The Party Details

Matt and I are so excited to see you all for the Matt Peterson Birthday/Melissa Peterson Done with Chemo Extravaganza!

Dress is very casual --remember, I'm BALD for goodness sake!

Doors open at 6pm, and we will have nibblies, wine and beer (and liquor for purchase). My fantastic friend Bryan Cohen's band will be playing at approximately 8:30. They are called SweetLou -- they are kind of Americana/Alt Country/Pop, and if you haven't heard them before, here's a link:

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=78570469

DIRECTIONS:
Sole Repair (aka 'the Shop') can be found just off of East Pike 1 block past Broadway on Seattle's Capitol Hill. Located right next door to Quinn's, and directly across the street from Neumos.

SOLE REPAIR - the shop
(206) 979-SHOP
1001 East Pike
Seattle, Wa 98122

PARKING
Parking is located in the following locations:
- 10th & East Pike - Located directly south of the Sole Repair building - $7.00 pay parking
- Pike & Broadway - Under and directly next to QFC - $0.00
- Broadway & East Madison - $5 pay parking
- Street Parking - Available where you can find it $0.00 after 7pm (all day sunday)

"The most incredibly lifelike baby money EVER!"

So my friend Bex in Portland is also going through chemo. She just posted on her blog about what surprisingly good reading material her oncologist's office offered. So I looked around at Dr West's office, and he has some good stuff too. Then I went down to the treatment center...and all I could find to read was a Ladies Home Journal and a Palm Desert Living. So I picked the LHJ. And I found this ad.

WHO BUYS THIS KIND OF STUFF?!? Especially for $150!!

My next treatment I am stealing something from Dr West's office to read.

Save the Date!

November 8 for a combo Matt-turns-39 and Melissa-is-done-with-chemo party....details to come, but think evening, think Capitol Hill area-ish. All are invited, so let us know if you are planning on coming so we can make sure there is enough wine, beer and comestibles!

Caveat on the post below

I want you to understand that I have only lost (and it goes back and forth) 5-8 lbs. Nothing scary.

Some Say...

That I remind them of Jean Tripplehorn. Some have said (really only in NZ where they worship her) there's a touch of Elle MacPherson. Some say Kyra Sedgwick. And currently, there's a lot of Sigourney Weaver in Alien, Sinead O'Connor...you get it.

But. There's someone new. Karen Carpenter.

WHAT?!?

Okay, let me explain. Yesterday, visiting with Dr. West, discussing my weight loss/weight gain (which is fine, by the way), I told him that it wasn't that food tasted funny, metallic, or otherwise, it is simply that I am just not interested in food at all. Nothing intrigues me or entices me (except on the odd occasion, like with the queso or fondue). And he told me that the strict medical term for me right now (like what would go in my charts) is ANOREXIC.

Who knew?!?

Last Round Starts Today

Yeehaw! Last round of chemo (of this sort, anyhow) starts today.

Let's all think really good killing thoughts today -- I want reduction of cancer on a massive, American-corporation type bailout scale, not the "slight reduction or stabilization" that Dr. West is expecting from this second half.

Vote for DJ and Waterfront Fish!!

Hey everyone, DJ and Hallie's Waterfront Fish has been nominated for the Best of Western Washington -- here's the link:
http://best.king5.com/contests/best-of-western-washington/2336/great-meals/seafood
Voting closes on Monday, so if you can, please support them by voting --some of you have had their fish and chips, and know that they are out of this world! And even if you haven't, take our word for it...:-)

What kind of Cancer did he die from?

YES, THAT WOULD BE LUNG CANCER.

I find it very interesting and more than a little disheartening that the stigma of lung cancer is so strong that everyone knows that Paul passed away from cancer, but no media is saying what kind. That's one of the biggest challenges facing us. Lung cancer is always the one people can blame on its victims, and not feel bad. Let me give you some facts, if you haven't already heard this from me...

1) LC is the leading cause of cancer death in the US, far exceeding both breast cancer in women and prostate cancer men.
2) Despite the lethality of LC, it receives less than one eighth the research funding per cancer death than breast cancer, and less than one quarter of that for prostate cancer.
3) Though lung cancer is first detected as locally advanced or metastatic in three out of four people who develop it, there is no established screening plan. Our current system is that you wait for symptoms, but lung cancer is typically clinically silent until it’s too late to cure.
4) More than half of lung cancer in the US is detected in former smokers or never-smokers. Female never-smokers are consistently more likely to develop lung cancer than men, for reasons we don’t understand.
5) Advocacy for lung cancer have been severely limited by its poor survival, as well as the stigma we have assigned to it.
6) Despite the challenges, many new treatments for lung cancer have emerged over the past decade, and survival is beginning to improve. We can make a major impact against the leading cancer killer in this country.

So tell everyone you know -- Paul Newman died of Lung Cancer, and then get them engaged in the Lung Cancer story -- I guarantee most will be very surprised.

Pasta Recipe

3/4 cup drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, sliced, 2 tablespoons of oil reserved
1 pound Italian hot sausages, casings removed
2 (8-ounce) packages frozen artichoke hearts
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
16 ounces fusilli pasta
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan, plus additional for garnish
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
8 ounces water-packed fresh mozzarella, drained and cubed, optional
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Directions
Heat the oil reserved from the tomatoes in a heavy large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the sausages and cook until brown, breaking up the meat into bite-size pieces with a fork, about 8 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a bowl. Add the artichokes and garlic to the same skillet, and saute over medium heat until the garlic is tender, about 2 minutes. Add the broth, wine, and sun-dried tomatoes. Boil over medium-high heat until the sauce reduces slightly, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the fusilli in boiling water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Drain the pasta (do not rinse). Add the pasta, sausage, 1/2 cup Parmesan, basil, and parsley to the artichoke mixture. Toss until the sauce is almost absorbed by the pasta. Stir in the mozzarella. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Serve, passing the additional Parmesan cheese alongside.

Shannon Brown is the Winner Today!

Winner of what, you say? Who is Shannon Brown (some of you say)?

Well, as you know from my latest posts, food is becoming a bit of a challenge for me...it tastes fine, but NOTHING really sounds good. I'm burnt out on thai food, not that into icecream anymore...yikes. But then something comes along, like a bloody mary or Matt's queso suggestion -- fantastic!

My friend Shannon sent an email last night saying that she was thinking of me because she made a yummy artichoke sausage pasta that I made for her once....THAT IS WHAT I WANT TODAY. Who would have ever known? Chemo sure is a tricky treatment to navigate....

Chemo and Queso

Who knew that it was the secret combination I had been looking for?

Blog, Blog, Blog

I have nothing to report.

How are all of YOU?