I blame Bob Vila.....

I don't think I know anyone who hasn't remodeled something in the past few years -- and I blame Bob Vila.  Before he strode around the sets of This Old House programs, perfectly manicured, and spreading his vast home improvement wisdom, most normal folks never gave a thought to tearing out their kitchen or demolishing a bathroom on the weekend.  Nope, that was a job for professionals!  Right minded folks moved out of the house into temporary lodgings when the boiler was to be had out or the floors needed changing.  Bob brought an end to all of that.  Now, not only are we expected to do these things ourselves, but we're supposed to gleefully carry on with life amongst the ruins.  Who among us doesn't have a spouse who's had a spontaneous breakdown when they moved the Hummel figure on the credenza and found another pile of drywall dust?  After a while, the remodeling starts to wear on you -- the excitement of the new built-in fridge ultimately gives way to the annoyance of having to wash your dishes in the bathtub.

The other lesson that one quickly learns as a remodeler is that it's not the $2000 in cabinets that you budgeted for, nor the $5000 worth of flagstone that's blocking your wife's car in the driveway that break the bank -- no, it's the 53-odd trips to Home Depot, none of which are explicitly planned, and all of which wind up with a healthy addition to the column "miscellaneous expense."  As a good friend of mine once told me, "it's the little shit that gets you."

So, as you may have guessed by now, I offer this parable in place of my weekly health update.  I could easily write out a whole litany of complaints and grievances, but what it boils down to, is that I'm living amongst drywall dust and brick fragments right now.  To be sure, the big picture still looks good, and I'm excited to see the result -- right now it's a little tough to see past the pile of demolition rubble.  With just one more week of radiation treatments to go, I'm hopeful that things will start looking up soon.  The doctors are all still very positive about my current state -- and are even slightly surprised at how good my nutrition values continue to be (THANK YOU, Marcus ;-).  And, thank you all for your encouragement and patience over the past few weeks and over the coming few weeks.  Everyone who's interacted with me deserves a medal for putting up with my crankiness.

Thanks again to you all for your understanding and support.

Love,

J