A challenge

Ok, I want to see how many people out there are actually reading my blog by issuing a challenge. Anyone who reads this, I want you to write a message of support for my wife Alex in her battle against breast cancer. All messages will be sent directly to her. Who is in?

The Reality of Life

This is a post that is going to steer away from the world of sports, basketball and other relatively meaningless items in life, as the lives of my beloved wife and myself has taken a very cruel turn.

Last week, Alex went to the doctor for what we thought would be a routine mammogram. She noticed a lump on her breast and being as young as she is, we thought it was just a cyst or fatty tissue. Never in my life have I ever hated being as wrong as I was that day. She had a biopsy done right away when the mammogram showed some abnormalities. The next day, our world caved in as she was told that she has breast cancer that has spread to one of her lymph nodes.

Being that Alex is only 32, this came as a total shock to us. Alex is healthy, eats well, exercises on a regular basis and is generally in excellent health. She doesn't smoke, rarely drinks and does not have any history of cancer in her family. Again, "shock" is still what we are feeling right now as it has only been nine days since her diagnosis.

Two days later, we were at Jacksonville's Baptist Medical Center meeting with the team of doctors that will be taking care of her throughout this ordeal. We met with the nurse/case manager, the surgeon, medical oncologist and the radiation guy. (What his title is just isn't coming to me right now.) What all three of them agreed on is that she is going to need a mastectomy, 18-20 weeks of chemotherapy and six weeks of radiation. The surgeon also ordered a full body scan to ensure that the cancer has not spread to other parts of her body, mainly her liver.

Right now, the full range of emotions are going through our heads. Why is this happening to her? What did Alex do to deserve getting this cruel disease? What happens next? Can we have kids? More importantly, what is her chance of survival? We know the odds are much better now than they would have been even five years ago. The advances in medical technology and knowledge are so much greater than they were in the past. The tests are more precise, the doctors are better trained, and in the case of Baptist their team approach is something that puts everyone on the same page. At least we don't have one doctor saying to get a lumpectomy, one saying she needs radiation with another saying she doesn't. The team has come to the conclusion as to what type of treatment she needs and that will be the most effective.

Last night, the reality of the situation started to set in for Alex. She was looking at the pathology reports and noticed that the levels in her liver were a bit higher than they should be. This of course had her mind spinning out of control thinking the cancer had spread to her liver, that she is going to die from this, and Alex being Alex was wondering if she would be able to keep her job when this is all said and done. Meanwhile I am trying to stay positive but with some of the same thoughts entering my own head. I of course want to know what the chances of survival are and just what kind of hell she will be going through both physically and emotionally.

I am happy to know that Alex's mother will be flying in from Vermont for the surgery and will be here for as long as we need her. Surgery is expected to take place during the first week of June with at least a two week recovery period. Ports will have to be changed, bandages changed, fluid drained and all of the fun things that neither of us thought we would ever need to do. The thing I am afraid of is what Alex's reaction is going to be when she sees for the first time that one of her breasts is no longer there. This is something that I can only equate to someone losing a limb, but I think in this case it could be worse. A woman's breasts are part of her identity and part of her vanity. I know that Alex doesn't want to look different or be looked at as "a freak of nature". (Her words, not mine) Personally, I know that if anyone even looks at her funny they will have to deal with me. Mess with Alex and pay the price.

There have been light moments to this ordeal. One of the things that Alex said when she was first diagnosed was, "Hey, there is a good side to all of this: I get new hair AND new boobs!!" I swear, only Alex would think something like that. We had a good laugh when I told her that when her hair starts falling out I would be shaving my head. She said, "If you do that I will not be seen in public with you!!"

The Fun of Traveling

The fun of traveling—

As some may know, I spent about five days in my beloved San Francisco visiting with family. It was great to see them but traveling back was a pain in the old patoot.

I got on a BART (Subway for those who are not Bay Area inclined) train at about 4:55 figuring on about an hour trip to the airport in San Francisco. Well, that plan went out the window when we started stopping and then starting; stopping and starting. The conductor got on the PA and told the crazy few that were on a plane at that ungodly hour of the morning that there would be delays. I think he said something about "single tracking" but I hadn't had coffee yet so I wasn't exactly computing much of anything in the old noggin.

So, I arrived at the airport about 15 minutes late and not having taken BART to the airport before got a bit confused and almost got lost. There are signs at BART that say to go to check-in but it really leads to things that are more like kiosks than anything. So I wandered around for a bit, cursed the stinking signs and then finally figured out that I needed to be on the monorail and moseyed on over there.

Once I finally got over to security, I was reminded of just how much of a dumb@ss I can be. Having just acquired the laptop I am on now, I forgot to take the thing out of my backpack and put it on the conveyor belt. Needless to say this caused a few backups in line as I tried to climb into the nearest hole while the TSA figured out that the laptop wasn't a bomb or had a fifth of Jack stashed inside of it.

The above though was nothing compared to the woman I encountered at the first security checkpoint. Now how dumb can you be to not bring your pucking ID???? She had a copy of her credit card and NOTHING ELSE!! I have no idea how that one turned out as I was trying to get my laptop through security, but somehow I think that woman missed her flight.

The flight from San Francisco to Charlotte wasn't too bad with the exception of the constant turbulence and the woman who was heaving out last month's breakfast from getting over served from the beverage cart. I was doing some work when I heard a HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURL or five and then the heave-a-thon mercifully came to an end.

We landed in Charlotte and I had what I thought would be a couple of hours to kill, so I meandered a bit, charged the laptop and then headed over to the gate. Well folks, that is when the first of the delays hit as I thought we were going to need to build an ark to get away from the gate. (By the way, the next person who farts in an enclosed environment such as this plane will die a very painful death. Ewwwww.)

The skies opened up, animals were going two by two onto a United flight bound for Canton and I was of course delayed.

Originally we were delayed until 6:25 but then our plane didn't arrive; then the crew wasn't there and then finally at around 7:00 or so we finally started to get on board the plane. I figured okay, taxiing until about 7:30 and home by 8:30…..Not so fast. Due to the delays that hit because of the aforementioned monsoon, there were 20, count them 20 planes ahead of us for takeoff. The captain was kind enough to allow us to use our cell phones and those evil portable electronic devices that allegedly screw up the navigation system, so that way at least we didn't die of boredom while waiting to take off. So anyway, about 20 minutes later the captain gets back on the horn and lets us know we will be further delayed due to weather to the south. Oh goody!! More delays!! Mind you, I had been awake since 4:00 in the morning, slept about three hours anyway and was getting about as cranky as a six month old without their binky.

So, at around 8:15, we finally get a new flight plan and go merrily on our way. As I write this, I believe we are about 30 minutes from Jacksonville and the plane feels like it is a ping pong ball on speed. We are bouncing and bouncing and bouncing around to the point where the flight attendants are hanging on for their lives while trying to sell us air to breathe.

Now my final rant has to do with US Airways as a whole. Don't get me wrong, they are nice enough people, but can they even serve peanuts anymore? On the SFO/Charlotte portion of the flight there were "snack boxes" that were available for seven bucks. Seven bucks for some randomly stale snack food? I mean come on, are the airlines in that much trouble that they can't shell out a 20 cent bag of peanuts for someone who paid $400.00 to be on the flight?

Oh yeah, here was the other kicker. I never check a bag anymore. Not only does US Air charge $15.00 to check said bag, but my luggage has a bad habit of getting lost. Well, I am waiting to get on the plane in San Francisco and one of the not so friendly workers was telling people they had too much cargo and we had to check our luggage. Mind you, I don't have an ID tag on my bag so I am wondering what planet my bag ended up on. With my luck it is in someplace horrible like the middle of nowhere Kentucky and it will take a month for them to find the bag……………..

For UG

At the request of my uncle who claims his computer didn't load the old background in a timely manner, here is the new template. Uncle Great, does this one work for your computer?

Ya know, one always obeys someone who is a "trained killer"...........

I am in California visiting family and realized one thing right off the bat.....My nieces are HUGE!!! Man alive they grow like weeds.

New news in the world of me........

CANTON OH – Lynn Mickles, Executive Director of the Global Professional Basketball League has announced that Chris Munson will assume the role of Director of Basketball Operations for the Premier Developmental Basketball League.

A native of Minneapolis, Chris brings to the GPBL a thorough knowledge of sports as well as well as a bit of media savvy. Chris Munson has previously worked as the Sports Director for ESPN Radio Vermont and currently is the Director of Communications for the United States Basketball Association. Chris is also a freelance writer having written for Our Sports Central, US Basketball, The Vermont Times, The Vermont Guardian, Varsity Magazine and d3football.com.

This past season Chris performed play by play duties for University of North Florida’s coverage of men’s and women’s soccer and women’s volleyball for the Atlantic Sun Conference. Chris also performed play by play and color duties for UNF’s coverage of women’s basketball. Over the years, Chris has broadcast over 400 games on television and radio, including play by play duties for Fox College Sports for the inaugural College Insider.com title game in Peoria, IL.

“Being able to bring a talented person like Chris Munson to the GPBL is a tremendous coup for us” said Mickles. “His versatility and extended network in the sports industry will only make our league stronger from the top on down.”

“I look forward to working with him” added Don Seroka, Director of Media and Public Relations for the GPBL. “I feel as though with our combined experience, we will complement each other which will only benefit the league.”

The Global Professional Basketball League will start play in January, 2010. For more information visit our web site at www.thegpbl.com