Writing It Randomly

Midway through Mum's chemo, it's time for the second operation today. This evening they will remove her gallbladder, spleen & the three remaining lesions on her liver. There's no way I'd ever admit it to her, but I'm worried. This is a big op (they'll be slicing from the left to the right of her midsection), and knowing that she's still battling the cancer isn't making it any easier to block out those negative thoughts. She's a little frail, and things don't always work out the way we want them to. Such is life. It sucks. P.S. On a related note, if there is colon cancer in your family, please have yourself checked out sooner rather than later. Yes, it's an uncomfortable idea (the only preventative test for it - that I know of - is a colonoscopy*), but this type of cancer can be easily treated and/or removed without complications if detected early! *Even the idea of having to use a suppository will have me inadvertently taking on t...

Please forgive me for reblogging, but Retrospace's October 2013 post,  Retrospace Radio Halloween Rewind , is beyond brilliant - it provides links to fantastically spooky vintage podcasts, which you can download (file sizes not too bad) and enjoy at your own leisure. When I listen to them, I feel like I'm time-travelling. I also found the post quite suitable for this week's musical merriment in anticipation of Halloween on Saturday. Hope you love it as much as I do (and have a look at the rest of the podcasts on the Retrospace Blog. Just as awesome; I haven't downloaded them all yet, but I probably will).

This week's song comes from one of my favourite horror movies . Had me in stitches.

We don't have an abundance of photo albums in my home. Back in the day, families like mine often only had one camera - and developing photos wasn't a cheap undertaking, so my father had a camera that we shared amongst the six (later seven) of us, but all photos weren't always developed, so there are many years and moments we have no visual record of. My mother obviously kept an album on each one of her kids, but I think mine stops at around my twelfth year. I therefore have nothing to look back on (or very, very few) taken throughout my high school years. Things changed on my 21st birthday when I received my own camera - a digital one! And these days taking a photo is easier than ever, because thanks to smartphones you no longer need a separate camera in order to take photos, save them, and share them. Unfortunately, although I love looking at photographs, I'm not that great with actually snapping them. I often get so lost in the moment or physical experience that I ...

I am so jealous of everyone who celebrates Halloween (especially everyone in the US)! Over here in SA it's not that big. Despite what you read about our crime statistics, most South Africans are very friendly, but because of our exposure to crime, there is no way people are going to let complete strangers into their yards. Especially not up to their front doors, so Trick-or-Treat'ing is practically impossible. Some of our stores (eg. Woolworths) started to sell Halloween themed candy a few years ago & I've heard of a few closed communities (security complexes) which allow Trick-or-Treat'ing for the little kids, but the general affinity for the Holiday has not yet grown to the point where it is as easy as it is in the States to get hold of costumes, or host big Halloween parties, etc.* I tried to get everyone at the office into the spirit of it last year, but we're less than twenty people there - and then it can be a challenge to spread the enthusiasm aroun...

I sometimes wonder whether it's possible that we all have stalkers out there, rummaging through our dustbins, looking for - I don't know - hair or toenail clippings. This could be their anthem.