7th October

Don't know why I'm calling this 7th October.
Because it is?
Some things just are.
The first course of chemo is over.
If a "miracle" happens, it will be the last time I submit myself to cytotoxic chemicals in a collective effort to battle cancer!
If no miracle, I get to dress up again when the time is right...
In "Aida" (Verdi's version, not the Tim Rice and Elton John cartoon), the star couple burst into the most beautiful duet as the tomb is being sealed (they get buried alive).
"O Terra Addio" (goodbye, world).
What a way to go!
I will probably be posting a bit more regularly in the future (did you notice I scaled it down for a while??), sometimes with a random miscellany of thoughts and feelings such as this evening, and sometimes with a little more focus.
Today my "girls", The Dreamers, an a cappella vocal trio from my Year 12 class at school, came and serenaded the patients and staff at the oncology ward - they were a huge hit!
Christine Fetuiai, Sulieti Finau and Losa Iakopo...
2 of these girls having lost swathes of family in the Samoan Tsunami...
We went to UP in 3D afterwards...rest assured, I will review this in detail, giving it the blogspace it deserves...suffice to say it is a beautiful film!
Andrew Clasby has been a wonderful chemo buddy for the last 5 months.
Words are not nearly enough to express my thanks to this caring person - humour, care, support...presence...
Thanks, Andrew!
Maria Carbines - the packages delivered without fail from Chemo 2 - thank you for your thoughtfulness and energy!
Last but not least, my family...Sophie, Alexander and Lois, who have kept me "anchored"/"earthed"/ "grounded" (never thought I would see it as a blessing/privilege to be taken for granted/wrestled with/mocked by the younger generation/sat on a sofa eating butter chicken)...
And to those who have sent kind thoughts, love, money(!!), and prayers/spiritual energy...
Thank you!

Arohanui,

Gerald.

ps Samson came, jumped up, nestled and is purring away since I began this blog.

And that's why cats are!