Grateful...

Just wanted to check in and say hey... I'm really happy to say, things are going pretty well right now. Like I mentioned before, the Florida sunshine is definitely been so nice, a blessing that I don't take for granted. The weather down here has been perfect everyday, mid to high 70's and sunny. Hoping it stays like this for the rest of the winter...

I've been feeling pretty well overall except for these lingering headaches. They're mostly in the base of my skull and in my neck but sometimes feel it in my temples. I think it's another side effect from the RAD or Everolimus. I think I've had pretty much every side effect from this drug but thankfully never all at once! I finally got the welts I was getting on my face neck and back under control with some good Neutrogena acne wash and lotion plus prescription clindamycin.

Now that I have that documented, I can talk about some of the interesting things going on down here.

Today I went to my buddy Ivan's one year memorial at Tradewinds park down near Ft. Lauderdale. Ivan's sister Sylvia put it on and did a great job. Everyone there was really cool and down to earth, pretty much how Ivan was. I don't know why I didn't know this but he actually passed away last year at this same park on the disc golf course. Ivan had a bad heart and would always talk about his inevitability and with my situation, not to mention him being a great guy, I felt a bond with the dude. Anyway, in the spirit of Ivan being a huge disc golf enthusiast, everyone at the memorial picnic went to "Ivanhole" which the park generously named after him. We all gathered in a circle and this gal who was a friend of Ivan's said a beautiful prayer to "the creator" and other people took turns after saying something about him. Then, we all took turns firing off drives, some good, some not so good but it was fun and pretty funny when one of the guys who was a little intoxicated sent his disc into the lake. All in all, a really good day.






Other than working on this place and getting out here and there, I've been pretty content just hitting the beach almost everyday and walking in the sand barefoot. There's a less populated, private side of the beach and I kinda like it sometimes when you have the whole thing to yourself (almost). It's pretty neat seeing how the ocean changes, clarity, waves, tides, tons of washed up jellyfish and Portuguese Man of War one day, millions of tiny shells washed up in stripes on the sand... The ocean is so incredibly relaxing, I think it's by far the best place to meditate and chill out. You can actually breathe to the waves crashing, being one with it... Still can't believe I have access to this whenever I want, I'm pretty blessed.

On a less cerebral note, Atlantic Ave has been really fun too! This last Thursday, I went to my first "Jazz on the Ave" and was impressed. I think they have it in season on the third Thursday of each month. The whole strip is closed down and people walk in the streets, there's live music everywhere, great food and everyone's in a great mood. Maybe that's why things seem so happy down here this time of year, I mean a good majority of the people down here are on vacation! You want to have fun on vacation right?

By the way, I really think the economy is starting to pick up. South Florida was and still is hit pretty hard by the Great Recession but I've noticed a lot of signs that things are turning around. One obvious sign is all of the construction projects that have either resumed or are brand new. I'm not just talking about house here or there but major multi use construction projects downtown (condo's) and out West they're building huge housing developments. I've also noticed that there are several new small businesses that have opened up, restaurants, bars, shops, etc... It's nice to see.

You can start to feel the campaign heating up here with the tv ads lately. So far, I've only seen Mitt Romney ads (I swear, I think that guy is a humanoid) and you can tell how the momentum of his campaign has shifted. Last week, all of the ads were "presidential" touting his business background, 42 year marriage, etc, running a state, etc. This is when he was feeling pretty good about things after New Hampshire and polls looking good in South Carolina. Then, all of the sudden Newt Gingrich comes out of nowhere and pummels Romney. Almost immediately, the "presidential" ads switched to nasty attack ads on Gingrich. And, now that the conservative majority in the Supreme Court allows super PACS where an unlimited amount of money can be spent by any corporation, just as long as they're "not connected" to the campaign, give me a break! So, with this, now more than at anytime before I would think, it's who has the most money or who has the wealthiest friends. It's going to be interesting to see how the country turns, I'm fascinated by this stuff...

Well, that's all I've got for the moment, good to put up another entry although I wish I had more to say... It's back to the cold weather tomorrow to check in with my family and check in with Dr. Ram on Wednesday for my required blood draw and clinic.

Bracing myself for the shock, yikes!

Cheers,

Chris