Heading Back South For the Winter

Nolie and Jerry drove back to Houston today for the next round of tests at M. D. Anderson. They left around 9:00 a. m. today and when I called to check on their status, Mom answered the phone and said that the manager of the RIBM was showing them rooms. My mother is the kind of guest who is never happy with the first room she checks into at a hotel. I can see these guests coming a mile away, and conversely, I can see the Desk Agents rolling their eyes whenever Nolie appoaches. I remember checking into a hotel in New Braunfuls for my friends', Alex and Cheryl's, wedding. I checked in several hours after my parents did, and like I usually do, handed the agent my business card and asked if there were any upgrades available. Sometimes they'll extend a professional courtesey; sometimes they look at you like, "who the heck are you?" Personally, I usually go with the professonal courtesey option when the shoe's on the other foot because--karma. The agent looked at me apologetically, and explained that they had given their last suite to my mother when she checked in several hours prior. My mouth fell open, I apologized, and asked what she had done. His reply was priceless: "Oh nothing, we could just tell and didn't want to take a chance."

The day started out not so good for the ride back to Houston. Nolie called me in tears because Jerry's nose was bleeding; and Silver, the Small Dog, had apparently temporarily lost the use of his hind legs, and was splayed out on the floor shaking. This happened Wednesday morning as well. So, instead of the Schnauzers staying at home with the dog sitter looking in on them daily, they went back to Dr. Van Hoosier's Schnauzer Camp.

The nose bleeding is expected, and part of the reason for the Please Try Not To Bleed recommendation from Annette, the Nurse Practitioner, a couple of weeks back. Jerry says his hair has started to fall out, and Nolie told me that if you stroke his beard it comes out in your hand, but I don't think it's fallen out enough that the casual observer would notice. I saw Dad last on Wednesday afternoon before I came back to New Orleans and he looked the same to me.

This whole cancer thing kind of waylaid (I know. I would have thought l-a-y-e-d, but I looked it up) Christmas, so we finally celebrated on Monday. I gave my Dad a Creative Zen Vision M MP3/video player just like mine so he can watch his "Surface" and "24" episodes while he gets his chemo, and I gave Mother a Palm Pilot so she can schedule and track Dad's appointments. I am starting to second guess my gift giving decisions now, as I believe I may have inadvertently created a full time IT Specialist position for myself. Too bad it's not a paying gig.

Pictures of my most recent visit to Arlington to follow. Oh, by the way, Nolie and Jerry finally settled today on the same room they checked out of on Saturday, so they feel right at home, and are even going to Target tomorrow to get cardboard furniture. They're staying in Houston now through the end of these three rounds of chemo. Apparently, I neglected to tell my parents that if you stay in a hotel room for more than thirty days, you don't have to pay the 15% occupancy tax. I think I just assumed that everyone knows that, but I guess everyone does not.