tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32174013820216232182020-01-17T03:28:51.243-08:00I am NOT an asshole. Surgically Speaking.Trials and tribulations of the assless wonder!Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00068323045390841989noreply@blogger.comBlogger95125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217401382021623218.post-12815238461970865562013-03-07T09:04:00.004-08:002013-03-07T09:04:49.638-08:00journal 3-12-2000haven't posted anything of bec's in a while. her documentary has had it's unofficial launch and now that that event is over, I can concentrate on other things. this is an entry from one of her many journals. this is pre-cancer. even then, she has a universal voice of her generation. mary b <br /><br /><br /><br />I'm so frustratingly not happy all day I kept thinking how pointless everything is. nothing really has a purpose, in the long run. I mean, most of us don't make a dent in anything that would be classified as meaning anything.&nbsp; I sound so hopeless. I sound negative as hell, but I just can't help it. I've been not happy for awhile. but I can't figure out what it is. I can't determine...which superficial reason it is. or which superficial reason will remedy it. I am frustrated. extremely frustrated and nothing to do about it. I wish I knew what to do? I know it will go away. but then again, it will probably come back. I think this is a form of depression. I'm just not happy. I don't see this physical or material shit helping or resolving anything at all. I have a clue that its an emotional , personal thing but I can't really point it out. I wish it would go away. I want to be oblivious. ignorance sure is bliss. I wish I had a little of that ignorance shit.&nbsp; things can be so hypocritically complicated. it really makes me sick. I want to know? I want to know why, what, where, who and when of everything. shit. sucks. always.&nbsp; ya, a big ball of contradictions. it really fits. the onset of a new job....didn't work. I haven't even been there a full 2 weeks and I already want to quit. I'm unhappy. but that's nothing new. the thing is, in the back of my mind, I knew I wouldn't find this the job of my dreams. I think I knew it but the part of me thought I could fit. I thought wholeheartedly that if I wanted it and I tried, I could just fit myself in the role ( the salon is really drama, everyone's an actor) but instead, I find myself where I inevitably knew and feared I would be, A rock and a hard place.I hate this job but I see no options for me. I see no job I want to really be at. I see no place I can be. I'm miserable and I don't know what to do. I really wish I could just be. I want to do productive things, but not because I have to, to get my, but because I want to, or god forbid, like to. oh boy, decisions, dilemmas, problems, issues, indecision, unsure, hopeless, helpless, all a bunch of fun.<br />why in the hell am I only 19 and this unhappy? shouldn't I just be out partying all the time? why do I over analyze things to death? I think and I think and I think things to death. nothing is what I want or expect. nothing is fulfilling...nothing is right.<br />I hate all of this and I hate feeling like this. it's this kind of nagging helpless, depressing, stressed, confused, frustrated feeling, I can't seem to find a good or right answer.<br />I hate being alone. or feeling like I'm alone because no one can help me and no one sees it like I see it or feels what I feel. I want a damn soul mate. I want him now! I want someone to sit next to at night and be wrapped in their arms and feel like things are okay at that moment. no matter how empty the words are, I want someone to tell me, "it'll be okay" and make me feel that's true! I'm only 19!! why is this an issue at all, let alone a big issue? this shit sucks ass!!Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00068323045390841989noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217401382021623218.post-7549612372973016072012-12-31T15:48:00.001-08:002012-12-31T15:48:26.957-08:002013so I am breaking my little unwritten rule and posting on Rebecca's blog. there have been alot of 1st's this year for me. most are obvious. some are very private. As milestones go, new year's eve has always been&nbsp; a time of melancholy...a time of consideration of what has gone on...painful analysis of where one is in their life. what something has meant, an event, a memory...and how the course of one's life may change as a result of something that has happened in the past year. it is a time to formulate a new plan. it is good to have a framework so long as you don't hold it too tight. because you never know what is to happen.<br />we all have our private pain...our sad story. everyone's sad story impacts them profoundly. some people's sad story impacts others as well. sometimes competition develops. who was a better friend. who mourns more. who remembers better. but time passes and memories fade. I don't know how I feel about that. so 2013 will be the 1st year in 31 yrs that Rebecca was not on this earth. the world is a worse place for that absence. I miss you more than I can say,Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00068323045390841989noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217401382021623218.post-16197596231541070872012-09-22T19:04:00.000-07:002012-09-22T19:04:42.036-07:00the "how are you?" question & feelings about fundraisershere are 2 recurring themes...how to answer the "how are you?" question and feelings on having fundraisers.--mom<br /><br />"yodel, <br /><br />sorry, been sorta anti facebook as of late. it just kinda...doesn't interest me anymore (or i like to prove to myself that i'm no slave to anything!)<br />Man, feels real awkward telling people to give you money. heh. i mean, its one thing to just have it appear, but its another to go "oh yea, you know, that sounds good, just give me some cash lady"<br />:)<br />Hope you've been well. yea, i hate the "how are you" question, but i always have. I mean, really, i guess, if you were to ask that, my thinking is mostly "well, what exactly do you want me to answer to that?" Heh, i could tell you literally how i'm feeling at that moment (usually about the same give or take some intensity). Or i could give you a recount of the past few months which have been badly uneventful (if that makes sense. like, there hasn't been any good news really. but there hasn't been any drastic emergencies or developments that i know of). or, would a simple "oh, just hanging in there" suffice? i never really know why people ask such a question cuz i never really am sure what kinda answer they think they're gonna get. And if i DID answer with "oh man, i'm just GREAT, its summer, i'm loving my life and everything is just as beautiful as it can be"...would anyone actually believe me or would i soon be committed to a mental ward b/c how could that truthfully be my answer?? hehe.<br />&nbsp;Ok, sorry, i've literally been up ALL night, its now 10a. i wasn't up for any real good reason except that while watching Bill Maher last night i finally picked up a knitting project i started back in march and have sadly neglected even tho i have NOTHING to do and should be whipping out a few full afghans a week or something. I really got some good progress on the knitting, and just didn't want to stop, next thing i knew it was almost 4a. so then it was 5a. and then i realized the fundraisers tonight and perhaps i should be nice n rested so i can prance around it acting like the happiest inoperable cancer patient you ever did see, while awkwardly shaking hands and 'receiving' people as if it was some sorta twisted wedding day, and i'm the bride. i guess that'd make the groom cancer tho, and that's pretty grim. maybe more like, sweet sixteen? bat-mitzvah? Quinceneira? i dunno, its so odd, like, i dress up cute, and work the room like nobody's business, being dragged from person to person (at least, thats how the fundraisers in the past have gone). cuz its like EVERYone wants to chat me up...ooh la la its like being a celebrity. eeehhh...but in the back of my mind its some morbid bizarre circus cuz uh....its NOT celebrity! its freakin' cancer. aaaannnywho, so that was all to have explained why i'm blabbing away. b/c i should be tired. i should be sleeping. instead i'm on facebook (and hence why i've been trying to be anti facebook).<br />B"Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00068323045390841989noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217401382021623218.post-49050179923967433962012-05-22T18:21:00.001-07:002012-06-05T16:46:25.200-07:00<div class="rfloat"><br /></div><div class="uiHeader uiHeaderBottomBorder mbm"><div class="clearfix uiHeaderTop"><div><h2 class="uiHeaderTitle" tabindex="0">Becca's Poem</h2></div></div><div class="clearfix"><div class="mbs uiHeaderSubTitle lfloat fsm fwn fcg">by <a href="http://www.facebook.com/serenalove">Serena Love Bonita</a> on Tuesday, May 22, 2012 at 5:04pm ·<span class="timelineUnitContainer"></span></div></div></div><div class="mbl notesBlogText clearfix"><div>Anybody who knows anything about me knows I am a poet. They also know how much I love my friend Becca who passed in March. The way I write is I have to wait to be inspired to write something. I get a line in my head and I start with it and just keep going until it's finished. I was waiting and waiting for Becca's poem to come to me and it hadn't yet until today. Roanne posted up a picture of her and it inspired this piece. This will forever be Becca's poem from me.<br /><br />Becca<br /><br />sometimes i can't look at your picture<br />it hurts too much to know you are not here<br />with the radiance in your eyes<br />and the smile on your face<br />even though you were sick<br />you sit there<br />frozen in time<br />fresh off a twirl on the dance floor<br />or a twirl in the air<br />you capoeirista<br />you beautiful spirit<br />you funny spit fire<br />cancer took you from us<br />it took your joy<br />it took your health<br />but it never took your spirit<br />defiantly you lived<br />when no one knew how long you would<br />defiantly you danced<br />and sang<br />and went to school<br />and had fun<br />even though that demon cancer<br />wanted you in bed<br />sick<br />and wanted you gone<br />defiantly you lived<br />you laughed in cancers<br />face<br />with every hearty laugh<br />you released<br />from your throat<br />you did that<br />until your body couldn't take anymore<br />until your body could no longer<br />hold your spirit down<br />your body was no longer<br />you<br />but a thing that was holding<br />you<br />your spirit too big to be contained<br />so it had to release you<br />to a place much bigger<br />than the dimensions of your room<br />of the city of chicago<br />of the world you travelled<br />your spirit was so much bigger than that<br />you needed to be in the universe<br />in the air<br />in our hearts<br />you needed to be above us<br />laughing with us at the jokes<br />and the good times<br />crying with us when it gets hard<br />dancing with us when we dance<br />doing all the things you couldn't do<br />in that body<br />in that room<br />you deserved so much more<br />than the world gave you<br />but i am glad there were times<br />when you recieved the best<br />i hope you know that we all love<br />you more than we ever let on<br />and we tried to tell you often<br />how loved you are<br />our beautiful Becca<br />you touched us all<br />and people who didn't even know you<br />you are legendary<br />you are wonderful<br />you are the shit girl<br />and that hasn't changed<br />just because you aren't here<br />we all miss you so much<br />but are so happy<br />that you are no longer in pain<br />because you did not deserve it<br />we love you so much<br />and hope you are partying it up<br />with your dad<br />and loving heaven<br />because you deserve that<br />just know that sometimes<br />it's hard to look at pictures of you<br />cause it just reminds us,<br />that you aren't here.</div></div>Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00068323045390841989noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217401382021623218.post-46167027370886267532012-05-18T12:35:00.000-07:002012-05-18T12:35:46.280-07:00to jared (feb 2011)this is a response to a fb message&nbsp;from one of bec's many on-line relationships. altho they never met in person, &nbsp;this guy and bec shared something special&nbsp;and this was a mostly positive email.&nbsp; <br /><br /><br />yo. you just popped up on my newsfeed, and it made me realize i never replied to a really gorgeous and genuine email you sent me a while back. <br /><br />And while I was (and for the most part, still very much am) in a strange, mostly NOT good state of mind, I do want you to know that for whatever reason (b/c in all honesty, I suppose there's not a whole helluva lot of depth to our relationship. hehehe, its always just been an online amicable mutually respectful one). But for whatever reason, your comments always mean a ton to me. <br />you have a way of coming off as one of the most absolute genuine people i know (and as i just said, i don't truly "know" you. hehehe, i've never even actually heard your voice!)<br />And while I don't want to answer your previous email in too much detail, b/c again, I was in a much much MUCH worse state back then, it's somewhat improved these days in terms with just getting by day to day. but I'm still nowhere near the "me" i was. And for the most part, I've learned that the only way I am capable of getting by day to day, is to almost ignore all of the horrendous unspeakably unfair and scary crap that has and is happening to me. <br />but you included a portion of a poem that somehow slipped past the fortress of fear and sheer depression that had dropped itself around me at that moment, and while i can't say "it saved me!" it did for a moment, give me a momentary glance back at the fact that i'm human. and despite my anger at the world, and how much i hate this disease, the fact that i and so so so many others have to suffer in such ways. I had spun myself down into the deepest hole i've been in during the entire five (yes, can you believe, its been FIVE years as of feb. 23 that i was first diagnosed) years. I could have been that deep numerous times before but I had a really good ability to always find a way to not slip that far. Most of the time the thing I would do is simply take every and any chance to appreciate something. everyone always says things like "always appreciate the little things in life" and most of them say it with emptiness, never truly having knowledge of HOW to actually do this. But I felt I had achieved just that. sometimes I would wake up and before even opening my eyes i would be still and feel the sunlight streaming through the window on my face, I would try to be conscious of every bone/muscle/tendon in my body and think to myself "right at this very moment, i'm relaxed, warm, rested, there's no aches, pains, cramps." (i did this ALOT after my surgery when i was recovering, since i thought learning to appreciate those times would help me heal faster). but I started to do that all the time, to all types of things. I would go to starbucks, have a nice little exchange w/ the barista dude, the drink would be especially tasty, and I would walk out to the neighborhood I worked in and look around to realize i love the neighborhood, and i love my job, and the drink was awesome, and people are good, etc etc. <br />I was never able to be classified as "perky"or "upbeat", so its not that these thoughts permeated me and translated into me being saccharine sweet. I just felt this was one method that helped me stay sane when life also took a liking to punching me in the face repeatedly with unfairness. i was never a particularly religious person.&nbsp; I know many who go through life-altering things such as cancer or other disease, that somehow do end up turning to religion of some sort. Not only did I not do this, but things that have happened in my life only serve to distance me even more from the idea of god in&nbsp;any of the various manifestations he is presented as. I can't justify anything by any of the religions i know about. if anything, I only get more angry if I do think about the role of god. But I do believe in humanity. and your unexpected, sincere email and poem gave me that momentary glance back into what i do believe which is (in convenient bullet points for dramatic effect): <br />I AM human. <br />Humanity is a sumptuous thing <br />I'VE been lucky enough to have experienced it on many levels in its full grandeur BECAUSE of disease. <br />Most people will probably never know the full extent of it. <br /><br />So, from the bottom of whatever is left of my heart, Thank you. :)<br />(oh, this isn't quite an email&nbsp; that&nbsp; says, "so even tho i still have cancer, I am rejuvinated back to the more hopeful person I was prior and am gonna fight like hell". So, no worries on that end. Its simply that those were things your email made me think of, and i feel bad i never shared that back with you. Most days I still do feel VERY un-human. And chronically refer to myself as "NOT normal". Which i whole-heartedly believe, and need noone to try and convince me otherwise. it is what it is. BUT, for a tiny moment, your email reminded me of something. And i liked that something.)<br /><br />(here is the poem. I e'd the guy who sent this to bec. needed to read what gave her&nbsp;that &nbsp;peaceful feeling.--mom)<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Summer Day<br /><br /><br />Who made the world?<br />Who made the swan, and the black bear?<br />Who made the grasshopper?<br />This grasshopper, I mean-<br />the one who has flung herself out of the grass,<br />the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,<br />who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down-<br />who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.<br />Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.<br />Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.<br />I don't know exactly what a prayer is.<br />I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down<br />into the grass, how to kneel in the grass,<br />how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,<br />which is what I have been doing all day.<br />Tell me, what else should I have done?<br />Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?<br />Tell me, what is it you plan to do<br />With your one wild and precious life?<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; mary oliverBeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00068323045390841989noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217401382021623218.post-15690376423877631712012-05-12T21:00:00.000-07:002012-05-12T21:00:06.439-07:00this one's about me.so this one is about me and my endless prying into bec's life. I make no apologies for it. and this wasn't a message that surprised me. as I have said before, so much in bec's writings wasn't anything she didn't say directly to people. she made it clear to me that I was smothering her. I didn't really care. still don't. it was one of those "between a rock and a hard place" situations most of the time. she insisted on involving me with most of the people she met on her journey but got pissed when she felt I was crossing the line. the role of care-giver is not easy under the best of circumstances. and knowledge is power. I make no apologies for how I got my information. it helped me a great deal to read her posts etc b/c then, I knew what topics to steer clear of and also what topics I needed to steer the conversation towards. she NEVER wanted me to worry about her which I did every minute of every day of this nightmare. so I believe that even though she was resistive to my endless intrusions on her life, it served as a way for me to understand her fears and anxieties without her having to talk about them. this is from 2yrs ago.--mom<br /><br />"yo. <br /><br /><br />gotta say, i'm sorry for not being more immediately responsive. i'll confess, part of it is my lazy/unmotivated-ness (it is nothing that can be related to ANY normal persons unmotivated-ness, so please, save yourself the trouble). <br /><br />and also, the more it comes to my attention that you talk to my mom. i may love my mom. but she is in EVERYthing i do, EVERYwhere. i have a blog, obviously she reads that, i'm signed up on various different cancer support forums (i.e The Colon Club, planet cancer, stupid cancer radio show, etc)) ostomy support forums (united ostomy associates, the kpouch forum, etc) and she also registers for an acct with them all. so basically i have little place to go and vent and complain that she DOESN'T have a way to access and read. <br /><br />And the only person i could email and talk directly one on one (so that it would be private) was rodney. now that he's not around i find myself freaking out like "who in the hell am i supposed to talk to!? who's gonna understand without going all god, or all mush, or all dumbstruck on me?? NOONE! shit." <br /><br />so, i guess since i know you talk to my mom, well, its just not the same. rodney eventually started talking to my mom, but b/c he also actually HAD cancer, he understood. there was a line in the sand. <br /><br />i'm not saying i dont' trust you. and i'm not saying she( mom)&nbsp;even would ever ever ever ask you what i've said. she'd never. but its just simply the sheer fact alone. nothing more, nothing less. <br /><br />aaaaaaannnywho. i know she's at least made some kinda reference to whats been going on with me the past few days. considering how much i watch her on my computer on facebook (all the damn time! heh) and how little i've been on facebook myself. <br /><br />B"Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00068323045390841989noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217401382021623218.post-75855830597185912092012-05-07T10:11:00.000-07:002012-05-07T10:11:17.696-07:00what makes me happy dec 2010this post is in response to a question&nbsp;asked&nbsp;of her by a woman from the cancer community. they apparently met briefly at an I2Y event and became fb friends. this is at least not a dark, depressing or angry post. for a change!--mom<br /><br /><br />um...what makes me happy? what are my favorite things? cute questions, and i'll try my best to answer them, even while being mildly uncomfortable b/c it almost makes me think about writing my own eulogy (she was a fun loving person who loved sharing time with friends and her dog...)<br /><br />um, makes me happy...my dog :), writing, engaging in good conversation with new and interesting people, bacon, crocheting, sharing a bottle of wine with a group of good friends, actually let me take back bacon and wine, and just lump that in under the phrase Good Food. I love to draw, and read, and tell stories. i basically looooovvee talking, and do it nonstop. <br /><br />i love humor, that being people who have it and can make me laugh, and having it myself. i hate being too serious, thats usually something i save for just me, late at night. i love my mom. i love kindness. i love the ocean although i can just barely stay alive if i was thrown in. i love nature, but i'm a city girl at heart (aka, i need the sounds of traffic and noises in general to be comfortable to sleep) i looooooooove horses and that conflicts with my city girl side b/c i would love nothing more than to be an olympic equestrian rider, but you can't "do" equestrian while in chicago unless you're rich and have alot of time to spare....which i never had either. <br /><br />i love my job, not b/c of what i do, but b/c what my job as a whole does (a music school, we have lessons, dance and music, and we have concerts, bringing lots of world musicians in and exposing people here, but also have a huge scholarship program that offers huge heavy discounts on music lessons for kids who may not other wise be able to afford them, and i'm very proud to work at such a place, and i love each and every person that works there with me, a lovely creative caring awesome group of people. <br /><br />i love my city, and have alot of pride for it, born and raised, and even though its going to be a high of 20 degrees tomorrow, i still love it here. <br /><br />ummm....heh...so uh...is that a good start? shall i ask the same questions of you? ;)<br /><br />..Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00068323045390841989noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217401382021623218.post-37097226131568729272012-04-28T10:14:00.000-07:002012-04-28T10:14:06.147-07:00being alone ans scared and missing rodney dec 2010this is a fb message to a fairly well-known "cancer-lebrity". after&nbsp;bec's cancer-soulmate and confidant, rodney, died, there was a massive void in her world. she reached out to those whom she hoped could help her fill that void. she never talked to me about dying. she always wanted to spare me any worry....as if!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />have you guys done stupid cancer shows about terminal patients? death, all that? <br /><br />do you know anyone currently, young, and with that kind of diagnosis that perhaps is a good chatty person? i'm sorta in a huge freakout mode here and i just don't know what to do/think/say etc. <br /><br />not that anyone told me i'm terminal. noone told me to get ready to die soon. but nothing has been going my way (to put it mildly and cutely) and after pretty much 5 years of having to deal with this, i've actually come to a point where its harder and harder to keep holding on to that good ol' hope idea. i am strong, and a fighter, and all that, but it'd be nice to every now n then just have a bone thrown to me. y'know. just gimmie a slight inkling that its not as bad as my minds' eye sees every time i get a second to let my mind wander. <br /><br />i had a really really good friend that had stage 4 colon cancer i grew really close to. he passed away in august. since he's been gone i've come to realize not just that i was really close to him but that he was pretty much the ONLY...literally the absolute only person on this earth that i could actually talk to in full...talk about all my thoughts, be they morbid, silly, sick, stupid, scary, whatever. i thought i had others who i could talk to like that (or maybe i thought i was so "open" and communicative of a person that i could find anyone to talk to in that manner) so since he's been gone i've realized just how untrue that was. <br /><br />i know lots of survivors and current patients. but most everyone i know is either well past their treatments and diagnosis living much more cancer-free than i. or they're just undergoing treatments or surgery and things are going well enough and they weren't as severe as i apparently was (i guess i like to think i wasn't too bad off. maybe that was that good ol' hope i had so much of). so i find when i try to talk about the crazy things in my head i find they don't relate or can't relate or its just not appropriate to approach as a topic with them. <br /><br />other "survivors" have&nbsp;gone through&nbsp;their share of crazy shit with cancer and surgeries and treatments. but&nbsp;they're not in the thick of it.&nbsp; So if i wanted to turn to&nbsp;them and talk about my fear of one day getting up, and the next thing i know i'm rendered incapacitated by some side effect of the cancer and not being able to speak for myself and being stuck in a hospital on machines in a horrible state until i die...well, as soon as i open my mouth i shut it b/c they're such damn positive people, they're&nbsp;gonna give me an answer that (while may be a wonderful understanding nonjudgmental caring answer) will probably make me feel even worse or want to punch them in the face. <br />the friend that i lost in august, we could talk about these morbid types of things with all honesty and bluntness, i never felt or feared he'd think i was too pessimistic or whatever. <br />i've tried psychotherapist types when i was rediagnosed in 2008 and i hated it. i guess mostly b/c i knew this person would never give me the answers i wanted to hear (which was how i could be rid of this cancer permanently) so i never really looked into therapy shit again. <br />but i don't really know what to do. sit here with scary crazy thoughts in my head that i can't share with the only person i could consider close to me at this moment (which is my mom) b/c i don't want to worry or scare her anymore than i know she is.<br />i just thought...you know, for once, imerman angels isn't gonna be of use to me. i don't want to hear from someone who's been there and made it to the other end rah-rah yay go team go! kinda shit. <br />i need to be able to talk to people who A) aren't going to feel bad for me or god forbid say the line "well, i know its no where near or can't compare to what you are going through or must be feeling right now, but..." <br />(i absolutely HAATTTEEE when people, even cancer survivors i know, put that in ANY part of our conversation) <br />and B) truly honestly know what i'm talking about. I dont have a husband or kids of my own. so i don't have the "i must be brave and fight to stay alive to see my kids grow up, or to grow old with my husband" <br />i'm young, single, i never got to have a career, i never got to do half the things many people feel entitled to (own a home, have a new car, follow my lifes dream, be married, have kids, pursue a passion, blah blah blah) <br />i talk to so many survivor types or current patient-types who even though they are young, i cannot relate to them whatsoever. i'm covered in tattoos. i grew up going to hip hop shows. i live in the middle of the city with a roommate. i've never lived in any other place but here. i've never owned a car within the same decade that we are in. grew up poor, pretty much have always been eeking on middle class. was the first child to get a college degree (and i'm the youngest in my fam, two older brothers, well....) <br />barely anyone i've met relates to me much. <br />sorry. i did not intend this to be so long, i swear. its like word vomit. it just pours out of me sometimes when i least expect it :) <br />anyway. the basic gist of this mssg was just, do you know anyone that i may be able to connect with?<br /><br />sincerely<br /><br />Me.Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00068323045390841989noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217401382021623218.post-78870668627605609062012-04-25T08:57:00.000-07:002012-04-25T08:57:45.655-07:00fb messages being forgottenthis is a response to a&nbsp;facebook message after bec had cussed out someone who she felt was ignoring her.&nbsp; the person who sent her the message was&nbsp;asking if he/she was also guilty of ignoring her and this was her response to them.( from march 21, 2011.) the theme of this and so many other&nbsp;messages was how alone she felt...all the time. it breaks my heart. she was very vocal about how she felt when she didn't hear from her friends for weeks and sometimes months at a time. so even though the tone of this (and many many more texts, e-mails and fb messages) was one of anger and bitterness towards her friends, the thing to take away from this is...to do better in the future! to remember that you may have friends out there who are struggling... that are alone...that are stuck in their heads and maybe need some diversion...that are scared and feel forgotten by a world that has past them by.&nbsp; how it doesn't REALLY take a whole lot of effort to brighten someone's day. LET THAT BE THE LESSON HERE!---mom.<br /><br /><br /><br />"&nbsp;i was in no way talking to probably over half of my fb friends...i mean, hell, you don't live anywhere near me, i wouldn't expect anything more than all your wonderful bacony-posts. <br /><br />Its the ACTUAL people that i've known since long before facebook ever existed...people who could very easily pop over to my place...those people who, when confronted on how come i haven't seen or heard from them lately, say things like "oh, i just know that you're probably overwhelmed with people trying to do things for you or whatever, i don't want to be pushy or anything" or "i think about you constantly, you're always in my heart"...bullshit. <br /><br />the two friends names that i mentioned in my status (about the bestest friends i have these days are two people i barely knew a few years ago) they are friends who actually check in with just a text or something, almost every day. they ask whats going on today, or how i'm feeling, or how such n such procedure went. Not with me having to prod them to do that. not by me having to post things publically on FB for them to know maybe they should check in on me. And thats what i have real issue with...is that so-called "friends" these days have gotten so lazy they don't bother to check in on someone themselves on their own accord anymore, no, everyone instead just gets on fb and if they happen to see an update, THEN they go send that text or make that phone call. which is why i barely ever say shit on FB anymore. It helps me narrow in on who's an actual friend. Lets take for instance my actual "best friend" (at this point, thats just a label or a title they hold, i'd barely consider&nbsp;them that) has no idea that a week and a half ago i had a drain tube inserted into my asscheek (yea...not my asshole, where at least there's already a hole to start with, but into the flesh of my butt cheek) to drain fluid thats been collecting in my pelvis, and then i had to keep it in since then, therefore having to stay at home b/c i can't even sit down normally, so i've been off work this whole time, sitting at home alone for the majority of the time til my mom gets off work and comes by my place to keep me company, and has no idea that yesterday blood started coming from the drain into the leg bag OR that three days before that i was in the ER cuz of another complication with it. You know how many people know any of that? i can give you an actual number. 10...TEN?!<br /><br />that number is made up of: <br /><br />1) my mom<br /><br />2) my manager<br /><br />3) my boss<br /><br />4) friend jessica<br /><br />5) friend sanj<br /><br />6) cousin katie<br /><br />7) cousin jenny<br /><br />8) girl who i only know from online b/c she had cancer, <br /><br />9) girl who i only know from online b/c she has ostomy.<br /><br />10) my roommate <br /><br /><br /><br />Heh, and you know what? if i had even made any teeny effort to make a status update about ANY of it...you know how many texts n emails i woulda been getting? but i didn't really feel like talking about my ass drain. So i didn't. and then it became an interesting sociological study. and THEN it just became a 'thing' for me. Like a test...or a proving ground. Without any of these so-called friends even knowing about it. Yea, yea, yea, i get it, people have lives. people are busy. But it really doesn't take too much outta your busy day to spontaneously check in on, or say hey to, your friend. (i even have a friend who claims to be just so close to me, i've known&nbsp;them since we were in 8th grade, that they have my initials tattooed in the middle of the colon cancer awareness star symbol, on&nbsp;their chest (its about the size, diameter-wise, of a softball. so, not small.) <br /><br />And do ya think i have even heard from&nbsp;them at all in the past month or so?....nah. pfff. <br /><br />anywho, sorry this is so long. I just figured, i could vent to you about my irritation at friends not being friends, without offending you. i mean, you and i both know that while we have alot in common in some ways..yea, we're just facebook friends. and i dont expect you to be bending over backwards to be supportive to me. I like our communication. its fun and uncomplicated. (and thankfully, NOT always about cancer. Cuz there's only so much that i want to always be talking about cancer, i think about it enough as it is.) I appreciate you have other humor to share with me. <br /><br /><br /><br />but damn...these so-called friends of mine that are here in town...they leave something to be desired these days<br /><br /><br /><br />well...hope your enjoying your day, guess what i'm about to finish eating?? chicken fried bacon! awww yea baby! (its my treat to myself after my doc appt today. a bucket of chicken fried bacon and a bag of deep fried pickle chips (gotta love those hole-in-the-wall hot dog joints,) always find great "horrible for your diet" foods that are PERFECT for my skinny 100 lb self who's trying to put on some weight.Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00068323045390841989noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217401382021623218.post-28895464875106498012012-04-19T08:12:00.000-07:002012-04-19T08:12:10.024-07:00random thoughtsfrom her journal...I have spent alot of time wondering who she was talking to that made her feel better. whoever you are...thank you.--mom <br /><br />had a good talk last night. I didn't say things exactly how I would to myself, but I did get some things out. It doesn't make anything better but it does make me not as alone. I don't think anyone could really guess or comprehend the depths of scary-talk I can get into in my head. even if I allude to it. (assume this is also unfinished but who knows)Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00068323045390841989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217401382021623218.post-24215229288785056742012-04-15T13:56:00.000-07:002012-04-15T13:56:35.162-07:00being forgottenmarch 2011. lonliness and being alone, except for me, day in and day out, was really weighing on bec over the last 1 1/2 years.&nbsp; this is a response to a fb message from an on-line friend that she had never actually net in person. again, the thing for her friends to take away from this is, do better in the future for those you love.--mom<br /><br />"hahah, i have never been cancer free in the 5 yrs since being diagnosed.<br /><br /><br />i just make having cancer look good i guess. maybe thats part of the problem. people can't really imagine me as being mere moments away from death at any given time (which, theoretically i am, no matter how dramatic it sounds). i've been on chemotherapy in some form or another consistently. sometimes its a treatment i get every two weeks, when i got real lucky once on one particular drug, it was once every three weeks...that didn't last long tho. the most recent treatment plan, i had to go in EVERY single friday. i suppose that aaaaallll those dear close friends of mine who were always saying "if you ever want company at chemo, or need anything from me, please tell me" i suppose EVERY week just was a bit too inconvenient for them.<br /><br />i'm fine. and i'll be fine i'm sure. its just kinda funny that i can use FB as a way to unknowingly 'test' certain people (i mean, of course people whom I've met on-line&nbsp;...while you guys mean a TON to me, b/c of course you guys are some of the only people that truly understand the whole intestines thing, and if i have to freak out about something kpouch related, well hell, i dont know where i'd be without&nbsp;your help...but i'm more refering to those friends on here who i've known long before FB ever existed, etc)<br /><br />but its funny to me...i've noticed that if i keep quiet on FB, and don't put up status's like "keep me in your thoughts/prayers tomorrow for this big test/procedure i have!" kinda things, that certain people are so barely in my life anymore, they don't have a clue if i dont post about it on FB or send out a mass email. I only started to realize this b/c as of late i've just gotten tired of having to feel obligated to keep everyone in my social circle 'up to date' on me. Y'know, everyone always says "well, keep me posted on how things go" etc. So i felt obligated to send out these big ol' group emails, OR post things to FB about whatever the very latest updates where. And when i started to get tired of doing that (mostly cuz i was tired of saying the same things over n over, and i've recently been avoiding talking about cancer except to my doctor as much as possible. but the less i updated, the less i heard from so-called "good friends". Then I realized, "Oh, Its b/c they aren't even bothering to do their OWN checking in on me. So if I'm not updating them, then they apparently think everything must be peachy with me. And over all that, I realized that just in general, i barely hear from some people i used to consider very close friends. Hence the start of the tone in my status update.<br /><br />its' all just me being moody...but also being realistic. its been five years that i've been dealing with cancer, so its not that i'm not used to the different ways that people react to it, and to losing and also gaining people you wouldn't expect. but as of late, it seems like its just about EVERYone around me thats gone...everyones got a busy busy life. and mine is just right here at a standstill...continuously in treatment, therefore unable to make any upward movement in my life. but hey...i'm still alive, so apparently, according to doctors, THAT should be good enough for me. heh. suuuurrree...<br /><br />&nbsp;with all the crap i have going on right now (the most current issue has to do with some fluid collecting in my pelvis, and this cavity or absess that seems to have opened up in the pelvis. so they put a drain tube in my buttcheek...yes, the actual fleshy cheek..not my buttHOLE, but the cheek. and attached to a leg bag. it was draining off the fluid, but then it started to drain out urine, and i was unable to pee the normal way, and now they're talkin bout if the antibiotics and keeping this drain in, doesn't allow whatever fistula is there to heal up on its own i may end up with bi-lateral nephrostomy drains/bags permanently...i think that'd be the worst case from this particular scenario) but with all of that...my kpouch? still just beautiful. working like a champ. i only empty once, maaaaybe twice a day. for me, that was unheard of. but hell...i'll take it! heh."<br /><br />..Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00068323045390841989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217401382021623218.post-41682985524765811142012-04-13T08:02:00.000-07:002012-04-13T08:02:24.377-07:00a soul lost..this is a journal entry from 2010. one of the most heartwrenching things for me to watch was HOW MUCH cancer changed her. she turned in to a quivering mass of fears and worries. that was not her way prior to getting sick. people just had NO IDEA of the crazy that was going on in her head whenever she was left alone for too long. no doubt that cancer changes people. but some people just hide it better than others, I guess. she missed her old self as much as I did.--mom<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; a soul lost...<br />once upon a time, long, long ago, I was a different person. I used to write. I wrote of love &amp; sadness &amp; outrage. I day-dreamed, I fantasized, I embellished, I analyzed. I don't know where that person went. I think about her often. I miss the way she laughed when someone sneezed. I miss how pouty she got first thing in the morning. I miss her ability to ignore you one minute &amp; obsess over you the next. I miss watching her sit &amp; push paint around a canvas w/a brush for literally hours on end &amp; not ever realize the day's gone. I miss how giddy &amp; excited she's get after seeing a good movie &amp; how inspired the right song could make her. I wonder where she went &amp; why she left. it's like the going got tough, so she got going. and it's worse that losing a close friend. they always say you find out who your real friends are when you go through a major tragedy. but I never expected to lose a perfectly good soul, too.Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00068323045390841989noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217401382021623218.post-42133656171025492412012-04-11T12:34:00.001-07:002012-07-19T16:55:57.211-07:00fb message from a far away place&nbsp;bec and her writing touched a lot of people from many different places. this is just one of many messages i found from far away places.--mom<br /><br />from a far place<br />Dear Becca, I wonder if I'm ur first contact from Beirut Lebanon .<br /><br />Praying that you will be fine and hope u will visit our part of the world. Loved your blog and spent hours reading and appreciating<br /><br />December 28, 2009<br />Becca Babcock..<br />Sorry took so long to get back, I dont always get my facebook notifications. But yes, I think you must be the only person from Beirut who knows of me! :) However did you find me? <br /><br />Either way, I love that you found me, its so cool to know that not only am i NOT alone with my thoughts..but that its universal. World wide. <br /><br />the only experience i have with Lebanon is this awesome little restaurant near my house called "Taste of Lebanon" that has the best food ever! :<br />So tell me about yourself?<br /><br />Becca<br /><br />..<br /><br />December 29, 2009Rami <br />Dear Becca, I never thought you would reply. As to how I found you, its pure chance: I was bored one day and looking into some pictures of a friend, Dr.%$^&amp;*, &nbsp;who is planning to move from the U.S. back to Beirut and i think i clicked on one of the pics and then on your face because i thought it was an interesting one! &nbsp;I remember i was dead sleepy but had to click on your blog, curious me. I have to confess i could not sleep that night just thinking what a couragous lady you are.<br />I just want to tell you that since you like our food, you will love our Lebanon. its so different than anything you have seen. Food, culture, people and nature that will blow your mind. so, if you ever plan to be adventurous, our home is ur home smack in the middle of Beirut with a nice sea view. Im dead serious about this!<br />I look forward to be ur friend and just let me know if you do know @#$% or it was just a cosmic coincidence<br />Rami<br /><br /><br />May 14, 2010Rami <br />Beautiful Becca..read ur blog update and i just want to remind you that when you kick this thing out, you are invited, as long as you want to Lebanon. You will love it and will be staying at our place and i will make sure to show you all the cool places and wildest outings at night, the great food and wonderful people. I will take a vacation and discover it with you again. You can ask&nbsp;@#$% &nbsp;Lebanon is waiting for u and Im dead serious. Get well. Rami, <br /><br />.May 14, 2010Becca Babcock<br /><br />Thank you so much Rami! I'm so sorry, I'm terrible about replying to messages (hehe, I read them in my email when I get the email notification, and then always forget to click through to the actual facebook site!) <br />I really am so very very ready to just be WELL! Eventually. One Day. I know. <br />&nbsp;I will no doubt contact you if I can ever get my "Becca's World Tour" going! if i ever get out of the doctors office long enough! <br />my best, <br /><br />Becca<br /><br />..<br /><br />May 14, 2010Rami <br />Truly, honestly and from my heart i adore you and you are on my mind and we will have a lot of fun hopefully&nbsp; Thanks for your message, u made my day :)<br /><br />..April 19, 2011Rami<br />did not want to share on your wall.. but that wacky guy in Lebanon (me), ist hinking of you and dreaming of the day when your doc will give you a spanking and tell you that all is ok and not to visit again. My invitation to our sunny Lebanon is still open. you will love it<br /><br />..<br /><br />April 23, 2011Becca Babcock<br /><br />:) Thank you so much Rami. heh, you and me both dream of that day. And well, who knows? Do you believe in miracles? Wish i did. <br />Y'know, bout a month or so ago my passport expired. Gotta renew that before i can do anything. But, yes, I still kept your open invitation in mind :)<br />thanks again, <br /><br />Becca<br /><br />(oh, and yes, thanks for not posting empty statements on my wall. tho, to be fair, I rarely am even on facebook...not nearly as much as i used to be. i find i get really annoyed at hearing of everyones' happy lives. even their unhappiness looks WAY more appealing than MY unhappiness. pfff, go figure.)<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />..<br /><br /><br /><br />.Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00068323045390841989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217401382021623218.post-25804319432435238792012-04-11T12:27:00.001-07:002012-04-11T12:28:22.003-07:00fear and loathingsept 2011. this short little post was before the hemorrhaging and before the label of "inoperable" was stamped on bec's forehead.<br /><br />"meh. <br /><br /><br />man. i wanna say i'm up for fighting, and all that. But gggoooooodddamn. they REALLY know how to make a girl not feel like she's got any hope. <br /><br />i met with gyne onc on friday, and he told me about all the various 'tests' i'll have to pass in order to even be a candidate for the surgery and that most people don't ever pass them. <br /><br />and then if they do...well, than i'm still faced with the "how are you guys gonna make me able to pee" decision. <br /><br />four surgeons, one gyne, 2 colorectal, and one urological surgeon. <br /><br />fucking yay. <br /><br />i'm just at a mental breaking point. i mean...in one respect, i'm like "BRING IT THE FUCK ON!" i am sick and fucking tired of cancer. period. and if THIS is the only option they give me, than bring it. and cancer is going the fuck down. <br /><br />but for the most part, i'm just extremely scared. i hate the unknown. <br /><br />and for the past 5 years i've been one giant unknown. <br /><br />:/<br />B"Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00068323045390841989noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217401382021623218.post-18383282008991598462012-04-11T10:00:00.001-07:002012-07-21T17:49:49.201-07:00more about rodney.this is another response to a woman who bec never actually met in person. she was rodney's best friend. this was written as he was nearing his end. rodney's death hit her harder than anybody's. she never got over his loss.--mom.<br /><br /><br />heyo, <br /><br /><br />sorry, i read your response in my email (not actually logging into fb) and i was sorta responding to you in my head...not in text...haha, aahhh...i'll blame chemo brain. <br /><br />Anywho, i understand your attachment to rodney. its not often you get those relationships where its not a lusty-love thing, its not a pity-love thing, its not a guilty-love thing, its just a genuine attachment to another human being. You guys "get" each other, even when it doesn't seem like it. I'm so happy he has a friend like you. i've been able to witness his quirkiness firsthand, and i simply adore it. so i know where you're coming from. its hard for me to "sell" him to someone (like, when he was coming to visit and friends asked me "so who's this guy thats' coming?" and i'd have to go..."well, he's a guy...he's cool...trust me on that one, even if it may not seem like it at first" hahaha) <br /><br />You remind me alot of a friend of mine (rodney's met her) named Jessica Lester (i just call her mo'lester for short. and to piss her off). I haven't known her nearly as long as some of my closer friends, but in a short matter of time we became super close. she's kinda quirky. in a super bubbly cheery kinda way, in which i am not. and she's a bit eccentric, popular, but not always in the in-crowd. i'm quite fond of her. and she's become fiercely loyal, supremely concerned, and intimately involved with my health and general well-being. <br /><br />she moved to quatamala over the late summer/fall, for an internship, and she'd mssg me or text me damn near every day asking how i was, how were my blood counts that day, whats going on, and that she missed me(us) (my mom is her fav as well). <br /><br />i'm sad to say, my supposed best friend barely ever mssg's me to just see how i am! (i'm wonder to myself why i even call her that sometimes, i swear that chic is barely ever around. though i guess history does play some role) <br /><br />anywho, you and jessica...i think you guys serve similar roles to me and rodney. <br /><br />as for rodney, yea he told me he was taking the train back for a doc appt. but he said he was coming back to your place soon. that makes me happy. i hate to think of him just being alone with his tumors. I'm greatly distressed by these tumors he is saying he's feeling bust through. thats insanity. i dont even know what to think about it. i mean, it affects me on a few different levels. at a deep level, its scares the shit out of me. its so close to home. hell, he could be me. i could be him. i mean, i know there are slightly different factors to each of our cases, but when you boil it down, its like i'm looking my own fate in the mirror. And on another human level, i love that crotchety grump. i hate to think of what he's going through that he barely lets on to us. i understand why he doesn't. he doesn't want us stressing and worrying and obsessing when he knows we can't do much to help. i know he would rather not be a center of attention, so i know that he's sometimes more comfortable trying to be matter-of-fact about things. but it just kills me that he's gotten to this point of seemingly accepting things and not having hope. i mean, hell, i barely have threads of hope anymore, but for some reason, in someone ELSE, i want them to have all the hope in the world. even when i know exactly how he feels. Rod n I share very similar feelings on being oddballs nowdays. about not relating to the rest of the people in our lives b/c we simply live a different reality than most of you do. even those of you who are very very very close to us. but other than sharing those views...i'm about as helpless as you when it comes to wanting to be able to DO something.Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00068323045390841989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217401382021623218.post-72106941685855487852012-04-11T08:20:00.000-07:002012-04-11T08:20:53.149-07:00To be surprised is a gift.i am not really sure if this was completed or not. and I don't really know who's phone number is at the bottom.---mom<br /><br /><br />You know what one of the most awful parts of cancer is? Knowledge.<br />Of course, that is an odd statement, because at first I would be inclined to say that is one of the gifts of cancer.<br />When trying to appease myself somehow with the thought of cancer and all that it entails, I would find a very small amount of comfort in certain knowledge that comes with diagnosis.<br />That knowledge includes things such as:<br />I KNOW the true meaning of the phrase "Life is Short"<br />I KNOW the importance of good friends and family.<br />I KNOW 847-570-2639Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00068323045390841989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217401382021623218.post-21405485181871711572012-04-09T06:41:00.000-07:002012-04-09T06:41:39.584-07:00a little chemo poemA is for avastin. I like it very much...mostly cuz it doesn't do very much (bad)<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I never see it coming and I don't see it going<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; so pump me full of avastin, ever just a touch<br />B is for benadryl, it makes me a 'tard<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; I can't move, I can't talk, I take it rather hard.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; If you wanna&nbsp; see me being&nbsp;fairly loopy,<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; let me chug some benadryl and babble til I'm droopy<br />C is for comptaser which stands for diarrhea<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; how that works with no colon, I have no idea,<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; it sounds like fun, sounds like a blast.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; but at least I won't have explosions out my ass!<br />E is for erbitux. this I fear is horrid.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; it's been called many names, so I'm not looking forward.<br />check back soon if I don't crash, and ask my opinion of the erbi-rash!Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00068323045390841989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217401382021623218.post-29961509966741546192012-04-07T07:39:00.000-07:002012-04-07T07:39:25.209-07:00the audience (from rebecca's journal)it's become clear that I'm not good at being very consistent. Um, at anything. needless to say, I go back and forth between writing in here (inconsistently)&amp; writing on my online blog(inconsistently). the two have vastly different audiences. yes, I think about the "audience" to what I'm writing. the online blogs, obviously, able to be read by anyone who has access to a computer&amp; the inclination to look me up. its read by people I've never met before. some of them leave their mark. or make their presence known &amp; some just lurk in the murky darkness of the world wide web. now, my lil journal here...well, I just assume it has an audience. they just haven't found it or started reading yet. not that I plan on bringing this book in somewhere, publishing it. I just assume when I die this will be found( i don't try to really hide it, but, you get what I mean). someone will find it &amp; inevitably read it. at least, some of it. I also would have to assume that would mean it would be someone I know. probably very meet someone tomorrow&amp;they could ,over a relatively short time, become&nbsp; very close with me &amp; right now I have no idea who they are(oh, &amp; in case you're curious at this point, I've just decided to become asexual. I feel its the most reasonable &amp; emotionally cost-effective for my mental state. maybe elaborate more on that later.) so needless to say, sometimes I think about who will be reading this without my knowledge or consent. maybe I'll do something dramatic, like burn this in effigy. though, chances are better that I won't.<br />once, a long time ago, (i was maybe 12-ish) &amp;read diary of ann frank. the biggest thing I remember about it was how awful it was that millions upon millions of absolute strangers were reading this little girl's private thoughts. I felt both sad for her &amp; guilty of doing the very same thing. that thought comes back to me very often.<br />well before I was diagnosed &amp; therefore while I was still "normal", I'd wonder if its strange or unnatural to think that people will find &amp; maybe read this &amp; that I should hurry it up! why hurry it up? cuz cancer is fickle. one never can be certain. I think often how I don't think I'll be alive very long. not like I think I may keel over, say, tomorrow. but unless a miracle happens very very soon, I feel inevitably, I'll be defeated :(&nbsp; (incidentally, it's now tomorrow &amp; I didn't keel over...). I sometimes wonder why i can't just get it easy &amp; fall asleep one night &amp;just not wake up? I wonder if people that has happened to, if they could ever appreciate how lucky they are to have that happen. they not only have no idea that's coming, they don't have to spend time agonizing over unfinished business, wrapping up loose ends, righting their wrongs, etc. however unlike, say, a car accident victim, or maybe someone caught by cross-fire that kills them, they (people that die in their sleep) don't have to worry about the pain and suffering associated w/a sudden violent death. man...I really envy those people.<br />anywho, I'm kinda just weary on life today. I can't wrap my mind around my life at this time. I don't seem able to find motivation in order to "care" about things. &amp; in general...I'm just tired of people. normal people. they bother me without even trying or attempting to. oh, that, and it's back to cold.&nbsp; BAH.Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00068323045390841989noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217401382021623218.post-70099787394660714162012-04-06T08:43:00.001-07:002012-07-28T20:19:20.914-07:00on turning 30 and having hopeI lost this journal after the last entry, right before this &amp; just found it wedged between my bed and my wall (duh, what an obvious place) almost a year later and...I'M STILL HERE! surprise! just celebrated my 30th bday last weekend. HOLYSHIT...THIRTY!! fuckin' hell. didn't think I'd see the day. literally&nbsp;I had phases in the past year where I sincerely thought I wouldn't make 30. but true to stubborn becca-form, I made it here. <br />I don't know if I'm any better for it though.<br />I reconnected w/ a friend from college, miguel and after many long coffee-shop talks, he's inspired to do a quasi-documentary based off my blog. he's a crazy awesome film-maker. (award-winning, I suppose that's impressive) but more so than awards, he has got to be one of THE most charismatic men I've ever met. the man has an energy about him that is addictive and tangible and crazy-infectious! he somehow has me feeling that he "gets it". NOT that he knows how it feels to BE me but he damn sure has qualified into the area of empathy, that i'm comfortable he gets what I've been griping about. what's in my head may actually make it out to a large audience afterall. and if nothing else, being on film will somehow or another give me immortality. I guess I have subconciously been desiring a way to leave a mark somehow. why else would I have posed half naked in a calendar? how else&nbsp;would I explain blogging? we've been shooting since end of october/beginning of november. I've got an adorable bunch of young talented film-student crew. they're all amazing and it's been a fun new ride having them all a part of my life. I'm hoping in a couple of weeks to see a rough cut. it's awkward seeing yourself in film context. I think I play off very well. so far, I've loved what I've seen. wow, this entry almost sounds POSITIVE! go figure.Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00068323045390841989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217401382021623218.post-10440049229947677222012-04-05T15:21:00.000-07:002012-04-05T15:21:21.843-07:00words from rebeccarebecca died on march 24th. she fought to the bitter end. it is hard to put a judgement on that statement. would she have lived longer if she had stopped treatment? I think that may be true. but it was not my choice. so as I am cataloging and parcelling out what remains of all the stuff left behind, I am coming across things. writings and pictures and old home movies and facebook. i know she wasn't "done" yet. I am NOT surprised at what an influence she was on people she didn't even know. she took&nbsp;the role of cancerlebrity&nbsp;seriously, even though she found it burdensome at times. she was alone, unmotivated and tired in the last 1 1/2yrs. cancer became a full-time job and energy was finite.<br />I thought about hacking into this account and posting some of the writings I've found. it seems fitting somehow. her facebook page has been made public and there is a wide-spread outreaching from all over the world. so, if people are still&nbsp;following this, leave a comment of whether or not those words deserve to be heard, or were even meant to be heard. it is pretty raw stuff so far. may b hard to take. maybe not but either way&nbsp;she will be missed.Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00068323045390841989noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217401382021623218.post-56113129034915364842010-07-05T13:06:00.000-07:002010-07-05T13:06:42.145-07:00Dichotomy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4-ex1cZWzVk/TDI5Yr4IjII/AAAAAAAAAXk/wgMaraaMc-k/s1600/IMAG0198.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4-ex1cZWzVk/TDI5Yr4IjII/AAAAAAAAAXk/wgMaraaMc-k/s320/IMAG0198.jpg" /></a></div>I was reading a book awhile back (granted MANY people have read this book as of late, as I do believe it's being made into a movie currently. still...this was bout 3 years ago). A part of the book the characters were discussing that everything: every being, every entity, every object, every city, every genre, culture, and individual has <b>A Word</b>. One word that in an overall average or medium...most accurately embodies that thing.<br /><br />I'd say, for instance, Chicago, as a city...it's word could be "<b>VARIETY</b>" OR "<b>PLENTITUDE</b>". If you want something, chances are good you'll have ALOT of options for that thing in Chicago. I think it must almost be a subliminal bit of pride in some of us born Chicagoans knowing that we have so many choices.<br /><br />But my word?? I'm sure at any given point in my life, my "word" could and has changed. We're transient beings, after all, right? And who more to be transient than my airy gemini as I am? (not that I could claim to really know so much about astrology. But i digress...)<br /><br />So. My word? I think, at this very moment in my life, I am going with "<b>DICHOTOMY</b>"<br /><blockquote>A <b><i>Dichotomy</i></b> is any splitting of a whole into exactly two non-overlapping parts.</blockquote>I have such a capacity for love, peace and serenity in me. A massive capacity for it, actually. It's difficult to reach that place, but it exists within me.<br /><br />And at the very same rate, I have an immense capacity for spite, rage and seething anger. It's easier to reach, of course, as it always goes.<br /><br />The path towards both of these places, within me, are vastly different. Obviously. But each require much the same amount of effort, regardless of how different the path is.<br />I can't say it's more fun to pursue peace, love and all that fuzzy warmness, anymore than it is to drift chaotically into hate, rage and blazing iciness.<br /><br />Each path leads me to places that have different names. Different physical locations within myself, and different atmospheres surrounding them. Except with the common theme of ultimately just being a place in which I am alone. Utterly alone with myself.<br /><br /><br />Ssssoooo...your word is?Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00068323045390841989noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217401382021623218.post-33345228228731316962010-05-13T23:33:00.000-07:002010-05-13T23:33:11.652-07:00PrioritiesI need to get my priorities straight. <br />Here I am. midnight. <br />chemo begins in T minus nine hours. and counting. <br />and here I am. whining. <br />complaining.<br />cracking snarky jokes about fallin' off the wagon, <br />but they're trying to save my life. <br />Have I gotten SO adapted to having cancer that it's become an annoyance??<br />I've gotten so good at being a patient that I have forgotten I am actually under attack?<br />All day long, every minute of every day my cells are at war. They are fighting for their (or rather, MY) life, and here I am complaining. <br />How can I remind myself that I have a terminal disease which can (and chances are <i>will</i>) kill me, when I'm feeling so good?<br />Its been a nice couple months. I've been off chemo since february. And although I've been plenty busy with many many trips to hospitals, it was such a change of pace...the whole cyberknife thing...that I guess I just got too comfortable. <br />I got to accustomed to having my skin back to what I remember. To having my hair actually have a shine to it again, instead of the dull look from all the various chemicals coursing through me. I got way to comfortable not having any taste issues, and being able to eat and drink ANYthing at ANYtime I wanted. I was too spoiled to actually have fridays OFF. <br />Trivialities really. <br />Really. <br />Because in the grand scheme of things, why should I be so concerned with these trivial things when my actual existance is at stake? <br />I could die. very easily. very quickly. and with no notice. specifically FROM this cancer. any given moment or instance, this tumor growing inside me (or ones they don't see currently) can wrap around some key artery, or impede an organ's function, or anything. and next thing you know, no more Becca. I'm not exaggerating over overreacting. <br />But because I <i>feeeeeeel</i> good and healthy at this very moment in time, I seem to feel it appropriate to bitch and moan about the inconvenience of chemo. <br />Really. <br />Its an inconvenience. It gets in the way. It cramps my style. I have too much living to do to be bothered with sitting in an infusion room. <br />GAH I just want to SCREAAAAAM. Fuckin' chemo. I thought I was done with you! How did I ever manage to convince myself of that? <br />And so Here I am. <br />Here I sit. <br />at my desk. at midnight. trying to get my head right. And trying to organize my priorities. <br />It seems somethings never change.Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00068323045390841989noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217401382021623218.post-2758676740549330062010-05-01T11:30:00.000-07:002010-05-02T22:39:29.153-07:00Nothing Like Barium in the morning!<object width="445" height="364"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ppavNcYbdeM&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ppavNcYbdeM&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="405" height="405"></embed></object><br /><br />(on a sidenote, I am not sure why the frame of the videos i'm embedding from youtube are being cut off on here...you're not missing much with the other inch of screen in the frame really, but i suppose if you wanted you could click the video screen and it'll just take you the that video on youtube's site. If anyone wants to help me out on this one, i'm much obliged)Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00068323045390841989noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217401382021623218.post-80352789799067686222010-04-30T20:12:00.000-07:002010-04-30T20:12:33.103-07:00Thwarted.It's been a lazy day for me. Not really because I <i>wanted</i> it to be. I actually had quite a few things I intended to get done today. It's friday, my one actual day off (don't take that to mean that I'm some sort of workaholic or anything, its not that I work hard...I just seem to be at work at least every day of the week, for at least some hours. Helps when you love the place you work though). <br />I digress, SO, it's my day off, and it just so happened to be an absolute GORGEOUS day, reaching near 80 degrees. Knowing that the end of April in Chicago <i>could</i> mean things as crazy as blizzards, I wanted to take full advantage of a full day off in good weather. I wanted to clean out my car, finish the hat I'm crocheting for a friend, bake a loaf of bread (heh....yea, i know. random. don't judge me) wanted to pick up yarn for a new baby blanket I will start, book tickets to new york for the&nbsp;<a href="http://omg2010.org/">OMG Cancer Summit</a>&nbsp;at the end of May.<br />You get the idea, I had plans.<br />I had so many plans I almost forgot I had a doctor appointment today. You know why I almost forgot I had the appointment? Because I haven't had to see my Oncologist for (well, for me anyway) a stretch of time. What with being off of chemo, and my counts being good, I didn't have to see him while I was having my cyberknife stuff going on. Cyberknife is a completely different hospital, doctor, and staff, all in a completely different suburb than my Onc. Luckily, yesterday, the doc's office called to remind me.<br />No problem, I thought, I'll just scoot on over to see the Doc, and continue on about my day. I supposed I figure it was just a "Hey Doc, cyberknife is over now. For the moment I wait a month to get re-scanned and see how it worked. I'm feeling good, no real side effects to note" kinda visit.<br />My doc....has other plans.<br />I don't hold him at fault or anything, he is very dutifully doing exactly what I need him to do, which is worry about my numbers, my lack of treatment, and my potential cancer growing. He was nervous because my CEA counts were seen to be rising, and I hadn't been on treatment since maybe end of january or very beginning of Feb. I hadn't had a petscan since late december. The LOCAL reoccurance was hopefully being treated by the cyberknife, but he was concerned about two small spots on the ct scan seen on my liver. That could, of course, just be blips from the hiccup I had back in august with chemo-toxicity...oorrr....well, duh, we all know what the 'or' could be.<br />So he felt I should have my CEA drawn again, and have a scan tomorrow (saturday) and then come in to start chemo again a week from today.<br />YEEOOOWWZA's.<br />Should I be surprised? Nah. I mean, rightfully, noone ever told me I was never going to have chemo again. I was only really given a break to recoup from my skin reaction and to figure out exactly what to do next.<br />Should I be upset? Nah. It's happened time and time again that I come in to the office completely oblivious that I very well could be plopped in a chair right then and there, an IV plunged into my port and put on treatment right while sitting in the exam room. It's not like I'm new to this.<br />Should I be sad? Nah. The scan and blood test results aren't back yet, and I still am hoping for relatively good news from the cyberknife people. So theoretically, we're just trying to keep on top of things, rather than playing catch up later.<br /><br />But either way, despite any of my rational thoughts, I walked out of the doctors office with all the steam let out of me. I felt defeated and punched in the gut once more. How many times have I felt that very same feeling? That feeling of "What. The. Fuck." Of "Why am I keeping on with all this? Everything that they do to me? It hasn't ended since it all began four years ago. No rest for the weary. Why do I keep at it?"<br /><br />So instead of finished ANY of my aforementioned tasks...I attempted some retail therapy. (Being poor, retail therapy for me consists of Forever21 and/or a thrift store. cuz...well...I'm poor). That didn't really help as I mostly just wandered around the store and thought about how pointless it is to wear nice stylish, cute outfits...in the chemo room. But, a new pair of gladiator sandles, $2 pair of earrings, and 2 $3.50 tank tops later I walked back out to that previously mentioned GORGEOUS day to drive home. I felt maybe instead of retail therapy, <i>maybe</i> I could fool myself with a tasty indulgent icey coffee drink. Dunkin' Donuts called my name, but didn't fulfill any void.<br />After those attempts at distraction, I just came home. Avoiding all the various texts and calls. I came home, put my bread out to rise, and sat on my front porch to finish crocheting that hat. I still had that defeated feeling. That feeling of unmotivated listlessness. I tried to let myself cry. Maybe a pity party would help. I was angry and pissy and tired and worried and disappointed and...and...and...but tears didn't feel like coming. I think I was just too defeated to even make that effort.<br />Instead I just sat there. Watching the sky grow a bit gloomier, feeling the wind kick up, listening to my neighbors chatter away in spanish, smelling the sewage-y aroma of the canal a few blocks away waft over me.<br />It's going to rain. In fact, I believe its going to storm....badly. How appropriate for my mood, I thought....<br /><br />Well, the entire day has passed, its a little after 10pm. I guess there's not much for me to say. or do. So, logically, the next step for my day of thwarted tasks is off to a Gypsy Dance Party. Naturally.<br /><br />G'night.Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00068323045390841989noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3217401382021623218.post-15131008650880049812010-04-28T14:25:00.000-07:002010-05-02T22:39:00.659-07:00Aw Video-Schmideo<object width="660" height="405"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/iVEs0aMu-8I&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/iVEs0aMu-8I&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="405" height="405"></embed></object><br /><br />(oh, and in case anyone is interested, the music in background is some awesome ukulele playing by Jake Shimabukuru)Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00068323045390841989noreply@blogger.com5