Manatee Mentors 2015.2 CLOSED (Poptarts? Pet pics?) (Page 55)

Another proof of life check-in ...

Kingsley and I are both pretty shattered. His swim squad (was one of the best in the country, and therefore world; several Olympic champions and a crapton of awesome national pool, open-water and triathlon swimmers have come out of it) has disbanded. It's been a central--the central--part of his life for 30 years. (Horrific mismanagement over the last few years, so no good reason). Due to his disability, he has no easy access to any other squad's training times or facilities.

My home country has gone to hell in a handbasket. More has happened than I can quickly write, but other than the fact that the state keeps trying to kill off my friends who are unprecedented national servants, and imprisoning 100% innocent friends on pretenses so false the whole country and world know it, my sister's and other relatives' personal safety has come under direct risk as well. I genuinely might not survive another bout of dengue or multidrug-resistant typhoid.

Given that my dad was a founding father of the country and many of its great institutions (and my mom some too!), and that I'd planned (and Kingsley too, happily at the time) to spend the rest of my life living in, loving and serving it ... this is very difficult for me.

So we're regrouping. My sister Tina and I will be buying a house in Germany this summer and slowly moving to spend more time abroad (with Perth as an interim base since it's fairly close to Jakarta).

Another proof of life check-in ...

Kingsley and I are both pretty shattered. His swim squad (was one of the best in the country, and therefore world; several Olympic champions and a crapton of awesome national pool, open-water and triathlon swimmers have come out of it) has disbanded. It's been a central--the central--part of his life for 30 years. (Horrific mismanagement over the last few years, so no good reason). Due to his disability, he has no easy access to any other squad's training times or facilities.

My home country has gone to hell in a handbasket. More has happened than I can quickly write, but other than the fact that the state keeps trying to kill off my friends who are unprecedented national servants, and imprisoning 100% innocent friends on pretenses so false the whole country and world know it, my sister's and other relatives' personal safety has come under direct risk as well. I genuinely might not survive another bout of dengue or multidrug-resistant typhoid.

Given that my dad was a founding father of the country and many of its great institutions (and my mom some too!), and that I'd planned (and Kingsley too, happily at the time) to spend the rest of my life living in, loving and serving it ... this is very difficult for me.

So we're regrouping. My sister Tina and I will be buying a house in Germany this summer and slowly moving to spend more time abroad (with Perth as an interim base since it's fairly close to Jakarta).

Dad update:  the tumors in his lymph nodes around his lungs have improved; however, the growths in his bones and liver have increased a fair amount.  This means that the chemo isn't working, so he will be starting a new treatment type.  A promising new drug has very recently, as in the past few weeks, gotten FDA approval after some successful clinical trials.  It's a immuotherapy drug, Nivolumab, so he won't have as many severe side-effects as he had with the chemo.  Again, he is not curable, but it should buy him a little extra time.  I really admire and respect his doctor, she's a good one.

It's hard to read Dad, as he's not an overly emotional guy and tends to be stoic, but I think overall he's taking the news OK.  He had an idea that the news wasn't good, thanks to reading between the lines at his pulmonary doctor visit on Tues.  He did seem down and a bit deflated after the visit to the Cancer Institute yesterday, but it's hard to tell if he was just tired out from the visit or if his spirits were down.  I'm thinking a little mix of both.

We'll go in for an education visit next week, then hopefully start the new drug within 2 weeks.  Thank you all for your continued prayers and support.

Dad update:  the tumors in his lymph nodes around his lungs have improved; however, the growths in his bones and liver have increased a fair amount.  This means that the chemo isn't working, so he will be starting a new treatment type.  A promising new drug has very recently, as in the past few weeks, gotten FDA approval after some successful clinical trials.  It's a immuotherapy drug, Nivolumab, so he won't have as many severe side-effects as he had with the chemo.  Again, he is not curable, but it should buy him a little extra time.  I really admire and respect his doctor, she's a good one.

It's hard to read Dad, as he's not an overly emotional guy and tends to be stoic, but I think overall he's taking the news OK.  He had an idea that the news wasn't good, thanks to reading between the lines at his pulmonary doctor visit on Tues.  He did seem down and a bit deflated after the visit to the Cancer Institute yesterday, but it's hard to tell if he was just tired out from the visit or if his spirits were down.  I'm thinking a little mix of both.

We'll go in for an education visit next week, then hopefully start the new drug within 2 weeks.  Thank you all for your continued prayers and support.

Dad update:  the tumors in his lymph nodes around his lungs have improved; however, the growths in his bones and liver have increased a fair amount.  This means that the chemo isn't working, so he will be starting a new treatment type.  A promising new drug has very recently, as in the past few weeks, gotten FDA approval after some successful clinical trials.  It's a immuotherapy drug, Nivolumab, so he won't have as many severe side-effects as he had with the chemo.  Again, he is not curable, but it should buy him a little extra time.  I really admire and respect his doctor, she's a good one.

It's hard to read Dad, as he's not an overly emotional guy and tends to be stoic, but I think overall he's taking the news OK.  He had an idea that the news wasn't good, thanks to reading between the lines at his pulmonary doctor visit on Tues.  He did seem down and a bit deflated after the visit to the Cancer Institute yesterday, but it's hard to tell if he was just tired out from the visit or if his spirits were down.  I'm thinking a little mix of both.

We'll go in for an education visit next week, then hopefully start the new drug within 2 weeks.  Thank you all for your continued prayers and support.

Bah, had a rough workout last night. We divide into groups and I generally run with 4 or 4a (4a being slightly slower) I decided to go with 4a last night because I have a race Saturday. We were doing a 22 minute tempo run @ 6:45 followed by 10' running then 8 x 20" hill repeats. 

I joined the group and we took off. We hit the first mile in 6:42 and then they kind of pulled away. I was going to try and keep up but I just felt heavy AND I figured it was close to a race and not really a good time to push a workout. I tend to like to stay on pace anyway. So, I dealt with being dropped which sucks because then you have to hold pace solo, not to mention simply getting dropped sucks. So I pushed and hit another 6:42 then a 6:45 and then did the rest (half mile or so?) right at about that pace. Keeping them in sight but the gap widened. Normally I wouldn't feel so bad because I would go nail those 8 hill repeats but I was already so dead and I didn't want any residual fatigue for Saturdays race.

So, getting dropped AND not doing the full workout. Sigh. I think I am probably being too hard on myself but I'm a little bummed heading into Saturday's race. 

Bah, had a rough workout last night. We divide into groups and I generally run with 4 or 4a (4a being slightly slower) I decided to go with 4a last night because I have a race Saturday. We were doing a 22 minute tempo run @ 6:45 followed by 10' running then 8 x 20" hill repeats. 

I joined the group and we took off. We hit the first mile in 6:42 and then they kind of pulled away. I was going to try and keep up but I just felt heavy AND I figured it was close to a race and not really a good time to push a workout. I tend to like to stay on pace anyway. So, I dealt with being dropped which sucks because then you have to hold pace solo, not to mention simply getting dropped sucks. So I pushed and hit another 6:42 then a 6:45 and then did the rest (half mile or so?) right at about that pace. Keeping them in sight but the gap widened. Normally I wouldn't feel so bad because I would go nail those 8 hill repeats but I was already so dead and I didn't want any residual fatigue for Saturdays race.

So, getting dropped AND not doing the full workout. Sigh. I think I am probably being too hard on myself but I'm a little bummed heading into Saturday's race. 

Bah, had a rough workout last night. We divide into groups and I generally run with 4 or 4a (4a being slightly slower) I decided to go with 4a last night because I have a race Saturday. We were doing a 22 minute tempo run @ 6:45 followed by 10' running then 8 x 20" hill repeats. 

I joined the group and we took off. We hit the first mile in 6:42 and then they kind of pulled away. I was going to try and keep up but I just felt heavy AND I figured it was close to a race and not really a good time to push a workout. I tend to like to stay on pace anyway. So, I dealt with being dropped which sucks because then you have to hold pace solo, not to mention simply getting dropped sucks. So I pushed and hit another 6:42 then a 6:45 and then did the rest (half mile or so?) right at about that pace. Keeping them in sight but the gap widened. Normally I wouldn't feel so bad because I would go nail those 8 hill repeats but I was already so dead and I didn't want any residual fatigue for Saturdays race.

So, getting dropped AND not doing the full workout. Sigh. I think I am probably being too hard on myself but I'm a little bummed heading into Saturday's race. 

Dad update:  the tumors in his lymph nodes around his lungs have improved; however, the growths in his bones and liver have increased a fair amount.  This means that the chemo isn't working, so he will be starting a new treatment type.  A promising new drug has very recently, as in the past few weeks, gotten FDA approval after some successful clinical trials.  It's a immuotherapy drug, Nivolumab, so he won't have as many severe side-effects as he had with the chemo.  Again, he is not curable, but it should buy him a little extra time.  I really admire and respect his doctor, she's a good one.

It's hard to read Dad, as he's not an overly emotional guy and tends to be stoic, but I think overall he's taking the news OK.  He had an idea that the news wasn't good, thanks to reading between the lines at his pulmonary doctor visit on Tues.  He did seem down and a bit deflated after the visit to the Cancer Institute yesterday, but it's hard to tell if he was just tired out from the visit or if his spirits were down.  I'm thinking a little mix of both.

We'll go in for an education visit next week, then hopefully start the new drug within 2 weeks.  Thank you all for your continued prayers and support.

Another proof of life check-in ...

Kingsley and I are both pretty shattered. His swim squad (was one of the best in the country, and therefore world; several Olympic champions and a crapton of awesome national pool, open-water and triathlon swimmers have come out of it) has disbanded. It's been a central--the central--part of his life for 30 years. (Horrific mismanagement over the last few years, so no good reason). Due to his disability, he has no easy access to any other squad's training times or facilities.

My home country has gone to hell in a handbasket. More has happened than I can quickly write, but other than the fact that the state keeps trying to kill off my friends who are unprecedented national servants, and imprisoning 100% innocent friends on pretenses so false the whole country and world know it, my sister's and other relatives' personal safety has come under direct risk as well. I genuinely might not survive another bout of dengue or multidrug-resistant typhoid.

Given that my dad was a founding father of the country and many of its great institutions (and my mom some too!), and that I'd planned (and Kingsley too, happily at the time) to spend the rest of my life living in, loving and serving it ... this is very difficult for me.

So we're regrouping. My sister Tina and I will be buying a house in Germany this summer and slowly moving to spend more time abroad (with Perth as an interim base since it's fairly close to Jakarta).

Another proof of life check-in ...

Kingsley and I are both pretty shattered. His swim squad (was one of the best in the country, and therefore world; several Olympic champions and a crapton of awesome national pool, open-water and triathlon swimmers have come out of it) has disbanded. It's been a central--the central--part of his life for 30 years. (Horrific mismanagement over the last few years, so no good reason). Due to his disability, he has no easy access to any other squad's training times or facilities.

My home country has gone to hell in a handbasket. More has happened than I can quickly write, but other than the fact that the state keeps trying to kill off my friends who are unprecedented national servants, and imprisoning 100% innocent friends on pretenses so false the whole country and world know it, my sister's and other relatives' personal safety has come under direct risk as well. I genuinely might not survive another bout of dengue or multidrug-resistant typhoid.

Given that my dad was a founding father of the country and many of its great institutions (and my mom some too!), and that I'd planned (and Kingsley too, happily at the time) to spend the rest of my life living in, loving and serving it ... this is very difficult for me.

So we're regrouping. My sister Tina and I will be buying a house in Germany this summer and slowly moving to spend more time abroad (with Perth as an interim base since it's fairly close to Jakarta).

Dad update:  the tumors in his lymph nodes around his lungs have improved; however, the growths in his bones and liver have increased a fair amount.  This means that the chemo isn't working, so he will be starting a new treatment type.  A promising new drug has very recently, as in the past few weeks, gotten FDA approval after some successful clinical trials.  It's a immuotherapy drug, Nivolumab, so he won't have as many severe side-effects as he had with the chemo.  Again, he is not curable, but it should buy him a little extra time.  I really admire and respect his doctor, she's a good one.

It's hard to read Dad, as he's not an overly emotional guy and tends to be stoic, but I think overall he's taking the news OK.  He had an idea that the news wasn't good, thanks to reading between the lines at his pulmonary doctor visit on Tues.  He did seem down and a bit deflated after the visit to the Cancer Institute yesterday, but it's hard to tell if he was just tired out from the visit or if his spirits were down.  I'm thinking a little mix of both.

We'll go in for an education visit next week, then hopefully start the new drug within 2 weeks.  Thank you all for your continued prayers and support.

yes, you are being too hard on yourself.  you didn't get dropped, you did the workout as prescribed. And, hill repeats are over rated 

Dad update:  the tumors in his lymph nodes around his lungs have improved; however, the growths in his bones and liver have increased a fair amount.  This means that the chemo isn't working, so he will be starting a new treatment type.  A promising new drug has very recently, as in the past few weeks, gotten FDA approval after some successful clinical trials.  It's a immuotherapy drug, Nivolumab, so he won't have as many severe side-effects as he had with the chemo.  Again, he is not curable, but it should buy him a little extra time.  I really admire and respect his doctor, she's a good one.

It's hard to read Dad, as he's not an overly emotional guy and tends to be stoic, but I think overall he's taking the news OK.  He had an idea that the news wasn't good, thanks to reading between the lines at his pulmonary doctor visit on Tues.  He did seem down and a bit deflated after the visit to the Cancer Institute yesterday, but it's hard to tell if he was just tired out from the visit or if his spirits were down.  I'm thinking a little mix of both.

We'll go in for an education visit next week, then hopefully start the new drug within 2 weeks.  Thank you all for your continued prayers and support.

Trying to remember when TJ was getting into the cities here. Would be an interesting introduction with hail and tornado warnings going off. All of that happened west of the cities, but still close enough for them to report it.

Bah, had a rough workout last night. We divide into groups and I generally run with 4 or 4a (4a being slightly slower) I decided to go with 4a last night because I have a race Saturday. We were doing a 22 minute tempo run @ 6:45 followed by 10' running then 8 x 20" hill repeats. 

I joined the group and we took off. We hit the first mile in 6:42 and then they kind of pulled away. I was going to try and keep up but I just felt heavy AND I figured it was close to a race and not really a good time to push a workout. I tend to like to stay on pace anyway. So, I dealt with being dropped which sucks because then you have to hold pace solo, not to mention simply getting dropped sucks. So I pushed and hit another 6:42 then a 6:45 and then did the rest (half mile or so?) right at about that pace. Keeping them in sight but the gap widened. Normally I wouldn't feel so bad because I would go nail those 8 hill repeats but I was already so dead and I didn't want any residual fatigue for Saturdays race.

So, getting dropped AND not doing the full workout. Sigh. I think I am probably being too hard on myself but I'm a little bummed heading into Saturday's race. 

What she said.