Geriatric MM Warriors June 13, 2010

[Diane W.]

Hi everyone!
We have a beautiful day today. It rained like crazy yesterday, but it cooled things off somewhat.

Lisa - How was Six Flags? I hope you had a great time!
I am sending special prayers for you and Tom for Friday.

Jocelyn - I hope you're enjoying your swimming! Any more trips this year?

I had a phone interview with a woman from an agency. She has a job that she thinks I will be perfect for. The people at the company will be back in town on Thursday and she said they're hiring slowly. They just got a govt. contract for $10 mill. It would be nice because it's close to my house, but the pay would be lower than I was getting - but something is better than nothing!!

I also have an appt. to take a civil service exam next Wednesday. It would put me on a list for open jobs. My nephew is a guidance counselor at a BOCES location and he said they've hired several times from the list. The best thing about it is the list goes by score - not by when you took the test. I am a great standardized test-taker - I actually enjoy it. My only fear is that the local company will want to interview me on Wednesday and I'd lose my appt. for the test. Just the way my luck is running, though!

I hope you're both doing well and I hope Kathy is not overrun by puppies!

 

[Wisteria1956]

Diane: If they want you on Wednesday, tell them you're sorry you have a previous business commitment and they'll know you are a hot commodity.

Thanks for thinking of Tom tomorrow. His biopsy is at noon. We will be biting our nails for another week til we see the oncologist again to hopefully hear more about what treatment plan is reasonable.

We had a really nice time with JP, but the girlfriend is now the ex and we sure hope she stays gone. It was a nightmare having her here. It's a long story, but she pretty much had a mental breakdown at Six Flags and went home the next day. JP says he will not go back to her. We are praying he remains strong, as he is so attached to her daughter. That makes it hard. We have never been treated so rudely in our lives. He was on the phone most of the day with her mother trying to figure out what to do with her. She went home the next day. Good riddance. How sad! I could tell you more, but my head still hurts! That was supposed to be our fun time between doctor appts! It was really nice to have JP here though. He is on the way to my sister's to house sit for them while they travel to Las Vegas. He'll be taking care of all the animals on their little ranch in the redwoods. Perfect escape for him. I am hoping Olivia introduces him to some cute friend of hers in the meantime.

Did some stress eating and feeling terrible about it today. Shoot. We only have two weeks before the beach house. Now I'm hoping it will be cold there so I don't have to wear a bathing suit, lol!

I'll be in touch next week. Good luck with all of the irons in the fire, Diane!

 

[Diane W.]

Lisa - Sorry to hear about JP's girlfriend. One good thing is they never got married!! I told you about my niece - she married the guy and was married for less than a month! All the things she told us after the fact - he's a friggin' pyscho. So I hope JP makes a clean break. Kim (my niece) actually went back, but it only lasted a day and a half! It's hard, but in the long run it will be for the better. Kim's daughter liked him in the beginning, but I think she was just as glad to be home at MeMa's (my sister) again! Luckily, my niece is a teacher and is home during the summer - so it gives her time to get herself together. JP will have his time in the redwoods (with some cute friends of Olivia's, hopefully!)

I will be praying especially hard tomorrow at noon.

 

[Wisteria1956]

Thanks for the encouragement, Diane!

I feel so sorry for your niece. Thank goodness JP wasn't married or even living with her, but he was there all the time taking care of her daughter, etc. He tells Tom he is going to be strong so we are cautiously optimistic. I told Tom we aren't moving to follow him until he's been married 7 years, lol! I don't think I trust his judgment. He's too nice and is an easy mark for a selfish girl. Grrrrr! I reminded JP it's a good thing she wasn't holding his baby when all the screaming happened. She even hit him so hard his ears were ringing. She's a total nutcase.

We had an uneventful appt. for the biopsy yesterday but were absolutely exhausted when we finally got home. The traffic out of San Francisco on a Friday afternoon and all the way home is a nightmare. This coming Friday we have to do it all again to meet the oncologist so we're thinking of killing time at Golden Gate Park, the Wharf, the beach or a nearby town on the way home and having dinner. I can't stand the bumper-to-bumper traffic and I know I make Tom nervous with all of my gasping when people cut us off, etc. Hoping for a nice seafood dinner unless he is too upset from the doctor appt.

I have had a lot of stomach trouble which must be why my clothes are looser in spite of the dreadful allowances I have made in my diet. I've eaten bread, ice cream, even pie! Good grief!

We're moving a couple of plants around and getting the rest of the drip system working well before our Sept. vacation. It's good to keep busy.

Hope you have a great weekend and let me know how those interviews go!

 

[Wisteria1956]

www.caringbridge.org/visit/tomdevries

Sorry I can't repeat it all here. We're in for a tough road.

 

[Diane W.]

Hi Lisa, It sounds like they have quite an aggressive plan of action. It will be a tough road for both of you. You are lucky to have family around to support you - that's really important. My prayers continue for Tom and a wonderful recovery.

 

[Wisteria1956]

I heard from Kate that she will be there to distract me with some company while Tom is in the hospital. I can't tell you how much that means to me. Can't wait to finally meet her in person.

 

[Diane W.]

Lisa - That's great! What a nice distraction that will be. How sweet of her.

I am having a flurry of job-related activity. I went for my civil service tests yesterday. Today I have an interview at 2:30 for a job with a legal firm, tomorrow I have a 3:00 appt. with a temp agency and today I have to call another agency that left me a message. Please pray that something comes from all of this. I know for a fact that none of these jobs will meet my salary requirements, but it will make my savings last a lot longer! That has got to be my plan for now - just make it as long as I can.

I will keep you posted!

 

[Wisteria1956]

WhooHooo on the jobs! Do keep me posted!

 

[Wisteria1956]

I got the nicest surprise call from Jocelyn today. They are in CA and we are meeting for lunch on Tuesday. I just need to line up one of you girls each day to distract me, lol!

 

[Diane W.]

Wow! That's great - tell Jocelyn I said 'hi'.

 

[Wisteria1956]

I will! Maybe you'll have some good news for me to pass on before I see her. Kate is getting married on Sept. 10! I will probably not see her til Oct. since she'll be on her honeymoon during our first chemo go-round.

 

[Diane W.]

Hi Lisa -
I have interview on Tuesday at 10 am! It's right across the bridge and sounds really good.
Nothing came of my Thursday interview with the agency yet.
I really can't wait to start working. I feel like people are starting to drift away from me.
I hope you had a great weekend.
I'll keep you posted.
Take another pic of you & Jocelyn!

 

[Wisteria1956]

How was the interview on Tuesday, Diane? I hope it went really well.

I was shocked when I looked at the clock after lunch with Jocelyn. We talked for 2.5 hours! I hope I didn't wear her out, lol! I'm afraid i may have talked too much. It was so great to see her. She looks great and has been using Lo Carb Friends for inspiration. We talked about everything under the sun. She's going to send me a couple of recipes and links to the sites she likes the most.

Tom has been in pain for several weeks so he finally started taking pain meds a couple of nights ago. Still not finding the right combination to get much relief or sleep. He seems to be groggy and still in pain some of the time. He's also having nightmares, which I have seen happen as his body engages in a physical fight; his mind goes into another kind of fight mode when he sleeps.

Pretty nervous about how the trip to Oregon is going to go. We've decided he will need pills so I will drive. Hoping once we get to the beach he can relax more. It won't be the same as in past years but we are still very much looking forward to it.

John-Paul has been staying at my sister's housesitting and working. He surprised them with dinner upon their return last night. He and Olivia also cleaned the house. I thought that was so nice! I'm hoping they will keep him there and away from the nutcase girlfriend until just before the beach house. Surely by then she will have latched on to another poor dude. No, not a poor dude, a dude with money.

Just trying to keep busy with my 'to do' list before the trip. Every day it helps to have some happy things to do so off I go.

 

[Diane W.]

Whoa - you and Jocelyn were really catching up! 2.5 hours!! That's really great. I hope you took a picture.

I'm sorry Tom has been in pain - I hope he finds relief with some of the pain meds. Maybe once you get to the beach the relaxation of being away and on vacation will help him physically and mentally (and you too!)

I hope John-Paul stays away from the pycho girlfriend too. I'm sure being in a different setting is helping him to keep his mind off of her.

The interview went so well - the woman was so nice, the place was great (8 miles from my house) and the job sounds really interesting. Now I have to wait until next week. I was the first person she interviewed and said she would have a decision by next week.
When I got home today I had a message on my machine from the agency I went to last week. She said she wants to talk to me about a position she has available. And I got an email from a place that I applied to for a p/t position. She wants a phone inteview on Monday. It's for a non-profit foundation as a grants assistant - but it's only 16 hrs. a week. (still, better than nothing!)

I went to the Jersey shore yesterday to spend time with my sister and her family until Friday. BUT, hurricane Irene has changed the plans and I am home again today. I got to spend a nice day on the beach yesterday, but today was cloudy so we came home. The hurricane is supposed to hit south Jersey on Sunday. Also, can you believe we had an earthquake here!! I didn't feel it, but my sister said she did on Tuesday while sitting at the beach.
I wonder if Robin was affected by it - the center was in Virginia.

I've been watching "Rising:Rebuilding Ground Zero" on Discovery Channel for the last 3 hours. Wow - it's been a tear-jerker for me.

Wow - this was a long post. I think I'm acting out because I'm jealous of the time you and Jocelyn got to spend together in person.
I hope you have a good weekend.

 

[Diane W.]

Hi Lisa - I hope everything is okay with you. When do you leave for your vacation?

I had a phone interview today that was great. It's for a part-time position. She said I would hear from her by Friday about the next step.
I also received an email from the interview I had last Tuesday. She said she is considering me for the position, but the hiring will be delayed. She said to let her know if my interest changes in the next few weeks. I'm not sure what to make of that - but at least it wasn't a 'no'.

Hurricane Irene brought only rain to my area. There was flooding in certain spots. I lost my cable/phone/internet today and just got it back around an hour ago. I had it all through the storm and was surprised today when it went out. Owen didn't have work today because the trains weren't running into NYC, but they are back on for tomorrow morning.

Take care ,
Diane

 

[Diane W.]

Hi Lisa & Jocelyn!
I had an interview yesterday for a p/t job with a foundation as a grants assistant. It went well, but I have to wait a week to hear their decision. The other job I interviewed for put their hiring process on hold 2 weeks ago - I'm hoping that one comes through before this one. It's full time.

Lisa - how was your vacation? I hope you had a relaxing time.

 

[Diane W.]

My prayers are with Lisa and Tom tomorrow.

 

[Wisteria1956]

Diane, Thank you so much for the prayers. I just haven't had the time to post lately with the vacation and then packing again for SF. I think you have the link to Tom's Caring Bridge if you would like to be informed as to how it all went. The vacation wasn't all it could have been because Tom developed horrible pain, which we now know was from the cancer blocking the flow to his kidney.

What I have not posted is that the surgeon told us we are past the time where he can stop the cancer by removing it all. He said we should use chemo to maintain as long as it works and/or as long as Tom's body can endure it. We will have one or two more cycles of chemo and then scans to see if it is working for him.

How is the job search going? Sounds like things were just about to come to a good boil when last we chatted.

www.caringbridge.org/visit/tomdevries

 

[Diane W.]

Hi Lisa,
I did go to your posting on the Caring Bridge site. I was sorry to hear about Tom's pain - I'm glad the stint is working. I hope he is able to hold food down soon. That's a good idea to get treatment closer to home - a lot less stressful!
I heard from the p/t job at the Foundation- I didn't get the job because "I didn't express a passion for the arts". I didn't know that was a requirement! The family owns the Storm King Art center, but the job was for the Foundation that is totally separate and gives grants. The job description closely mirrored my previous job - but now they tell me it's because "I didn't express a passion for the arts." I'm still speechless by this.
The other f/t job has been put on hold - why they would post an ad, choose people to interview, interview them and then put the hiring on hold is beyond me.
I will check on the Caring Bridge site for updates and will continue to pray for Tom, you and JP too! Post when you can - but I understand that you are preoccupied! I will keep you posted of any new job developments.
Sending hugs and positive thoughts to you,
Diane