Category: Random Musings

Aunt Norrie, nice to hear from you. Yes, I did graduate from the UW-Milwaukee. I hope you are recovering well from your knee surgery. Rebecca, it’s great to be in touch with you again! I’m looking forward to spending time with you. I have been busy with classes and the job hunt. I have a few leads now. This Saturday, I went to the track to practice jogging and also do the long jump. I looked up technique on the internet, applied the method, and improved for a personal best of 9′! I am excited for this, since it is a very competitive jump for my age group at the Transplant Games. Stacey, from Belmont

Wednesday, I went to the stadium with Isa, Ana and Rupie, Isa’s dog. Rupie is very cute to watch at the stadium. She squeaks with excitement and anticipation about going up the bleachers, and follows Isa up and down the stairs for an hour. It is a joy to watch all three of them coming down together from the top. Thursday, I went on a wonderful hike with Isa and Rupie to Windy Hill. Windy Hill is pretty steep, and it was difficult for me. I went slowly, but Isa was patient. Rupie bounded ahead, pulling Isa up the hill at times. Friday, I had the wonderful honor of attending Lynn Hill’s presentation/fundraiser at the Patogonia San Francisco store. I went with Dave, Richard, Joshua, and Yuri. It was great to see Lynn. She always gives a quality show, and afterwards she generously sold her books and videos to benefit my medical fund! She always takes time to connect with her fans in a personal way, and writes very nice notes with her autographs. Today, after having a nice lunch with Aunt Lorraine and cousin Brenda, I went to the climbing gym with Dave. After warming up, I ended up red-pointing (climbing without falling or resting on the rope) a 5.9 overhang…the hardest lead climb since the transplant. I was really happy to accomplish this, since leading is a bit harder than top-rope. (In lead climbing, the climber brings up the rope instead of using a rope that is already anchored at the top…the difference is that the potential fall is further if the climber loses control. In top-roping, the climber only falls a few inches if properly belayed.) Stacey, from Belmont

Michelle, thanks for the news and encouragement. I’ll be in touch soon! I spent most of Sunday writing about the transplant experience. I am glad I have this journal to look back. When I read through it, I have to admit that I am surprised at what my thoughts were at the time, and that I was able to cope in a positive way. Some of the writing is even poetic! I am really grateful to those who were so kind to keep my spirits up during the hardest times, especially before and after the transplant (entry 446) and when I went back into the hospital (entry 605) Those notes and visits really made a difference in my life. (Denise, thanks for keeping in such close contact through my journal!) Reflecting back helps me learn more and draw upon the experiences of the last two years. When I turned 30, I remember my birthday wish for wisdom. Maybe I will become wise at 40… Sunday night we had a potluck at my house, with Cindy, Guy, Parch, Dave and myself. It was really great to see them all and share good food. Parch brought homemade bread, and Guy made a terrific fish soup that I am enjoying today also! Stacey, from Belmont

Aunt Carol, thank you so much for checking in! It is great to hear from you. I am at the college right now, intent on learning the finer points of the Windows operations system. It is all quite basic, but important. I’m trying to improve my computer skills for a better career in the future, when I get off disability next year. Badminton is challenging. Some of the better players know how to place the shots so I have to run around a bit. It’s tiring but fun! Today, my partner Cindy and I barely lost to Orlando and Rich, 17-15. We came up from trailing by 8 points! The instructor and classmates are understanding, and let me rest if I get out of breath. Job-hunting is going pretty well. I have been offered one part-time position so far, and I have another interview on Thursday. Stacey, from Belmont

This weekend I went to the stadium with Austri, Mark, and Dave and completed a record number of sets, 15. I did them very slowly and rested a lot, but I was proud of myself. I’ve also started writing about my transplant experience. It is complicated to re-live the experience and put it into words, but in a way it is therapeutic. Last Friday, I had my monthly shot. The nurse took pity on me when she saw how big the needle was, and found a smaller one to use to administer the shot. I was grateful! After climbing with Rhona today, (Monday) I will have a photo shoot for the Planet Granite Gym on-line newsletter. They are doing a profile on me for this month. Stacey, from Belmont

Life is getting very hectic for me. I have two classes at the College of San Mateo, and I’ve been training at the track and the climbing gym every day. Most days I have been exercising two or three times! I am also job-hunting in earnest, going to informational sessions and filling out applications at various organizations. In addition, I have quite a few medical appointments and obligations. It is great to be feeling well enough to do all these things, although it is a struggle to be fast-paced. Stacey, from Belmont

Denise, what cute news about Mia! Thanks for stopping by the site. I’m starting to have more energy, and things are getting more social now. I’m trying to eat more and gain some weight. Sunday night, I had dinner with Cindy and Guy. We had pork chops, shrimp, soup and corn. Monday, I had homemade pizza with Dave and Tuesday, burritos with Dave and Robin. Monday, I also started a computer class called Windows Fundamentals I, and spent the afternoon at the College of San Mateo. Tuesday, Rhona came over for gen mai tea (brown rice tea) and then we climbed together with Fitz. I tried some difficult overhang climbs and ended up resting a lot on the rope! I’m also doing a little speed climbing for aerobic exercise. It gets me breathing hard and opens up my lungs. Stacey, from Belmont

Karen, thank you so much for writing! I’ll be in touch with you the next time I go to the UU Church. I’ve been keeping busy lately. Wednesday, I met Greg, Ana and Isa to do stadium steps. I did 10 trips up and down, running 50 out of 80 stairs on the last one! Isa did 10 with a 25-lb backpack, training for their 8-mile backpacking trip this weekend. Thursday, I saw Vinita and Zenid at the gym again, and climbed mostly 5.10’s. Friday, I signed up for a badminton class at the College of San Mateo. It was fun. I’m going to take a computer class as well. Saturday, I met Greg and Mike at the track. We practiced running…I did a workout of 8 sprints within a mile of walking. Then we all did the long jump. I saw some improvement, but I have a long way to go! Today, Sunday, I walked the dish with Sharon. It is a 3.5 mile loop. At first, I didn’t feel like I could do it, because I was feeling tired, but Sharon is really good company and before I knew it, we were over halfway done and past the turning back point. It was beautiful as usual, with perfect weather, and we had the privilege of seeing a group of three deer grazing happily by the side of the trail. Stacey, from Belmont

Felix, its great to hear from you! It sounds like you are having fun on your trip. Rehab is going better. Yesterday, I met with Will Bowers at the track and he had me do lots of drills to improve running technique. We also did assessment tests, including the “Flying 30” and the standing broad jump. I climbed with Vinita and Zenid last night. It was really rewarding and challenging, because I have started to play on the 5.11’s. I am managing to get to the top with minimal cheating and some hang-dogging (resting on the rope.) Today, I am off to make copies of a resume so I can find a good part-time job, and I am going to swing by the community college to see if there are any interesting classes I can sign up for… On a spiritual note, a couple weeks ago I went to the Unitarian Church in Palo Alto. The topic of the sermon was “compassionate non-violent communication.” The speaker had us do an exercise in which we imagined someone we are having trouble with and, before lashing out in anger or giving the silent treatment, close our eyes and try to imagine what it must feel like to be the other person in this situation and to think of how we can act compassionate. Whew! Pretty tough task in most cases, but in cases like life-long family relationships, mighty important…in most cases, the relationships are worth saving. Stacey, from Belmont

Today had several encouraging moments. The first was waking up and not feeling tired, after a solid ten hours of sleep. The second, going to the track and practicing running with my friends Marty and Debra. I have cut off over a second on my 100m dash time already, and I think I could go faster, but I’ll have to work up to it. Third, I saw a job opening I am going to apply for…lastly, I am working on harder climbs in the gym now. I made it up a crimpy slab 5.10d (intermediate level)with three falls today. Even though I cannot climb them without falling, the harder climbs are fun and challenging because of the more complicated moves. Doing them is also building my finger strength back up again. Stacey, from Belmont