A friend of mine just wrote me: “Having cancer is a full-time job, and one with lousy hours, benefits, and working conditions, isn’t it? And you can’t quit.”

Love that.

The last 10 days have been better for the headaches–I’m still wearing sunglasses and closing the windowshades most of the time, but having more edge of headache or threat of headache than actual headache.  Still not great, still taking a pretty high dose of steroids, and not trying to taper down yet because I don’t think I can take any more headache than I’ve got right now.  So I feel kind of stuck.

My vocal-cord problems are v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y improving.  That means a tiny bit less shortness of breath when I do anything, and a bit more loudness of voice, and a bit less voice fatigue when I talk a bunch.  My voice is not my normal one–it’s lower and rougher–and I still can’t raise it much, or make high noises or an easy “eee” or “eh” sound.  I’m doing “voice therapy” every 2 weeks or so and have silly noise-making exercises like saying “Whoop!” from low to high 10 times in a row.  More to keep me busy.

We’ve had a lot of family visitors the last 2 weeks, plus other visitors dropping in to say hello as well. The past few days my mom, aunt, uncle, and friend Julie have been here.  They shopped and cooked and cleaned and tackled projects around the house, and I have felt good enough to not have to hide in my room instead of being with them.  So nice to have such people!  And lucky to have more to come.

Jesse has already started school (at the brand-new Bard Academy at Simon’s Rock in Great Barrington, MA as a day student–9th grade).  Will goes back to Buxton School for 11th grade on September 10.  He’s been driving a lot this summer and is shaping up to be a really good driver.