MMRF Charity Race- Empire State Building Run-Up is scheduled for 8 p.m. on Feb. 8.

Nice!

" The 35th annual Empire State Building Run-Up is scheduled for 8 p.m. on Feb. 8. For the second straight year, the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, or MMRF, is the title sponsor and benefiting charity. Approximately 5,000 people in the race’s history have reached the finish line on the 86th floor observation deck, organizers said."

" “The competition will be fierce, but I know that, with every person I pass, I’m raising more money to help the MMRF fight cancer,” Kuritzky, who is collecting pledges from colleagues to raise $10,000 for every runner he passes, said in a statement. “That’s all the motivation I need.”

Click here for entire story

Time for a Little Bit of Humor..... BEAR PROTECTION

This is why it is so important to defeat all gun registration . . . 

On Bud's Gun Shop Forum the question came up: What is

the smallest caliber you trust to protect yourself from a bear?

A great answer:

My personal favorite defense gun has always been a Beretta

Jetfire in .22 short.  Over all the years I've been hiking I never

leave without it in my pocket.  Of course we all know too the

first rule when hiking in the wilderness is to use the "Buddy

System."  For those of you who may be unfamiliar with this it

means you never hike alone.  You bring a friend or companion,

even an in-law, that way if something happens there is

someone to help.

I remember one time hiking with my brother-in-law in northern

Alberta.  Out of nowhere came this huge brown bear and man

was she mad.  We must have been near one of her cubs. 

Anyway, if I had not had my little Jetfire I'd sure not be here

today.  Just one shot to my brother-in-law's knee cap and I

was able to escape by just walking at a brisk pace.

A positive outlook and trial drugs help boost life for blood cancer sufferers

 He said that a routine blood screening can catch a number of myeloma cases while it is still in an asymptomatic state. (This was the case for Dominic... thank God for our GP who is a stickler for routine bloodwork!  Dr. Culasso's insistence on regular blood testing saved Dom's life )  The symptom at the onset of the disease for most Thai patients is bone pain. In those who have pathologic fractures especially fractures of the thoracic and lumbar vertebral bodies, it usually results in severe spasms and back pain. The anaemia, which may be quite severe, is the most common cause of weakness in patients with MM.

Asked to share common causes and symptoms of myeloma, Dr Weerasak explained that as there is no exact cause of MM, there are several risk factors that could lead to the disease. Repeated exposure to chemicals such as pesticides, benzene and spraypaints have been proposed as potential causes.  (Dom's MM was attributed to Agent Orange exposure while serving in Vietnam)

''Most people with MM have no known risk factors other than age,'' he said. ''Scientists have identified a few risk factors for instance, obesity, exposure to radiation or chemicals. Not everyone with risk factors gets multiple myeloma. Myeloma is slightly more common in men than women, and most people are diagnosed in their sixties.

''Symptoms could include frequent low back pain. The pain could nonetheless occur in other areas like ribs, arms, legs and pelvis.

''For patients that develop anaemia, they will have paleness, dizziness, weakness, fatigue and shortness of breath. Infections such as pneumonia, sinusitis are frequent. Weakness or numbness in your legs might be the result of spinal cord compression. Unexplained weight loss is common. High calcium levels cause excessive thirst, nausea, constipation, loss of appetite and confusion. Swelling, especially in the legs, along with weakness are symptoms of kidney failure.''

Best prevention methods are to keep healthy through having a good diet, exercise to enhance your physique, observe good personal hygiene to prevent infection and avoiding smoking and alcohol. Exposure to toxic chemicals and radiation is believed to increase the risk of multiple myeloma and other cancers, so keep this in mind and avoid being around these substances for long periods of time. Regular medical examinations for early detection and timely treatment is always advisable.

 Jump to Story

Doggie gets a Stem Cell Transplant! AMAZING!!

Thought that I'd share this heartwarming story with y'all.... We truly live in amazing times, gang!

Dog finds his footing after transplant

Stem-cell treatment's success could soon help humans

Diablo, seen here with his owner, Rick Gottrich, underwent a stem cell transplant for his advanced arthritis a month and a half ago and is now doing well.

Just a few months ago, the aging canine couldn’t be coaxed from the house. He spent his days lying on the porch floor. And when his owners touched his hips, he cried out in pain. 

But since the 13½-year-old family pet underwent a new stem cell treatment for his advanced arthritis, he’s up and about, showing interest in people and activities that he’d been too sick to do for a long time, giving his owners new hope.

Jump to Full Story 

Using Your Own Body to Attack Cancer

Multiple myeloma immunotherapy makes progress

In the world of medicine, drugs, surgery or radiation are the usual options to treat cancer. Recently, another route has presented itself - enhancing the body's own immune system to attack the cancer.
This concept, called immunotherapy, uses the same principles as vaccines. It provides the immune system with clear targets to develop an immune response against.

http://www.dailyrx.com/news-article/multiple-myeloma-immunotherapy-makes-progress-17208.html

Dom's Girlfriend

Dominic had a little visitor early this morning.  By the time he woke me up, she was gone....  how cute is this?  Right up to the house!  After she made eye contact with him, she continued eating!  (I assume that it's a female)

 

How Does Thalidomide Treat Multiple Myeloma?

Originally infamous for causing birth defects, Thalomid (thalidomide) was given to pregnant women in the 1960's to ease the nausea of early pregnancy.

Serious, lethal birth defects in those patients led to a long-standing ban on drugs in the thalidomide family.

Years later, it was again given to cancer patients to treat nausea. Doctors noticed that in some patients, it helped fight the cancer, so it became a key part of leukemia therapy. But nobody knew how it worked.

Jump to the Story Here

(Dominic used Thalomid/Thalidomide during his treatment-  with great success)

Last Week at the Beach

Dom and I headed to the condo on Friday for 4 nights of fun.  We stayed busy, busy, busy. The water was crystal clear, but ice-cold.

Went to Dee's Hangout on Friday night.... just the 2 of us.  Dee and Brenda continue to blow us away with their food.  Dom had a fried shrimp po-boy.  To give you an idea of the size and value....  he finished the 2nd half of it last night.... he counted THIRTY THREE shrimp.... leftovers!  I had a kick-arse 1/2 pound cheeseburger.  Their food is out of this world.

On Saturday, we met dear friends, Donn and Linda at Coyote Ugly for happy hour.  Had a couple of beers, then walked next door to Dee's for dinner.  It kills me that I forgot my camera!

 We had a couple dozen Jalapeno Baked Oysters, hush puppies, a Fried Shrimp Po-Boy and a  Smoked Sausage Po-Boy.  Topped it off with a couple of orders of their decadent Bread Pudding.

We had a lovely time with wonderful friends.

Sunday, we headed over to Beach Bar and Package for some football action.  We were delighted that local boy Eli Manning and his NY Giants will be playing in the Super Bowl.  Would have preferred the Saints, but beggars can't be chosers.  (I'm just glad that it's not stupid Green Bay!)

Travis entertained me with their new "DISCO LIGHT"....  Welcome to the 80's!!!!  He also taught me all there is to know about ADVECTION FOG

We had never seen so much fog before.  There were times that we couldn't even see the beach from our balcony.  Advection Fog is created when warm air (it was in the 70's) meets cold water....  How's that for Trivial Knowledge?  :)

We wound down on Monday with a late lunch/early dinner at The Pasta Grill  Great place!  Dominic had been in search of a good place for Italian Food.  Steve at Beach Package suggested that joint.  Good stuff!  We enjoyed tasty Veal Parmesean and Chicken Marsala.  Both served with piping hot linguine.  Real sweet waitress, too.... oh yeah.... dollar pints of draft beer!  We shall return.

Anyway, back to "normal" here at home.....  Hope this posting finds everyone healthy, happy and enjoying the New Year!

Friends at the Beach

Dom and I headed to the beach on Friday.  Just got home yesterday.  Had big fun as always....  Wanted to get these photos up for our friends at Beach Bar and Package

Saints, Packers and Chicken Bonne Femme

Well, my beloved New Orleans Saints are out of the playoffs.  Absolutely devastating!  The only thing that eased my sorrow was that the stupid Green Bay Packers were knocked out, as well.

Alas, we'll be cheering for Eli Manning, local boy, and his NY Giants.  But it sure won't be the same!

I had planned on cooking a fabulous dinner on Sunday, but my heart just wasn't in it.  So, moped around most of the day, then got jiggy with it in the kitchen on Monday.

It basically took all day, but was well worth it.  Chicken Bonne Femme....  chicken thighs, ham, bacon, garlic, potatoes, white wine, green onions, mushrooms and butter.  Absolutely decadent.

"Good Woman's Chicken".

Other than football and cooking, not much is happening here.  Dom's feeling and looking great.  No doctor appointments scheduled until mid February with Dr. Safah at Tulane.... it'll be time for his quarterly M-Spike test.

Hoping to bust a move to the condo for a few days soon.  Haven't been to the beach since November.

Hope this finds all of you healthy and happy!  (And maybe hungry!)

ROLL TIDE, ROLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Woo Hoo..... Had all of my Bama stuff on, and giggled throughout the game.  My LSU boys were not pleased....  I haad big fun....

The Party Continues

Well..... I've been home from Ohio for a week.... and the celebration is continuing.... it'll probably stay this way until Mardi Gras day around here.

Dear friend, Goldie, in Danville, KY., sent us our annual Country Ham.  This year's beauty was 16 pounds....a good 8 hours in a low oven created the most amazing smell in the house.   As the photo shows, a little mouse got busy picking away at the crispy skin and some of the meat before this photo was taken.  LOVE this.  Served it on Sunday afternoon with Creamed Potatoes and Lima Beans.  Heavenly!

Our friend Chris is wild about this, so we had him over for the weekend.  We drank beer, watched football and nibbled on ham.  Big fun.

Was sad to see my Pittsburgh Steelers lose, but happy for Tim Tebow... he gets such a bad rap for being a Christian.  He seems like a fine lad to me, and I hate how the media bashes him.

Throughout the early afternoon, fog rolled in-  big time.  Rather odd during daylight hours.  Just as quickly as it enveloped the property, it rolled back out.  Kinda creepy.... could envision werewolves and such!

Knowing what a big Alabama Crimson Tide fanatic I am, Chris put an LSU sign on my table when I wasn't looking.  Not to be outdone, I surrounded it with some of my stuff!

New Year's Day Dinner

*New Year’s Day-  We had the entire gang (sans my Tony) over for Dinner.

As the Saints were playing at 1pm, I made sure that everyone showed up “AFTER 4:00”.  Pretty bossy, considering it’s not my home, huh?

Cooked a Center Cut Pork Loin, Country Style Ribs, Pig Tails  (Grew up on them…. Baked until super crispy), Sauerkraut, Angel Hair Pasta in Pork Drippings (picked this up from a Filipino client), Baked Apples and Mashed Potatoes.  This is our traditional NYDay menu.

An amusing story.... while I was cooking dinner, Blake wandered into the kitchen.  I sweetly said, "OK.... no little boys in my kitchen while I'm cooking".  He looked at me and said, "This isn't YOUR kitchen".  Little shit!  LOL.  I reminded myself that he was only 3 years old and didn't get into a fight with him.  *grinning* 

Much to my delight, I had all 4 great nieces and nephews

eating pig tails!  It started with Lauren, and spread like wild fire.  Jill and Jenna were astounded…. Never  dreaming that the kids would try them, much less love them.  I feel quite good about this and know that maw and paw were smiling down from heaven watching the feeding frenzy!

We did absolutely nothing on Monday.  I flew home on Tuesday morning.  We had a BLAST.  Thanks, Ricky!

New Year's Day

**Tried twice to post pics and words.... both times it came out as jibberish... some type of  HTML language or something.  Unable to delete the Title.  Will try again on Saturday**

New Year's Eve

*New Year’s Eve-  Jill had Ric and I over for a Champagne Brunch…. Very nice.   

Sausage Gravy and Biscuits, Fresh Pineapple, Raspberries and Blueberries….  With MIMOSAS!

Ric and I went home and spent the night watching the annual Twilight Zone Marathon on SY FY.  Sipped on champagne, nibbled on boiled shrimp, a 2 year old Irish Cheddar, Sesame Flat Bread, and Baked Brie.  Very low-key.  Very nice.

Dec. 29th and 30th

*Thurs. 12/29-  Dom hit the road at 8am and spent the night just South of Tuscaloosa.

Amy and the girls headed home at 12:30.

Ric’s arm had been killing him for a couple of weeks, so he headed to a local Instant Care…. Ended up with a diagnosis of Tendonitis.

When he returned, the 2 of us took our annual jaunt to Jungle Jim’s.  

This about the neatest grocery store that I’ve ever been to.  They’ve got imported cheeses, butters, and other assorted dairy products.  

They have a HUGE seafood market.  An entire hot sauce department....  As well as any international food that you can imagine.  I’m in awe of the place.  We plan on a couple hours minimum when we visit here.  Love it, love it, love it!

On the way home, Ric and I stopped at Toot’s for a couple of $1.00 draft beers, then went home and ate leftovers.

 

*Fri. 12/30-  Did some running around town looking for a set of Double 9 dominoes for Ric…. They were not to be found.

Jennifer met us for lunch at Tabby’s…. good food!

Later, Ric and I headed up to Best Buy.  He walked out as the proud owner of a 10 ½ inch Samsung Galaxy Tab. Gorgeous!