Category: Random Musings

Hi Denise, I’m so glad the girls are enjoying the package! Thanks for writing. I have been busy with my classes and editing the TRIO newsletter. I have also been getting some good exercise in badminton class. I have been playing with a new partner named Javier, who has played for many years. With him,…

Felix, thanks for the encouraging article. I guess I should continue planning for retirement at 65, eh? The past month, during the winter break (without classes) has been difficult. Without a daily schedule, my mind wandered temporarily into a blank void and I felt down and lethargic, (except for climbing.) My friend Amelia does energy…

Last Thursday, Marilyn and I brought a cake to the Stanford heart/lung transplant support group to celebrate Isa and Ana’s birthday. It said, “Happy Birthday, Isa and Ana. 34 and not dead yet.” (A take-off from a Monty Python theme…and a tribute to them for surviving and thriving well past the average Cystic Fibrosis patient…

Last night I had the most wonderful Japanese dinner with Isa, Ana, and Andrew. Isa set out a myriad of homemade Japanese dishes and it was very delicious. I intend to get the recipes! Afterwards, we all cuddled with Rupie, Isa’s dog. We can’t help it; she is too adorable for words. (She had just…

Denise, Thanks so much for the picture and news from Latvia! I climbed at the gym today with a friend named Pat. Climbing seems to be going pretty well, although I take it easy. I got sick at the top of a climb yesterday, and had to be lowered in a hurry. But I continue…

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukah! Festivities started yesterday for me. I had Mark over for lunch and made beef and asparagus stir-fry. Mark just got back from Nigeria and talked about his recent adventures, including witnessing a plane crash. Then Eva invited me over for dinner with her family. I helped her make won ton…

Last night I watched my friends David and Gwen on the Dr. Phil show. Both received double-lung transplants this year, and they met in the hospital and plan to get married soon. The show documented their lives and it is amazing the struggles they have overcome. Today, I wish everyone a happy Winter Solstice. It…

Denise, Thanks for the update on the little climber! The picture is so cute. I am busy with last-minute holiday plans. Unfortunately, I only recently got inspired. Today, I went to climb the stairs at Beckman Hall with Isa. I was pleased to do 11 sets of six flights, without too much trouble. It was…

It was a full day at the hospital, with x-rays, the clinic visit, the PFT test and blood draw. My lung function is up a little bit, to 54%. As I was walking through the hospital, the transplant experience seemed like a dream. Did it really happen? Is it really me that this team of…

Rhona and I got out in nature today at Waterdog Lake. It was relaxing and peaceful. The hike is only about one mile, but we took a little side trail along the lake looking for mushrooms and other edible plants. Instead, we came across some cattails and poison oak, but no mushrooms. Later, I climbed…