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| I find that I scold at myself for not updating my blog more regularly, but I guess it's in my nature. I don't like to be "forced" to share something on a daily or weekly basis so I simply put it off, but then when I have news to share, I have too much to share at once, hahaha.
Well, first of all, I'm living in VA again. Some of you may say, "huh? You lived in VA before??"  Anyway, I bought my condo at end of June after a busy month of paperwork to make it really happen. I had been looking "on and off" for the last 1-2 years (ohhh, dont get me started... I wish I got a place 5 years ago!!!!! Oh well...) but finally really decided to get myself a place once my parents put their house on the market. On that front, very cold housing market... sighs... their house still on market since late May... and they have deadline to deal with for their "new home" in PA (if they still can hold on to that home, too). Hoping everything will go their way soon.
My dad had throat cancer, and had major surgery (10-12 hours) early June that he has been recovering from well. He had to lose his laryngx to completely get rid of the cancer area so he now signs to Mom. At least he has had a great attitude about all this, but now one more hurdle to go, the radiation/chemotherapy for 7 weeks (finally began late July through early September) so he is in middle of that right now (needed to be on the safe side, etc) & trying to keep his chin up on that.
I know I could say quite a lot more but I also want to *TRY* to shut up to keep my blogs short so I can actually make another blog in the REAL near future, heh.
* CalvinTy
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| Lots of news to share.... and all good so far... but haha, just not tonight.
* CalvinTy
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| Alright, since I have some news to share with friends, I guess I'll do so here.
First, lets mention some neat & cool news... my parents put their home on the market as they get excited of living in a newly-built home in a retirement community in Lancaster, PA. The new home will be starting to build soon and should be done by September for my parents to move there.
It felt funny to see my childhood home with a "For Sale" sign on the front yard....(picture/info here for those who are curious: http://100frederick.maryland.remax.com/listings/ListingDetail_r4.aspx?LID=22554816) I lived 21 out of 22 years there... but am getting used to this & am very happy for my folks. It obviously meant I have been super busy place hunting... trying to find a good, noew condo in northern VA area as that's the area I'm most interested in settling (where I currently work as well). It is very tough since northern VA is quite expensive, etc etc. So it has been a long search and still am looking around...
To try to summarize some more news quickly... it is related to my dad...after a few months & several xrays and cat scans, the only thing that explained Dad's problem of not breathing well & hoarse voice was that there were extra tissue blocking part of his airway/windpipe. (Last year, they had removed a small mass that was NOT cancerous.) Yet our doctor kept not finding much so he finally ordered for a PET scan... this was the kind of scan that injects a dye into the body that will try to illuminate any abnormal cells, etc.
Last Tuesday, May 30th, this PET scan was done and quickly showed that Dad had a bright spot in his left pharynx (voicebox) which looked little big. It was confirmed that Dad has oropharyngeal cancer, and indeed is at Stage 4 since the size of the cancer is at 4cm. (http://www.answers.com/topic/oropharyngeal-cancer) The positive part may be how it's all in one area, and that it does not SEEM like it has spread to the lymph nodes, etc.
With this news, Dad needs surgery & we found out that it'll be done next week at Univ of MD hospital in Baltimore, MD. We will be there on Wednesday for a biopsy first... apparently to do a biopsy to figure out exactly what to remove and what to remove & to put temporary breathing tube in Dad's throat. They are saying/guessing (now) that the major surgery would be next Friday... at this time, it seems like Dad will be staying at hospital from Wednesday-Friday and then stay at hospital for few more days to see how his recovery goes.
The fact that the cancer itself is little big is not that good... but they are hoping ONLY to take out half of the pharynx (which would mean that Dad would need to train again how to talk etc). It is possible that they may need to take the whole pharynx out, which would mean that Dad would then only sign as he'd not be able to speak again. In either case, the doctor who would do the surgery mentioned that Dad would need both radiation & chemotherapy after the surgery so right now, he was honest with my parents that odds of a full recovery is like 50%/50%. My parents and I are hoping that Dad will make a full recovery.
In the case that the surgery or the recovery process is not going very well, the doctor did say that my dad may have between a few months to a couple of years. So we are hoping that everything goes well next week & that Dad recovers.
That's all for now.
* CalvinTy
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| Here is a quick 2nd short joke gotten through e-mail a few weeks
ago.... let's see there is any repeat of anyone laughing hysterically
& snortin' after reading that chili story below. 
===
Osama Bin Laden gets killed by a Marine and goes to heaven. Allah
says, "Welcome, my good and faithful servant." Just then, Thomas
Jefferson walks up and beats the shit out of him. He barely gets
to his feet when Patrick Henry blind cocks him and stomps the holy hell
out of him. He doesn't even get back to his knees when Samuel
Adams kicks him like punting a football and stomps his bloody balls
into the dirt. In agony, he looks up only to see a long line of
Patriots waiting in line to have at him. He cries out to Allah,
"What's happening??? Where are my 72 virgins?"
Allah said, "Sorry, misprint. It was supposed to read 72 Virginians..."
===
* Cal
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| Oh my goodness, I love this story that I got via email this morning from a co-worker. Enjoy!
===
Texas Chili Contest
For those of you who have lived in Texas, you know
how true this is. They actually have a Chili Cook-off about the time Halloween
comes around. It takes up a major portion of a parking lot at the San Antonio
City Park. Judge #3 was an inexperienced Chili taster named Frank, who was
visiting from Minneapolis, MN.
Frank: "Recently, I was honored to be selected
as a judge at a chili cook-off. The original person called in sick at the last
moment and I happened to be standing there at the judge's table asking for
directions to the Coors Light truck, when the call came in. I was assured by the
other two judges (Native Texans) that the chili wouldn't be all that spicy and,
besides, they told me I could have free beer during the tasting, so I
accepted".
Here are the scorecard notes from the event:
CHILI # 1 - MIKE'S MANIAC MONSTER CHILI...
Judge # 1 -- A little too
heavy on the tomato. Amusing kick.
Judge # 2 -- Nice, smooth tomato flavor.
Very mild.
Judge # 3 (Frank) -- Holy shit, what the hell is this stuff? You
could remove dried paint from your driveway. Took me two beers to put the flames
out. I hope that's the worst one. These Texans are crazy.
CHILI # 2 - AUSTIN'S AFTERBURNER CHILI...
Judge # 1 -- Smoky, with a
hint of pork. Slight jalapeno tang.
Judge # 2 -- Exciting BBQ flavor, needs
more peppers to be taken seriously.
Judge # 3 -- Keep this out of the reach
of children. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to taste besides pain. I had to wave
off two people who wanted to give me the Heimlich maneuver! They had to rush in
more beer when they saw the look on my face.
CHILI # 3 - FRED'S FAMOUS BURN DOWN THE BARN CHILI...
Judge # 1 --
Excellent firehouse chili. Great kick.
Judge # 2 -- A bit salty, good use of
peppers.
Judge # 3 -- Call the EPA. I've located a uranium spill. My nose
feels like I have been snorting Drano. Everyone knows the routine by now. Get me
more beer before I ignite. Barmaid pounded me on the back, now my backbone is in
the front part of my chest. I'm getting shit-faced from all of the beer.
CHILI # 4 - BUBBA'S BLACK MAGIC...
Judge # 1 -- Black bean chili
with almost no spice. Disappointing.
Judge # 2 -- Hint of lime in the black
beans. Good side dish for fish or other mild foods, not much of a
chili.
Judge # 3 -- I felt something scraping across my tongue, but was
unable to taste it. Is it possible to burn out taste buds? Sally, the beermaid,
was standing behind me with fresh refills. That 300-LB woman is starting to look
HOT...just like this nuclear waste I'm eating! Is chili an aphrodisiac?
CHILI # 5 LISA'S LEGAL LIP REMOVER...
Judge # 1 -- Meaty, strong
chili. Cayenne peppers freshly ground, adding considerable kick. Very
impressive.
Judge # 2 -- Chili using shredded beef, could use more tomato.
Must admit the cayenne peppers make a strong statement.
Judge # 3 -- My ears
are ringing, sweat is pouring off my forehead and I can no longer focus my eyes.
I farted and four people behind me needed paramedics. The contestant seemed
offended when I told her that her chili had given me brain damage. Sally saved
my tongue from bleeding by pouring beer directly on it from the pitcher. I
wonder if I'm burning my lips off. It really pisses me off that the other judges
asked me to stop screaming. Screw those rednecks.
CHILI # 6 - VERA'S VERY VEGETARIAN VARIETY..! .
Judge # 1 -- Thin
yet bold vegetarian variety chili. Good balance of spices and peppers.
Judge
# 2 -- The best yet. Aggressive use of peppers, onions, and garlic.
Superb.
Judge # 3 -- My intestines are now a straight pipe filled with
gaseous, sulfuric flames. I shit on myself when I farted and I'm worried it will
eat through the chair. No one seems inclined to stand behind me except that
Sally. Can't feel my lips anymore. I need to wipe my ass with a snow cone.
CHILI # 7 - SUSAN'S SCREAMING SENSATION CHILI...
Judge # 1 -- A
mediocre chili with too much reliance on canned peppers.
Judge # 2 -- Ho hum,
tastes as if the chef literally threw in a can of chili peppers at the last
moment. **I should take note that I am worried about Judge # 3. He appears to be
in a bit of distress as he is cursing uncontrollably.
Judge # 3 -- You could
put a grenade in my mouth, pull the pin, and I wouldn't feel a thing. I've lost
sight in one eye, and the world sounds like it is made of rushing water. My
shirt is covered with chili, which slid unnoticed out of my mouth. My pants are
full of lava to match my shirt. At least during the autopsy, they'll know what
killed me. I've decided to stop breathing it's too painful.
Screw it; I'm not
getting any oxygen anyway. If I need air, I'll just suck it in through the
4-inch hole in my stomach.
CHILI # 8 - BIG TOM'S TOENAIL CURLING CHILI...
Judge # 1 -- The
perfect ending, this is a nice blend chili. Not too bold but spicy enough to
declare its existence.
Judge # 2 -- This final entry is a good, balanced
chili. Neither mild nor hot. Sorry to see that most of it was lost when Judge #3
farted, passed out, fell over and pulled the chili pot down on top of himself.
Not sure if he's going to make it. poor feller, wonder how he'd have reacted to
really hot chili?
Judge # 3 - No Report
===
* Cal
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