Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Getting Angry Seems to Help

Well after getting mad at my body, and getting mad at what chemo does to my body, I seemed to overcome all the digestive woes of the past week. I seem to be heading back to "normal."

It continues to amaze me how much power the mind can have. I just get it in my head that something the chemo is doing to me is unacceptable and I attack it in logical ways, and eventually I kick it and move on.

At least that seems to be how it can work. Of course it could be coincidence that the chemo is at it's height of punishing me with side effects when I happen to get mad and it starts to improve again.

Who knows? Now I just wait for what side effect chemo has in store for me next.

I was opening a can of pizza sauce on Monday as part of fixing up some homemade French bread pizzas. As I fumbled with the fancy electric can opener, helplessly trying to get the can in just the right position to make it work, it made me think back to my old can opener.

Alyssa hated my can opener. She made it quite clear.

It was just a normal, manual can opener. It had big hand grips and served me well. I could open a can in a breeze.

Alyssa hated it. She fumbled with it, cursed, butchered the can, and sometimes ended up just clubbing the can with the can opener until I gave in and opened the can for her.

One day I reached into the drawer to pull out the can opener and it was in pieces. So was I. What happened? My can opener was dead. It looked a little suspicious. I suspected that this may have been a homicide.

Later I questioned Alyssa but she was quite certain that there was no funny business related to the death of my can opener. Possibly the can opener had taken the final plunge in Alyssa's normal operation of it, that could include some pounding against the counter after it irked her enough.

I gave in and bought a fancy, electric can opener. Alyssa was thrilled. She ripped off tops of cans like nothing. She just placed the can in there and "whhiiirrrrr" the top was right off.

Me? I can't operate the thing at all. I just can't seem to get the can in the position it's supposed to be. I fumbled with it, cursed, butchered the can, and sometimes ended up just clubbing the can with the can opener until I gave in and asked Alyssa to open the can for me.

Alyssa got married and moved into her own house.

We don't buy much in cans anymore.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I like the plain old fashioned can openers also. Had an electric one once upon a time but it always shocked me whenever I used it so it also met an unhappy ending.

I am so glad you bought the blue shoes but the lederhosen you didn't wear after age 4 and then it was only 1 time on what was to be an international celebration in Sunday School -- you know one of those dress up deals where only Alice et el does the dressing up. Muk gave you the lederhosen and they are still in the barrel in the basement. I hope you have the dubious honor of cleaning out those barrels when dad and I leave this place due to our infirmity of old age and then you can reminisce about them and have a good laugh and maybe frame them or throw them away. As for the shoes, well I think they hit the throw out pile a long time ago.

I actually saw Jimmy Schaeffer today for the 1st time in many years and I would never have known him. From one of the best looking guys around, he sure has gone a long way down hill -- no teeth, etc. He still talks the tough talk though but I doubt if he could whip a noodle -- lots of musculature has also been lost. He looks like what he really is -- a little old man. When I asked him about Heidi he said -- yah, I used to know her so apparently they are not in contact. He also goes by the name of Henry -- not Jimmy and he was ready to rip my hide off when I called him Jimmy. What a Schlemehl!!!! Glad you are better. You could have also had a viral infection because it is really going around. Love MOM

Anonymous said...

Wow, I don't even remember it breaking. Sorry if that was me! I still can't use those things. Of course we have an electric on at our house. That was funny though, LOL.

Glad to hear every thing is going ok right now and glad to hear
about your Philly appointment!

Love
Alyssa