Julie -2012 Book List

[julie]

Hi All

I just now got word back from the Doc. Good grief, I have been sweating bullets all day .

Good news, the Radiation is only showing up in the neck area which means they see no Cancer anyplace else at this time.

WHEW .

I was trying my hardest to be brave ,but the longer the day went, the more I crumbled . GEEZ, this W A I T I N G is the worst part of it all .

 

A special thank you to all of you who have sent me good wishes and positive thoughts. I really do appreciate each and every one of you .

[pontalba]

Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!

 

Wonderful news Julie!

 

You are brave, anyone would begin to crumble, but you didn't give 'way to it. You managed. And you'll continue to manage.

[julie]

Thanks, Kat

Yea, I guess most people would say it's the waiting for news is the worst part. Once they tell you what you have and what needs done, you feel like you at least have a list of things to do to try to get better,but when you are waiting to hear news, there's really not a big list of stuff you can do and each hour that goes by,your brain starts heading into bad territory ,and you begin thinking What if ... and then what... you know ?

It's best if it all happens fast and you get answers fast,less time to wait and wonder .

It also makes you think about all the other people out there today,,just like me, who are waiting to hear news of the same type. You really never think much about it til you are in that situation yourself,then it makes you think about all those other people too .

I heard someone say once that having Cancer was the best thing that ever happened to them. I thought that was the strangest thing I have ever heard ,but I think what they meant was that it "wakes you up " and makes you think a LOT about the important things in life and what matters most.

You quickly learn that all the "stuff" you have isnt going to help, that having a nice house or beautiful clothes or looking good ... none of those things matter any more.

The only thing that is important to you are the PEOPLE in your life. Nothing else counts .

Cancer kinda puts us all on a level playing field . You are there with rich people , poor people, every race,color,etc. NONE of those things matter . Youre all on the same ground ,looking up at a REALLY big hill you need to climb . Then you start looking around to see how many people are up at the top,throwing ropes down for you to grab hold of to pull yourself up .

I found out that there are LOTS of people in here that own some really long ,sturdy ropes and arent afraid to throw them out to pull up someone in need .

[pontalba]

Thats a wonderful analogy Julie, throwing down a helping rope. Love it. And true. I haven't been in your position, but I've been in dicey situations and been most fortunate in my close friends and family. It's absolutely the people that count.

 

Now you can think about your procedures from here, following the doc's instructions, and just getting it done. <<hugs>> All positive action/thinking.

[frankie]

That's such brilliant news!!! I'm so happy and relieved for you, Julie! And sorry for the confusion in my first PM, I was behind by a week and didn't get it right until I visited this log of yours

 

This is cause for celebration and some happy dancing!

[poppyshake]

.. yes lot's of happy dancing :cows: WELL DONE JULIE!! I'm so happy for you xxxxxx it's just brilliant news xxxxxx

 

Like you say, when you boil it down .. all the things like nice houses and clothes and money and even cake and books .. as nice as they are .. they're just things and you can do without them. The people you love and who love you are what makes life worth living .. yay for the people that love us (poor things ) and for friends

[Chrissy]

Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful news Julie!

 

That is so good to hear.

[julie]

Hi guys

 

 

Frankie

No worries, it's ok . Nothing to get upset over . Thanks for the dancing cows ---

 

 

Poppy

Yes, I'd even trade books and cake for friends . And they are both high on my list of favorites ,just like they are yours .

You guys are better, though .

 

Chrissy

Thanks, yes, it is such a big relief ... In the beginning when the doc said I have a year before they can say I'm Cancer free,and another round of testing at the end of that year to make sure ... I wondered how in the world I'm gonna go with this hanging over me for a whole year ? I think the doc summed it up quite well -- take one day at a time, don't try to look at a whole year, look at a day . At least for now, it's a big relief to have this beginning news ,and hopefully the one-year news will also be good, but I need to quit thinking that far ahead.

As the Hubster said, How many people might be walking around today with the same thing... the one year, or the 5 year .... I guess you just get up each day and be thankful for that day,then move on to the next one .

 

 

Kat

Yep, you're right. I'll definitely do my follow ups, try to have a little bit healthier lifestyle,and keep thinking about the positive . I think it's best if you can do that and not worry yourself to death about something that might never happen . Maybe the end of year news will be just as good ,and I really dont want to think thast far ahead right now ,so I'll just think about today .

Edited July 25, 2012 by julie

[chesilbeach]

That's glorious news, Julie! The waiting is awful but at least in this instance it was worth it!

[julie]

Yes, Claire, it certainly was good news . I tried really hard to be brave,but yesterday was a rough day .Each hour seemed like a day . It sure was good to wake up today and know the answers, so I can turn the nerves down about 10 levels.

[Alexi]

What amazing news Julie!

[julie]

Thank you Alexistar ~

[chaliepud]

Great news Julie, I hope you're feeling a bit better in yourself now and have more energy than you did a week or so ago..

[julie]

Thanks Chalie

Yea, the energy is coming back but very slowly . It's frustrating because you count the number of days since surgery and keep thinking you should be back to normal ,but you still get so tired so fast. So I still do things in shifts, like this morning I went to the store,then came home to rest. Fell asleep for a few hours, then got back up to make a library run,then came home to sit down again,so it's irritating that you can't do more .

II talked to a lady whose brother and sister both had the same surgery and she said it was several months before they felt back to normal.

Right now, they are just trying to get my thyroid levels back to the right numbers.It's been about 10 days since I started the pills,and will have bloodwork next month to see what the levels will be. Depending on them,they will either raise or lower the dosage. It's really surprising how much your thyroid controls so many other areas of your body and if they yank it out, how exhausted it makes you .

Somedays you are just so tired, you can't even mentally handle anything. Your brain actually feels too tired to think or worry .

I'll get straightend up again though,I'm sure .

I just have patience about as long as a tsetse fly ,so I want to feel better NOW .

[vodkafan]

That's brilliant news Julie, awesome. And very typical of you to be thinking of other people right now when you could be forgiven for just being happy for yourself .

[julie]

Thanks VF

I don't think I' m doing anything any different than anyone else would do .

 

I've had several health issues in the past 5 years,and have several specialists,so I spend a good deal of time either at doctors offices, hospitals, pharmacies, etc .

When you see other people at all these places, all waiting for news, or to have a a scarey test done , you really think a lot about how they must feel too . I think anyone would do that .

[Janet]

I'm pleased to hear it's good news. Julie.

[julie]

Thank you Janet .

I'm very relieved myself !

[julie]

I Had Seen Castles by Cynthia Rylant

 

This is a novella about a 17 year old boy living in Pittsburgh during WW2 . At the beginning of the story, he tells of the normal life a teen of that time lives ,things ,he enjoys, and just a life in general .

Then Pearl Harbor happens . This event changes his life, along with everyone else's . His home life was turned upside down. Each person in his family was deeply affected in their own ways,and it changed all their lives forever .

It portrays a normal family that transforms into a completely different family .

The main thing I think the author is trying to show, is how War can take an ordinary teen boy with hopes and dreams for his future ,into a Soldier ,a man , and an entirely different person . How the things seen ,heard and felt during war-time ,can completely change the person you are ,into someone you could never imagine being .

The description of the book also says it's a love story and I guess in a way it is, but it is a truly sad love story .

I can't give anything more than that away .The book is very short but also very powerful . Its' description also states that it has been used as a classroom read for young adults .I think it might in SOME way ,explain to kids today what it was like being in that young boy's shoes . I'm not sure any book could truly put a person INTO a war and explain it thoroughly enough so that you would understand exactly what it was like. You can only imagine ,through this boy's eyes ,what it was like .

I'll give this book 4/5 . I usually don't go for short stories such as this,but this one deserves that many stars . The author took very few words to describe a very huge subject. so for that, she gets 4 stars .

[pontalba]

Good review Julie, thanks for posting.

If it can help kids connect with the past, and truly feel it, I'm all for it. Hopefully it can give them a new perspective on their parents/grandparents lives too.

 

You're sounding better and better Julie. I'm so happy about that. Everything will come back slowly, I know it is slower than you'd like, but when you think about what your body has endured, all I can say is WOW, you're still standing kiddo! Kudos!

[julie]

Thanks Kat

Yea, I'm trying . I have never met a person with LESS patience than I have,so I get frustrated that it is taking so long to recover ,although both docs told me it would be several months til I felt back to the way I should be . I guess I want to be tough enough to get better faster than that ,but at least each day seems a bit better . I should be very thankful for that . This could have been so much worse .

As for the book, I certainly thought it was well written and made me ponder what it'd be like to be sent to war when you were barely out of high school. I really can't imagine how hard it'd be . You'd sure have to grow up quick and "skip" the years of your life when you are a legal adult ,but when you are still trying ot find your place in the world and deciding what direction you want to go . Those steps would be surpassed ,The War would tell you what direction to go and the rest of your life would be on hold .

I like books like that, that make you ponder what it'd be like to be in someone else's shoes and live an experience through the book of how you might react .

 

On to the next book...whatever it will be ...... Hhhmmmm..........

Edited July 28, 2012 by julie

[julie]

Ghosty Men : The Strange but True story of the Collyer Brothers, New York's Greatest Hoarders

 

--By Franz Lidz

 

 

Many years ago, I read a book called Unstrung Heroes ,which was a true story about a boy ,who was maybe 10 at the time, whose mother was slowly dying of Cancer .In order for his Father to spend as much time as possible with her ,and so this boy wouldn't have to endure the day to day illness of his mother , his father asked the boy's uncles to care for him .These uncles were quite intelligent,,but very unusual. They took very good care of the boy,but had really strange living conditions and very odd habits. This book was SO good and so very cute ,with this little boy telling different stories about his uncles while he stayed with them.

This new book is also a little bit about those uncles,but it also tells a paralell tale of Homer & Langley, who moved to Harlem in NY in 1910. At the time, it was a beautiful upper class neighborhood. Their parents were wealthy,and the boys seemed normal as kids,and both went to college , It seemed that the older they got,the more odd they became . They were extreme hoarders and would save anything they found . They didnt believe in conventional things, like attending doctors, etc. They both just lived at home alone . The local stores would give them free food at night, or they'd rummage through dumpsters and bring home old food they found in the garbage .

.Anyhow, to make a long story short, this book runs along the same lines as the first ,but at times is a little hard to follow,because the author swings back and forth between his own uncles,and the Collyer Brothers .

It wasn't nearly as enjoyable as the first, which I would give a 5/5 . This one,sadly would get a 2/5 .

Just too disjointed and hard to follow .

[julie]

States of Confusion : My 19,000-Mile Detour to Find Direction -by Paul Jury

 

This book is a travel narrative about a young guy (23) ,who has completed college and has a steady girlfriend , His life seems to be on track for the next step,which would be to find a good job and get married to his long-time girlfiend. That's probably the step most people would take ,but the author seems to be questioning that route and whether those are the bext steps he wants to make,so he decides to take a road trip and give himself some time to think things over.

He hatches a plan to drive through all 48 contiguous states within 48 days . This is a book about his journey and what he learns along the way . At the end, he has made his decision about where he wants to end up and what he wants to do with his life.

I've read several books with this exact same theme,boy out of college ,not ready to step into the "adult" world just yet, like getting a job, paying bill,s having a family. They seem to want to extend their college years a bit further ,so they take a road trip.

This book was ok, not the best I've ever read and lots of it was pretty uneventful . Nothing in it compares with A Walk Across America by Peter Jenkins,which I read probably 20 some years ago. He was in the same situation,done with college and not ready to make a career decision, so he WALKED across our country .His adventures were so much better . He spent much more time meeting people and describing the scenery .

This book was like a copycat of that one, only done in the safety of a car,with a bank account and ever-indulgent parents to back this boy financially ,so it wasn't an adventure in the true sense . It was a 23 year old who didnt want to settle down ,so he put off doing that by driving all over the place .

The end gives you an answer as to where he ends up and the choices he made for his future .

I'll give this one a 3/5 . The writing was good enough to keep me reading ,but the overall idea and outcome in the end kinda fizzled .

[julie]

Baby Boomer by Kate Everson

 

This was a really short book I read from my Nook . It tells a very condensed version of a lady's life, who was born and raised out in the woods in Canada . They had a home-made house their dad built,but they had no running water or bathroom,so their growing up years sounded like they were camping . That part of the story was interesting ,but then she skips on to her teen and young adult years,where she joined several different cult-type places . she skimmed over her entire life, making a lifetime of descriptions all withing a few pages . She had a baby and adopted it out ,spent time on drugs, then married an abusive man who she later divorced . She and her son grew up wandering from place to place .At the end, he is grown and has a family and she is living back on the homestead her dad had built all those years ago .

So,this was a MINI- book ,which would have been more interesting if told in a longer form where there were more details., I was surprised at the shortness of it,and being able to read it completely within a small amount of time.

Anyhow, I'll only give this one a 1/5 . I'll put as much effort into the grade it gets as the author did in telling her story .

[pontalba]

States of Confusion : My 19,000-Mile Detour to Find Direction -by Paul Jury

 

This puts me in mind of the tradtional "Grand Tour" young men took after University. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Tour The wiki article speaks of European men, but I'm thinking of, for example, Ashley Wilkes...Gone With the Wind...it was supposed to broaden their horizions, complete their education etc. "make Men of them." Heck, sounds like a good idea to me!

Not a bad idea, all in all, IMO.

 

Good reviews Julie.