Well, where to start? People's plans have been changing, it seems almost hourly. Since I'm at the hub of this Cancer Blogger Reunion, I'm trying to keep up.
A couple of examples:
Debutaunt and her debu__sweetie broke up the other day, and she hasn't been able to make it up to Seattle from Renton, a suburb to the south. I miss her. We miss her. And we are sad for her. She's also not feeling well and needs to go to MD Anderson for a "tune up" as soon as she gets back to Texas.
Deanna realized a day or two ago that she wasn't going to be able to come up until today, because of her radiation therapy schedule. OK, that's fine. But then her doctor said she needs a break from radiation, so she could have come yesterday EXCEPT son Eddie was supposed to spend last night with his dad, so they are coming today--driving up from Oregon--but earlier than previously announced.
A reporter who is doing a story about all of us was going to interview us over dinner tonight and then come to the presentation tomorrow, but then her editor decided he (or she) wants the story for tomorrow morning's paper, so she is now interviewing us at 2 this afternoon. This is good, because more people will likely come to the presentation tomorrow as a result of seeing the story, but ...
Will Deanna get here in time?
Jeanne and Teri have a 1 p.m. meeting at Cancer Lifeline to go over technology--will they be home in time to greet the reporter, not to mention Deanna and Eddie?
Will the Corvair break down and leave us stranded?
You get the idea. I am doing my best to just roll with it all, and Teri is a great help in that, because she is so much fun to be with, and also so level-headed. Stories! The girl has stories!
And then, yesterday, or maybe the day before, Teri and I realized that Cancer Lifeline had not done anything to promote our panel discussion there on Friday. It wasn't on the CLL Web site, although Cancer Lifeline had written the post about the event and included a line saying "go to the CLL Web site to sign up for this event ..."
So Teri called Cancer Lifeline's main phone number yesterday to "find out about this blogging thing you're doing there on Friday," and was told by the person who answered the phone that she [Teri] was mistaken, there was no blogging event at CLL on Friday.
Then Teri "outed" herself and said, "Well, yes, there is, and I'm one of the speakers," or words to that effect, and the woman still seemed to think that Teri was mistaken--no bloggers here.
After that I sent off a few e-mails to CLL, asking about the lack of promotion, and also asking about the press release that was supposedly sent out, by the CLL director. I don't think this ever went out, so Teri and I spent some time yesterday promoting the event and putting up flyers in a few places, including dropping some off at my cancer center.
Some Things Are Working ...
So far, all the friends who agreed to cook meals for us (and deliver them to my house, and join us for the meal, of course) have come through like troopers. Thank you, Jennifer and Michele. Tonight Laurie makes lasagna, and tomorrow night Warren makes Indian food. Is someone bringing breakfast tomorrow? I've lost track.
The fridge is stuffed with yummy leftovers as a result of their cooking, which is great.
Yesterday, Wednesday, Teri and I went back to Uwajimaya in the International District and ate lunch in the food court there. I had Thai, Teri had Chinese.
Then we walked through the ID, stopping in at Kobo, a fantastic art gallery and shop that lives in what was once a Japanese-owned dime store. Bought a few small things there (but I really wanted the stirrup from a samurai's saddle, only $150. It's iron, I think, and heavy), and talked to a man who I think is one of the owners who showed us some fabulous realistic-looking insects made of paper by an artist who lives in Kyoto.
Bugs (insects) are a big deal in Japan, and he and I talked about fireflies and kabuto-mushi (horned beetles), which are kept as pets by Japanese kids. Older Son had one the summer he was 5.
After that, we continued our wander towards Pioneer Square, stopping in at a glass gallery and the Klondike Gold Rush Museum on our way to the Elliott Bay Book Co., one of the country's truly great bookstores.
From there, we took a cab home to find Michele waiting on the front porch with dinner. Great meal, great conversation.
@ Jeanne Sather 2008.


