Today my dad and I headed out to Ash Cave in Hocking Hills to see if there was a big ice buildup. The cave is a large natural hollow that was used as a shelter and meeting place for local Indian tribes in the past. It’s a huge, dry rock overhang that has a small stream running over the lip creating a waterfall. Every winter, ice builds up at the bottom of the waterfall, sometimes to the point that there is a narrow column of ice from top to bottom.

This time, the flow from the top was more of a fine shower than a solid stream as in the past. As a result, instead of a tall column the ice formed something that looked like a reverse volcano, with water falling into the open cone instead of lava flowing out. The blue color made it look like an iceberg had fallen over the cliff.

The ice was even more beautiful up close, like the inside of a wet limestone cave.

Huge icicles were hanging precariously from the rim of the overhang…

..and every crack in the wall created another beautiful feature.

It was pretty impressive to see that the ice buildup from such a tiny stream was almost three times the height of a man. All in all a great day at one of my favorite Ohio spots.

We even saw some wild turkeys on the way home, but they flew away to fast to get a decent picture.

That said, it seems that the industry has done far to good a job of convincing the population that somehow it is better to trust the nation’s health to corporations that answer to their board and shareholders than to trust a government that, at least in principle, answers to the people. Sigh.

So, if the forces of corporate greed are intent on a corporate-driven health-care system I would suggest that the following approach has the best chance of actually benefiting the people of the United States:

Implement regulations that:

1: Standardize premium prices based on a defined set of coverage levels
2: Ensure that coverage cannot be denied, except for cases of fraud, etc., and make it as easy to switch insurers as it is to switch banks, while still respecting contract terms (similar to mobile phone service plans).

If price-based competition is eliminated, companies need to focus on customer retention and acquisition, along with operational efficiency, to maintain growth, profits and market share. This of itself does not create a powerful incentive to deliver quality care since the consumer still faces barriers to entry and limited ability to switch providers due to pre-existing condition clauses.

Once the barriers for entry are eliminated, and the opportunity to exercise freedom of choice is enforced, the competitive imperative of customer acquisition and retention becomes fundamentally customer driven. If individuals are dissatisfied with the quality of their care, they can migrate to another provider. Thus, the delivery of quality care has been structurally linked to economic success, and profit is derived via operational excellence in the delivery of customer value; the objectives of fiscal success and societal benefit have are mutually served.

Costs also need to be controlled of course, but in this model cost reduction is driven primarily through operational factors rather than cutting corners on quality, service and care (since failures in those areas equate to customer attrition). Cost controls within the supply chain need to be put in place as well, but as soon as the profit engine of the entire industry is driven by quality, value and consumer choice, competitive pressures in all parts of the chain would need to re-align around these same elements.

This approach would not only allow for competition based on true innovation, it would also shake out the dead weight of companies that serve themselves at the expense of society.

Approaches that expect a price-driven market to deliver quality clearly have ignored the lessons of Walmart. While a cheap plastic chair for $20 may seem like good value at the time of purchase (because it is the cheapest option to satisfy the immediate need), if it breaks in a year and becomes waste that must be replaced, the true value is significantly reduced. If we replace the chair with, say, surgery to remove a tumor or repair a damaged organ or limb the quality and value equations are radically different.

I’ll say again, I do not believe that any market-driven solution will best serve the fundamental needs of the nation when it comes to health-care. While governmental programs have the potential for corruption and waste, they do ultimately need to answer to the population at large, rather than a few privileged board members.

Why?

Thinking about that question took me back to the philosophical question of Morals vs. Ethics. In the common parlance, the two terms are often used interchangeably, but there are differences. Morals represent personal beliefs of “right” and “wrong” or those held jointly by a group. Ethics refers to a system of integrated beliefs that define a social contract. While Morals are the fundamental basis for a system of Ethics, the individuality of Morals inherently creates stresses within any Ethical system.

The most successful Ethical systems tend to be those that are focused primarily on the moral responsibilities of individuals in relationship to the best interests of the larger social group. Ideally, the ethics of a society provide equal protection to both majority and minority Moral viewpoints, so long as those viewpoints do not directly harm other segments of the society. Ethical systems and the societies on which they are based face a continual balancing act in determining the definition of ‘harm’ in shared Moral terms.

It seems like a growing number of people in the United States believe that this country was founded on a a basis of Morals rather than a code of Ethics. Quite obviously, the opposite is true. The structure of the government created by the US Constitution was designed to protect the Ethical system from the tyranny of a Moral majority. The establishment of a Republic rather than a Democracy, the structure of the Electoral College, the balancing of power between the three branches (as well as within the legislative branch) and the definition of the Judicial branch’s role (following the Ethical code of the Constitution rather than any specific individual or group Moral code) all served to reduce the probability of a tyrannical majority. After all, many of the first colonists were fleeing exactly those conditions when they left Europe.

Through-out US history there have been conflicts initiated by Moral movements that want to either expand or restrict the landscape of the nation’s Ethical structure. Over the long term, it has been primarily those movements that are targeted towards expanding the sphere of protected classes that have had a lasting success. The most powerful representations of broad Moral shifts can be found in the amendments to the constitution, if only for the fundamental difficulty of achieving such a change. Granting rights to different races, to women, to those over 18 (to vote) all serve to expand the Ethical structure in an inclusive manner. The 18th amendment was one of the few that reduced the scope of allowable Moral positions, and it’s repeal demonstrated the fundamental intolerance of the nation to constitutional amendments that limit expression of those personal beliefs that do not present an innate risk of infringement on the rights of others.

Each significant Ethical shift is preceded by a period in which an insecure and vocal segment or segments of society react strongly against the notion of extending the protection afforded by the society’s  Ethical system to a new minority. Often times the objection is couched in specific Moral viewpoints but regardless of the basis, the consistent underlying theme is the majority’s fear of a dilution of their power and authority. The US today is in the midst of a number of Ethical shifts towards a more inclusive social covenant, a fact which causes great distress in those who fear any shift in the status quo.

The first and most obvious is the shift in cultural attitude towards freedom of sexual preference. Acceptance of non-heterosexual preference as a protected class within the US Ethical structure appears now to be a matter of when and not if. Age-based demographics send that message strongly, and the “Conservative” backlash that has found it’s expression in opposition to gender-preference-equality as part of the definition of Marriage is the most visible manifestation. The goal of a Constitutional Amendment that protects a heterosexual definition of Marriage is the ultimate expression of the movements understanding that their position, while being in accordance with their relativistic Morals, is clearly in conflict with the existing Ethical structure of the society as defined by the Constitution. If the position were Ethical there would be no need to codify the rule as a new Amendment to the Constitution. This conflict also finds it’s voice in the justifications for the opposition of non-hetero marriage through vague references to the importance of reproduction and other non-Moral terms.

Accepting the Constitution involves a de-facto acceptance of the Ethical system that it represents. While a Moral argument can be a basis for changes to the system, via Constitutional Amendments, US history would suggest that even those who personally hold exclusionary Moral positions are often loath to push the issue to a Constitutional level given the historic trend toward an inclusive covenant. As a result, those who hold Moral views that are not consistent with the Ethical trend become deeply frustrated since they are without an Ethical means to assert their Moral position. The result tends to be insecurity, pettiness and anger that tends to drive either extreme, imprecise and impracticable solutions, or more often as now, no solutions at all.

Another major shift is the conflict regarding immigration and the willingness to include all persons within the political boundaries of our nation as members of the protected Ethical system. Anti-immigration supporters will point to illegal immigration  as an Ethical excuse to exempt a class from protection by, and inclusion in, the Ethical system. Because there is a presumptive legal method of entering the system (legal immigration), it is considered Ethical to refuse the protections of our system to those who enter the country illegally. Unfortunately, there is a fundamental inconsistency within this attempted manipulation of Ethical structures. Those that oppose immigration also tend to support extensive restrictions on legal immigration, thus ensuring that a class of people have both no right to current protections and no genuine opportunity to achieve those rights. In this case, making the Ethical justification for either inclusion of the minority, or ensuring that the method for them to achieve inclusion is fair and consistent with the fundamental Ethical system,  is more complicated. At the same time, the focus on a Constitutional Amendment as a means of ensuring the exclusion of the minority, which appears to be part of the current strategy, is evidence of the fact that the current situation is not consistent with the over-all Ethical structure of our society. The focus on adherence to laws which were enacted specifically to restrict the protections of the minority diverts attention from fundamental Ethical questions regarding the exclusionary laws themselves. Fundamentally, the Ethical covenant of the United States should protect and include those minorities that both seek inclusion and support the foundations of the covenant itself. If you believe in the set of Ethical rights and responsibilities expressed through the Constitution then you should be afforded a fair and just opportunity to become a part of the structure. In this case as well, the demographics of the nation seem to indicate the inevitability of a change.

So, what does the above have to do with Sarah Palin? After all, her name figures prominently in the title of this post.

I’ve been thinking a lot about Sarah’s seeming popularity and about the Tea Party movement that seems to worship her. What seems to unite the two is the idea that simply protesting in the abstract without promoting specific solutions or even identifying specific injury is a sufficient political and social expression. Why, within the movement or Palin herself, is there such a paucity of substance?

For Sarah Palin, the answer seems likely to be simple; she has found a group that will support her even though she represents a point of view devoid of actionable solutions or evenly clearly articulated problems. This is a politicians dream since it simultaneously caters to the ego while relieving the individual of any responsibility for actual achievements. In truth, Sarah Palin could actually become the President of the United States by virtue of pandering to populism and demonstrating a willingness to be manipulated by a range of socially and economically conservative interests in return for being given an opportunity for self-aggrandizement. To any who doubt this, I refer you to the 8 years between 2000 and 2008. Sarah Palin differs from George W. Bush primarily in name and gender.

Tea Party “activists” have different causes for their combination of righteous indignation and paucity of specifics. They begin with the fundamental insecurities of a long-standing majority faced with demographic changes that will ultimately and inevitably undermine that majority position. That, combined with extreme turbulence and uncertainty in a global economic system that is far more complex than the vast majority of individuals (myself included) can not truly comprehend, naturally drives people toward their personal Moral structures for succor and comfort. When those Moral structures are in conflict with the Ethical system of the country, insecurity is magnified and exacerbated. The net result is anger that has no clear target and is likely to be directed at those minorities that are in the ascendency, regardless of how small their actual footprint might be.

I don’t want to simplify the motivations of the Tea Party, nor to suggest is is a purely Social Conservative movement. Rather, I suggest that the movements lack of a clear policy intention may be the result of a set of Moral-Ethical conflicts that are not internally resolvable to the movement’s satisfaction. While history provides plentiful examples of populist movements that sputter out and die once the initial fuel of outrage and anger is spent, there are also sufficient examples of populist energy centered around a cult figure creating extremely powerful and destructive political realities. When a mob finds a common guiding voice, especially when that same voice sings in a nationalistic tone and is silently backed by powerful corporate interests, there is every reason for concern.

It is clear to me that, on her own, Sarah Palin does not possess the experience or vision to direct and sustain the energies of the mob. However, she is energetic and ambitious enough to be of great service to the sort of powerful political and economic forces that carried George W. Bush into the Whitehouse. The comparison doesn’t end there. Like Bush, Palin possesses little if any understanding of broader, global political and economic realities yet retains the self-assurance of an unchecked ego. She is seemingly un-constrained by Ethics while being a stalwart evangelist of her particular, malleable Moral imperative. All these characteristics make her an ideal, if risky, vehicle for promoting the interests of “Big Business” and the extreme social right.

I think my main point here is that we are in the midst of a populist uprising that is being driven by economic uncertainty and nationalism at a moment in history when significant changes in the Ethical covenant are gaining steam. It’s the social equivalent of a Triple Witching and all sorts of volatility are possible. It is a time to be wary, but also a time of opportunity. It is a time to avoid the incendiary, to move beyond the narrowness of our own individual and group Moral codes, and to reflect and rely upon the fundamental Ethical precepts on which our country was built.

It enables every corruption of our political and economic system, promotes pettiness and divisiveness, and debases the soul of a nation and a world at a moment when we as a people face perhaps the greatest challenges and opportunities in all human history.

It is ignorance that drives us to pursue the selfish short-term objectives that seem to define our society.

Ignorance shatters perspective and narrows the world view; it displaces empathy and distorts justice. It foments fear and insecurity, which in turn foment hatred and violence.

Ignorance is the me we put before the we.

I am ignorant. We all are ignorant. We all can escape our ignorance if only we so desire.

If we think through the consequences of our actions, not just for tomorrow but for a hundred years,
If we are as honest with ourselves as we wish others would be with us,
If we reserve judgments and focus instead on understanding,
If we accept ourselves and others, lead by example as best we can and demonstrate that doing what is best for everyone, even if we don’t like it personally, is really what is best for us,

then we stand a chance at turning the tide on this, the greatest enemy of all.

Call me crazy if you will and pardon this interruption in your regularly scheduled program. I am just a poor ignorant human after all…

Truth be told I’ve been meaning to get to updating for a while but between work and other daily life it keeps slipping away. I made a New Year’s resolution to update my blog (and generally to write) more often, and feel decidely remiss in having accomplished nothing in that regard so far. I am trying to mend my ways, however. Hopefully I can get something started.

Regarding my health, I had my latest MRI on my birthday (January 15th) and received the results, which are quite positive, a few days later. While the official radiologists report noted “no significant interval change”, which in itself would be good news, it also quoted the maximal radius of the primary enhancing region at 7mm. It had been 8.9mm 6 months ago. While 6 months is a long time, any evidence of continued shrinking of the tumor is extremely positive. On looking at the scans themselves, both my oncologist and I could clearly see a decrease in contrast enhancement, meaning less blood flowing to the tumor area, always a good thing.

I continue to feel well and am in the process of preparing for an official transfer to become a US Salesforce employee and an eventual return to live in the Bay Area. Much is up in the air but there is a lot of positive potential for the future.

That’s it for now. I’ve posted a ton of pictures to my Flickr site recently and received about 13 rolls of processed film to scan today. I hope all are well and hope to post a lot more thoughts in the near and continuing future.

It’s a rainy, gloomy day here, so I don’t feel so bad being inside working on reports and cases. It’s boring but productive, though I’m already over my target hours for the week. I’m excited though that one of the kindly Burning Man folks found my little Pentax Auto 110 somewhere on the playa and is sending it to me! Another Playa miracle.

I’ve still got a ton of scanning to do from film I shot at Burning Man, and if it stays rainy all week-end maybe I’ll get to it.

It was 7:00 on a Tuesday afternoon and I had been waiting in the office of the clinic just above the Airport Express station since 5. The week before I had visited a doctor at the clinic believing I was having migraines. Since I had no history of migraines the doctor scheduled an MRI and I was now awaiting the results. I remember being terrified that the cause of my headaches had been an eschemic attack, a type of stroke that my father had had previously.

After 2 hours of waiting, as the clinic was closing I was finally admitted to see the doctor. He pulled out my MRI and pointed to a section on the right side that showed the expected white curls amid black space and said ‘this part looks normal’. He then pointed to the left side which was a cloud of white and said ‘this is not normal. I advise you to go to a hospital immediately.’

He then read me the MRI report that indicated I had 3 lesions on the left side of my brain with an initial diagnosis of either CNS infection, primary CNS lymphoma or primary CNS tumor. I was chilled to the bone.

I remember leaving the clinic in central in a panic. I tried to call Nicole but she was in her yoga class and I could not reach her. I walked down to the taxi stand and looked at the huge line. My mind was racing a million miles an hour and tears were streaming from my eyes as I faced the crowds at the MTR station and finally decided just to walk home. I don’t know how many messages I left for Nicole.

At that time I honestly did not know what to do. I had been told to go to the hospital immediately and was close to getting into a taxi and telling them to take me to the hospital when Nicole finally called. She calmed me (albeit a tiny bit) and told me not to go to the hospital until she could make some phone calls. I agreed and continued walking. By the time I got home she had called her brother in law and sister and said we should go there to eat something. When we got there I could at least try to distract myself with my niece and nephew. At the same time her brother in law was helping me to set up 2 consultations with neurosurgeons for the following day. As it turns out, that may have been my savior. The second consult was with Dr. Fung, the former head of neurosurgery at Queen Mary Hospital (the best place in Asia for brain tumors), who was able to arrange to have me directly admitted to the neurosurgery ward that evening.

It’s hard for me to put words to how I feel tonight, 2 years later. By all rights I should be dead already, and to be here now writing this, feeling well and with real hope of recovery I feel blessed beyond my ability to comprehend. Each day since I heard those words I have lived with a greater appreciation of my life, my family, my friends and everything and everyone that has supported me and enriched my life. A friend of my who is a brain cancer survivor told me that even with all the treatment and torment he would not have given up his experience because of the perspective he had gained. I’m not ready to say that yet, and doubt I will be until I am 10 years in remission, but I understand what he meant.

These last 2 years have burned away a lot of my pride and pettiness, have slammed an inescapable mirror in front of my face and forced me to accept all my faults, failures and fears. I could no longer ignore those parts of myself and my life that sucked life and energy from myself and those around me and could see how pointless those behaviors and habits truly were, yet at the same time I was able to accept the good and the worth in myself in a way I never previously had. I found in myself forgiveness for everyone grudge I had ever held with another, and in doing found forgiveness for myself.

Next week I will have another MRI, and though I am as nervous as always there is reason for hope. The last 2 MRI’s were extremely positive and if I can stay on that trajectory next week I will feel that I can truly look towards the future.

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to go to the Burning Man festival in Nevada (pictures are posted on my Flickr site) after a 2-year absence.  Being there was an affirmation of life for me, and I went to the Temple and wrote the following on the wall:

I am not dieing of brain cancer.
I am living with brain cancer.
Hope is strength
Family is strength
Friends are strength
God is strength
I am strength

(I had t-shirts made with the same words and wore them all week, giving away several to others who either were suffering with cancer themselves or suffered with afflicted family members)

At the moment I wrote those words and thought about where I was, alive in the Nevada desert instead of dead beneath it, I cried because I realized that for the first time in 2 years I was thinking of living rather than thinking of dieing. Hopefully next week will sustain that feeling.

Thank you to everyone who has cared for and about me, or supported and enriched my life in any way. I wish all of you health and happiness, wisdom and perspective, long life and freedom from hardship and harm.

-TC

Yesterday we went down to Pomeroy, OH to check out the sulky racing (elswhere called harness racing) at the Meigs County Fair. This was my first Ohio County Fair and it was a serious slice of Americana. The grandstands are 80-90 years old and built right on the first curve for a great view. The benches may have seen better days, with worn wood and a few loose boards here and there, but they are sturdy and provide good cover. The age is reflected in the un-broken grain on the huge beams.

Sulky racing is a big tradition in Ohio and throughout the midwest, and a lot of the horses are driven by their owners. While you would expect that the drivers would all by short, fit folks like the jockies in thoroughbred racing, in reality they were a very diverse group, including several drivers who were over 250 pounrs (one of them a woman who placed first in her race) and one who is 90 years old! All American!

Grandstand, Meigs County Fair


This driver is 90 years old!

In addition to the races, there was everything else you’d expect of a county fair. There were barns for cattle, goats, sheep, chickens, rabbits and hogs, along with a packed livestock auction. In addition to the 4H displays there was a display of cool antique tractors and judging for flower arrangements, paintings and quilts. The flower arrangements were particularly cool, many displaying a distinctly minimalist japanese flair.

Hog auction, Meigs County Fair

Old tractor in the tractor barn, Meigs County Fair

Out on the midway there was a surfeit of rides for the adventurous along with all the classic fair foods. My dad said the chicken ‘n noodles, a South-Eastern Ohio specialty, was excellent but I was a little disappointed to not find any deep-fried mars bars. In the young and fearless days of childhood I would have exhausted myself riding all the rides, feeling safe in my ignorance of the physics and the mechanical realities of those well-traveled contraptions. Sometimes ignorance is bliss. Instead of risking our necks and stomach contents on the tilt-a-whirl, we satisfied outselves with checking out Buffo, World’s Strongest Clown!

The midway, Meigs County Fair

Buffo, World’s Strongest Clown

When we arrived home after the Fair we had another surprise waiting; Nicole’s permanent residence has been approved! She should receive her 10-year green card in a few weeks, and after that she will be able to leave the country and return without a problem.

That’s it for today, sorry I’m not in a more profound and poetic mood but I just woke up and need to get cracking on final preparations for Burning Man.

Take care of yourselves and each-other.

TC

Sunflower and bumble bee, Lowell Ohio

The last 2 days have been a time of serious reflection for me. It was just 2 years ago in Hong Kong, while giving a 3 hour sales presentation to a big Taiwanese insurance company, I suddenly couldn’t read the slides in front of me. I was seeing colored dots in my field of vision and suddenly felt dizzy and had trouble speaking. I left the meeting, and after sitting with my head on my desk for a while I had the worst headache of my life. Somehow I managed to take the MTR home, where I curled up in bed in the dark and suffered until early the next morning.

I thought I’d had a migraine, but 2 months later I learned the truth, the headache was caused by swelling which severely pinched the ventricle on the left side of my brain. The swelling was caused by three brain tumors.

I’ll never forget that headache or the 2 more that followed. I’ll also never forget getting the results of my first MRI and finding out that there was something very wrong in my brain. I ‘ll never forget learning that I had lesions and I’ll never forget learning they were cancerous.

I’ll also never forget how many people in my life were so eager to support me.

I’ll never forget my parents and my brother jumping on the first plane out to see me, or Andy and Rob following right after to see me before my surgery. I’ll never forget all the emails, phone calls, cards and positive messages of every kind. I’ll never forget that in that night alone in the hospital before surgery I’d never felt less alone in my life.

2 years later I am still alive, feeling well and full of hope. Every day before I go to bed I give thanks. I give thanks for having been able to live that day, and for being able to spend it with Nicole and with my parents. I give thanks for my family and friends who have been so supportive, and for the doctors who have cared for me with honesty and compassion. I give thanks for the sunshine and rain, the wind and the ability to see and smell and feel and experience all the strange and wonderful beauty of the world. I give thanks for being given the opportunity to understand what is truly important in my life, and to see all of the incredible, chaotic, senseless beauty that is life. Someone told me that my life started over that day 2 years ago, and that I’m celebrating my birthday now. Maybe that’s true, but the eyes I’ve been given these last 2 years have shined a bright light on the 36 years before that, on all the amazing people who have been a part of my life and all the amazing places I have seen. I feel luckier today than ever before, and know that I will not need to look back to see the same beauty in the next 36 years of my life.

To all the people who have supported me these last 2 years, I have no words to express how much it has meant and will be in your debt till the end of my days.

And to anyone out there who is facing cancer or any other grave disease I send a message of hope. I send it because Hope is strength. Family is strength. Friends are strength. God is strength. You are strength and recovery is possible!

-TC

Greetings all. No reason to beat around the bush, I had my latest MRI on Monday and received the results on Wednesday. I would have posted something Wednesday night but was too busy celebrating! The results were very positive. The main tumor decreased in size from over 12mm avg. diameter to just under 9mm, around a 25% decrease! Not only that, but the radiologist who did the analysis does not believe the other tumor area is pathological tissue after all, primarily because it has not shown any change at all in shape or size (highly unlikely if it were an active tumor). Obviously this is awesome news and good evidence that the combination of Chinese herbs, rest, clean air and daikon-burdock soup is working.

The back side of Thunder Mountain

In other news, last week Nicole, my parents and I all went to Disneyworld together. For my parents it was their first real vacation in 5 years and for Nicole and I it was an opportunity to get our minds off the upcoming MRI. Anyway, I took way too many pictures while down there and we had a great time.

Pooh’s wild ride (still not as good as Mr. Toad’s…)

The last time I was in Disney World was about 20 years ago and a lot has changed. Epcot seems to have doubled in size and Pooh’s Wild Ride has replaced Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride at the Magic Kingdom. The Nautilus submarine ride is gone as well, a sad loss for lovers of kitch everywhere. The Magic Kingdom does remain the stoniest place on earth next to Burning Man. Pooh’s ride and the Spectro Magic light parade being just 2 examples.

Mickey ruling the light parade

A real wild gator that shouldn’t have been where it was…

3rd of July Fireworks

We also lucked out that the 4th of July fireworks at the Magic Kingdom were on both the 3rd and the 4th, so we got to see them (on the 3rd). Maybe not as good as Chinese New Year in Hong Kong but pretty cool just the same.

The Geosphere, AKA Spaceship Earth

Epcot is still the coolest part of Disney World as far as I’m concerned, and I still think the Geosphere is one of the coolest buildings in the country. Since the last time I was there they’ve added a lot of cool stuff and a lot of cool architecture. My favorite was the new Mission to Mars space simulator, which was more fun than it should really be. The World Showcase remains pretty cheesy but loveable in it’s own way.

The world of Imagination

Japan (World Showcase) at sunset with the Geosphere in the background

Spaceship Earth with night lighting

Tree of Life @ Animal Kingdom

Disney’s Animal Kingdom didn’t exist when I was down there last and it was pretty cool. A lot of it was zoo-like but also very educational, all combined with the crazy Disney construction style. In addition to all the animals there’s also the coolest roller-coaster at Disney, called the Everest Experience. It doesn’t have any loops, but it does suddenly change direction and send you spinning around backwards at high speed in the pitch dark for a while. Awesome.

Everest over a canal (left), Nicole with Tree of Life in the background (right)

Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Another new addition is the Disney Hollywood Studios, which is a fairly shameless copy of Universal Studios (just down the road). It was probably my least favorite part of the park, though it was fun to walk around all the art-deco streets and recreations of hollywood landmarks, like Mann’s Chinese Theater.

Mann’s Chinese Theatre (Left), Nicole about to be crushed (Right)

Off all the new stuff at Disney World I have to confess my favorite might have been the Blizzard Beach water park, which was an absolute blast. The best part without a doubt is the Peak Plunge (or some such name) which is a virtually straight-down water slide that get’s you up to about 55mph. That was fun and worth the line!

Blizzard Beach

Well, that’s enough for now. Obviously my whole family is incredibly happy about the MRI results, and also very much hopefull that this is a real step towards full remission. I’m not taking anything for granted but am more optimistic now than I have been in the last 2 years, I really believe that recovery is possible now.

I can not thank enough all the people who have supported me, prayed for me, visited, emailed, sent Facebook and email messages, and just thought positive thoughts for me. It really makes a difference and gives me the strength to keep going. I especially need to thank my parents for providing a great and peaceful environment for my recovery, Salesforce.com for be incredibly supportive and flexible, and Nicole for keeping me positive and focused and not tolerating any negative thoughts coming from me.

I hope you are all well; savor life and the people around you!

-Ted

Well, it has been far to long since my last blog post, though I do try to keep things updated more on facebook (since it requires a bit less effort). I’ll also admit I’ve been having trouble with the combination of Firefox and the Flash picture uploader on the blog, hence authoring this entry using Google Chrome instead.

Where to begin? The 2 months since my last post have been pretty busy. I had my 20th High School reunion in Philadelphia at the beginning of May. It was good to see and reconnect with some of my old friends but I was left with one lesson, sobriety and reunions aren’t entirely compatible. The trip was also a good opportunity to show Nicole a bit more of Philadelphia. It turned out it was cheaper to fly to Laguardia in NYC and take the Bolt Bus (only $10!) to Philly than to fly there directly, so we also had a chance to stop in New York and catch up with friends there as well, which was great.

Jody & Erica on the firing line, Lowell Ohio

Mid-May was busy as well. My friends Jody and Erica came out for Memorial Day week-end and we had a proper all-American holiday with a visit to the range followed by grilling up the tasty treats we bought at the local farmer’s market! Now that we are officially members at the local range, we no longer have to shoot accross the driveway (or is that we no longer get to shoot accross the driveway?). I as also pretty busy throughout May with getting the El-Chapman foundation up and running on Salesforce.com.

Jody firing the .44, Lowell Ohio

Amagansett Beach, Long Island NY

The last week-end of the month the whole family went to Long Island for my cousin Sarah’s wedding (I left the pictures there for the hired professionals). Congratulations Sarah! It was a great event and I had a chance to see all of my mothers (6) brothers and sisters and most of my cousins as well!

As much as it was great to be at the wedding and get caught up with everyone, it was also a chance to show Nicole the area where I spent a lot of summer vacations in the 1970’s. Until I was about 8 we would go to visit relatives on Long Island for a few weeks just about every summer and I have many fond memories. We got to visit all of my old favorite spots, including the windmill and duck-pond in Amagansette, the Big Duck (which used to sell bbq duck but now is a souvenir shop) and Montauk Point. Montauk was particularly exciting since the lighthouse is now open to the public; in my youth it was still a restricted Coastguard facility. I only wish we’d had more than a day (or it was later in the summer) so we could go swimming.

Amagansett Beach, Long Island NY

Amagansett Windmill, Long Island NY

The Big Duck, Long Island NY

Dune Bogs, Long Island NY

Flowers, Long Island NY

Montauk Lighthouse, Long Island NY

Montauk Point from the Lighthouse, Long Island NY

Nicole @ Gossman’s Dock, Montauk, Long Island NY

June brought another type of excitement as I returned to work officially! I am now working 1/2-time remotely from Lowell and so far it seems to be working out ok. I probably get more actually in a half-day of un-disturbed work than I used to get done in a full day in the office in Hong Kong. I tend to work an hour or two between 11AM and 1PM, then 3-5 hours between 8PM and 2AM, allowing me to be relatively in synch with colleagues in Europe, the USA and Asia.

Health wise all seems well. I have my next MRI in early July and will definitely post an update after. In the mean-time I continue to feel well and continue to take my Chinese Herbs as well as drinking an anti-cancer soup made of daikon radish, burdock root, carrots and shitake mushroom. It tastes awful but I know of at least one person with a similar case to mine who drank it for a year and ended up tumor-free.

My work-schedule also gives me plenty of time to take long walks along the river and spend time with my family, which is probably as important as the medicine. That’s it for now, enjoy the pictures.

Cut Hayfield, Lowell Ohio

Muskingum River, Lowell Ohio

Muskingum River, Lowell Ohio

Sunset Over the Muskingum, Lowell Ohio

While my friend Erica had a novel approach to attacking my tumor, we decided to stick with the Chinese medicine, clean air and healthy eating. A good thing too, as we received the results of last week’s MRI today. While not conclusive (pending a full comparison with November’s MRI), it appears that there is reduced contrast enhancement (i.e. less blood-flow) around the 2 tumor areas, increased ‘black’ areas in and around the tumor (likely dead tumor tissue and/or gaps from the receding tumor now filled with cerebral fluid) and decreased distortion of the ventricles (the reservoirs of fluid in the brain). All of this is extremely positive, especially if it is confirmed by the comparison analysis over the next couple days. Either way, at worst the tumor is stable and it may well be regressing!

Obviously we are all very happy about the results, and for anyone who is facing a similar situation all I can say is that there is always hope, never give up. As Einstein said-

“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow”

-T

Enjoy.

Gate to Saqqara funerary complex

Step Pyramid of Dozer, Saqqara

The Red Pyramid, Dashur

Statue of Ramses II, Memphis

Statue of Ramses II, Memphis

The Pyramids of Giza

The Great Pyramid

The Sphinx & the Great Pyramid

Entrance to Karnak Temple, Luxor

Karnak Temple, Luxor

4000+ year old paintings, Karnak Temple

Columns, Karnak Temple

Luxor Temple, Luxor

Luxor Temple, Luxor

Filling the hot air balloon, West bank of Nile, Luxor

Sunrise over the Nile, Luxor

Looking towards the Valley of the Queens from the balloon, Luxor

The Valley of the Kings

Tomb of King Tut Ankh Amen, Valley of the Kings

Hapshetsut Temple, Luxor

Hapshetsut Temple (from the Balloon), Luxor

The Colossi, Luxor

Habu Temple (from the balloon), Luxor

Habu Temple, Luxor

Ramasseum (from the balloon), Luxor

Statue of Ramses that may be the inspiration for the Poem Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelly, Ramasseum

Egyptian Museum, Cairo

Coptic Quarter, Cairo

Hanging Church, Coptic Cairo

Citadel of Salahudin, Cairo

Trebuchet, Cairo Citadel

Mosque of Mohamed Ali Pasha, Cairo Citadel

Mosque of Mohamed Ali Pasha, Cairo Citadel

Mosque of Mohamed Ali Pasha, Cairo Citadel

Greetings all and, yet again, sorry for the long lag in posting. Well, Nicole and I are now settling in here in exciting Lowell, OH – population is 600 give-or-take. The picture above is a telephoto view of my parent’s and the one below is a wide-angle view taken from the same location. As you can see, it definitely is rural. By the way, yes that is an oil well in the picture below, there are lot’s of them dotted around the area.

You can also probably tell that my folks’ place is right by a river, in this case the Muskingum river. It’s definitely a picturesque location with plenty of peace and quiet and clean air. Marietta is only 20-30 minutes away and has real grocery stores and what-not, and Columbus is only 2 hours driving and has most everything, including a Trader Joe’s. At first I thought 2 hours was a long way to drive, but then I remembered I used to have commutes that long in California on occasion so it doesn’t seem too bad.

Our new home in Lowell

The last 3 weeks or so have been pretty crazy, between a week in Egypt (I promise, pictures will be up soon), a couple days in Philly (ditto on pictures) and a lot of unpacking once we got to Ohio. Just a few days after we arrived here my brother and his family also came out for a week-long visit, which was great fun but not conducive to blogging. With a few days to settle in we’ve unpacked now and been able to turn to other pursuits. I started working on the Salesforce.com deployment for my mom’s school today and Nicole and I also enjoyed a nice long walk along the river.

Sunset over the Muskingum, Lowell OH

That’s it for now. I continue to feel well and will have my next MRI in early April, so keep your collective fingers crossed. I promise I will get Egypt and Philly pictured posted soon and in the mean-time take care and enjoy the winter!

-T

Greetings all, today was a full day of sight-seeing in and around Athens, starting with the Acropolis and continuing on to the Hellenic Agora, the Athens Museum, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, Hadrian’s Arch,the Panolympic Stadium (home of the first Modern Olympics), the President’s Mansion (with traditional guards), and the small streets of the Plaka, the old quarter of Athens. Near the end of the day we headed out to the Temple of Poseidon by the sea. Too tired to write more, I guess I’ll leave it to a few pictures.

The Erecthion, Acropolis

The Temple of Olympian Zeus

Column detail, Temple of Zeus

Hadrian’s Arch

Panolympic Stadium

Guard, President’s Mansion

Statues, Athens Museum

The Hellenic Agora

Temple of Hephaestus, Hellenic Agora

Temple of Poseidon

Graffiti near the Plaka

Nightime in the Plaka

Greetings and welcome to the continuing story of our trip back to the USA. After Olympia and the long drive to Delphi we had a good night of sleep and started out just after dawn to visit the ruins of Ancient Delphi.

The Sanctuary of Apollo

For those that remember their Greek history/mythology, Delphi was home of the famous Oracle (in the form of a series of women who fullfilled the role), who was consulted for essentially every major question or decision made by the leaders of the various Greek states. The Oracle delivered her prophecies from the Sanctuary of Apollo, the most impressive building at the site.

Athenian Treasury (reconstructed)

In addition to the Sanctuary, the complex contained treasury buildings from each of the Greek states, where they would store and display all their donations and offerings to the Oracle.

Theater, Delphi

Delphi was also a worship center of Dionysis, and festivals were held in his name featuring the arts as well as the Pythian Games, second in importance only to the Olympics.

Stadium, Delphi

In addition to the main complex, Delphi was also home to an important tholos (round) Temple of Athena.

Temple of Athena, Delphi

After Delphi we hadded North towards Meteora, passing by Mt. Parnassos, home of the mythical Roc, and accross the high plains that are the breadbasket of Greece.

Mt. Parnassos

Greek plains

Along the way we passed a lot of trucks from Bulgaria, all of whom seemed to be carrying the Bulgarian version of Red Bull

Pit Bull, stronger than Red Bull

Finally, we arrived in Meteora, home of the ‘Stone Forest’ a collection of towering stone pinnacles topped by orthodox monasteries.

Meteora

The next day we visited several of the monasteries, getting a pretty good workout in the process and climbing A LOT of steps.

Grand Meteora Monastery

Monastery of St. Varvaras Rousanou

Holy Trinity Monastery

In addition to being spectacular from the outside, the monasteries are richly decorated within.

Icons, Holy Trinity Monastery

After Meteora we had a long drive back to Athens, stopping on the way at Thermopolae to check out the monument and statue of Leonidas. It was here that the Spartans held back the massive Persian army for 3 days.

Statue of Leonidas

Greetings all, after several days without a good Internet connection I am finally able to catch up here in Delphi. WARNING this is a long post as it includes photos from the last few days.

Jan 25

The last time I posted was after a day of London sight-seeing. Well, the next day (the 25th) Nicole and I took a bus tour (out of character for me but the only option…).

The Grey Tower

First stop was Windsor, where we visited the castle that is one of the primary homes of the royal family. The oldest part of the castle is called the Grey Tower, which started life as a traditional round, moated Norman keep and eventually morphed into it’s present form. Also on the grounds is the chapel of St. George.

Chapel of St. George

Stonehenge

The next stop was the most exciting for me, Stonehenge! No one really knows why the monument was built or what it’s purpose was, but the stones have been standing for over 4500 years and the earliest part of the monument has been there for over 5000!

Stonehenge

After Stonehenge, the final stop of the day was the Roman Baths at, where else, Bath.

Roman Baths, Bath

Jan 26th

Alps

The next day we flew from London to Athens, catching fantastic views of the snow-capped Alps. We arrived to late for any real sightseeing, but we could see Hadrian’s Arch and the Temple of Olympian Zeus from our hotel Balcony.

Hadrian’s Arch

Temple of Olympian Zeus

We also were able to visit a stone-topped hill next to the Acropolis with fantastic views. To top it off, we could see the lit-up Acropolis that night from the roof-top restaurant of our hotel.

Nicole with the Acropolis behind

The Acropolis at Night

Jan 27

Corinth Canal

The 27th we started our 4-day tour of Peloponnese and Central Greece with our driver John. He has a big Mercedes Yellow Cab and turned out to be a fantastic guide! We started by heading out of Athens towards the Corinthian Canal, which connects the Agean and Adriatic seas via the Gulf of Corinth. It was a bit of an adventure because there is a farmers strike and the farmers all over Greece are using their tractors to block highways, bridges and the like. Luckily John knows the areas very well and could take some local roads around much of the mess.

Temple of Apollo, Ancient Corinth

After crossing the canal we headed on to Ancient Corinth. We started out at the museum, then moved on to check out the ruins.

Mosaic, Corinth Museum

Mountain Fortress

After Corinth we continued on through the countryside passing several mountain-top fortresses from the Byzantine era before arriving at our next destination, ancient Mycenae.

The Acropolis of Mycenae

For those interested in Greek history, Mycenae was the home of Agamemnon, the king who ultimately commanded the Greeks in the war against Troy. It was here at the Acropolis of Mycenae that the kings of all the Greek states met to decide whether or not to attack Troy, and at the time the valley would have been filled with tens of thousands of soldiers awaiting the decision to march.

View from the Acropolis of Mycenae

Next stop was the picturesque sea-side city of Napflio.

Napflio

Napflio is very popular with honeymooners and taking a look at the location it’s easy to understand why. The town was founded by the Venetians, and they left their mark in the form of 2 fortresses that originally gaurded the town. One, Palamidi, was situated atop a high mountain overlooking the city,

Palamidi

while the second, Bourtzi rests on a small island just off the coast.

Bourtzi

After leaving Napflio, we went over high mountain passes, crossing Central Peloponesse on the way, eventually, to Olympia. On the way we stopped for a bit in the pretty village of Langadia.

Langadia

Church, Langadia

Eventually we made it through the rain to Olympia.

Olympia at night in the rain

Jan 28

Western Pediment of the Temple of Zeus, Olympia Museum

The next morning we woke up early and headed over to Ancient Olympia. We started at the archeological sight but soon fled to the museum to escape heavy (and freezing cold) rains. The museum is amazing, and contains a number of famous statues including the Hermes of Praxiteles, that in addition to the remains of the east and west pediments of the Temple of Zeus.

Hermes of Praxiteles and statue of Nike, Olympia Museum

After the museum, the weather had cleared and we re-toured the ruins, including the Temple of Zeus, whose gigantic columns are all collapsed, and the huge Olympic Stadium. It is incredible to think that you are walking on the same field as the ancient Olympians thousands of years ago!

The Temple of Zeus (with one restored column)

The Olympic Stadium

After Olympia, we headed up to Patras to cross the Gulf of Corinth to the Greek mainland.

The new Patras-Andirio bridge and the old fortress

While we were driving over to the ferry landing I happened to notice the reflection of the new bridge (built just before the Athens games) and the fortress that gaurded the Patras side of the old ferry route. I asked the driver to stop and was able to take the photo above (thanks John!).

View from the ferry, Gulf of Corinth

After that we boarded the ferry for the ride over to Andirio, then followed winfing mountain roads to Delphi, possibly my favorite place in the world and the end of today’s update. I will post again when I next have good Internet access. Take care all!

-Ted

View from Delphi, across olive groves to the Gulf of Corinth

Greetings all, Nicole and I made it safely to London yesterday and today did a bit of sightseeing. Right now I’m feeling more inclined to sleep than write, so I’ll just add a few pictures to chronicle the day.

Nicole & Big Ben

Westminster Abbey

Cleopatra’s Needle

‘The Gherkin’

The Tower of London

The Tower of London

Tower Bridge

St. Paul’s Cathedral

Nelson’s Column

The National Gallery

This will be the last post from Hong Kong, as PCCW is coming to collect my DSL modem in a few hours and we are leaving early in the morning on Friday. I’m not sure exactly how I feel about leaving Hong Kong. I’ll be glad to be away from the crowds and pollution, but this has been my home the last 3 years and is the place where I met and married Nicole so it will always have a special place in my heart.

Well, gotta get back to packing now since the clock is ticking. Look for a post in a few days from London and in the mean-time take care!

-Ted

Greetings all! Nicole and I are back from Siem Reap after a fantastic couple days. It was a little tiring seeing so much in such a short time, but it was invigorating as well to be surrounded by the remains of such an incredible culture. Visiting Angkor has been a dream of mine since I was about 10 0r 11 years old and saw pictures in a book, so the visit was particularly special for me.

Tonle Sap Lake

On the afternoon we arrived, we visited the Tonle Sap lake, which during the wet season covers over 10,000 kilometers and floods all of the nearby forest. We took a relaxing cruise on the lake and estuary before heading back for an early night.

Angkor Wat @ Sunrise

The next day we woke up around 4:30AM in order to see sunrise at Angkor Wat. While we didn’t get the rich colors that sometimes accompany an Angkor sunrise, the whole experience was pretty magical. Our driver dropped us off in the dark, with only moonlight to guide us. We could barely see anything and stumbled with the other folks accross the first causeway and through the outer gate, eventually finding a spot right by the reflecting pools. It was incredible to watch the temple slowly revealed as the sun rose.

View of Angkor Wat from a balloon

Entrance to Angkor Thom

After Angkor Wat we headed to Angkor Thom, which was the capital of the Khmer Empire and stretches 3km on a side.

The Bayon

Inside of Angkor Thom we first stopped at the Bayon temple, which features over 200 carvings of the face of the King that commissioned it. We also visited the Terrace of the Elephants and several other monuments within Angkor Thom.

Terrace of the Elephants

Preah Khan

Next we went to the Preah Khan temple, which has the only round columns of any Angkor-era building.

Ta Prom

After Preah Khan the next stop was Ta Prom, the temple that has been completely overgrown by the jungle (though the jungle has been mostly cleared back now).

Ta Prom

From Ta Prom we drove about 45 minutes outside of Siem Reap to visit a temple called Banteay Srei, which was built out of pinkish-red stone and is one of the most intracately carved monuments in the greater Angkor area.

Banteay Srei

Sunset from Pre Rup

We finished our day with sunset from another temple called Pre Rup.

The next day we visited a few more temples and generally relaxed, returning to Angkor Wat to see it in different light. Then it was time to head back to Hong Kong (with a long lay-over in Vietnam). It was a great trip.

After getting back all focus has been finishing up packing and shipping boxes while getting ready for the trip back to the USA. We leave on Friday early morning for London on the way to visiting Greece and Egypt. Hope to see many of you back in the USA after we arrive!

-Ted