fifth anniversary cancer free

Another Friday has come and this is a big one, the fifth anniversary of being clean from cancer. To celebrate it, I had a good dinner with Rob and Becky last night at Greens and I will also see them—and meet Becky’s daughters—on Sunday at 3. My graduate class went very well with a very good story and a fine poem, such a difference from the week before. The students were much more relaxed and so was I. I have made it clear what I want in the stories so I hope the good work continues. I talked with Herb this morning and he was very defensive about my fairly simply requests: no more handyman work, a visit from him and Susan, and a different view of my accomplishments at Parnassus (no more a “box carrying yokel from Staten Island” to “the first intern to write two pieces for the magazine. I did back off on my request for them to visit since it would require Herb to fly in a small plane into Roanoke even though he flew in a small plane to Albuquerque. He was rambling in his defensiveness but I think he understood the gist of my complaint. The paper I am going to deliver in Durham was pretty sloppy but I have almost finished revising it and it reads much better. I also sent in a proposal to give a paper in Savannah in April at CEA. Gloria may fly there to meet me. I played golf on Wednesday with the cold wind howling (43 degrees) and no one else on the course. But with my wonderful jacket I was able to shoot a 46, a pretty impressive score considering the conditions. Today I played again and it was almost as windy but warmer and I shot a 49. I played my sand wedge like a croquet mallet. I go my equity line for 180K and that should be enough to cover me until I retire. I sent Gabe a check so he should be able to expand his business, and I sent money to Americares and to Heifer.