Road to Recovery, Verification

Being a Quality Engineer, we always have to respond to write ups with Corrective Action and Verification.  Verification defined as confirming the Corrective Action actually works.  For my cancer I have started the Verification process with a follow up colonoscopy.  For those of you familiar with colonoscopies, the preparation is the worst part of the process.

Preliminary results are that the colon is clear.  They did find some redness in the upper gastro tract and took a precautionary biopsy.  I will know the results in two weeks.  This Thurs. is step 2 with a CT Scan.  Step 3 is the appointment with the Oncologist to go over the test results.

Everything was fine approaching the colonoscopy until Gayle asked a simple question.  If something happens to you, where do you keep the bills and how does she pay them?  Huh?  You mean it is a possibility that the surgery and chemo might not have worked?

It is one thing to be reminded daily by the neuropathy of the chemo and cancer process, but it is another to come to grips of it's success or lack of success.  There are plenty of examples of both in peoples lives.  For every life, there is a death.  So far the count is ball one.

You Oght to be in Pictures

These are my fellow film makers from the Digital Histories class and our advisors Gary and Christine.  It was a fun time to watch their finished projects up on the big screen.  I have to admit, age does add an edgy freedom to their creativity.  You can watch the collection of films on Vimeo at:

https://vimeo.com/album/4574086

password: DH2017

I was impressed by and enjoyed all of them, buy I have to admit my favorites were "With Help from my Friends"  and "Mottainai".  "A Matter of Truth" gave me a better understanding of the political propaganda regarding the camps.  Watching these again motivates me to improve my skills in creating stories to the level of my fellow classmates.

Canneling Rod Serling

Did I mention that returning to work is like a episode of the Twilight Zone?   It is as if I never left.  I was plopped down into the same circumstances as when I left in July.  There seems to be a sigh of relief from everyone, that I am OK (you look good!) and that my return signals a return of sanity in a sea of unpredictability.  Go figure.

It has gotten to the point where I have to go back and review my previous posts of this blog to remind me of the process of life that I had gone through these past 10 months. 

Neuropathy is still the lingering reminder of the cancer.  At times it intensifies where I find myself shaking my hands and flexing my fingers, especially when it gets cold.  For some reason, it will flare up in the middle of the night.  A co worker has described it as your extremities (hands and feet) are constantly asleep.

I found it ironic that I have received a positive response from my video project on Sunday.  I was not thrilled with the way it turned out and I could tell by the luke warm reaction from Gayle was that it was so - so and a little hard to follow.  The response may be leading to another project on Asian basketball and it's origins.

We just got back from Santa Barbara to witness for ourselves that the youngest graduated college in four years.  It is a sigh of relief, now lets see about employment!

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's Off to Work I Go....

I started back at work on Friday.  It was a process of trying to get set up before I hit the ground running on Monday.  The best way of describing the experience is the Twilight Zone.  It was if I never left.  The commute was the same, even driving up to my usual spot in the parking structure. The office was the same as I left it with an additional layer of dust.  The adjustment was catching up with personnel changes and what has occurred in peoples' lives these past months.

The biggest adjustment was waking up at six in the morning.  I did come home and take a long nap at the end of the day.  Oh well.

Today was the showing of my video I had created on basketball referees.  A friend had convinced me to join a Seniors Video Class sponsored by Visual Communications called Digital Histories.  It was established about 13 years ago with the intent of documenting peoples lives through the use of video.

The projects are then showed at the Asian Arts Festival at the Aratani Theater in Little Tokyo.  It is a little intimidating to see your project on a full movie screen in a mid size theater.

They keep emphasizing that as seniors, we bring a different perspective and therefore are in tune to document those stories.  Two questions come up.  One, when did I become a senior? and two, when did the senior perspective become so significant?  The answer, both are inevitable.

It has become clear that stories need to be documented and available, and time is short.  In conversation with a friend, it was stated that it was too bad we didn't do this 20 years ago when her dad was still alive.  But the program is a product of timing, where technology has enabled us to easily record and edit.  Any digital camera and a computer with iMovie will enable anyone to create a video.  The issue then becomes one of availability.  The internet and You Tube has resolved that issue.  More to come.

http://festival.vconline.org/2017/shorts-programs/digital-histories/