There exists a website for/by people as anal-retentive (read: crazy) as me. Standardized covers for the videogames on my bookshelf?! So this is what they call a “nerdgasm”.
You may commence making fun of me… nnnow.
–Reid.
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Now playing: The Beatles – All You Need is Love
via FoxyTunes
I’ve put up the entire 12 episode series of The Guys in 3A up on my YouTube. Originally created for NBC’s DotComedy by my former roommate Dave Burdick and me last fall, I wanted to make sure that the videos had a more permanent home on the Internet. Check them out below. You’ll laugh! You’ll cry! You’ll create a YouTube account and rate them all five stars!
Enjoy!
–Reid.
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Now playing: The Bens – Just Pretend
via FoxyTunes
First off, I should get this out of the way: although the Hulk is mentioned in this blog, this blog is not a case study of what the title would suggest. In fact, I did not receive any sort of shirt, “tee” or otherwise, during the course of my radiation treatments.
Moving along: everyday of my radiation treatment took place in Machine 2 at the University of Colorado Hospital (right next door to the Children’s Hospital). Now I know what you’re thinking. “Machine 2!?” you’re saying to yourself. But it wasn’t these Machines. Nor was it this machine. It was a radiation machine, which, so far as I can tell, means it was like a room-sized microwave in which I was the Reid-sized burrito. It looked an awful lot like the lab at the beginning of the old Bill Bixby Incredible Hulk television series.
In the center of this room is a table that can best be described as “sciency”. It is the bullseye to the room’s dart board; in technical terms, it’s where all the “things” in the room “point” to “do” “stuff” (and things). With the particular kind of radiation I was having–cranial (or for those of you who have already had cranial radiation: “they was working on my brain”)–they made a mold of my head to make sure the radiation hit the same exact place every day. The resulting mask was a sort of mesh that not only ensured their radiation hit the same spot in my brain every day, but also securely fastened me down to the table, which I can best describe as “Torquemadaish”.
I’m just kidding, of course. While the mask did hold me in place, the radiation was a painless few minutes a day in which the most noticeable immediate effect was seeing pretty, albeit not-really-there, colors. In fact, I even got to keep my mask, minus the clamps that locked it into the table. I think it makes me look like a computer rendering of the Buddha, with the textures messed up. My second cousin (once removed) Marci suggested the it made me look like a bank robber disguised as someone from The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Either way, I need to figure out something to do with this mask. I hereby open the floor to suggestions.
I mentioned immediate effects of the radiation, but there are other effects from the radiation, of course. The most noticeable effect will be the “somnolence syndrome” which will make me very sleepy for some months. All the other stuff–from secondary cancers to loss and lack of recall speed–is stuff I’m trying not to worry about much these days.
Anyway, it’s much more fun imagining running over my mask with a monster truck.
–Reid.
Paul Syracuse shows off his people skills as he pretends to work at various Christmas shops in the Union Square Christmas village.
Another great video directed by Ballard with some great transitional animations by Paul. Nice work, fellas.
…oh, and Merry Christmas to all, et cetera, et cetera…!
–Reid.
I beat the machine: today, I had my last dose of radiation.
In addition to being given a trophy and a shower of bubbles by the receptionist Bill, a generous round of applause by all the folks in the waiting room, and my mesh mask (picture and more details to follow) by the techs, I gained a healthy dose of knowledge. In a discussion with one of the techs in the machine (Machine 2), I found out that when the radiation beam was on, that blue light I was seeing through my eyelids wasn’t actually a blue light that I was seeing through my eyelids; it was a perceived blue light that I was seeing through my brain. Weird.
In sadder news, I will not be able to be Matt Gallo’s beard brother this winter because my mustache was coming in solidly blond and it just looked too weird so I shaved the whole darn thing off. I blame the radiation. Sorry, Matt Gallo; keep up the good fight without me.
I am very tired and so I am going to take a nap.
Good night,
–Reid.
I went to Matt McDole’s annual Christmas party tonight. It was great to see everyone.
–Reid.
This Ara-C stuff and this radiation junk… they are kicking my ass. I am sleeping all day, with brief periods of being awake to work parts of my shift at HP and get more Ara-C and more radiation. And supposedly, I’m not even supposed to feel the effects of the radiation until next week. So maybe it’s just waking up at 5:50am each morning to go get the radiation that’s throwing me off.
Mlegh.
–Reid.
Radiation this morning at 7:15 went smoothly except that due to the weather and traffic we arrived at 7:45. The actual time it took to radiate me was about three minutes. I look forward to spending the next seven days waking up at 6 AM to go get a 3 minute dose of radiation. Quite honestly, I’m just ready to get it done. I’ve known about it for such a long time, and have passed through a gamut of emotions about it. At this point, I feel that the sooner I get it going, the sooner it will be done!
After radiation, I moved to Children’s for chemo; on today’s agenda: Ara-C, Cytoxin, and Methotrexate. I’ve already had the Methotrexate injected into my brain, which went as smoothly as ever. I am currently getting a bolus infusion intended to make me pee a lot so that when I get today’s Cytoxin, it’ll whoosh around my body, do what it needs to do, and get out. I have three hours of boluses left after I get chemo. And I need to leave my port accessed so I can give myself Ara-C at home. Where I live.
Also, somewhere in all of this, my infusion nurse Lauren “taped” my hair. My bald head had enough loose fuzz so that she could achieve her one true dream, the one she has been working towards her whole life: putting a spiral imprint in my hair. I look beautiful, but in a manly sort of way.
A Ferris is the perfect companion to any hair spiral.
Dad and I saw Frost/Nixon tonight. Pure gold. We talked about what an odd fellow Nixon was, we talked about his policies and my dad’s memory of the trials and rallies in the mid-70′s. We talked how mistrust is still felt towards the government by the American people…
Perhaps Frost/Nixon speaks to our generation–we’ve had politicians sell senate seats, we’ve had limitless wiretapping, and hell, we have George W. Bush–but what have we done about it? The writing in the film was not only true to the play, but it also took on new life in the form of one of Ron Howard’s absolute best films. The editing! The cinematography! The casting! The acting was top notch–watch out Heath! It was a fantastic movie. I highly recommend you take me to go see it again.
–Reid
Radiation. Tomorrow. 7:15 AM. Chemo continues after breakfast.
Hung out with dear friends Wes and Emily yesterday. It was a real treat to get to see them and catch up. They’ve been so supportive over the past year, and I’ve sincerely missed them as much as any of my friends. We went to an English pub, drank cask beer, and sat and talked for several hours. It was great.
More close friends are coming into town in waves before the new year. I told Wes and Emily that I felt bad for them that everyone’s coming at different times so they couldn’t see some of our other close friends–but I have to admit I kind of selfishly like it. I get everyone to myself!
–Reid.
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Now playing: Death Cab For Cutie – Your New Twin Sized Bed
via FoxyTunes
