A new month brings continued thanks to all of you for your support. It’s an honor to have some many caring friends and family…and you are all talented posters as well.  As you can see from her poignant posts, my wife continues to be poised, undeterred, and strong.

This weekend will bring lots of work around the house, but also a fun day today which will involve time with some friends outside in our neighborhood this afternoon.  Of course, I have already taken in the Irish’s 50-10 victory over our Naval sea buddies.  I know you are all breathless in anticipation of my assessment, so here goes : St. Ignatius’ JV team may have been able to beat Navy. ND didn’t have to show much to win, so it’s hard to tell if we are any good.  I still predict a 7-win season and hope to be wrong.

As many of you know, Meaghan and I had planned to be in Dublin with friends for the game and to visit many of the old haunts (read: pubs…I mean…. churches) I may or may not have frequented during my “study” abroad semester in Ireland.  Although we had to cancel our trip, we are living vicariously through our friends who have been great about sending email updates and photos, all of which have been surprisingly un-incriminating up to this point.  Frankly, I expect more of them.

Anyway..last evening and this weekend were supposed to be semi-relaxing and productive but we had a slight monkey wrench last night in the kitchen.  While trying to remove the pit from an avocado Meaghan accidentally stabbed/cut herself with a serated knife in the palm.  Fortunately the cut was not too deep or wide and we were able to get her on the ground and apply pressure to stop the bleeding while the Calcari’s ran to Walgreen’s to get first aid supplies, since of course we had nothing more potent than Disney band-aids.  Needless to say, Meaghan got quite a scare, but thanks to the noble work of Dr. Reno Calcocky she is patched up and good to go. Currently she is off getting her teeth cleaned since her dentist was nice enough to fit her in advance of her treatments.  It’s a no-no to get dental work done while undergoing chemo.

In other news, Meaghan was radioactive yesterday.  I’m not using some hip-hop euphemism for her radiant beauty.  She was literally radioactive.  The baseline PET-CT was yesterday and it went smoothly.  Results to come Tuesday, but we’re glad the test is over as it involves another IV (Meaghan no likey needles). At one point we had about an hour in between the IV being started to inject the dye used for the scan and the actual test.  I was told to sit in the ladies’ changing room and Meaghan would be brought back out to sit with me.  Now, sitting in the ladies changing room may sound awesome. This humble amateur blogger can report that it was decidedly unawesome.  I was mostly looked at as a pariah by the confused older women staring at me sitting in their robes.  I don’t blame them.  I probably got things off on the wrong foot when I asked each of them “Hey, what’s your sign?” as I winked at them.  I kid.  I didn’t wink.

When Meaghan came back for the wait before the scan, she was told she couldn’t talk. Advantage Mike.  So I decided it would be best to hold a conversation in which I answered for Meaghan, being the doting husband I am.  In a startling turn of events, I somehow felt like I was on the losing end of the conversation the entire time, and by the time she was called in for the scan I was somehow going online to buy Meaghan and her friends tickets to some secret picnic thing I was not invited to.  I have no idea how this happened and am still rattled. As for the scan, while it was a weird experience Meaghan handled it like a champ.

I can let Meaghan explain more about Whiz’s progress as she took him for his first vet appointment.  My summary: he doesn’t have any crazy cat diseases, he has some weird pee issues, and needs to drink more water.  Basically the same as my dad.

I’m off to help hang some art around the house until Meaghan and her mom tell me to stop.  Earlier today, Kathy seemed a little too impressed that I knew how to make myself scrambled eggs.  Just wait till I grab a drill.

More to come this week after chemo teaching on Tuesday and the first treatment on Thursday.

Thanks again to all.  Go Irish.

mpc