how did i forget?

i can't believe my cancer diagnosis anniversary snuck by and i didn't even remember it...the 26th of december, 2001, was the day my life changed forever. sounds pretty damn dramatic, but then, having cancer is pretty damn dramatic! so now, according to the doctors, i've been cancer free for four years. but the realist/pessimist in me says it's only been a little over three, because i count the date of my last treatment as the start of being cancer free.either way, it feels great to be FREE.

end of the line

made it through another christmas. mendocino was beautiful and relaxing. ate WAY too much good food, and read lots of mags and books and slept in every day. other than missing the kittens, it was grand. and i'm already looking forward to new year's even dinner at moxie. i do plan to reign in the appetite come the new year, as well as get back to the gym on a more regular basis. mike and i made a goal of 260 gym-going days next year, and we're going to keep track. one of our resolutions. i have a big editing project i got at the last minute before our trip and took with us to edit on the drive. finished it the first day, so now i just need to track the changes and send it on its way. then there are my regular assignments, of which i still have two stories left to write. in other words, why am i journaling when i could be getting work done?! so much to do, so little time...

vindication

just got a call from our insurance company--the results are in. after nearly a year and an arbitration hearing, the verdict is that i was not at fault when i was hit by one of the shittiest drivers in the world back in feb. and, like i said after she hit me and i pulled over, "what the fuck were you thinking? you'd better have insurance, bitch," she did, and they have to cough up our deductible and the money my insurance co paid for totaling judy blue 2. and the best part? i knew i was in the right, and now everyone else does, too!

lattes

i've just discovered that at my fav local coffee shop, the latte i've ordered is not what i keep getting. i ask for a vanilla latte made with soy milk, and i get a latte made with vanilla soy milk. so that's why, whenever i happen to meet tania at peet's, the lattes there always taste different. not better, not worse, just different. as a side note, i'm currently researching a story about the "starbucks effect" on small businesses, and it has me riled up once again against starbucks. found this great site: http://www.ihatestarbucks.com/, which is quite entertaining.this weekend, mike called me a hermit crab because i chose not to attend any of the christmas parties we were invited to, but i'm glad he went by himself, since i wasn't very good company being in bed at 6pm and all. and now i should be getting all my work done since i'm taking half the week off, but instead i'm surfing the web and futzing around, basically slacking off. since the only thing new on tv this week is the season finale of nip/tuck (i bet the carver is...fuck if i know!), i have all kinds of time to waste (that would be wasted watching tv if there were new eps on).

graduation

after seeing my oncologist today, i graduated to only twice-yearly appointments, which is kind of freaking me out. i feel like my safety net has been yanked and i'm walking the survivor tightrope all by my lonesome. of course, he said i can always see him whenever i feel the need, but still. after three years, you'd think i'd be thrilled at this, but i'm just nervous as hell. next tuesday is the four-year anniversary of when i first found my lump, the 18th is the anniversary of my first mammogram, the 20th is the anniversary of my biopsy, and the 26th is the anniversary of my cancer diagnosis. fa la la la la, la la la la. sheesh!