Morning Update: 09/10/24

All I want to do right now is curl back up in bed and go to sleep. The problem is pain from both the chemo and arthritis. It kept me down yesterday and this morning isn’t feeling any better. I know a lot of people were excited to hear that Princess Kate had completed her chemo and will resume some of her royal duties. While that’s great news for her, there are still millions of people, probably people you know, who are just being diagnosed and beginning the arduous treatment of using one poison to fight another. The number of new diagnoses I’ve seen this fall is rather frightening. Patti Scialfa, Springsteen’s wife and bandmate, revealed her cancer diagnosis recently. While the survival rate for many cancers has improved tremendously over the past 20 years, the treatment isn’t any less painful.

Cancer isn’t the only killer, either. James Earl Jones, one of the greatest bass voices ever, the voice for Darth Vader and Mufasa among others, died yesterday from complications of Type 2 Diabetes. Yes, I have that one, too. If the cancer doesn’t kill me, the diabetes almost certainly will. There’s no escape. And while I might want to live every moment to its fullest, the reality is that I spend most of my days in bed, trying not to cry, being thankful for the company of pets who refuse to leave me alone.

Nothing about this getting old shit is being fun. There are no grandkids to bounce on my knee and spoil. I can’t be as involved with G and Tipper’s school as I would like. My income is too limited to go traveling, and even if it wasn’t, my body couldn’t handle it. I often wonder if I’m serving any purpose at all. I can’t take pictures. My creativity is at an all-time low. Just writing these updates every morning is a chore. The kids get in from school in the afternoon and I try to be awake and present for them, but it isn’t easy. There’s a 44-pound bag of dog food in the kitchen that needs to be dumped into the storage container. I can’t lift it by myself. What good am I to anyone?

Yes, it could be worse. Hurricane Francis is going to mess up everything between Houston and New Orleans. No one is sure yet how strong it might be when it makes landfall, but even a Category 1 storm has proven to be enough to knock out power and cause tremendous flooding.

An Israeli strike on a Gaza humanitarian zone tent camp killed at least 40 people. No matter what Palestinians do to try and stay alive, Israel’s leaders seem determined to kill every last one of them. The UN chief calls the death and destruction in Gaza the worst he’s seen. “Secretary-General António Guterres said in an interview with The Associated Press that it’s “unrealistic” to think the U.N. could play a role in Gaza’s future, either by administering the territory or providing a peacekeeping force, because Israel is unlikely to accept a U.N. role.” Israel, for its part, seems willing to negotiate short-term cease-fires, such as the one that allowed the administration of the polio vaccine, but leaders there are not interested in ending the war.

South African farmers are accused of killing 2 women and feeding them to pigs. You have to wonder how any human can be so cruel.

The Death toll from the Vietnam storm rises to 87 with 70 people missing. A typhoon blasted the country, leaving it in worse disarray than that stupid war.

A Swiss city councilor apologized for firing a gun at a Mary and Jesus poster. How the hell does anyone wrap their head around that?

If there’s any “good” news, it’s that both Google and Apple were unable to get away from the EU’s tough laws. Google will have to pay 2.4 billion Euros. Apple gets to fork over 13 billion to Ireland. If the US had any guts, the two companies, among others, would be paying out the nose here as well.

If you fly, you’ll want to know that Battery-powered devices are overheating more often on planes and raising alarm. The biggest culprit: vapes. Anything with a lithium battery can potentially overheat. If that device happens to be in checked baggage, which is illegal but still happens, the resulting fire may not be caught until it’s too large for immediate suppression.

SpaceX finally launched that billionaire and his crew into space. I’ll still be surprised if their spacewalk goes off without a hitch.

And yeah, that debate is tonight. I’m not watching. The only outcome that’s going to please me is if VP Harris literally devours the Orange Felon right there in front of everyone. I’m good with catching the highlight reel in the morning.

No, I’m not in a good mood this morning. There’s no reason for me to be in a good mood. I’m sick and tired of all the pain and I want a box of fresh apple fritters. And Frank has figured out how to close all my open windows. He’s done it twice this morning, so far. The temptation to say, “Fuck everything,” is really strong.

I’ll stick with my coffee, for now. I’m not making any promises about later, though.