Category Archives: Mr. Boy

“I hope everyone gets well”

Posted on August 22, 2015 | 1 comment

So said a chirpy fellow, ostensibly from Nacogdoches, on the shuttle bus Thursday from the Best Western to M.D. Anderson Cancer Center’s main building. Underscoring that cancer patients are all over the place.

We’re back home again and not looking to return until the 31st. All that’s waiting now, apparently, is the busy MDA pathologists’ analysis of Mrs. C.’s tests, including a tissue biopsy of one of her cancer-loaded lymph nodes. Oh, and her doctor’s vacation. As she says, never get cancer in August because everyone is gone.

She’s still running a fever, knocked back by continuous doses of Tylenol and in constant pain which pain pills every six hours still are helping. But her right leg is swollen up to twice the left one’s size, so much she doesn’t like to be seen and walking is difficult. Treatment can’t start too soon for us.

Mr. B., meanwhile, had convinced himself, through faulty math, that treatment would be for nought. Our Israeli pal Mr. Goon, who has a degree in physics, explained where he went wrong. For once he was happy to be mistaken.

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Posted in Blogosphere, Cancer, Mr. Boy, Mrs. Charm, Science/Engineering, Texana

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Off to Houston

Posted on August 4, 2015 | 11 comments

Mrs. Charm’s lymphoma cancer, which had been in remission since February, is back with a vengeance and her local docs are punting her to M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

We’ll be leaving soon and living in a hotel there for the foreseeable future. So posting will be light, if at all. Hang in there, rare readers. Back when we can be.

UPDATE:  We haven’t left yet. Earliest Mrs. C. is scheduled for now is the 13th for an evaluation. Her local doc was fairly frantic to get her in before that but, so far, no joy.

I can’t help wondering why she didn’t give us a local referral. M.D. Anderson ain’t magic, whatever the Saudi princes and South American dictators who go there think. Austin ain’t Podunk in cancer treatment. But I’m a follower this time.

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Posted in Cancer, Mr. Boy, Mrs. Charm

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Three views on our new Cuba relations

Posted on August 4, 2015 | Comments Off on Three views on our new Cuba relations

From The Z Man:

“In reality, Obama is just doing the bidding of American business. The tourism rackets, gambling rackets and, of course, the bankers see big profits in Cuba. This news story from the spring [0f 2014] lays out the case for normalizing relations so big business can cash in on Cuba. It is easy to forget that Cuba was a food exporter before Castro. They can also be a source of cheap labor for American business. Our rulers will also enjoy vacationing there as well.”

On the other hand, via Miriam’s Ideas:

“Step outside of the official tourist route and one soon sees the real Cuba. It is here, amidst the prostitutes and the elderly people rummaging through [trash] bins in central Havana, that one starts to understand why many Cubans might like a few branches of McDonalds in their country. Cheap plastic food is, after all, a good deal better than no food at all.”

And from native Cuban blogger Yoani Sanchez:

“…Raul Castro has not reduced the repression against dissidents, which in February reached the figure of 492 arbitrary arrests. The Castro regime extends a hand to the White House, while keeping its boot pressed on the non-conformists in its own backyard. However, the disproportion of the negotiating forces between the two governments has been noted, even in popular jokes. ‘Did you know that the United States and Cuba broke off relations again?’ one of the incautious mocked in December. Before an incredulous, ‘Noooo?!’ the jokester responds with a straight face: ‘Yes, Obama was upset because Raul called him collect.’ There is all the material poverty of our nation contained in that phrase.”

Mr. B.’s generation, as yet unnamed by the trendy, will know how it all works out.

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Posted in Blogosphere, History, Mr. Boy, Obamalot, South of the Border

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Lifeguarding

Posted on July 26, 2015 | 2 comments

Mr. Boy worked ten hours yesterday in his first paid life-guarding gig for the city and went back for another five hours this afternoon. Lot of hours for a 15-year-old.

He had one semi-funny story. A young mother told him her infant had inadvertently thrown up “a little bit” in the kiddy end. He told her he was “not authorized” to deal with it. Heh.

Could have been worse, he said, an AFR. What’s that? Accidental Fecal Release, in bureaucratic-speak. He’s scheduled to work everyday this week from noon to four.

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Posted in Mr. Boy, Rancho Roly Poly

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Golf in decline

Posted on July 20, 2015 | 4 comments

Mr. Boy, whose interests appear and disappear with startling regularity, had best hasten to “the good walk spoiled.” It seems the activity that consumed his grandfathers and which he also briefly took to a year or so ago is in danger of disappearing before his adolescent interest revives:

“…about every number coming out recently regarding the state of the sport is a negative, with millennials — as in, young people, as in, the future of the game — in particular abandoning, or having no interest at all in [it].”

Too busy settling in to their parents’ basements, presumably, those parents who still have basements, thanks to our mendacious president’s economic sideswiping of the middle class he and his fellow Democrats proclaim to adore.

At least one person won’t be sorry to hear this news. Akaky of the Passing Parade has had enough of golf already.

Via The Passing Parade.

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Posted in Blogosphere, Mr. Boy, Obsessions, The Culture

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Waiting for the call

Posted on July 10, 2015 | 2 comments

The city was supposed to have summoned Mr. B. and his new lifeguard license to a summer gig at a public pool this week but, as of Thursday, we’d heard nothing from them. If we don’t hear by this afternoon we’re supposed to call them and find out what’s what.

Although I would argue for calling this morning. The bureaucracy around here (city, county and state) usually bails out early on Friday afternoon. You used to be able to tell it by the sudden increase in traffic. Now, of course, the traffic is bad all the time.

UPDATE:  No call received and none made. On to next week.

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Posted in Mr. Boy, Rancho Roly Poly, Texana

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Mr. Boy is now a lifeguard

Posted on July 3, 2015 | 2 comments

Yep, after five days of instruction, test-taking, rescue-practicing and how-to-avoid lawsuits, he got his city license and badge of office: a blue, plastic whistle. It makes my ears vibrate when he blows it.

Now he awaits appointment (probably in a week) to a public pool where 15-year-olds can work. Next summer he’ll be old enough to apply to private pools.

More cajones than me. At his age I did not have the self-confidence or the strength to even think about being a lifeguard. Best I could do was delivering newspapers and taking out trash cans for aging widows.

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Posted in Mr. Boy, Rancho Roly Poly, Texana

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