Mr. Bob's Blog Spot

Apple Pie with Cinnamon Sugar topping

2011-12-28T06:45:00.000-08:00

Made one more pie before leaving Florida, to use up the remaining fruit and crust. This one was more successful since there were no raspberries. :0)

-- Post From My iPhone

Pear-Apple-Raspberry Pie

2011-12-24T15:09:00.000-08:00

So I just took a pear-apple-raspberry out of the oven for Christmas eve, and I have NO idea if it will be any good!

I tried using Arrowhead Organic Pastry flour with a cup of cake flower and fior Ken Haedrich's extra flakey pastry, prob with not enough water. The crust was so crumbly I opted for a walnut crumb topping rather than trying to make that stuff work for a top crust. :0)

Oh well, we'll cut into it, try it, and see if it's edible in about 2 hours!

-- Post From My iPhone

2011-12-16T12:13:00.000-08:00

So last night, in a slightly crazed fashion, I decided to make 2 pies. The crazed part was starting at almost 11 pm and staying up until almost 4 to get it all done. But I really wanted to end the year at R&H by giving the UPieTT (Unofficial Pie Taste Testers) a couple of pies to try. I was also trying to make it through some of the stuff in the fridge before leaving for 3 weeks.

These pies aren't as pretty since they don't have a top crust, and it's still a mystery to me how they taste, but the first was a Sweet Potato Pie, my first in a pre-baked pie crust:

And then the Cranberry Pear with a Pecan Crumble Topping. (Although in the cookbook I have I think this is called Very Cranberry Pear). Hopefully this one is good!

Pear-Apple In a Cheddar Cheese Crust

2011-12-15T18:27:00.000-08:00

So this one seemed to be a success. I brought this in for a 'wine and cheese' thing my supervisor was having for the holidays, and it seemed to go over quite well. I think the fact that I had 3 different kinds of pears in the pie was one of the keys.

But the Tillamook cheddar crust was also quite yummy, especially slightly warmed up.A good combination with the pear as well. It seems part of the key of a good crust is not over processing it, so the fat is in 'pockets' and keeps the pie crust flakey.

This is also using a new pie topper cutter to create the little apple shapes in the pie. This kind of begs the question of Pie Crust Art. Especially for darker fruited pies. Might be an area to explore.

Pear-Cranberry Mini-Pie

2011-12-12T15:44:00.001-08:00

So I had a bunch of cranberries (why do I shop at Costco) so I've been trying to find recipes to use them up. I tried this one last night, with the extra flakey crust. The crust came out pretty good I thought, but the pear needed to be more ripe, with more flavor, and there was too much clove. Though the recipe called for a 1/4 teaspoon, with was easily twice or three times too much. People here have been very tolerant of it.
But, hey, they look good!

I really have to rotate these dang images. That's what I get for using my iPhone for photos....

Pie!

2011-12-12T15:41:00.001-08:00

So it's been awhile since I've posted here. Actually, I probably wouldn't be posting now, except my friend Bhavika has suggested that I update my blog with my latest pie recipes and tests. I thought she was right, putting this here now might make a good record in my pie making skills.

There is something about the process of making pie, other than putting on weight, that I like. Especially the moment when I flour up the cutting board and roll out the dough. There's something homey and very pleasurable about pickup up some flour and flouring the cutting board before working with the pie dough.

Thus, first on the list is the Apple Raspberry Pie. This is from the 'Lost Art of Pie' book:

ok, guess you have to turn your head sideways until I fix this. :)
Although the crust was a bit overbrowned, this pie was a hit. My first ever lattice top pie.

Mom's Birthday Coming Up...

2011-04-11T14:06:00.001-07:00

Hi Folks,

Well, it's been while since I've posted anything here. I've been staying in touch with Dad every weekend, and this weekend on our usual Sunday call he mentioned that this coming weekend is Mom's birthday. He's going to go out for a nice dinner on Sunday after visiting Mom's grave (which he does every Sunday) to remember her birthday.

I'm a little concerned about how this weekend will be for him, so if anyone is interested in dropping him a note or a call, I'm sure he'd appreciate it, and I know I would.

I hope all is well with you and yours.

Sincerely,

Bob P.

Memorial Announcement

2010-09-10T18:22:00.000-07:00

In Loving Memory

Norma Ruth Powell
April 17th, 1924 – September 2nd, 2010

Dear Family and Friends,
The Powell Family would like to invite you to a
memorial in celebration of the life of Norma Ruth Powell.

Saturday
September 18th at 2:00 pm
Veteran’s Administration Hospital Chapel
7305 North Military Trail 
West Palm Beach, FL 33410

For those that have already expressed their regrets at not being able to attend, we will still be sending you an announcement as a memento from us to you. Thank you everyone for your love and support.

So we buried Mom last Wednesday

2010-09-10T14:00:00.000-07:00

Hi Folks,

I hope you all don't find this too much to put up on the web, but it seems it is mostly relatives reading this site, so seems ok. Also, it's the easiest way for me to share some of these images along with the textual content. Dad saw it, and he thought it was nice, so if he approves of the public showing of these photos, seems ok by me.

Anyway, we had a really nice service for Mom on Wednesday at 2:00 pm EST. Mom is buried at the Lake Worth National Cemetary, and she has a nice place right in the center of one of the main areas there.

When Dad and I arrived, we had to pull into line for where our turn was. The hearse from Hudson Memorial Chapel arrived and pulled infront of us.

Since Mom had military honors, the hearse arrived with the Navy seal on the side.

We waited for awhile and arranged the details of the headstone with the VA representative, and ensured Dad's plot next to Mom. Then when they called us, they lead us to a small pavillion for where the service would be held. It was very simple, covered area with metal benches. There were 4 service "men" (2 were service women) waiting for us by the little covered area where we said our words over Mom. Mom's coffin was draped in a flag when it left the hearse, and I helped pull it out of the hearse and walk it over to the pavillion.

The full military honors was really nice. I was pretty good until a young woman on a bugle started playing taps, and then my water works started for a bit. Then two service personnel took the flag off the coffin, folded it very slowly and carefully, and presented to their senior officer. He then presented it to Dad, in strict military fashion, and then gave us condolences for our loss.

Dad got up and said a few words, and read a really nice poem from Tennyson called "Crossing the Bar:"


     Sunset and evening star,
        And one clear call for me!
    And may there be no moaning of the bar,
       When I put out to sea.

    But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
    Too full for sound and foam,
    When that which drew
      from out the boundless deep
    Turns again home.

    Twilight and evening bell.
        And after that the dark!
    And may there be no sadness of farewell,
       When I embark;

    For tho' from out our
       bourne of Time and Place
    The flood may bear me far,
     I hope to see my Pilot face to face
     When I have crost the bar.

It was really very moving. Dad repeated several times that day that Mom was going to see her Pilot.

After the flag was removed, we were able to place our flowers on the casket. First went on Michelle's cross and flowers, then a spray I purchased that had the words "Loving Wife and Mother" and then the wreath from Glen.

Then I got up and read the note that was included with Michelle's flowers:


  'The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you,
   the Lord turn his face towards you and give you peace'

   Love your daughter Michelle

and then I said a few simple words about Mom, and followed up with a poem I found on Mom and Dad's bedroom wall, which we think was in a painting done by Grandma Emboden:


  I'd like to sow the barren spots with 
        all the flowers of the earth,
  To leave a path where those who come 
        should find but gentle mirth;
  And when at last I am called upon 
        to join the heavenly throng,
  I'd like to feel along my way 
        I'd left no sign wrong.

That seemed so much like Mom to me, that it seemed very appropriate to me to read.

Then, with tears in our eyes they took the casket away. We asked that Michelle's cross be buried with Mom's casket, and our flowers and Glen's layed on top of the grave after. The way it works at the VA, you can not accompany the casket to the grave, they lower it in themselves, and you can come and visit the graves after 4:15 when they are all covered. So we watched from afar as they lowered Mom into the ground, and then left to wait for when we could return.

So, in a tradition that we thought Mom would appreciate, we went for supper at Cracker Barrel.

Finally, around 4:30 we got back to the gravesite, and found Mom's plot and flowers, and Dad's stand-in marker next to her site as well.

Finally, we took a 'pocket cross' Mom carried with her, and buried it just above her grave as well:

here is a close up of the poem:

So like Mom, a modest, quiet, private relationship with God. Very Lutheran in some ways it seems to me.

After taking a few more pictures, and centering the flowers, we finally headed home. Dad was very relieved to see Mom well taken care of and that her troubles were over, and she was laid to rest with love and respect.

Yesterday we met with Pastor Leopard (no, really, that's his name) at the VA Hospital and we have set the time and date of the memorial to be 2:00-4:00 pm in the Veteran's Administration hospital chapel, on Saturday the 18th. I will be sending out announcements, and those who have already tendered their regrets can just keep them as momentos.

With all our love,

Bob and Charlie

Burial and Memorial Details for Mom

2010-09-06T13:55:00.000-07:00

Hi Folks,

It's been a busy couple of days here, as you can imagine. However, I wanted to put up the information on the burial service, and the memorial service at the VA the following week. As far as I know right now, I think only Jessica can make it to the memorial. A few people have sent their regrets, which is understandable since we're in Florida and almost everyone is is on the west coast. So I think it might just be Jessica, Dad and I, as Michelle has already returned to Italy. If anyone else is planning on coming, let me know and I can help with accomodations, etc.

So Mom will be buried on Wed., Sept 8th at 2:00 pm. This is just a simple burial at the National Cemetary in Lake Worth. Dad has picked out a very lovely epitaph, and we will be placing some of the flowers we have recieved on her coffin. Glenn sent a lovely wreath, which we will bring and place for him.

The memorial date still has to be fixed. I was thinking of Monday the 20th, but if the chapel and the Luteran minister is available, we may try for Saturday the 18th, as that is easier for Jessica to get the day off at her school, and to make the trip up and back from Miami. However I have a meeting on Thursday the 9th with the chaplain at the VA, and I can check on the availability of the chapel and his time.

If anyone wants to send flowers, we have had a couple of flowers sent from local florists, so I thought I'd post their cards below, just in case. Our address here for delivery is:

Charles Powell
1920 B Spanish Trail
Delray Beach, FL
33483

also I will check with the chaplain to see if they can be delivered at the chapel the day of the service, but that might be trickey timing wise. Mom was always a big fan of roses, so I am thinking of placing some roses on her coffin, and also having some for the memorial myself.

Thanks again to everyone for their kind words and notes, thoughts and support during this time. I have shared each email and poem sent, and they have touched us all greatly, especially Dad.

Mom Passed Away Today

2010-09-02T16:17:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends,

This is the sort of thing so much better by voice than by email, but there are some thoughts I wanted to convey that are easier for me to write than to say right now. First I want to thank each of you for yor help and support since my Mom was first diagnosed. You have each shown me great kindnesses, and I have appreciated each gesture immensely. Thank you so much for your warmth, love and support.

Mom passed away very quietly today at the VA Hospice Ward in Palm Beach. Dad, Michelle and I were all there, and I was holding her hand at the time. However, to be honest none of us expected it. Not even when I saw her breathing slow, did I really come to terms with the fact she was passing. It was Michelle who had noticed she had finally stopped breathing. She passed at approx 2:50 pm, EST. We do not think she was experiencing any pain.

Mom had, just before passing, opened her eyes wide for the first time in days, and fixated them on Dad, who was right there at her bedside telling her how much he loved her, and looking right ito her eyes. We thought this was her way of saying goodbye to Dad, after their 50 years of marriage. Mom was 86.

After her passing, and the help and condolences of the very kind hospice staff, Mom's body was prepared for what they refer to at the VA as "The Last Journey". She was placed under the American flag and slowly walked to where her body will be kept until further arrangements can be made. As we all walked down the long corridors of this immense hospital complex, many of the people paused, quietly by the side of the hall and put their hands over their hearts, and thanked Mom for her military service, it was very respectful.

We have to make final arrangements sometime tomorrow and/or Friday, and most likely we will be having a memorial service at the VA Chapel, which is a very beautiful space. This will probably happen some time next week. Please contact me if you would like specific details.

We all consider ourselves very fortunate to have had Mom in our lives. She was a very kind soul, and a quick wit with an easy laugh, and she brought us and others much love and joy over the years. She will be deeply missed.

Sincerely yours,

Bob

A Very Dramatic Evening

2010-09-01T21:15:00.000-07:00

I am typing this on my cell, so I'll have to keep it a little short. Things were very dramatic this evening. We thought that Mom had been over medicated, that they were giving her too much opiates and that she could not wake up because of the drugs, thus not eating or drinking fluids. So then Shell called and said she was in a coma, where her eyes were non-responsive to light. We thought perhaps this was drug induced and Dr. Sue was giving us a lot of on the fly advice. She has been so great through-out this. So they gave her a shot of Narcan, which is a fast acting, 45 minute lasting, anti-opiate drug. As the drug took effect she was coming out of a deep stupor and the closer to conciousness she got, the more pain she felt. At least it seemed that way to us. Now the Narcan has worn off and she seems to be resting easier. She is still breathing more rapidly, but she is not moaning any more. So, we are all camped out by her bedside right now, just in case, but I don't think she will pass tonight. But I do think it will be soon. As of today she hasn't had fluids in 2 days and no real solid food for over 8 days. Our window of opportunity to fix this through alternate means may have passed, much more quickly than we ever realized it could.

So that is the news from here. A difficult time to be sure. But, still with much love around Mom.

-- Post From My iPhone

Mom admitted to VA hospice yesterday

2010-08-31T06:56:00.000-07:00

Hi Folks,

My apologies for not having kept this more up to date in the last few days. I hope you are ready for this long update.

So, Mom's situation is drastically worse than when I left only two weeks ago. You probably know that she became dehydrated and that her kidney started to shut down, when Dad had rushed her to the hospital last Thursday. I came back to Florida on Saturday, and Mom has had a hard time recognizing me or saying my name. She has been able to recognize me from time to time, but she goes in and out of mental clarity. Also she is having no more than a few sips of water or a few bites of food.
Today will be at least a week of her not eating or drinking. Additionally she can hardly walk right now and needs assistance getting to and from the restroom.

Because of her lack of mental clarity (apparently she tried to remove her IVs at one point) Dad yesterday enrolled her into the hospice wing at the West Palm Beach VA. It's a very nice private room and she was moved into it just last night around 7:30 pm. We left around 10 pm.

It is hard for us to tell if Mom's lack of appetite, she actually has been actively refusing food and drink, is a result of her cancer, or in fact a result of the morphine and/or pain from the radiation. We hope that she will heal up, and we discussed with the hospice doctor yesterday trying to switch her off of the morphine while still keeping her comfortable so she may regain her mental clarity. However, with any narcotic, it may impair her mental state. But we hope that if she comes back to herself we can encourage her to eat and drink again. However, this may also be the body simply shutting down, and if so, then this is part of the progression of her disease.

She was taken off of the IV drip she was on yesterday, that provided her with fluids and nutrients, and now she is simply going to receive pallative care. this is part of the condition of enrolling her in hospice. We are going to the hospital daily, and we will continue to encourage her to try to eat, to move, and to drink fluids. However, if we are unsuccessful with that, then the cancer will simply take her over while she is in the hospice care, and we will have run out of options. Then at least she will be under 24 hour care at the VA, and she will be in no pain (or as little as possible).

Michelle is coming from Italy today. She finally just told her work she had to go. From what I have gleaned from her, it was difficult for her to continue working anyway with the stress she has been under worrying about Mom. We pick her up at the airport tonight at almost midnight, and we will try to arrange for her to stay as close to Mom as possible, as is her request. They have a guest house at the VA, and we are hoping we can get her a room there. Luckily she can also stay overnight in Mom's room if she wants.

One of the most moving moments was when Mom found out that Michelle was coming back. Suddenly she exhibited more clarity than ever in the last two days since I was back, and she was in tears of happiness that Michelle was coming and the whole family would be together again. She was very deeply moved. It was basically a tear fest for us all. But you could tell her depth of love for Michelle and for having all of her family together again. A mom right up to the last, of course!

It's a very difficult time for us, as you can imagine. This week is fairly critical to determine if Mom will go back on solid food or not. If she does we have a chance of bringing her back from the brink. If not, then, it is what it is. We will all be at her side as much as possible to care for her, and that will be the best we can do. But if I get to 86, then I hope I am so lucky to have so much love around me. Not all of us are fortunate enough be so well cared for.

In the interim, before things become final, hope springs eternal and we continue to look for ways to help Mom recover and/or last with quality and dignity as much as possible. With one remaining weakened kidney chemotherapy is out, so we have become one of the families obsessed with alternative treatments and suppliments. However, if you know Dad, nothing too new there. :0)

Thank you again for all your caring thoughts, you have no idea how appreciated they are.

With all my love,

Bob

Headed Back to Florida

2010-08-28T09:59:00.001-07:00

So I talked to Dad last night, and Mom is still getting fluids. but she still has not eaten any food. So I have decided that I had better head back, so as I type this I am on the plane to Florida. I'll post another update as opportunity arises.

-- Post From My iPhone

Talked to Mom this morning

2010-08-27T12:20:00.000-07:00

So I talked to Mom and Dad this morning. Mom is doing much better. She is still on the IV, and she has not started solid food, but her heart did make it through the night. Dad is going to call me again tonight at 6:00 pm west coast time to give me an update. I was able to convince Dad to use their cell phone to call me from the hospital this morning to give me the update, and it was really re-assuring to be able to still talk to Mom. Dad was hesitant at first to try and use the cell phone from the hospital (new-fangled technology) but I think he was quite enamored of being able to call long distance from her room.

I am hoping she will be able to pull back from the edge now that she's in the VA. If she can get her strength back, and she can start back on solid foods, then she has more of a fighting chance. As it is now, especially with the strain that has happened to her one kidney, they are less inclined to give her chemo. Also, before they did that, they would have to evaluate her strength. So, hopefully she can start back on solid food again soon, and get off the pain meds. That's her best chance to get her strength back now.

I'll try to keep this posted here as I know more.

Mom in hospital still, very precarious

2010-08-26T20:02:00.000-07:00

Here is what I heard from Dad tonight, Mom is out of emergency, and she has been moved to a room at the VA. However, she is disoriended, probably because her kidney is not working and she has uremia. Apparently earlier. she tried to take the iv lines out of her arms, so they've had to sedate her.

They have given her 2 1/2 bags (as of when Dad left) of saline solution with electrolytes to help restart mom's kidney. I also talked to Dr. Sue, and she thought that if Mom came in last night as was still alive, that was a good sign. Though it is hard to say.

Dad said that one of the doctors did say that it's possible her heart might stop, due to the lack of electrolytes and the fact that she's so weak. Also, in talking to Sue, if her kidney is not functioning, it's possible the potassium may build up in her system, which would poison her heart.

I have just emailed Dad some questions for the doctors to ask about mom's creatinine levels and potassium levels. If she makes it through the night, then by tomorrow morning we should have a better idea of her kidney function. It is also possible that Dad could ask about putting her on dialysis to clean out her system.

If her heart stops the hospital will resusitate her, as mom does not have a 'do not resusitate' order. That's about all I know right now.

Mom back in hospital

2010-08-26T13:25:00.000-07:00

Hi Folks,

So yesterday Dad took Mom home from the Mayo Clinic. After 2 days of prep, the meeting with the oncologist there lasted for only 2 hours. They were checked out and back on the road at 10:30 am.
We've been very concerned about Mom because she had not been eating or drinking, even though Dad tried to get her to drink water and her boost drinks. He finally came to the conclusion on the way home that the pain meds he had been giving her for her pain related to the radiation may have dulled her appetite, and contributed to her not eating. So he was going to stop her pain meds today.

Turns out last night however, she started having trouble breathing. So he rushed her back up to the VA emergency room, and because of her lack of food and water, her remaining kidney began to shut down. That's why she was having a hard time breathing.

So she is in the emergency room now, and Dad called when he was home briefly to pick up a few things before heading back to the hospital. If he can, he is going to call me again tonight,
but he may not be able to easily. If they can get her kidney restarted and get her stabilized, they will move her into a room at the VA for recovery.

I will try to keep you posted. I may be headed back pretty quickly.

Bob

Second Day in Jacksonville

2010-08-24T18:49:00.001-07:00

So I just got off the phone with Dad. Mom was already asleep.

Dad is all ready for the appointment tomorrow, and has a list of questions to run past the doctors there.

We're very concerned about Mom, as she has not eaten in about 4 days. She's had some liquid drinks, but not much in the way of solid food. He's going to ask them tomorrow if they can feed her intravenously, as long as it doesn't promote the cancer (apparently dextrose given to patients that haven't been eating actually promotes tumor growth).

If the Mayo Clinic can't recommend a course of action that will help Mom, then he's going to take her home and then up to the VA.

Tomorrow morning their first real appointment with the oncologist is at 8:30 am. They have reservations for 3-4 days in Jacksonville, and will stay as long as the hospital needs to run tests, and appropriately assess Mom's situation.

Although he thinks he may be headed back tomorrow, I think they will probably be there for a few days, and they will hopefully also be able to help Mom's lack of eating problem. Unfortunately the Megace is not helping her appetite. Also, he is trying to ween her off the morphine as well,
and use just the tramadol (pain killer).

That's about all the news. We reviewed over the phone the different questions about chemotherapy treatments, etc., but Dad seems to have it pretty well handled. He will call me again tomorrow at 6:00 pm PST with an update.

Cindy, I passed on your well-wishes to him, and he'll respond to your email when he get's home.

Mom and Dad in Jacksonville

2010-08-23T19:37:00.000-07:00

So Dad called me tonight, today they went all the way to Jacksonville. They are situated in the room next to the Mayo Clinic, and they are going to explore where they need to be by Wednesday morning.

Apparently today was another bad day for Mom. She had to have more morphine, and she is not eating. Dad gave her broth and crackers, and even that was too much for her. He's going to talk to them on Wednesday about giving her some glucose just to make sure that she isn't becoming too frail and dehydrated.

He also has some of the boost available for her, and he's going to try and get her to drink some more of that as well.

Not much else to tell, as Dad was calling me from his cell phone. Hopefully tomorrow will bring better news.

Mom and Dad going to Mayo Clinic tomorrow

2010-08-22T21:52:00.001-07:00

Hi Folks, I apologize for the long time it has taken me to make another post. Getting back to work, and to my life here in LA, has been a distraction from this issue, though I make a point of trying to call Mom and Dad almost every day. But I have let this slide.

Mom got some lovely flowers from Bert and mentioned them to me. She really appreciated them.

Unfortunately, as a side effect of the radiation, Mom has had a lot of pain in her digestive track. Apparently the radiation has inflamed some of her intestine. As such, some days have been very painful for her. Dad has had to give her morphine, which he was able to obtain through hospice.

Turns out that when Mom is on morphine, she can't really hold a conversation, which has been really rather upsetting to both Michelle and I. However, of course, when she has a good day without pain, she comes back more to herself. However, the radiation treatments ended on Thursday, and so we are hoping she will recover and be more pain free as the days go on.

Tomorrow they head up to Jacksonville where they have an appointment at the Mayo Clinic the morning of the 25th. Dad is going to verify with them if there is any possible treatment that Mom would be able to tolerate well. He also has a few alternate treatments he wants to discuss with them. Hopefully they will be able to find something that will be helpful. Right now the chemo is not looking like a very good option. No matter how it comes out, it seemed the Mayo Clinic was our best bet in Florida, so worth a shot. Better to get a different opinion outside of the VA system, just to be sure.

I'll try to keep this a bit more up to date. Sorry for the long delay. Your thoughtfulness, such as Bert's flowers, is greatly appreciated. Also, I wanted to mention that yesterday was Mom and Dad's 50th anniversary.

I am back home again...

2010-08-14T12:07:00.000-07:00

But I am few days behind updating this blog or answering emails (sorry!). However, I wanted to be sure to post this picture I took the day I
left, which made Mom and Dad laugh as I was getting on the plane.

-- Post From My iPhone

First Week of Radiation Over 8/7

2010-08-07T12:46:00.000-07:00

Hi Folks,

I thought it time for me to give another update.

So this week marks the end of the first week of radiation. Mom has tolerated the radiation pretty well. Most of the week has had it's ups and downs, as Mom's condition seems to vary somewhat widely. However, this week we started her on "Ensure" and "Boost" drinks, which have about 360 calories a drink. After she started having these, she has seems much better.

Also, yesterday, Mom got a nifty walker from the VA. It's a four wheeled walker with a seat and a basket, and she tooled all over the VA with it. She actually was able to walk much farther than I thought she might be able to with it. I am VERY concerned that she is not going to have enough excercise when I am gone, as Dad is not prone to going on daily walks with her, as he himself has difficulty walking quite often. He tends to become completely numb in one leg, risking a fall, and also uses a walker himself often. I hope that he will be able to keep up some daily excercise with her however. I think Mom's sickness is very taxing for him, and he has been having instances of angina again as well. If he falls over at some point before this is all said and done, that would be bad.

I'm wondering about hiring someone to come and walk with Mom, but they may be somewhat resistant to paying for that, and I'm not sure if i can afford it or not either. But I am going to look into it.

We have also been reading a new book called "Life Over Cancer" by Keith Block, and it seems to dovetail nicely into many of the other efforts we are putting into help Mom as well. By other efforts, I mean increasing her nutrition and anti-oxidant foods that we hope will fight her cancer as well. The book seems quite good, and hopefully it will help us map out a better stratagey for Mom over the next few months, which is a more integrative from of cancer care. We have our fingers crossed.

After the radiation is over, Mom is going to be re-evaluated for chemo. Most of the doctors we have talked to have been hesitant to recommend chemo as they don't think it will significantly add to her time or to her quality of life. That's the next big decision to come up.

We have also started the hospice service, which send out a nurse to evaluate Mom weekly, and they can step up their care as needed. It's covered by medicare, and has a host of services, and Mom and Dad seem quite pleased with what they have to offer. They have a nurse that will check on her, and a nurse assistant that will come out and give her a regular bath. Also they are checking on her bandage where the hepatic shunt is. The hospice seems to work as a whole team, with the home care nurse as the head of the team. They have a doctor, the nurse, the nurse assistant, they even have massage therapy and music therapy. Fat chance mom will take advantage of the music therapy though. But the rest seems like a good idea and great to have at our disposal. If Mom should get better, she can just be removed from the hospice care. If not, they will be sure to make her as comfortable as they possibly can.

In the midst of all this, I'm going back on Wednesday. I wish I could just stay, as Mom and Dad clearly can use someone here to make sure stuff like medications and excercise don't fall through the cracks. But I've been here for a month already, and have 2 more months left (approx) of PTO. I am leaving so I can conserve my time for when Mom and Dad need it most, should/when Mom's condition worsens. Dad has asked me to return for November and December, which is about the course the doctor projected for Mom's potential decline (if all our other efforts don't pan out) which seems like a good time. Hopefully though Mom will have a more time thn just that, if we have any say in the matter. :0)

I have a little more video to put up on here, when I get a chance to make the excerpts. I'll try to get that done as soon as possible. Hope all of you are well.

Bob

Teasing Me

2010-08-03T13:19:00.001-07:00

So yesterday was Mom's first radiology appointment. After she was done, I asked her how it went. In a pained and strained voice she said "like getting stabbed with a knife!"

I must have looked quite shocked because it was a very low dose radiation and we were told that it would have little to no side effects. I said "Really?"

Mom flashed me the most brilliant smile and said "Ah, no, just kidding!"

"Ma!!!"

Dinner With the General

2010-07-31T13:17:00.000-07:00

Here's a quck video about Mom and Ernie having dinner with a general...

Mom and Ernie in WW2

2010-07-31T11:55:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick story about Mom and Aunt Ernie in WW2

General update 7/31

2010-07-31T10:44:00.000-07:00

Hi Folks,

So I thought it time for me to post another general update.

The last few days have had their ups and downs. Right now as I write this however, Mom is doing pretty well. She's been pretty comfortible since yesterday afternoon, and she is downstairs reading the newspaper with Dad.

Tomorrow we start the raidiation treatments to keep the tumor in check. The main goal is to ideally shrink the tumor, or at leat keep it from getting larger. If it gets larger, it will cut off her digestion, and that would be bad. According to the radiation oncologist, if the treatment goes well, Mom should have a good 3-4 monhs of stability. That's what we are hoping for. However, there are never any guarantees one way or another, as everyone's situation is unique. The doctors are always careful to offer caveats specifying that they don't know how things will go one way or another.

Looks like the type of cancer she has is actually rather rare. Initially it was thought it might be pancreatic cancer, but it looks like it's an Ampillary adenocarcinoma. That means it started outside of the pancreas before it spread to the liver and lungs. Unfortunately since we have caught it so late, surgery is not really an option. At 86, it's not clear if Mom would survive the procedure anyway. The standard procedure for this is called the Whillpe Procedure. It's rather risky, even for healthy strong young people. Even the less invasive laproscopic surgeries have not been shown to extend the lifespan, since the cancer has already metastisized.

So this leaves us with the radiation and possibly chemotherapy. However, our concern with the chemo is that might also kill her, and/or make her remaining time quite unpleasant. She will be re-evaluated by an oncologist in another 3 weeks as she ends her raidiation treatment, but it's quite possible that chemo will not be opted for unless there is a strong chance of survivability.

Finally, there is the idea of treating WHILE the readion is ongoing with chemo as an adjunctive therapy, but it has the same problems as above.

So, we're looking into hospice care options through both the VA and through Palm Beach county.

Although this is a lot to face, Mom and Dad are staying as optimistic as possible, and still hoping for the best. Dad is breaking out all the possible home remedies that might help with cancer to see if any have an effect. Who knows, and it doesn't seem like any of it would hurt her, and can only help.

Thanks to our dear friend Dr. Sue, we are also going to run her case past the Mayo clinic in Jacksonville, FL and see if we can get an alternate opinion from them. They seem to be the regional experts in this type of cancer. Today I fill out the information forms to send to them to review Mom's case. We feel that once we hear from them, we'll have run down most of the avenues for her best possible treatment.

I am here for another week and a half, then I go back to LA for 2-3 months, and then probably I will be back again to help Mom and Dad for another 2 months. Thanks to R&H, I have so much vacation time to spend in this type of family emergency. Similarly Michelle is also trying to decide when she can visit to help the most. We are all trying to stay in close contact, especially now.

As a friend of mine said to me recently, these are the times that have some of the best memories as well. Even now I find out little details of things I didn't know before about both Mom and Dad, even though I have spent countless hours listening to stories from them both. I've always like that though, hearing their stories, as I feel that brings us closer. Also, of course, I love a good story. Tat is part of the reason I've started recording Mom's stories now as well. I hope to get a few more of those in the next week or so.

That's it from here. I'll post more as I am able.

Mom Ice Skating When She Was Young

2010-07-27T22:51:00.001-07:00

I just got this photo via email today from Michelle, it's grand:

Ice Skating Memories, Part 6

2010-07-26T21:01:00.000-07:00

Ice Skating Memories, Part 5

2010-07-26T13:56:00.000-07:00

Ice Skating Memories Part 4

2010-07-26T13:45:00.000-07:00

Ice Skating Memories and Snooks The Wonder Dog... Part 3

2010-07-26T13:30:00.000-07:00

Ice Skating Memories, Part Two

2010-07-26T13:09:00.000-07:00

Mom's Memories Ice Skating, Part One 7/26

2010-07-26T11:08:00.000-07:00

So I've been having trouble uploading the short video I captured of Mom talking about her ice skating experiences because the file size was too large. So I've decided to try and divide it up into parts. Here is part one:

Back at home - 7/25

2010-07-25T12:05:00.000-07:00

Hi Folks,

Here is the latest. Now that Mom is back at home, we have had a couple of nurses stop by that were recommended by the VA and which is paid for by medicare.

Yesterday we got a visit from a physical therapist that will come by weekly to evaluate her state and strength, and we are for this first week getting dailiy visits by a home heath care nurse to check on Mom's bandages. We will probably also be getting someone to come by and help with baths and the like.

Tomorrow we hope to start the process of enrolling her into a radiation program. There's a place nearby us called the Lynn Cancer Institute, based in Boca Raton. This is the same place the nurse took her mom for thyroid cancer, and it sounds like a good place. Apparently the doctors work together as an interdisplineary team, fostering good communication about her care, and they seem to have good facilities. Mom's nurse described it as "one stop shopping".

We are also going to send her records tomorrow up to Tallahassee so we can send them to a place that does a special type of deep proton radiation, and see if they will take her. Since the cancer has metasized, it is possible they will not take her for that type of radiation. Also our dear family friend, Dr. Sue, is going to consult with us on her care, and run records past an oncologist friend of hers. So hopefully we will have a second and possibly third opinion on her care.

It's really a matter now of how well the radiation goes, and if she will be strong enough, and willing, to take chemotherapy.
We're trying to take things one day at a time, and stay on top of things here.

Btw, I should mention, that if anyone wants to speack to Mom (561-265-2866) now is probably the time, as I doubt if her level of energy is going to improve during or after the radiation. I will try to keep people posted.

Another Picture of the Loving Couple

2010-07-24T16:31:00.001-07:00

-- Post From My iPhone

A Moment of Humor (Or How Dad found Religion...sorta...)

2010-07-23T17:37:00.000-07:00

So as Dad and I have been going to the VA this week to visit Mom, the parking has always been tight. The VA in West Palm Beach seems to serve a vast number of people, and it's always packed during the day, especially the morning.

As parking has been tight, I told Dad the story of Gladys the Parking Goddess.

When I was living in San Francisco, my friend Robin and I would often pray to Gladys the Parking Goddess, as parking in SF is also very tight. The prayer goes something like this:

Gladys, Gladys, full of grace
Help us find a parking space!

So, much to my entertainment, Dad writes this down on a note pad he keeps on the dash board of the cadillac. :0)

He initially spelled Gladys as "Gladdis". I said, "oh, no, better get that right. Otherwise you're going to be parking a couple of miles away." We both had a good laugh. But, sure enough, we find the MOST prime parking space right in front of the main doors.

This morning as we approach the VA Dad says to me "When should I start to call on Gladys?" Then he said, "Here, let me pin on the VA ID, then she'll know I'm a verteran...." We both had another good laugh at that.

Sure enough, just as we approach the top of the parking just after yelling "Gladys!" we find yet another prime parking space.
Dad says, "Well, that's it! I'm a believer! I'm a convert!"

So when we got to the hospital room I told Mom that Dad had finally found religion.... ;0)

Mom goes home today! 7/23

2010-07-23T11:20:00.000-07:00

Well they are releasing Mom today from
the hospital. Now the time has come to ply her with chocolatety goodness!

-- Post From My iPhone

some good news and some bad news, 7/22

2010-07-22T21:35:00.001-07:00

Hi Folks,

So, today Mom got her shunt into the liver capped, and she tolerated that quite well, her color is better, and we hope that she will be coming home tomorrow. She looked good, though her appetite could be better. That was the good news.

The bad news is the cancer is not what we had hoped it would be. We got the biopsy results around 3:00 pm today. Rather than being metastatic breast cancer, this is a new primary adenocarcinoma.

We were all pretty down, but Mom is being really brave about the whole thing, and so is Dad. What can we do but go on from here the best as is possible?

We are going to start on the radiation hopefully on Monday. The oncologist said that he would like to see her again in 4 weeks after the radiation to evaluate her situation. Even if she is strong enough for chemotherapy, after the radiation, that there is only about a 20% chance of recovery with chemo and this type of cancer, and about a 20% chance of toxicity. Of course what happens after the radiation is going to be up to Mom. We have all decided to support Mom in whatever her decisions are about what the treatment should be. What ever happens with Mom's treatment is up to Mom, in other words.

This situation sucks, but I guess we just have to do the best we can given the situation. At times like these, one almost wishes one was British, just for those stiff upper lips. Do you think they sell British Upper Lip Stiffners as a spray-on? That might come in handy right about now.

Holding Hands

2010-07-22T12:22:00.000-07:00

-- Post From My iPhone

Thurs 7/22

2010-07-22T08:19:00.000-07:00

Today I think Mom sounds better and looks better than since I have been home. It is very encouraging. Also this morning they have capped the external
portion of the shunt in her liver and the fact she is tolerating it well is great, because she won't have to worry about getting around with that external bag in tow. They had said earlier that some patients never can cap off that external shunt and have to have the external bag with them always. Luckily Mom doesn't seem to be one of those.

I think she is coming along as best as is possible all things considered.

-- Post From My iPhone

A General Update

2010-07-21T20:28:00.000-07:00

Ok, I thought I'd put some notes down as a general update, as I am not sure everone knows what is going on with Mom.

So, Mom has some - as of yet not fully diagnosed - cancer. This cancer seems to be on her duodenum (sp?), in her liver, and in her lung. That means the cancer has metastisized and there are probably many more legsions though out her adomen.
This, of course, is very bad news.

On the brighter side we hope that we find out in the next few days if the cancer is from her earlier bought with breast cancer. If it is, there are several treatments, such as hormone therapy that may help her.

Right now one of the immediate dangers was that the liver has become malformed, and there is a large tumor on the duodenum. (I really have to look up the spelling on that.) Thus they had to insert the tube that is draining the bile from her liver because the tumor has closed the bile ducts from her liver to her gall bladder. Thus the inderted tube that has been successfully draining the bile from her system.

The next step is to see if we can determine the cell type so we know how to attack the cancer, and if we can successfully have a treatment that won't do more harm than good.

After that the mass on ther duodenum, which threatens to close off the colon below the stomach, has to be irradiated. We will probably be starting that immediately, at a local hospital in Boca Raton, to see if we can shrink that tumor successfully.

Today, Mom had a lot more energy and was quite talkative. Dad and I are going up to the hospital every day and try to be there from the early morning until the evening. Today Mom got sleepy around 4:30, so we let her rest, but yesterday we stayed until 7:30, as visiting hours end at 8:00 pm. She looked good while her energy lasted, as you can probably see from the video posting for Michelle. She was much better today than yesterday, after she got out of surgery to install the shunt from the liver.
We are plying her with cookies and soon, chocolate milk.

So, right now it's just a matter of keeping our fingers crossed as to the cancer type, to see if it comes back as more treatable.

Message for Michelle from Mom

2010-07-21T20:24:00.000-07:00

A quick message for Michelle from Mom while at the VA hospital.

Wed 7/21

2010-07-21T08:21:00.000-07:00

Hi folks,

Here is my first in hospital post. So they are now going to try to cap the external part of the liver shunt in a day or two. Thus, they expect Mom to get out of the hospital at some time over the weekend. The potential capping of that liver shunt is happening much sooner than we thought would happen.

We're hoping to take Mom for a spin in a wheelchair around the hospital so she can get out of the bed and hospital room.
We promise, no wheelies.

-- Post From My iPhone

ok, let's fast forward to Mom's cancer...

2010-07-21T05:57:00.000-07:00

Dear Reader,

I and my family are going to start using this blog to publish info for the family to track and disseminate information on my Mom's current bout with cancer. If you are reading this, you should know that most of the posts from here on out for awhile will be about her progress so we can keep the extended family better informed.

So, right now Mom is recovering at the VA from the insertion of a large (maybe about 2') tube inter her liver to drain out excess bile and fix her Jaundiced condition. The tube is perforated in the area of the bile ducts for the liver, one end draining into an external plastic bag, the other drains back into her intestine.

They said the procedure to install the shunt (or drainage tube) went really very well. As of last night Mom was recovering nicely from the procedure. Although quite paninful to hae the tube installed, it is clearly the best thing for her. The bile had really caused her to become quite jaundiced, and that was clearly making her more ill. The doctors were impressed at how much of the old bile had been draining out of her.

The tube will probably stay in for quite some time. However, potentially it may be eventually capped so that only drains internally and not externally. However, not all patients tolerate that well. So it is unclear at this time how that will play out. However, as the day progressed yesterday we could already tell her strenght was coming back to her.

Our next big hurdle is to find out what type of cancer cell she has. We are hoping that it is a form of her breast cancer, as that type of cancer is much more treatable. We should know hopeully by Thursday or Friday, or at the very latest by monday what that cell type is. Then we can begin to plan treatment options accordingly.

It seems that in either case the doctor is recommending radiation to shink the tumor around the duedenum. Once Mom is back home in a day or so, and we know the exact type of cancer, we can start arranging radiation treatment and care options.

Boy, I've really let this linger

2010-01-13T11:54:00.001-08:00

I don't know how many folks are following this, but I admit, I've really let it linger.
And, here, I have so many new photos! I'll try to keep it a little more up to date!
Hope you are all well!

How I spent Inauguration Day

2009-01-21T08:36:00.000-08:00

Well, I felt very blessed to be part of Jocelyn Hunter's inauguration party at her house yesterday. One of the big benefits of Los Angeles is you can have friends and meet people of all different shapes, sizes, and backgrounds, creeds, colors, nationalities, whatever. It's a much more integrated place than most of California in my opinion, if not most of the US. And, knowing all these people as people, makes me a better person. And, I gotta say, I couldn't have hung out with a nicer group of people that morning. Here's a blurry photo of everyone I took w/my iPhone. It was simply grand.

The end of my trip to India

2008-12-21T12:16:00.000-08:00

So, as I write this I'm waiting as a standby passenger on a flight from Newark, NJ to Florida, hoping to get home tonight and to be with the folks on Christmas.

I've been thinking alot since my departure of India has come along of what my impressions of India are. I feel they've about as diverse as India itself. My trip was, in turns, heartwarming, shocking, amazing, harrowing and sublime. Many of my co-workers showed me many kindnesses, and were really wonderful people. They really worked hard to make my feeling of being in Hyderabad and Mumbai special, and I was really appreciative. But then I would also run across people, mainly those how make their living plying the tourist trade, that were deceitful, aggressive, and sly. But then again, my hosts in both Agra and Jaipur were beyond any hint of reproach. They were honest, kind, generous, and extremely accommodating. They really made my last week enjoyable and safe.

So, really, what I'm trying to say is that India provided many extremes of experience that seemed to change quickly from one to another. It's definitely a complex world with rules that may seem similar to the west in appearance, but aren't really. Also, to even refer to India as if it were one cohesive entity may not really be correct. It's such a diverse collection of states with such a wide variety of influences over the ages, that it's amazing they are able to maintain the unity they have. (And sometimes I thought it was hard for US to keep it together!)

However, if I were to make broad, perhaps largely baseless, generalizations of the Indian populace I met, I would say they tend to be kind. Often pure strangers, in passing, would exchange smiles easily. One of the many delightful moments was when two boys just started to speak to me from their scooter as they were motoring along side the tuk-tuk I was in. Just, really, to say hello and find out where I was from. The Indian populace seem to be, as a rule, friendlier and easier to interact with than many westerners can often be, especially if the westerners are from cities as densely compacted as Mumbai.

But, really, all my experiences are rather surface. It would take many more trips and much more time spent there to really get the feeling of the place. It's just that much more complex and different than our western-european cultures. But definitely an adventure!

Well, the plane here is about to board, I'd better get ready to go!

The Taj and Other Agra Sites

2008-12-17T09:09:00.000-08:00

I can't resist posting at least a couple of photos of the Taj I took today. I can add a few more later as time permits, first the classic:

From Agra, second day, The Taj

And then in the category of 'Usually Not Seen With the Taj'

From Agra, second day, The Taj

A few folks chatting about the Koranic verse written in Jasper:

From Agra, second day, The Taj

The ceiling of a building adjacent to the Taj used as a guest residence:

From Agra, second day, The Taj

A framed snapshot from the same building:

From Agra, second day, The Taj

A stolen snapshot of another visitor (nice sari!):

From Agra, second day, The Taj

And who would have thought just outside of the doors of the Taj is 'Bob's Restaurant'?

From Agra, second day, The Taj

Jaipur

2008-12-17T07:52:00.000-08:00

Well, after Mumbai I want to Jaipur for a few days

before heading to Agra. Jaipur is part of the Rajput kingdom,

and has much Rajastani architecture that's extremely impressive.

Primarily Hindu, there is some Mughal influence. So below are links

to some of my albums and pictures. Btw, I stayed at this wonderful

place called Jas Vilas which was really a very beautiful hotel

run by Mahendra Singh and his wife Lily.

By the way, if you want to see my whole album, just go to my

spot on google. That should show you my Picassa web pages albums.

Anyway, first was the City Palace, for my first day:

From City Palace, Jaipur

They have here some of the largest silver items in existance,

built by a Maharajah who was a devout hindu, and brought

2 giant silver jars filled with water from the Ganges for daily

bathing when he traveled once to England:

From City Palace, Jaipur

The second day had trips to the amazing Amber Palace

just outside of Jaipur, the Water Palace, and the Monkey

Palace:

From Jaipur Second Day, Mughal Tombs, Amber Palace and Monkey Palace

From Jaipur

From Jaipur Second Day, Mughal Tombs, Amber Palace and Monkey Palace

And I have to add at least one of the Water Palace:

From Jaipur Second Day, Mughal Tombs, Amber Palace and Monkey Palace

And finally a couple of photos of the Monkey Palace, a temple

at the top of a big hill, so named because of all the monkeys there:

From Jaipur Second Day, Mughal Tombs, Amber Palace and Monkey Palace

From Jaipur onto Agra and the Taj!

The Kanheri Caves

2008-12-16T07:56:00.000-08:00

One of my last days in mumbai, two of the R&H'ers were kind

enough to go out with me for the day, Rohit and Anil, for a day

out at the famous Buddhist cave complex, the Kanheri Caves.

Spending the day with Rohit and Anil was delightful, they

have a great sense of humor, and they were, like me, very into

the photographic aspects of the caves. In other words, they didn't

mind as I took forever... :0)

Here's one of the cave entrances:

From The Kanheri Caves

Here's a picture of the ever companionable Rohit:

From The Kanheri Caves

Who actually doesn't like to be photographed! :0)

Also, here's our other companion Anil:

From The Kanheri Caves

And a few of the Amazing Buddhist sculptures we saw at the caves:

From The Kanheri Caves

We even stumbled on a mini Bollywood moment, with one of India's biggest Bollywood stars filming a public message promo outside of the main cave and we got to hear him singing asking his 'friend' not to write on the monuments. We actually had to hear him sing over and over again as he did take after take. Finally we were able to slip past between takes.

From The Kanheri Caves

It's the guy on the left in the white, btw.

The best things about the caves tho were the main stupa room, which is like the heart of the complex. I'd studied it over 20 years ago in college in my Indian Art History class, and I could finally see it in person!

From The Kanheri Caves

And a little side shot back by the stupa:

From The Kanheri Caves

And to top it all off there were butterflies, monkeys, and tigers that day too!

From The Kanheri Caves

Out and About in Mumbai

2008-12-12T11:20:00.000-08:00

So yesterday Jenny, one of the pre-lighters at R&H Mumbai, was kind enough to take me around Mumbai. She's grown up here, and without her it would have been impossible for me to see everything that we did. We saw one mosque, and what I like to think of as two and a half temples. It was really three temples, but one was so busy we didn't get that close to it.

First the mosque, out on an island, was very cool:

From India

Here's a little vid of the same mosque.

Here's the view of the walkway leading to the island,

with the view of Mumbai in the background.

Then we went to a Hindu temple right in

the city. On the way there, I caught a glimpse

of this other small, off to the side, temple.

You wouldn't know from the photo that

this is surrounded by homes and high rises:

From India

But the main temple we were going to see was

too crowded. It was the day to go to temple,

actually, so there was a long line. So, we

headed off to another, much smaller temple, and

it was really spectacular:

From India

I suggest clicking on one of the photos above so you can get a better view of these
images. It'll take you right to the google album.

There were lots of steps up to the temple, and on the landing of

one of the steps was where a sadhu lived, he makes food for the poor:

From India

I asked and he let me take his picture.

From India

We also made a quick stop at the Hari Krishna temple

that was literally across the street, this is the same

group as the Hari Krishnas in America. They even

had a Govinda's restuarant:

From India

And our final temple of the day was Baganga, where the goddess Lakshmi was said to have touched the ground and the waters flowed forth. They're actually still flowing forth today.

From India

This was also a treat for me, because this was the same place that was often featured in the movie 'Outsourced' that I'd seen on the way over. Of course, that was depicted to be in a small Indian town, not next to one of the ritsy neighborhoods in Mumbai!

Finally we ended our day down by the Taj Hotel and the Gate of India, as there's some good shopping that way. :0)

However, I didn't really get the opportunity to buy much as I had to head back to work fora movie I was helping present. Here's my last photos for this entry, the Gate of India:

From India

Being Welcomed in Mumbai

2008-12-10T11:05:00.000-08:00

So when I first came to R&H in Mumbai, they had a small

welcoming ceremony for me. It was really beautiful. This

wonderful woman, Rama, that sort of seems like the den mother for the place, came out with these candles and they did a little blessing and gave me the dot of purity on the forehead. (And a little rice thrown in as well.) It was great.

The Auto Rickshaws

2008-12-09T12:43:00.000-08:00

I have to say, I love the auto rickshaws here.

I actually had been contemplating sending one

back to the US for use at Burning Man, it would

be great!

They're everywhere here, and they're a little

like your own personal, chauffeured go kart.

They are really cheap for a taxi too, probably

partly because they seem held together sometimes

by bailing wire. Tho I must say, really, they're quite

sturdy. They even have a road rally with them

across India, primarily by westerners. An Indian

told me that it's something an Indian would never

even consider doing... :0)

In honor of my friend Fran, who I borrowed

this idea from, here's a quick vid of my trip

into work yesterday morning:

Traffic in Hyderabad

2008-12-08T19:42:00.000-08:00

The traffic in Hyderabad is really something.
Everyone going each and every way possible.
Amazing that I saw no fatalities while there, but eveyone
but me seemed totally used to it.

Here's a vid from on top of Charminar of the traffic

Finally, here's a little video of a boy in the bangles

market right next to Charminar. Behind him you'll

see the bangle stalls. I couldn't resist taking a quick

video of him and these toys.

Pascal, Isabelle, Bob and Thomas go to Charminar

2008-12-08T09:45:00.000-08:00

So last Wednesday, Thomas K. was nice enough to take us from the R&H studio into the center of Hyderabad to see Charminar, and a few other sites. Click on the links to see the larger photos.

From Charminar w/Thomas, Pascal and Isabella in Hyd

Charminar is very close to a big Mosque, so

you see a lot of women dressed in black, tho

there's just about every kind of person there.

From Charminar w/Thomas, Pascal and Isabella in Hyd

The Moghul architecture is very cool, and

next to this beautiful palace that I only got

a glimpse of called Chowmahalla Palace.

From Charminar w/Thomas, Pascal and Isabella in Hyd

And I'll end this with one of my favorite photos of that day, from the bangles market.

From Charminar w/Thomas, Pascal and Isabella in Hyd

Sorry I've been out of touch

2008-12-04T19:07:00.000-08:00

Hi Folks,

So it turns out the internet connection at the apartment has gone
down since Monday, so hopefully it will be back up by tonight.
Things here though have been simply grand. All the R&H folks
in Hyderabad have been treating me like a Nawab. ;0)

I have had the opportunity to do some sightseeing of
the Charminar here in Hyderabad. I guess we'll be seeing
several more places here. I've also had an opportunity
yesterday to finally go out in one of the pervasive
autorickshaws. It's quite the little vehicle. If it wasn't
prohibitive, I'd bring one to Burning Man. ;0)

Anyway, when I get the opportunity I'll post more photos
of my travels, and then on Sunday I fly to Mumbai. Hugs!

First Day in India

2008-11-29T23:45:00.000-08:00

Hey Folks,

Well, I've made it ok. Last night the plane finally got in around 3:30 am, and sure enough two of the R&H guys were right there to pick me up. Both were really friendly and I'm looking forward to getting to know them. One of the guys in training at R&H India, Satish, really spent a lot of time getting me acquainted and setup in my new digs.

Before I forget, I wanted to mention something about the trip over. One of the funny things about the flight is on Emirates airlines (which was quite delux) they had free on demand movies. I got to catch one called 'Outsourced', which was a really charming little film about a guy who's entire department is outsourced to India, and he has to travel here to train the new Indian call center. They were rather on the money so far about a few things, such as the number of people at the airport, and the fact that anyone coming from the US will probably look like hell, when they first arrive. It's worth a watch.

So by the time I finally got to bed, it was around 5:30 am local time. It's been quiet so far today, which is fine because it allows me a chance to rest up and reset my clock. However, it's possible the new cell phone isn't working... ;0)

Btw, the R&H India cell phone they've given me for my stay is 9701055048. From the docs I found online, you'd have to dial something like

011+91+9701055048

to get it to ring on the cell here. I'm going to try to skype myself and see if I can get that to work. If you have access to Skype, try giving that a ring and see if you can reach me. Remember though, India is 12.5 hours ahead of the US.

The digs here are comphy. It's a spacious 2 bedroom apartment with one bath, high ceilings, and fans throughout. Luckily they also have a very dependable wi-fi access. For some reason the iPhone isn't able to get online, but luckily the laptop has no trouble. I'm trying to get used to the small differences, like learning to use the 'induction heater', which is really a fancy hotplate, and learn to turn on the on-demand water heater.

Here in the news it's all about the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai. Apparently the home minister (I'm guessing the secretary of the interior) has stepped down as a result. Also, like 911, they had warnings of the attacks in advance, even through US channels. Of course, none of that actually resorted to preventative action...

One of the first, funny things about the place is the honking. Like in Italy, it seems like the driving here is more about negotiating the shared space, and those dotted lines on the road are really just suggestions. Honking is the tool used to tell people you're on the left, on the right, coming up from behind, or about to turn a corner. So the first thing I heard when I finally woke up is all the honking in the background. Reminds me of once when I was in NYC and staying at Lutz's apartment in midtown. Tho, midtown was much, much louder.

One last note, seems I picked up a couple of hitchhikers in my luggage on the way hear. Philomus and Wings must have snuck in when I wasn't looking. And while I was either making

coffee, or in the shower, that bear made his own Blog! Can you believe it? Philomus never ceases to surprise.

Bob's birthday

2008-11-27T21:12:00.001-08:00

Birthday at the Lazarian's

-- Post From My iPhone

How to get ahold of Bob in India

2008-11-26T22:54:00.000-08:00

Btw, I have a skype number you can call in the us to get a hold of me in India. Remember the time shift, but if you want to call or leave a message, the number is... four two four seven eight five zero four three seven. It will probably only leave a message for me on the computer, but I should be able to get voicemail that way. (Guess I should test this first.) And of course my email stays the same.

Going to Hyderabad first

2008-11-26T21:14:00.001-08:00

Well, looks like I'll be going to Hyderabad first, just to let things calm down in Mumbai a bit. Probably for the best, considering I don't want to loose my chance to visit Elephanta Island!

So I just heard that they're re-routing me to fly directly into Hyderabad, through Dubai! Ah, if I only had a few more days layover, I could see if I could crash with Micheal Jackson in Dubai! Hey, we're both from LA... ;)

Terrorist Attacks!

2008-11-26T13:02:00.000-08:00

Well, here it is, about one day before I head out to Mumbai, and there are terrorist attacks on the city center, and major tourist hotels, where the terrorists were looking for Brits and Americans.

You know, I just don't think there's gonna be anything about this that's going to make my dear Mum feel better.

Although our offices and the apartments we're staying in are
over 1 1/2 hours from the city center, I've already gotten two
phone calls from my newsy friends about it. One said, "You're
kidding, you're going to head into the middle of this?" I'm actually
not that concerned about my personal safety, but
perhaps I should chat to the people here and see if Hyderabad
might be better for the first week. Especially since the Mumbai
airport was one of the places targeted. However, the chances
of my being hit by lighting, or getting into a car accident
on the way to work are probably much higher than my
being involved in a terrorist incident in a city of 13+ million.
That would put me in the 7.692e-08 chance category...

Luckily I'm not actually there while it's happening, and I
have the option of discussing the travel with the folks here.
However, I am concerned about my friend Fran, who was due
to come back to Mumbai in a day or so, not to mention all the
fine people at R&H in Mumbai itself!

Here's a link from Google Earth on the attacks themselves.

Nothing like making your first foray to India an adventure like
terrorist attacks!

Candorville

2008-11-19T00:55:00.000-08:00

So I was in a cafe yesterday, grabbing a quick bite for lunch
and ran across this comic:

However, my friend Suzanne forwarded onto me this link:

The Daily Kos

on black voting on prop 8. Before people start blaming us for the failure of prop 8, look at how many living in CA.

The math in that article came from this article:

Prop 8 and Race Relations

Shows that really the black vote was only a part of the larger vote in support
of Prop. 8. I think we need to do more work to show that everyone under the
sun is equal under the law (or should be)!

Got my India Visa!

2008-11-19T00:24:00.000-08:00

The other day I got my visa to India.

I've been corresponding with people,

reading people's blogs, video conferencing

with people on the other side of the planet

and trying to decipher what's they're saying

through a speaker phone. Do I sound as odd

to them? No doubt.

My hope is that we meet in person, we

all become fast friends. On Friday it will

be one week before I'll be winging my way

there! How exciting!

Testing a post from iphone

2008-11-06T11:28:00.001-08:00

Ok I admit it I finally bought an iphone. So now I'm trying to post onto my blog with it. Please excuse the lack of content of this post - tho I could go on about how great it is to have a president with a name like Obama or how unfortunate prop 8 has been. But I digress. So let's see if this works!

Ooh let's add a photo!

Halloween and Dia De Los Muertos Weekend 2008 in LA

2008-11-02T21:16:00.000-08:00

Hi Folks,

It's November 2nd, the Day After The Day of the Dead,

and what I used to consider and the year's High Holy Day

of Halloween.

I thought I'd post a few short and quirky videos I made

this weekend, both to share and to continually learn how

to use this new medium. I hope you can forgive the 'Cinema

Verite' handheld nature of some of these videos. I guess this

little camera has no stabilizer!

The first is of my co-worker Dan Lazarow. Dan is simply

a really, great guy. I loved this costume he picked for the

day at work, and he was kind enough to let me take a quick

video of him. Apparently his whole family dressed up

this way for Halloween:

It was really nice of him to let me post him

here. Isn't that wig really something? :0)

Then on Saturday my friends Dr. Dave, Andy and Saba

and I went and attended the annual Day of the Dead

celebration, Dia De Los Muertos,

at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

On November 1st however, it turns into one of

the biggest Day of the Dead celebrations I've ever

been too. Their web site for the celebration is

here, and worth a look.

The basic idea behind the celebration is that

people can spend one night a year with family

and friends who have passed away. That Halloween

and Nov 1st is when the veil between the world of

the living and the dead is the most easy to crossover.

So elaborate alters are made by families and friends

to honor the person who has passed away, and food,

lights and flowers are set out to tempt the loved one

back for a night with the living.

Here's a few of the videos I took that night of

the celebrations. The first are some of the alters:

This one had a Pirates theme with little skeleton

sculptures.

Many of the alters are very beautiful, with elaborate

lighting, and decoration, honoring either family

and friends that have passed away, or groups of people,

like Iraq and Afghanistan War Veterans. Here's one with

beautiful lights, notice the face makeup of the women

tending the alter:

Or this one for people who were organ donors:

One of the big centers that night is the mausoleum,

where they had these wonderful 2 story sculptures

just outside the doors, and an art show inside:

They also have stages set up for entertainment,

actually about 4 stages altogether, here's one

of the largest. The MC is polling the political

climate of the audience, what a surprise their

reaction!

And some of the costumes can be a little elaborate.

Hopefully you can see this guys headdress, even in

the low light:

And they also have some wonderful dancing, singing,

and performances from all over the Americas. For

instance, here's some very sweet dancing between

a couple:

Here's a snippet of a big mariachi band on a stage in a lake

in front of another large crypt:

And finally my personal favorite, because I liked the

music so much:

While going through this evening I often thought

of my friend Laura who runs a bed and breakfast

in Mexico called Casa Del Encanto. I wished I'd

been able to share this experience with her. I'm

sure she could have regaled me in marvelous stories

of Dia De Los Muertos in Mexico itself!

Well, I may have inundated you with a little too much

video here. But, as you can tell, I kind of like the idea

of this little camera, and it's handy-dandy-bloggable

qualities. I just hope I retain my audience in a month! :0)

With all my love,

Bob

Hello World!

2008-10-30T02:41:00.000-07:00

Dear Reader,

I'm going to give this blogging thing a run, since in December it looks like I might be headed to India. I thought this might be the easiest way to share my travel experiences with families and friends.

I also just got a very small and portable video camera called a micro-flip. It's small enough to fit in a pocket. Hopefully that'll make the collection and posting of video here much more easy. Of course, there's the main thing of keeping the posts up to date!

Well, my hope is that the content of this blog/vlog proves interesting enough for an occasional peek! I hope you enjoy it!

With all my best thoughts,

Bob

p.s. Looks like I should rename this the 'double chin cam'! ;0)