Body Talk, Monster Maul, and "The Little B_ _ tard"

Hey to all - A quick note about where the treatment's at. Today was the final scheduled chemo and tomorrow will be the 22nd of 28 radiation sessions. There was a slight weight gain over the week, which had the usual pattern of, say, three good days followed by two w/ little energy. On 2/16 a PET scan will clarify the status of of the tumor, or as I hostile-y refer to it, "the little bastard." Please forgive the profanity but it deserves it.

I had a terrific session w/ Toni Stevens (www.tonistevens.com), a practitioner of Reiki and Body Talk. What resonated with me about Toni is how her work would help me relax and rest, and boy, was she right. She says, and I believe her, that this work can put folks in better shape for surgery. Toni's husband Bill, is a musician friend of 40 years standing and a key figure in many Durham ventures of all kinds, including his Chameleon Club on Chapel Hill Road.

For those readers in the area, please consider dropping by The Depot in Hillsborough on Sat., 1/28 at 8 PM to hear Red's Rhythm perform. Led by the luminously talented Stacey Curelop, we play current covers with a nice mixture of Beatles, Motown, and Stones. Our strength is vocals, particularly on vocal duets by Stacey and Frank Hunter. My favorite song they do is "Stop Dragging My Heart Around" by Tom Petty and Stevie Nicks. Folks often like to eat at the Hillsborough Barbeque Company next door, then wander over to The Depot for dessert, ice cream, and beer or wine and the music.

Yesterday, my friend Joe Coates, who performs everything he does with impressive expertise, helped me cut down a large oak for next year's firewood supply. Splitting wood by hand with a "monster maul" is tiring but satisfying. And speaking of satisfying, people continue to express their support to our family in wonderfully generous ways. With tougher times ahead, we will never forget the gifts of friendship we receive and hope that we will be able to pay them forward and back.

-Peter K