $12 million! I just recently upgraded to $120.00 suits for business and I only have a couple of these. (Just kidding - I wear expensive clothes. My suits cost at least $200.00 and I get a new one every 5 years whether I need it or not - especially if Goodwill has a sale)

I got a lot of interesting statistics which I can't remember, but one that I do remember is the swimming pool they have. It is the largest swimming pool in the world - 4 stories deep. It holds 6 million gallons of water and takes 30 days to fill. The water is recycled every 19 hours. A full size replica of the space station lies in the bottom of the pool plus other space equipment. This gives Astronauts in training an opportunity to simulate a weightless environment while conducting studies and doing the mechanical things they have to do. Another interesting display was a replica of Saturn 5. It has five stages and the first "lift off" stage burns 1 million pounds of fuel per second on take off.

One of the most interesting bits of information I received is a process they have developed where they can insert an LED into a person and then insert a capsule of some kind and the LED will activate the capsule or pill and it goes to work killing cancer cells. No surgery, no radiation, no chemotherapy - yes, bring on!!!

We came back to Houston and drove up to the top floor of our parking garage and had a great seat to watch the most magnificent display of fire works I have ever seen. (Sorry - Cousin David, but it honestly beats what we did on the farm a few years ago. Not by much, but it still beats it.) They had a beautiful display and even sent up fireworks that exploded into a circle with a smiley face inside. It was great. Met a lot of nice people up on the top floor including several MD Anderson survivors. Spent a lot of time with a lady who came here 30 years ago at the age of 22 and had been given six months to live.

INTERESTING FACTS ON HOUSTON

The port of Houston is the second largest major port in the U.S. in total tonnage and ranks first in foreign waterborne commerce.

The Galleria - Houston's largest and best-known retail mall, has 320 stores and is visited by more than 16 million people annually.

Houston was founded in 1836 by two brothers, Augustus and John Allen who paid $1.40 per acre for 6,642 acres.

The Astrodome was the first domed stadium in the world and was constructed in 1955 and also promoted the invention of astroturf.

The first word spoke from the moon on July 28,1969 was "Houston"

Houston and New York City were the first cities to build power plants.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

OUT OF HERE!

Will be back in Albuquerque sometime next week. Looking forward to seeing all my Albuquerque friends and best wishes to all of you!!!!

COMPUTER ATE YESTERDAYS REPORT

The computer ate yesterdays report. I thought it was pretty good but evidently the computer thought differently. So we will try again.

It has been a tough few days - the radiation is getting to me. About Wednesday I started feeling the affects of it and it has gotten worse every day. This morning was the worst of the worst and I hope these problems will soon start to disappear.

It looks like I will be back in Albuquerque sometime next week and I will be on a rest program for the month of July with appointments back in Houston towards the end of July. Then Chemo in Albuquerque for two months and then back to Houston about the first of October.

I have mentioned the many blessings I have had, and I truly have had great and abundant blessings. One of the blessings I have mentioned several times are my sons who have rotated in and out to take care of the "Old Man". Since I consider all of you my best friends and almost a second family, I want to take this opportunity to introduce my three sons I am so proud of.

JL (John Leslie - named after my brother John and my wife's brother Leslie) is the oldest of my sons and lives in Dallas. He was down here with me last week and left on Saturday and Andrew came in on Sunday. JL went to Tulane University in New Orleans and finished his undergraduate work in Albuquerque. He then moved to Dallas and got his MBA from Southern Methodist University. He is an internal auditor for Country Wide Mortgage - a very large nation wide firm. He travels around the country and audits the activities in the locations from Florida to California and a lot of places in between. He is married, and he and his wife Leslea, have six children. JL is very active in his children's activities and especially involved in all sporting activities for his children. He coaches a number of teams himself each year. His oldest daughter, Rebekah, is studying in England as a recipient of the Marshall Scholarship. She is a graduate of SMU in Dallas and has many accomplishments to her name for her academic achievements.

Scott (Marlin Scott - Named after his grandfather Marlin Hawker) lives in Albuquerque with his wife Sheri. Scott and Sheri are both electrical engineers and Scott also has a degree in computer science. While they are both from Albuquerque, they met at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Sheri left the work force a few years ago and has been helping her mother take care of Sheri's grandmother, who turned age 99 earlier this week. Both Scott and Sheri are giving and caring people who have made a home for several animals who were abandoned and sick. They participate in numerous charity events each year and give freely of their time and resources to help worthy causes of many types. We have been blessed by having Scott and Sheri right in Albuquerque where they have been a tremendous help to us. Scott has been involved right from the beginning with my cancer problem and is responsible for guiding me to MD Anderson for treatment. He has been over here with me four or five times already and is always willing to come back or take care of things for me back home if I need help.

Andrew (Andrew Albert - named after "Mr. Wonderful" himself) Andrew lives in Florida and loves the Sunshine State. He is also an electrical engineer earning his degree at Texas Tech. He also has his MBA which he earned from Texas A & M. Scott and Andrew are both electrical engineers but in two entirely different fields. They have a hard time communicating with each other at times because of the difference in their areas of work. I can't communicate with either one of them on anything more complicated than a menu at Mc Donalds. Andrew's work relates to buildings or construction and his personal specialty is hospitals. I took him around MD Anderson, and as great as this place is, he was able to find some things he "would have done differently". Andrew is married to Maria who is a high school teacher, a coach, a drivers ed instructor, and just about anything else that has to do with kids. Andrew and Maria are both very active in outdoors activities including tennis, scuba diving, sky diving, kayaking. Maria has three children who Andrew loves as his very own and they all participate in many of the activities as a family.

In addition to the wonderful sons I am so proud of, I must give full credit to my wife who is the person who guided and directed these boys and kept them straightened out while I traveled for the insurance industry almost constantly during their childhood years. She made sure they did their home work, ate properly, were home at night, went to Church and Sunday School, participated in Little League and Boy Scouts. She is the main influence on their intellectual success (anyone who knows me - understands this).

Now you have met my family - a family I love and am so proud of. I am so lucky to have a family of such great people who care about me and care for me. As stated before, you are all part of my family and I appreciate all of you too.

BOTH COMPUTER AND AL HAVE BEEN DOWN AND OUT

Computer access is (still) down

Hi All,

I'm posting for my Dad because the Internet access (from Comcast cable) in the area around their apartment has been down since his last post several days ago.

As a result, he also does not currently have access to e-mail.

I'll provide a very brief update.

The pill-based Chemotherapy and the radiation treatments are complete. My brother John has returned to Dallas and my brother Andrew is now in Houston along with my Mother.

My Father is having some pretty significant pain and nausea most likely from the radiation. We hope that he will be able to get some medication today for the pain. Hopefully he will be feeling a lot better by his birthday which is only a few days away.

Scott