I realized earlier today that I've been very cavalier about upcoming scans and tests. I realized that I'm being so cavalier because I'm making an effort not to think about the fact that the doctors are concerned about my spine. I haven't been concerned because I've been assuming the pain is just my usual chronic tailbone issues. But I had the terrifying thought this morning, "What if it's not?" So I'd appreciate all the prayers, energy, and ~ma you can send for a lumbar puncture today, a PET scan on Monday, and (yet another) MRI next Friday. Thanks much.

OK, so, my oncologist saw no likelihood of cancer in the results of the multiple spinal exams. However, the NEURO-oncologist says that a lumbar puncture only captures about 65% of problems and PET scans & MRIs aren't the best at detecting things around the spine, so would like to do some further testing because my spine is funky (my technical term) and she'd like more info. So I think we're at a cautious *mostly* yay for the latest test results. And I'll be scheduling a brain MRI and something-or-other nerve conduction test in the near future.

My uncle passed away quietly over the weekend. He'd been fighting cancer since just after my cousin's funeral in March, and it became pretty obvious things were not headed in a good direction despite his unfailing optimism. But the abruptness of his downturn was a bit surprising; just a few days ago the family was making Thanksgiving plans so he could see some of his siblings one last time.

Here's a nice thing! Last fall, my dad let me know that the Republic of Austria had opened up a program to restore citizenship to descendants of Austrians who were victims of the Nazis, and that he and a couple of his cousins had applied, and suggested that I might also want to. I just got word today that my citizenship has been approved!

My dad just died. It was sudden but also not sudden. "Sudden" is a weird looking weird when you type it out a few times.

Hey - y’all were, of course, the majority of the contributors to helping keep R from foreclosure. I have a spreadsheet with what everyone gave. I am talking to them very cautiously about a repayment plan for myself.

If you need/would like to be repaid, please let me know and how urgent a matter it is for you. The emergency was real and I have no regrets about doing it; it’s also important to my integrity to offer this because I vouched for them. You can ping me on fb or email me at my profile addy.

Thanks again for being who you are and trusting me.

Buffista mom Mary Jane Jensen, 96, passed away this morning at 6:15 am. Godspeed, mom.

Ethan was awarded Online Journalist of the Year at last night's National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards!

My Dad is in the hospital (again!) with congestive heart failure and mystery anemia. Please send ~ma our way.

It's not a holiday without dad going to the ER, right? He's doing okay, but I brought him in this morning and he was admitted this afternoon for cardiac and neurological monitoring because he's been having bad bouts of vertigo and actually passed out today when we were touring an assisted living facility. On the positive side, I finally have him ready to admit he might need to move into assisted living in 2024. Finding something he can afford that isn't awful yet also allows him to bring his dog is the next hurdle. And getting him stabilized again. So he's in the hospital pending a bunch of tests so we can figure out what's going on with these dizziness and fainting issues, and we are figuring out how to proceed from here. Happy holidays! Sigh.