Well…it’s 4:21 here in Ann Arbor and I think I slept about 2 hours tonight and that make for under 10 since Saturday night….but I don’t feel bad so I guess I’ll have to make up for it when I’m lying in the hospital bed today….went to bed at 10, didn’t get to sleep til 11, up at 1:35 and then up for good at 2:36…and I just realized looking in the mirror getting ready that I went too far losing weight…just look too gaunt and not eating for the last 36 hours hasn’t helped…sure hope I’m able to get a lunch today since my stomach is a bit roiled with only having water for all that time…so, I’m going to end here and slowly get ready for leaving in 45 minutes…more Wednesday….

Well…sitting on the bed in a hotel in Ann Arbor waiting for the surgery tomorrow and need to start the prep here soon and that is not fun…but the time is getting close and only one more night with cancer…haven’t had anything to eat since 6:30 last night and have another 17 hours to go before the surgery is over…really do hope to be able to eat something in the hospital or it will be three days without food and, while I like the weight loss, it’s not good for someone recovering from surgery….it is going to be nice to have the surgery in the rearview mirror even with all the damage it’s going to do……I know what I need to do to recover and have started that a month ago so that should help…going to have to stay flexible and take the setbacks as they come as I know they will….but, I’ve got a good attitude and my daughter helping me so I’m hopeful….

Well…going to have a lot of time to kill this afternoon after we get to the hotel in Ann Arbor so I’m going to take the laptop with me so I can update here and on Mastodon…and try to find a political topic to do for later as I prep for the surgery….we’ll be taking off in a couple of hours and I am looking forward to getting to the final two days of this process…I know the rehab is going to take awhile but I have been working on the pelvic floor exercises for weeks now…so much that it’s actually sore from doing it so it will be interesting to see when the catheter comes out…a new phase of my life starts in less than a day now and a new challenge that I think I’m ready for…we’ll see…

Well…running a little early today and just wanted to let you know there probably won’t be one of these tomorrow since I’ll be in surgery at 6am and won’t have the laptop with me anyway…so the next one will be wed after I get back here but it will probably be short since surgery recovery is hard when you get old and I’m not sure how I’m going to be feeling…so on to the normal stuff…had an okay day yesterday doing the last of the prep work for surgery and getting all the paperwork in…can’t eat anything between now and the surgery but liquids so I’ll be doing water with some of the runner’s electrolytes in it that my daughter got me…had a soup with chickpeas and ginger yesterday and that was the first time I’d ever had them…I think they are going to be a new ingredient when I make soup later this fall…not going to ride the bike other than to take my absentee ballot for the August primary over to the drop box since I won’t be able to do that after the surgery and it needs to go in….not really feeling apprehensive about the surgery but happy it’s finally going to be over and I can start healing….didn’t sleep much last night and probably won’t tonight with the final prep for the surgery happening tonight and then at around 4 am tomorrow morning….then I’ll sleep for the 3 1/2 hours during surgery and probably a lot overnight tomorrow night…so the next meal won’t be til Tues aft and that makes it a day and a half since my last meal was about 6:30 last night….can’t wait til all of this is over….back Wed…

Well…running a little late today with not getting out of bed til after 6:30 and I’m pretty worn out after all the work yesterday….but I’m going to get on the bike here in 15 minutes or so after I check the radar…no rain so I’ll get out in a bit…it was a good day yesterday and got a lot done but I’m hoping that calms down today and I can get back to the normal routine of two rides and watching the F1 race…but that goes off at 9 so I won’t get two rides in before that….I really can’t wait to get the surgery done and get to the healing part and get on with my life….my damn teeth started to hurt again last night and they are really pressure sensitive again that I can’t figure out….I did the the lawn done yesterday and my back hurts like crazy after running the string trimmer and mowing….but I can’t take anything for it sine I’m not supposed to take any ibuprofen for a week before my surgery and I’ve already broken that rule….need to do the early check in for the surgery today and make sure I have everything else ready so we can take off around 1 tomorrow ….now I need to get on the bike so I can see the F1 race at 9….more later….

Well…had a pretty good day with my daughter getting here this afternoon…loaded up with stuff for the house that we have most of put away…and for the first time in almost twenty years, someone cooked for me…she made a ground turkey and pasta dish in the instant pot that was very good and she is going to cook again tomorrow and the rest of the time she is going to be here….have new dishes and glasses and plates and pots and knives and lots of new towels and clothes….and spices and food…so it’s the first day of no cocktails and I guess that’s working out….going to take her around and show her the beach and trails tomorrow…and she is going to make me a curry soup that she likes….going well so far….good to have her here…

Well…damn, three days until my surgery and my life changes completely today with my daughter getting here this afternoon…when you live alone, you never have to close a door or think about what you’re wearing or doing and now I have to think about all of that…and entertain someone….somehow, I hurt my right leg sleeping last night and I’m not sure if it’s my hip or thigh…I guess I’ll find out when I get on the bike…still have to put a bunch of stuff away and clean the living room this morning and I think I’ll still be embarrassed about my house and how I live…supposed to be more normal at 70…cripes, I’m depressed today knowing what’s to come….got a bunch of stuff done yesterday and will need to get after it as soon as I get the rides in….the little widget at the bottom of my screen says “rain coming” and it may sprinkle a bit but I’m still going out…need to get going by 7:30 so that means I have a half hour to drink coffee and reflect on what’s to come….it will be weird to not drink for almost 3 weeks but it will give me something to look forward to….not much to do today…well…that’s not true…will have to help unload the car and put stuff away…and I need to box up my old pots and pans…man, this is a lot of work…more later….

Well…dang, I have been so busy today that it’s after 5 and I’m just getting here to do this one…started out with the bike rides then I cleaned the bathroom from top to bottom…then out to GH to have lunch with T and she told me that her husband is “intimidated” by me so she’s lying to him when she meets up with me…that’s not her and I hate what a jealous husband is doing to her…oh, well…not my business…then I got back here  around 4 and cleaned the microwave and stove top and the last thing I have to do is clean the living room tomorrow…tonight is my last day of cocktails since my daughter doesn’t drink and I’m not going to pour cocktails in front of her…so, one more relaxing night and then on to the surgery…still have to mow the lawn short Sunday and get rides in tomorrow and Sunday…I haven’t even had time to read the news yet today so I’ll get at that right now…

Well…damn, up at 6:08 this morning and I have been grinding my teeth all night so they hurt this morning…first cup of coffee is pouring down as I get ready to get out on the bike for the first time…it was really noisy up here last night with all of the motorcycle crap going on…and the assholes to the north took advantage of the bands playing downtown to play their thumpy assed bullshit almost all night….but I didn’t make a call and I guess that’s a win…going to try to get on the bike by 7:30 this morning since I have so much cleaning to still do before my daughter gets here tomorrow….man, this is going to be hard…counting down to the surgery and it’s funny that I saw an ad for cancer treatment at U of M calling it the “best hospital in the US” and I sure hope it is….glad the woman’s world cup is on and gives me some small distraction after the surgery….I am not good depending on anyone for anything and being helpless is going to test me like nothing before….but, I’ve done everything I could to get the best outcome for me and I don’t dare hope it’s going to be easy….it’s kind of like the rest of my life lived with depression…I endured a lot of it but didn’t live it….maybe that will serve me well here, too…I know how to endure….more later….

Well…yeah, I know…have been quite lazy about coming here and writing lately and I’m not sure why other than I do a lot of it over on Mastodon but no politics at all so I should really be trying harder here…but I think the cancer and impending doom of surgery along with cleaning and cleaning is wearing me out…and today was the last beach day for me for the year and that was a little bittersweet but fun with some great waves…didn’t stay out there long…just long enough to spend about 45 minutes in the water and then came back here…the periodontist appointment went well and I’m healing like I’m supposed to and they don’t need to see me again until October for the last time…and I did buy food I didn’t need but there is room in the freezer with taking soup out that I’ll have for the next two days…so, I’m going to go look for a topic…idiot boy has not been indicted so far today and that would be an easy one to do…so we’ll see what I can come up with…