February 3rd, 2009: My apologies—a week has passed since I’ve posted an entry. There’s one big event to mention which is that I have made my reservations at the Optimal Health Institute. I’ll fly down to San Diego on Valentine’s Day, Saturday the 14th of February and visit with my friends Tim and Dave who recently moved to Carlsbad, just north of San Diego. We plan to explore the miles of beach front that is close to their new home, and, of course, visit. Then, the next day, Sunday, I’ll check into Optimum Health for a three week stay.

If you go to their web site, http://www.optimumhealth.org/optimumhealth/, and look at classes and activities for San Diego, you’ll see that there is a lot scheduled for each day. I’ll be busy, and I’ll be learning, but I don’t think I’ll be exhausted. A lot of this trip is about resting and having a chance to relax after three rounds of chemo in three months. I am really looking forward to this shift in my healing, and when you consider the length of the stay, three weeks is a long time.

Otherwise my life has returned to close to normal. I go to work for several hours every day. I went up to Glen Ellen for both weekend days and had a good time catching up with Ann and doing yard work: chopping wood, trimming the roses and the wisteria. Also, the ballet series that Ann and I attend got started this past Thursday and we saw a terrific ballet—In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated—by William Forsythe from 1987 during his highly productive years in Frankfurt. The dance was remarkably swift and edgy with a great deal of arm work as well as legs; dancers pulled each other in highly engaging ways punctuated by a percussive, electronic sound that drove the action forward. What made the dance work so well was that the choreographer happens to be a genius who really understands how to make people move on stage in captivating ways. It is so exhilarating to watch the San Francisco ballet do such a fine job with such a demanding work; it makes up for the less thrilling pieces that…oh, why go there.

As each day passes, I get more energy and sense of health back into my body. My appetite is excellent, and nausea seems a distant memory. It’s amazing how quickly my body recovers, and it’s just as amazing to consider how long it takes for full recovery. I still have to deal with fatigue in the afternoon, and the known antidote is naps.