Tuesday, August 21, 2007
RIP Miles!
During my battle with cancer I learned a lot about life and people.
You learn that being respectful to others and showing a kinder, gentler side really makes a difference in people.
Our genetic code as human beings is some what altered in the fact that we begin to look past petty stuff and appreciate the finer points of a person, no matter how deep or hidden that may be.
So, when I see a person who is suffering in this hard fought battle, I am compelled to stop and talk to them and help encourage them and keep their spirits up.
Why am I babbling here??
It's simple.......
Yesterday I signed in to CNN to check out the news and I saw this article on a young guy who had finally lost his battle. I spent the rest of the night just thinking about this and how important the internet is in helping those of us with cancer deal with it on a personal level, and also let's us share our thoughts and ideas on the disease with others who may be searching for answers themselves. There's a chance that one bit of a thought I (or anyone for that matter) may have could have a very big impact. Miles Levin looks like he did just that!
My condolences to the Levin family on your loss, but know this, your son's words will eminate across the internet forever now!
Take the time and stop by his blog and read thru it. I have bookmarked it and will add it here to my site as well! Enjoy!
Monday, August 20, 2007
Over-stuffed weekend!
Wow, you won't hear me say it often, but damn am I glad it's Monday!
The weekend was just full of things to do and just not enough time to get it all done, but as usual, we somehow managed!
As I mentioned before, we had Alexander's 2nd birthday party on Sunday. We had such a great time. Let's just say that holding a party from 3-5 didn't quite turn out that way. The first crowd rolled in around 1:30 and the last guest left at 10:30. Daddy's whooped!
So Alex is a big boy now! We bought him a whole new bedroom [see my flickr site for all the photos] decked out in the movie 'Cars' theme! This kid is a bit obsessed with that movie. On an average watching the flick 3-4 times a day. Not to mention, 'Car, car's' is all the kid says at the moment! I just love em! After being completely tired out we put him to bed about 10:45. We were fearing the worst. And it started out bad! We let him walk up the stairs, and he went immediately to our room where his crib was moved, and threw a fit. After about 2 minutes he realized that his efforts were fruitless and caved! We put him in the bed, Tiffany tucked him in, and within 5 minutes he was out cold! Such a precious little kid!
As usual, we went all out for the event and, of course, bought way too much of everything. We are now stocked up in pop, water and beer for the better part of a month, and I'll be eating sloppy joes for lunch over the same amount of time! But the food was outstanding. I cooked dogs, brats and burgers to go with the sloppy joes, and we see who won that battle! Potatoe salad, fruit salad, nachos/dip, blah, blah, blah..............So good!
Tiffany and Brooke did a great job.
We started all the work on Saturday, which was the best thing we could have done. I couldn't imagine having to wake up on Sunday and pull off what took me til 2:30am to accomplish. Just wasn't happening. I started around 9pm on Saturday putting the bedroom together and it was just meticulous! So many damned small screws, poles, and plastic and only my 2 hands. What a bitch! But I overcame the odds, and I didnt have any leftover hardware!!
I wanted to be creative with the whole bedroom, so I had Tiffany move his crib to our room and he napped there on Sunday while we moved all of it in to his room and set it all up. I then had Tiff put wrapping paper on the door with a bow and I wanted him to go in there during the party for the 'big gift' presentation. Well, lets just say that the plan didnt go accordingly. We made it until around 4:30 when I hear this tremendous screaming and schrill coming from upstairs. Of course, parental instincts overcome me and I jump up running up the stairs. All I hear is 'Daddy, daddy, car car's, car cars!!!!' Followed by more screaming. Yes, Alex snuck away and made it up the stairs and thru his door. Little smarty pants! So much for getting to see the instant gratification! But hey, he loved it!!!
I wanted to thank everyone again for all the gifts and just for showing up. After a bombed 1st birthday, I think this will be one he remembers..........even at 2 years old!
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Reflections - The Spirit Carries On
So another week has now passed and get this, it ends on a good note!
I had my meeting with my oncologist yesterday to discuss my CAT scan results. This is the first scan since I went in to remission in February. To say I was a bit nervous would not do 'nervousness' justice. I hadn't slept comfortably in several days. I should have known better than to worry since if the results were not good, I would have gotten a phone call from the doc.
I was not expecting the news I did get though, it was simply earth shattering to me.
I arrived about a 1/2 hour early for the appointment, and ended up sitting there almost an hour and a half after that before finally getting back to the doctor. Talk about punshing ya!!
So first results, I've now ballooned back up to 180 lbs, and for the first time in 2 years my blood pressure was down to 90 after posting between 120-150 prior. So far, all good news!
Then the doc stops in smilin ear to ear. We get the casual greetings out of the way and then the doc say's "Aaron, you are simply an amazing individual. You amaze us more and more every time we see you!" " Your CAT scan was excellent! As a matter of fact, your tumors are all smaller than they were compared to your PET scan from February!"
Wait a minute, the tumors are shrinking without chemo? WOW!!!! Aside from some scar tissues and soreness in my body from where the scar tissues lay, Im fit and healthy! He expects a full recovery!!!!
After this, the doc orders some blood work just to confirm everything, and 15 mins. later he steps in with the results proclaiming, 'Looks like you have 'super blood'!'. In other words, all of my levels are above average! OUTSTANDING!
So, as I got in to the car to drive home, I turned on my CD player in the car as I was listening to a CD of mp3's I had and a song came on from Dream Theater. Yeah, I know, I'm posting a lot about them lately, but stick with me here.
I sat in the car and had a moment to myself listening to the lyrics and reflecting on this experience.
Friends, I was afraid of dying. I felt like I was incomplete and that I still wanted a chance to do something good with my life before I met my maker. I wasn't ready and was afraid of the unknown. I trust in my God and his decision to lead me the path that I walk, but still I had no sense of what my 'mission' was. And with everything that's going on around me now, I can see that a path is being set forth for me to continue my journey. What is that journey? I have no clue, but I'll continue to post the ventures here!
So, back to the song and my reflections............As the song states, 'we're only given one shot!', and it is with that I had my eyes opened wide!
Alexander just turned 2 this week, and we are going to have a very big celebration for him on Sunday, and this my friends is 1 reason I am still here. He needs his dad to show him the rights of this world and to show him how to become a man. Learn about sports, learn about cars...........so he can teach his dad!!! This child helped me stay alive that whole time. With him, the rest of my family (Tiffany and Brooke), I was able to keep up my battle. Their encouragement made me better.
I sat there and I realized that I had been shown so much love and support, and that is what makes us stronger. It's those around us, those who inspire us, those who give us hope! I am compelled to now do the same for others.
I have a whole new outlook on life and I believe that it's time I give back something to those who could really use it.
I've begun, as I've posted here already, to involve myself with cancer support groups starting with Chemlads and I'm Too Young For This. Youre going to be seeing a lot more about both of these organizations here on my site. I encourage you to share this with others who may find the info resourceful and even to help yourself gain knowledge.
Another realization that I have had since this all went down is how 'shallow' of an individual I had been my whole life. I find myself now compelled to make donations when I see a jar on the counter asking for donations for a little boy struggling with cancer, or even clicking on a 'Breast Cancer Awareness' logo. Friends, we need to do what we can to help those suffering thru this.
So, I ask everyone of my friends, or any random person reading this, to stop and think about someone else for a change, and ask yourself, how can I help!?
I'll leave you all with the lyrics the song I caused my reflection..........Read them, take note, and remember after you die 'Your Spirit Carries On' How do you want your spirit to be remembered?
The Spirit Carries On Lyrics (Dream Theater)
11) Scene Eight: The Spirit Carries On (06:38)- John Petrucci
[Present]
[Nicholas:]
Where did we come from?
Why are we here?
Where do we go when we die?
What lies beyond
And what lay before?
Is anything certain in life?
They say, "Life is too short,"
"The here and the now"
And "You're only given one shot
"But could there be more,
Have I lived before,
Or could this be all that we've got?
If I die tomorrow
I'd be all right
Because I believe
That after we're gone
The spirit carries on
I used to be frightened of dying
I used to think death was the end
But that was before
I'm not scared anymore
I know that my soul will transcend
I may never find all the answers
I may never understand why
I may never prove
What I know to be true
But I know that I still have to try
If I die tomorrow
I'd be allright
Because I believe
That after we're gone
The spirit carries on
[Victoria:]
"Move on, be brave
Don't weep at my grave
Because I am no longer here
But please never let
Your memory of me disappear"
[Nicholas:]
Safe in the light that surrounds me
Free of the fear and the pain
My questioning mind
Has helped me to find
The meaning in my life again
Victoria's real
I finally feel
At peace with the girl in my dreams
And now that I'm here
It's perfectly clear
I found out what all of this means
If I die tomorrow
I'd be allright
Because I believe
That after we're gone
The spirit carries on
I had my meeting with my oncologist yesterday to discuss my CAT scan results. This is the first scan since I went in to remission in February. To say I was a bit nervous would not do 'nervousness' justice. I hadn't slept comfortably in several days. I should have known better than to worry since if the results were not good, I would have gotten a phone call from the doc.
I was not expecting the news I did get though, it was simply earth shattering to me.
I arrived about a 1/2 hour early for the appointment, and ended up sitting there almost an hour and a half after that before finally getting back to the doctor. Talk about punshing ya!!
So first results, I've now ballooned back up to 180 lbs, and for the first time in 2 years my blood pressure was down to 90 after posting between 120-150 prior. So far, all good news!
Then the doc stops in smilin ear to ear. We get the casual greetings out of the way and then the doc say's "Aaron, you are simply an amazing individual. You amaze us more and more every time we see you!" " Your CAT scan was excellent! As a matter of fact, your tumors are all smaller than they were compared to your PET scan from February!"
Wait a minute, the tumors are shrinking without chemo? WOW!!!! Aside from some scar tissues and soreness in my body from where the scar tissues lay, Im fit and healthy! He expects a full recovery!!!!
After this, the doc orders some blood work just to confirm everything, and 15 mins. later he steps in with the results proclaiming, 'Looks like you have 'super blood'!'. In other words, all of my levels are above average! OUTSTANDING!
So, as I got in to the car to drive home, I turned on my CD player in the car as I was listening to a CD of mp3's I had and a song came on from Dream Theater. Yeah, I know, I'm posting a lot about them lately, but stick with me here.
I sat in the car and had a moment to myself listening to the lyrics and reflecting on this experience.
Friends, I was afraid of dying. I felt like I was incomplete and that I still wanted a chance to do something good with my life before I met my maker. I wasn't ready and was afraid of the unknown. I trust in my God and his decision to lead me the path that I walk, but still I had no sense of what my 'mission' was. And with everything that's going on around me now, I can see that a path is being set forth for me to continue my journey. What is that journey? I have no clue, but I'll continue to post the ventures here!
So, back to the song and my reflections............As the song states, 'we're only given one shot!', and it is with that I had my eyes opened wide!
Alexander just turned 2 this week, and we are going to have a very big celebration for him on Sunday, and this my friends is 1 reason I am still here. He needs his dad to show him the rights of this world and to show him how to become a man. Learn about sports, learn about cars...........so he can teach his dad!!! This child helped me stay alive that whole time. With him, the rest of my family (Tiffany and Brooke), I was able to keep up my battle. Their encouragement made me better.
I sat there and I realized that I had been shown so much love and support, and that is what makes us stronger. It's those around us, those who inspire us, those who give us hope! I am compelled to now do the same for others.
I have a whole new outlook on life and I believe that it's time I give back something to those who could really use it.
I've begun, as I've posted here already, to involve myself with cancer support groups starting with Chemlads and I'm Too Young For This. Youre going to be seeing a lot more about both of these organizations here on my site. I encourage you to share this with others who may find the info resourceful and even to help yourself gain knowledge.
Another realization that I have had since this all went down is how 'shallow' of an individual I had been my whole life. I find myself now compelled to make donations when I see a jar on the counter asking for donations for a little boy struggling with cancer, or even clicking on a 'Breast Cancer Awareness' logo. Friends, we need to do what we can to help those suffering thru this.
So, I ask everyone of my friends, or any random person reading this, to stop and think about someone else for a change, and ask yourself, how can I help!?
I'll leave you all with the lyrics the song I caused my reflection..........Read them, take note, and remember after you die 'Your Spirit Carries On' How do you want your spirit to be remembered?
The Spirit Carries On Lyrics (Dream Theater)
11) Scene Eight: The Spirit Carries On (06:38)- John Petrucci
[Present]
[Nicholas:]
Where did we come from?
Why are we here?
Where do we go when we die?
What lies beyond
And what lay before?
Is anything certain in life?
They say, "Life is too short,"
"The here and the now"
And "You're only given one shot
"But could there be more,
Have I lived before,
Or could this be all that we've got?
If I die tomorrow
I'd be all right
Because I believe
That after we're gone
The spirit carries on
I used to be frightened of dying
I used to think death was the end
But that was before
I'm not scared anymore
I know that my soul will transcend
I may never find all the answers
I may never understand why
I may never prove
What I know to be true
But I know that I still have to try
If I die tomorrow
I'd be allright
Because I believe
That after we're gone
The spirit carries on
[Victoria:]
"Move on, be brave
Don't weep at my grave
Because I am no longer here
But please never let
Your memory of me disappear"
[Nicholas:]
Safe in the light that surrounds me
Free of the fear and the pain
My questioning mind
Has helped me to find
The meaning in my life again
Victoria's real
I finally feel
At peace with the girl in my dreams
And now that I'm here
It's perfectly clear
I found out what all of this means
If I die tomorrow
I'd be allright
Because I believe
That after we're gone
The spirit carries on
Sunday, August 12, 2007
So good, so good!
Wow!
That was absolutley everythingI had hoped for! Seeing them live again just amazes me! These guys are truely phenominal musicians. The night was beautiful, the seats were top notch, and my wife looked awesome! :)
Here's the set list from the show:
2007-08-11 - Tower City Amphitheater - Cleveland, OH
1. Constant Motion
2. Panic Attack
3. Blind Faith
4. Surrounded (extended)
5. The Dark Eternal Night
Keyboard Solo
6. Lines In The Sand
7. Scarred
8. The Spirit Carries On
9. In The Presence Of Enemies
-------------------------------------------------
10. Shmedley Wilcox:
I.Trial Of Tears
II. Finally Free
III. Learning To Live
IV. In The Name Of God
V. Octavarium (Razor's Edge)
Saturday, August 11, 2007
A night out!
So tonight Tiffany and I get 'a night off' from Alexander!
Now, don't get me wrong, this is just a nice evening away, and believe me both of us will be missing him around half-way thru the evening, but we'll try to keep our minds occupied with this evenings event, Dream Theater live in downtown Cleveland at the Tower City Amphitheater. An outdoor venue and a great place to see a show.
Tiffany surprised me the other night after I got home from work, and on her own, ordered us reserved seating! I was blown away, she found us great seats, center stage, about 20 rows back. I am super pumped for this! We had agreed on just general admission, standing room tickets, but, her knowing how terrible my feet are for standing, she went with the reserved seating. Ya gotta love her!
Alexander's going with my youngest sister for the night and shes coming to get him around 2, so we plan on 'hangin out' around the house for a few hours before heading up to a crowded Cleveland, get parked, go grab a few beers and have a little dinner before the show. Cleveland is jam packed with events tonight with both the Indians and Browns playing plus about 3000 right around the corner at Tower City so the traffic should be horrendeous. Fun!!
On a health note, no phone calls all week from the doctors after my CAT scan last Friday, and you know what that means..............Nothings wrong if ya don't get a call! Holla! I'm gonna keep positive and go and see the doc on Tuesday to review the results. But I'm feeling pretty damn confident these days! F' You cancer!
Now, don't get me wrong, this is just a nice evening away, and believe me both of us will be missing him around half-way thru the evening, but we'll try to keep our minds occupied with this evenings event, Dream Theater live in downtown Cleveland at the Tower City Amphitheater. An outdoor venue and a great place to see a show.
Tiffany surprised me the other night after I got home from work, and on her own, ordered us reserved seating! I was blown away, she found us great seats, center stage, about 20 rows back. I am super pumped for this! We had agreed on just general admission, standing room tickets, but, her knowing how terrible my feet are for standing, she went with the reserved seating. Ya gotta love her!
Alexander's going with my youngest sister for the night and shes coming to get him around 2, so we plan on 'hangin out' around the house for a few hours before heading up to a crowded Cleveland, get parked, go grab a few beers and have a little dinner before the show. Cleveland is jam packed with events tonight with both the Indians and Browns playing plus about 3000 right around the corner at Tower City so the traffic should be horrendeous. Fun!!
On a health note, no phone calls all week from the doctors after my CAT scan last Friday, and you know what that means..............Nothings wrong if ya don't get a call! Holla! I'm gonna keep positive and go and see the doc on Tuesday to review the results. But I'm feeling pretty damn confident these days! F' You cancer!
Sunday, August 05, 2007
Life updates!
So I'm again, trying to make an asserted effort to keep posting here! I now believe I've found yet another inspiration to do so.
Today I was looking for banners on the web for this site and my other sites for cancer survivors and cancer awareness when I came across a site called "I'm Too Young For This" . It looks like a great site and I'm excited by what I see so far.
One thing that I learned from all the peopel I met during my chemotherapy inspired me so much that I felt compelled to get involved as much as I could when I recovered. It's been 6 full months now and I'm ready to see what I can offer. I put out an application to participate at this site and I encourage all of you who may stop by here to hit the link on my page and check the site out.
Over the next few days I'm going to start sharing some stories of mine during this time and keep ya up to speed with what's going on around me.
On a personal note, this past Friday was my 6-month CAT Scan checkup. I was a bit nervous, but it went smoothly and I am just awaiting feedback from the results. If I don't hear anything my doc will talk to me a week from this Tuesday. I'm feelin pretty confident though, hell I'm feeling so much better lately. Now if I could just get rid of the foot pains I'd be all set!
Today I was looking for banners on the web for this site and my other sites for cancer survivors and cancer awareness when I came across a site called "I'm Too Young For This" . It looks like a great site and I'm excited by what I see so far.
One thing that I learned from all the peopel I met during my chemotherapy inspired me so much that I felt compelled to get involved as much as I could when I recovered. It's been 6 full months now and I'm ready to see what I can offer. I put out an application to participate at this site and I encourage all of you who may stop by here to hit the link on my page and check the site out.
Over the next few days I'm going to start sharing some stories of mine during this time and keep ya up to speed with what's going on around me.
On a personal note, this past Friday was my 6-month CAT Scan checkup. I was a bit nervous, but it went smoothly and I am just awaiting feedback from the results. If I don't hear anything my doc will talk to me a week from this Tuesday. I'm feelin pretty confident though, hell I'm feeling so much better lately. Now if I could just get rid of the foot pains I'd be all set!
Saturday, August 04, 2007
Dream Theater: Systematic Chaos
I posted this over on my MySpace site today and wanted to put it here for those of you that don't go over there at all. Enjoy!
As many of you may or may not know I am huge fan of music! I've been listening since I was in diapers and followed the metal path, if you will! I started young as KISS fan (and am still a proud member of the KISS Army!) and stayed true to my roots since then.
Over the years I've discovered a lot of my music on my own. Dream Theater is one of those bands. I first ran across their Images and Words cd when I was still in high school, my senior year if I remember correctly. Their songs were dark and edgy and I thought their guitarist, John Petrucci, was a god! Dude could burn up some strings!
Over the years they keep punching out some killer music, and just recently we have been graced with another disc from them. I thought I'd share my review here!
This disc is a monster from the beginning! EPIC I tell you!
It's only 8 songs, but for any DT fans out there, its 1hour and 20mins fist pumping music! On average the songs are right around 7 minutes with the longest clocking in at almost 17 minutes.
I picked the Special Edition of the disc up a few days ago, and it was well worth the extra $4 for it. It was a dvd bonus of 1 1/2 hours of them recording the new cd, and it gives you a great insight as to how the album progressed and came together. I really started to appreciate this cd even more as I continued to watch them putting this together.
For me this is the best that I have heard from them, period! I was a huge fan of Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, but just on the ride home I knew this would become my favorite real quick. And boy, was I right!
The albums first 5 minutes just hits you in the face with a killer instrumental to start off with before cueing in to the chorus of In The Presence of Enemies. The tempo keeps rockin right on in to Forsaken. Constant Motion, the 3rd track is very progressive, and has one of my favorite guitar solos in it, so far! Track 4 is a killer dark song! It's got this heavy riff right near the end that is just worthy of a head bang! Kids, I'm talking H.E.A.V.Y.! As Mike Portnoy put it, the heaviest John has ever played. It's sick!!
Repentence, song 5, and the disc's first 'softer' song. But it's not your 'Feeling Fine' kinda soft, it's a darker soft that get's ya thinkin a bit. Mike Portnoy penned this one and from the dvd you learn that it's a song that he's writing as a progression from several other albums where he's dealing with his demons in a 12 step type of deal. Very cool, and the lyrics are killer! At the end there is a star studded group that confess their sins, if you will. Chris Jherico, Cory Taylor, Dave Ellfison, Steve Via and Joe Satriani to name a few.
Prophets of War and the final track, In The Presence of Enemies, Part II, has a cool section in them where it's fans of Dream Theater chanting in the song. Kind of gives it a Queensryche, large crowd in the album, sound! Very cool.
The Ministry of Lost Souls and ITPOE II are the 2 longest tracks on the cd and keep you entertained from first to last chord! Ministry has a very cool story of a person being saved by another, but upon the rescue, the rescuer dies. As a result this person suffers with the grief of this death until, in the end, they finally 'take the hand' of their savior! Just an awesome tune!
In the end you are left feeling a sense of satisfaction that I personally havent had from a band in a very long time. I think Dream Theater just moved in to my Top 3 all time bands!
Give it a listen my friends! It's worth it!
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