My surgery date is October 21st. They said I should be in hospital just overnight, but I have a feeling it may be at least a day longer. The last one was supposed to be no overnight, but the anesthesia knocked my for a loop because I am sensitive to a lot of meds, so I could hardly wake up till that night, and I also had to be on oxygen.
Not nervous at this point. Might be a little the day before or something, but I’ll just be glad for the anticipation of it all to be finished. So, yeah, while surgery might not be what I’d call “excellent”, it is something will help to prolong my life and eventually give me a clean bill of health and it is excellent that I have a date and can start getting prepared for it!

With the surgery set, this means that I will be able to attend the gallery show in Philadelphia, “The Art of Giving” on November 6. Excellent! I have a piece in it and it is a benefit for Philabundance, an organization that combats hunger and malnutrition. There will be various wines for sale, which have been donated by several vineyards, and their labels on the back, with your choice of art from close to 40 different artists on the front of the bottle labels. If you want to come but need details.. let me know! Mom, Kathy and I are going, and if any of my friends want to go out to dinner at a restaurant (to be determined) with us afterwards, you are welcome! We’re also going to stay overnight at a hotel before driving back in the morning. Good fun!

I think this might just be my favorite excellent thing: My 2 year old nephew, Blaine, can’t really say my name and for a while he would also call me “Nana”. Now it is down to “Ana” which I love very much.
When my Sister was 3, she stuck an “M” on the front and called me “Mamy” and her eldest, Isaac, naturally did the same thing for a long time.
But I love that Blaine calls me “Ana” and I’m never going to correct him for it. Hope he continues to for at least a little while, if not longer. :-D

Now, I’m off to make some rye bread and herb dip… mmm mmm mmm!
(That makes it four excellent things, I suppose…) Catcha laters, alligators!
xoxoxo Amy

Back to work!
Finishing the piece for the (no name) Art Group which is supporting Philabundance this year. I have never felt as fulfilled doing my artwork as when I worked with this group in 2007, painting a memory portrait for a lovely girl named Tabitha at the El Shedai foster home in Uganda. Thanks to Sherry for all the work she’s done and continues to do, organizing it all, drumming up support, and also contributing her own work. I love being part of this team and helping others through my art. I think it’s important to think about the bigger picture, especially at times when I feel too self-absorbed. I know my cancer diagnosis is a legitimate reason to focus on myself right now, but if I am feeling well enough, physically and mentally to do artwork anyway, then I’m so happy to be able to do it for this kind of cause. It really is something I want to continue throughout my life!

Please go here for more information: (no name) Art Group

I will post some snaps of the process once everything is completed.

I am having a rough time. I did talk to Cameron tonight. Please pray for me to recover. I don’t want to die, but I do have thoughts of death. I can walk, write and draw but I do not feel like doing anything but singing and dancing and acting. The thing that gets me happy are the blue flowers I wear in my hair at night and the pink veil I dance with. It makes me remember I am an artist and that people are love. I feel happier at the thought of it. I will do more things to make myself well so that I can inspire others again.

Found on naturalnews.com:

“High-fructose corn syrup, unlike natural table sugar -which is produced from sugar cane or sugar beets – is manufactured through an industrial chemical process that turns starch molecules into fructose and glucose molecules, according to the CSPI’s release.

A highly refined, extracted sweetener like high-fructose corn syrup is not natural.”

Have you noticed, it’s in EVERYTHING?!

Just look.
Even in yogurt and bread.

“If refined sugar is so dangerous, even in small amounts, what can diabetics and obese people at risk of developing type 2 diabetes do to avoid it? First, turn to natural sweets like fruit. The natural sugar found in fruit and honey is fructose, which is much healthier than refined white sugar. However, commercially sold fructose, better known as high-fructose corn syrup, should be avoided, as it can contain up to 55 percent sucrose, which requires insulin to metabolize.”

This is not breaking news, I learned about it three years ago, but I think industry is doing it’s best to keep most people pleasantly in the dark about it. Ignorance is bliss. I am looking at the labels more closely these days. Sometimes it’s unavoidable for me to eat this stuff, that is how sneaky it is…. the lousy bastages! :-D They’ll pay for it one day when they eat enough of their own product.

Me? I’m going to look for sugar or honey when I need sweetness.

Link: Natural News

Today I was thinking of a funny thing that happened in Melbourne when Cameron and I were driving Ebony to a party one day. There were people on the roadway collecting money in buckets for what we thought was the Salvation Army. Cam handed the money to the man who walked up to the driver’s side window. He smiled at us and called out, “Thanks for saving the gay whales!” We stared at him blankly for a split second before he explained that “the kids love that one!”. He was a volunteer for the Victorian Association of Youth in Communities, which supports young teens who have social and family problems. We laughed long and hard over the one-liner, and I kept the flier in my pocket because it was such a funny memory.

These days I want to keep those funny and good memories in my pocket and do my best to stop rehashing the old broken and negative memories. It’s been a turbulent month as far as recovery goes, but I am getting there. I am happier than I have been in a long while and know how to cope with my emotions in a much healthier way. So far, so good! In fact, I wasn’t expecting to feel this good at all! It’s a most welcome and wonderful feeling.

To all of you reading this and supporting me, I thank you from the bottom of my heart! ;-D
All My Love,
Amy