LOST & MISPLACED A2K people.

He got tired of the nitwits, who are now gone themselves.

We have a new crop of nitwits, however.

But there aren't as many, they aren't as bad and we've done a better job of ignoring them off the forum. Keep thumbing up and down. And ignoring.

I enjoyed having the occasional discussion with Set, though we rarely saw eye-to-eye. He was often cranky (as many of us are), but the breadth of his knowledge of history is vast.

According to the girl he's doing fine. I asked her about him after he left here.

It's really nice to see some older names here tonight. Hi to everybody.

Ah, that would explain it.

Bill Ward (occam bill) has not given me permission to share this, but he has been so open about it on facebook I think he would not object to my posting this. Apologies if I am wrong.

Bill Ward
Favorites · 8 hrs ·
Cancer/Life/Death Update:
Back by popular demand, thank ya'll for caring, and sorry it took so long. It's been a rough couple months.
Health: I hired a new Oncologist in Los Angeles, based on the recommendation of the surgeon my friend Chantelle recommended. Seemed like a great fit, ready to try anything and be candid about it.
But after a battery of tests, he too referred me out for possible clinical trials... of which I qualify for none. So yet another Oncologist (5th), Dr. Chu, did another round of tests, only to come to the same conclusion. Dr. Chu didn't hesitate to give it to me straight, and I really like that. "Straight" means he'd guess I have about 6 months left, barring some kind of treatment he doesn't today know of. (Lol, where have I heard that before?)
I responded with my desire to return to the original Folfox chemical cocktail, and instead of hemming and hawing he simply said "okay, let's try that." I guess we'll soon see if I'm as smart as I think I am, or as dumb as the average Oncologist thinks I am, because I just got disconnected from that cocktail today. Benchmark for CEA over-under is 20, because that's where it's at.
When he said he'd schedule my next dose for two weeks tentatively, I suggested my platelets likely wouldn't make him happy that fast. (They were less than half of the minimum this time.) He impressed me by knowing they're always low, and that it doesn't seem to bother me. I asked him point blank, if he'd sign off on 22,000 platelets if that's what I came in at, and he said he would. (That'd be record-low for me, but I really ain't a bleeder so no worries.
Anyway, a slow rise in CEA would be nice, staying put would be fabulous, and a reduction would be dynamite! Place your bets!
**** Cancer!
I will mention that apart from fatigue, I still feel pretty damn good, and have no intention of checking out in the next 6 months.
That said, I was talking with my sister and have decided it's time to make my funeral arrangements! Like my mother before me, I see no reason my loved ones should get to celebrate my life without me, so I intend to attend my "Funeral Reception" alive and well with ya'll!
Looking at August 20th, but this is subject to my sister's convenience, as she will be hosting the event at her house in Wisconsin. So mark your calendars!
When I'm actually dead, my body is a science project anyway, so no reason to get together to mourn me. Rest assured, if something comes next, I'll be in good spirits finding out what.
No worries people, nothing has fundamentally changed. But if you don't want to be like me, get a ******* colonoscopy. **** cancer!
Life... and death.
I think I left off planning on seeing a Pink Floyd cover at the Wisdome in LA with Becca and Tyler, and did, and it was good.
Next I flew to Florida to visit Jeff and Suzanne, and my dear friend Ashley came up for a few days as well.
Then Rick, David, and I rode our bikes out to Sedona, AZ to meet up with the guys at a private luxury compound of sorts, for a men's wellness weekend. These Cali people really know how to relax!
Oh, and I tried to hike up a mountain with the fellas, but had to stop half way up, for fear I'd be too shot for the dissent even if I managed the summit. Sun was setting, so I think I made the right call, but I really want to return and conquer that bastard! Also got to have breakfast with my superhuman nephew, Ezra!
Shortly thereafter, tragedy punched me as hard as I've ever been punched. We lost our Becca. I got a call from the woman who rented Becca her salon space, saying that she was found in the parking lot in her car, non-responsive, and a probable accidental overdose. Concensus opinion is she must have gotten some fentanyl without realizing it, as she was just to damn strong for it to be anything else. She was 32 years old. 😞😓
She was a one-off force of nature who seemed to have an impact on everyone who met her, even if only once, and I'll be eternally grateful for the time she spent with me. I miss her terribly, but truth be told, I always did, because there was never enough Becca to go around. (I'd have posted a stand alone post honoring her, but this happened over a month ago at about the same time Facebook banned me for a month.) I loved her dearly, nothing ever made me cry more, and I doubt another day will pass in my life where I don't look back on her fondly. 😞
Her services were in Bakersfield, CA, and I soon realized that was very near the Kern River leading up to Lake Isabella. Some of you may remember a couple years ago when it took me 3 days to get out of California, after riding up North with Rick, because the National Parks were closed for Covid, and this was the first pass I could get through. I remember writing about scaling the walls of the Kern for a photo-op and finding Lake Isabella deserted.
This time, I did some Duke Boys'n on the Big K, to ride down to the water, and ended up bottoming out on sand that revealed a rock that tore a hole in my oil pan, big enough to stick a finger in. Fortunately, I was riding with my mechanical genius friend, David, who somehow managed to spread JB Weld across the hole well enough to hold another 250 miles or so of hard riding.
Tyler put us and a bunch of Becca's other peeps up at her parents cabin, which turned out to be a lovely off-grid place, completely surrounded by mountains.
In other news, Rick and Julia split up, and we've since relocated to a kick ass flat back in Long Beach. Sadly, that means no more Max, and I'm going to miss my creepy little shadow terribly as well.
The last thing Becca invited me to do, just the day before her demise, was to go paddleboarding soon. This last Saturday, Frances and I did just that with a couple dozen of Becca's other friends, some of whom I'm now proud to call my own. Michelle and Tyler have been amazing at organizing events to bring us together, and my newest dear friend's name is Jesse. I think she might be an angel (as well as a mermaid), and her husband Jamie kicks ass too!
I'm barely out of a chemo-coma at present, but I'll catch up whatever I miss, just ask. My apologies again for the delay, and don't think I don't appreciate the many of you who reached out for an update.
Now pics, then more sleep.

He's always been such an interesting man, it's truly sucks that he has to deal with this.

Thanks, Edgar.

I think since Bill is so open on FB, he wouldn’t mind people here knowing what is up with him.

He’s just fought so damn hard for so long, it’s hard to imagine that he’s planned a final ceremony. I probably would’ve planned mine the third month.

Viva, Bill!
**** cancer.

They are not really new, just old members who came back using different names.

Your knowledge of blues music was tres impressive!

Sozobe has been a member here for 20 years but hasn't posted in five years now.

Sozobe

She's active on Facebook.

Where are you Edgar? Hope everything is ok with you and yours!

Edgar's active on Facebook too. Uses another name, though.

G'day JoeBlow!

Good to see Margo still with us. Sometimes.

I still haven't heard from Sturgis, not feeling very positive.

Miss ol' Sturgis.