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Concerned Citizen and a Serial Entrepreneur wrapped in a progressive democratic soul longing for us all to get along.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Today is Thursday, the 21st

I'm thinking about October and the significance it's had in our lives... Halloween 1970 was the scene of a crazy costume party at Tina & Greg's in Mt. View.  My first Halloween in California and it came with a scavenger hunt.  Each team was tasked with a list of insane items which enticed us to go all over Mt. View to check off the most items on the list and win the prize.  I was just getting my sea legs and dressed as a gypsy.  I felt free.  I met several of what would become my new enhanced family that night...  I recall walking up to a shy young man and saying "Hi, I'm Anne Marie."  Gary Reed and I have been dear friends ever since.  Fast forward to 1993.  It's a full moon and Michael is hosting a party at his home in San Jose.  I had gone costume shopping with Deb & Di and found a wig...inspiration!  I went home to Los Gatos, got out my leather shorts, gold lame top, belt, black seamed stockings, CFM stilettos, a little bit of light brown foundation, big lips, even larger eyes and my microphone and ta da... Tina Turner appeared singing "What's Love Got to Do With it?"  Jayne, Andre', Carla, little Lea, Michael, Gary Whitney, Deb, Di, Diana and my beloved Cenz in gorgeous drag...we're all in costume, ready to rock out!  
Lea, me, Di, Jayne
Cenz in drag
Diana mentions that her brother, Sam & Mike Detrich, are hosting a party at their home with 2 bands.... we all pile into cars and traipse up Soda Springs Rd.  to the top of the mountain above Lexington Reservoir... what a picture...full moon...beautiful clear evening... so many cars we have to park and continue on foot; not easy in stilettos...but Cenz shows me his sexy stroll and we laugh all the way to the top.  We make THE entrance... Cenz is in front of me and I can see the men's reaction... from the back .... he's this curvy brunette in a full length blue silk gown and heels strutting his stuff...from the front his huge blue eyes, handle bar mustache and hairy chest complete the picture ... The first band is playing their last song... 'Rockin in a Free World' and the party is on!!!  They've put a floor over the pool for dancing and we're loving it!!!  Suddenly, the song is over and Popeye puts down his bass and comes off the stage... He's very tall with a goatee & mustache, corn cob pipe, sailor shirt, bell bottoms & yachting cap with these massive arms and a smooth deep voice and a gentle, fun loving spirit.... Tracy & I dance a few... he asks me out for lunch...  I say yes but leave without giving him my number....   For 2.5 weeks Popeye calls Gary Whitney for my number.... Finally, Gary asks me if I want to give my number to him and Tracy calls..." Hi I'm Popeye"... we enjoy talking and set a date for lunch on Sat. but having given up my addiction to cigarettes in Dec. '90... one of the hardest things I've ever done... I'm reluctant to date a smoker and Tracy smoked.  So, after trying to break the date;  Tracy said, "I've been looking for a good reason to quit"... and he did.  We met at the Crab Shack in Saratoga... he met me at the door with a single red rose... we married Nov. 24th, 1995... 

Fast forward to Oct. 1999... Tracy has  totally remodeled our loving home in Los Gatos.  I'm a head hunter again, executive recruiter and HR consultant to fast paced Silicon Valley start ups & such.  We're having the time of our lives... we've traveled that year for a romantic stay in Venice and Paris; to my nephew, Shawn's graduation from Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York; the after party at my bro's home in Cotuit on Cape Cod; a visit to Toni, Tracy's sis in Fredricksburg, Maryland; Gary & Deb's wedding in Conn.;  Tracy's niece, Maren's graduation from law school in San Antonio...and on any given weekend we'd take our dogs, Max and Spec, to Scott's Creek just north of Davenport... we loved the brackish water and the ocean.... I remember noticing that Tracy had an open cut on his leg.... which Tracy dismissed.   We had a glorious day in the sun snd surf and by Sunday, Spec was ill....Tracy wasn't feeling great but he ignored it.  Within 3 days,  Tracy spiked a fever of 102.9 and wasn't able to eat or keep anything down....for the first time in my life, I called our GP in the middle of the night.  Dr. Gregory told me to give him aspirin to get his fever down and then, meet him at the emergency room at Los Gatos Community Hospital.  That odyssey ended 25 days later when Tracy was finally released from Good Samaritan Hospital with a diagnosis of lymphoma and an unknown virus that had been named for Tracy...  that's a long twisted tale.. too long for me to relate now...

Fast forward to today and how this October has unfolded. Tracy had a good day yesterday.  He was infused many times but we took walks and were entertained in the atrium for an hour by the Frisky Frolics, Tin Pan Alley-era classics with a ukelele-driven singer, slide guitar, hollow body rhythm guitar and stand up base ... Tracy loved it!!!!  Food for the soul.  Tracy was very tired so, when my broker called with a listing opportunity in Sunnyvale, I left.  Tracy was being cared for by Royce, a new dad, and I knew he was in good hands.  Yesterday was the sixth day.  The sixth and the twenty-second days are the days of the most toxic hell shots.  T was scheduled to receive 3 shots in the stomach at 5:00PM.  Thank God for the  Giants and the distraction...  We spoke twice last night... he's holding steady... I just spoke with him.  He said "If this is the nadir, I can do this!!!"  Thank God!!! 


8 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness my dearest AM you have a way with words and what imagery it sets off in one's mind. To you and T, and of course the Riley dog, my loving arms are around you at all times sending you beaucoup X's and O's. Love ya, Haaaaayne

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  2. Not to be picky but if you're married to a Bass Player then the guy yesterday couldn't have been playing the base, unless of course he removed some base moulding from just above the floor, and got some sound out of it. Yuk Yuk!

    Good story, well written and I remember Diane and I going to the Crab Shack early to do some R&R on Tracy ( unknown to him ) We watched him ( and his rose ) change seats, positions etc., several times, obviously with great anticipation of the meet and wanting to have the best vantage point. Seemed a little fidgety at the time but cute in retrospect.

    Also who could not remember at the Halloween Party and the wild incessant dancing, by who Deb nick-named Taz for Tazmanian Devil, complete with flailing arms, head and legs spasmodically thrashing in several directions simutaneousally ? it didn't seem to matter whether the music was playing or not. He seemed to have a fully charged set of batteries in his limbs and he seemed determined to run them down at all cost but he must have been hard-wired because it didn't happen. By the way I still don't know his real name and I heard some people call him Taz to his face.

    Sounds like Tracy's will to handle the treatments is strong and I'll bet he has a little left over to will the Giants right into The World Series. Fight on!
    G..............

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  3. I know I should have said whom, not who in the previous rant. I'm just so underpaid by the blogmaster............Go Tracy!
    G.......

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  4. Nadir it is!!! Go Tracy! You will of course pull this thing off! No Doubt!!

    Annie Love your stroll down memory lane - well done. I still rememeber clear as a bell - Vinny and that blue dress- from behild well he looked so elegant till he turned around with his hairy chest everywhere.. it was CLASSIC!!

    Tracy... glad you never got mad at us for spying on you that first date.. (Gary, we bad) Hey... but what are friends for!

    Hope today is a comfortable one for you Tracy.
    Love and Hugs to you and Enjoy the Giants tonight!

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  5. Hey! I'm in that picture and I totally remember that night. Seriously, let me know when I can come visit.

    I forgot to tell you this-but we actually learned in our histology class why it takes 7-10 days to feel the effects of chemo: chemo only affects new blood cells, and the lifespan of an already-circulating blood cell is 7-10 days. So once those guys die, your body starts feeling it. They probably already told you that-but I just found out.
    Much love,
    Lea

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  6. my baby made my cry...love's got everthing to do about it!
    please...everybody ,live it all and give what what you hope to get.
    love to all and thanks for the incredible energy i'm getting.
    smell a flower , pet a dog, imagine what can be and make it happen.
    T...hangin'in there

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  7. Tracy - it was so great to see you tonight and to share a Giants game to boot! Sucks that they lost but we still had a great time and they will come out on top! For me - seeing you was just like you are in your living room - making sure everyone has a chair and is comfortable - you blow me away - and apparently you do the same with the nurses.. from what I saw and heard tonight it sounds like they want you to be an advocate for the floor to other patients as you have such a GREAT attitude. You are such an inspiration! Rock on my friend - and stay your positive self!! PS A veggie now and then is not a bad thing! I love you .. Deb

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  8. Tracy ..all the reports from Annie,et al are very positive sounding..glad you are so up and have a good attitude, it can only help you get thru this..somethin good on the way from the East!!1..love, bro J

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