The Joe In Philly Experience!

Update on #Cancer: Battle Nears An End

2016-09-28T22:23:00.001-04:00

(Again, if you spot typos let me know.)

Sooo...this is where we stood at the time of the previous cancer update: I went back on the Avastin (the chemo that was stopped due to the swelling in my feet and legs as well as the protein in my urine). I had two treatments, on 9/7 and 9/14. At the time I decided, after doing some reading, to take a magnesium supplement to try to limit swelling. Don't think it had any affect other than making me pee even more than I was.

Today I saw my chemo oncologist. The swelling has returned. The tests on my urine show the protein leaking into my urine again. So we're stopping the Avastin.
I
Meanwhile, I am having increasing difficulties with walking and using my lest hand for...well, anything...I've had a few falls. which were mostly embarrassing. But in the last two days I fell outside, in basically the same spot: near my mailbox. Yesterday I got lucky because I didn't have my phone on hand, but a couple of neighbors eventually came outside and helped me up. But my side is kinda sore and really, really bruised. Today's fall left me bleeding from my knee and elbow, and happened even while using my walker (clearly I haven't mastered the use of this device). My sister-in-law had arrived to take me to the doctor. One of the same neighbors who aided me yesterday happened to come outside again. I called my brother who works close by. He was here quickly. And then the mail carrier arrived as well and helped. "This isn't in your job description," I told him.

In talking with the doctor after the decision to discontinue the Avastin, the only option he could offer to continue trying to treat the tumor was a chemo in pill form, which was actually a standard method of treatment for glioblastoma before they started using Temodar and Avastin (both of which were unsuccessful in my case).

The doctor left me and my sister-in-law alone to talk. We both broke into tears (I'd like to point out that this was the first time in this whole thing that I cried. And that it's happened a couple more times since.)

So I made the decsion to end all further treatment on the tumor. The doctor said there's no way to give me a specific prognosis as to how much time I have. Just basing it on averages of other glioblastoma cases he offered a guess of six months.

Plans were previously made for me to move in with my brother Steve and his family. They have an extra room in their house that is almost like an apartment so I feel I'll be comfortable. They are getting things set up and the hope is the move will take place this weekend. I don't have to move much immediately -- mainly clothing and some things I may need immediately. The rest of the contents of the house I can take some time sorting (what to keep/donate/trash) as my cousin, who is buying my house as is and will renovate it and eventually move in, is giving me as much time as need.

I am also slated to speak to someone from hospice care, although at this point I'm functioning well enough (hard to beieve but it's true) that I won't need, say, nurse's visits on a regular basis. I think we'll be talking about equipment I can get (such as a wheelchair?)

(BTW the Duke University clinical trial was a no-go.)

I know this is bad news and a lot to process. But the good news is I still have my right hand for one-handed typing (minds out of the gutter) and my mind stilll works. So I intend to blog, tweet and complain about your behavior on Facebook for as long as I can.

My Sports Tees And Miscellaneous Caps, Part Last!

2016-09-23T11:00:00.000-04:00

...I should add an asterisk to that title. I may have pics of every last tee and cap I currently, but I may be getting rid of some soon because of how they've aged over the years (sweat stains, etc.) or just to make more closet space -- but at the same time I'll buy new stuff. In fact, a t-shirt is already being shipped as we speak. So there may be an update here and there.

Or maybe I'll just post them on Instagram.

P.S. Some of these pics aren't so great due to the lighting and the current difficulties in my left hand which make it tough to hold the camera steady...and fold the clothes so they look pretty.

Oh, this is one of my absolute favorites! The 2007 NL East Comeback/Collapse!

An example of the lighting messing with the colors..

Gotta love giveaway tees with giveaway advertising...

Meanwhile, which of these is NOT an official locker room edition?

Wait, I actually went to a 76ers playoff game? In THIS century???

From the night the AHL Phamtoms won the Calder Cup -- with the NHL lockout for the entire season this is all we had, and over 20,000 poured into the Wachovia or whatever bank had the name on the building..

And we conclude with my remaining Flyers garments...

More playoff giveaway with more giveaway ads..

At least this sponsor's slogan sort of fit...

And the one below came from Game 6 of the 2004 Eastern Conference Finals (with Tampa Bay up 3-2 in the series)..This was the GREATEST HOCKEY GAME I HAVE EVER SEEN, IN PERSON OR ON TV, including the two Stanley Cup clinchers and the game vs. the Russians in the 1970s. Keith Primeau at his finest. Jeremy Roenick. Simon Gagne. And I was just a few rows from the OT game-winner.

By the way, what idiot uploads video of an incredibly dramatic game from 2004 -- and puts an Ed Sheeran song from 2 years ago on it???? What a dumbass!

Finally, jersey time!

Both conferences had very cool, retro designs for the 2004 All-Star Game. The pic doesn't show the lace-up front too well.

The first of the three that I bought belongs to the Flyers' newest inductee into the Hockey Hall of Fame!

Movie Catching Up, Part Three

2016-09-19T08:36:00.000-04:00

And now to begin the home stretch of my movie catching up!

Star Trek Beyond is the latest installment of the recent reboot. The Enterprise is heading for a starbase to restock supplies; meanwhile, Captain Kirk is having doubts as to whether he wants to continue on the ship's five-year mission. The ship is dispatched to respond to a rescue signal when it is ambushed by a villain named Krall. Despite some decent action sequences it seems like a flimsy plot. I've read a couple comments that compare it to a TV series episode. I don't think I would go that far but it seems like a standard plot for Star Trek.

Probably the most notable thing about it isn't part of the plot but the revelation that Sulu has a husband and family. It's a nod to the openly gay George Takei, the original Sulu, but he was not pleased, because he wanted a new gay character, not changing the orientation of one of the established ones. My grade: C.

War Dogs is based on a true story (with embellishments, I'm sure), David (Miles Teller) is laboring away in 2005 as a massage therapist as well as a failed venture to sell high-quality bedsheets to nursing homes. At a funeral he reconnects with a high school friend, Efraim (Jonah Hill), who offers David a job at his new venture, buying arms and reselling them to the US Government during the Iraq War. David's learns his girlfriend is pregnant. The couple are both anti-war but David takes the job anyway. lying to her about his "business trips" (soon the guys are in the Middle East running guns to fill their orders) and his sudden income increase.

Both leads are appealing, though Hill often finishes a sentence with a laugh that's painful to hear. The "lying to girlfriend" angle is stale and the plot seems too far-fetched for a "true " story. My grade: C-plus.

And then there's Sausage Party, an animated movie for adults (very deserving of the R rating) which actually has an interesting premise. Inside a supermarket, all the products for sale worship people as their gods. They believe when they're "chosen" (i.e. purchased) they go to the "great beyond." Some items, though, are nonbelievers, non-perishables who claim to have returned from the great beyond and seen the horrible truth.

A sausage named Frank (Seth Rogen) and his girlfriend Brenda, a hot dog bun (Kristen Wiig) are happy to be chosen despite being warned by a nonbeliever. A mishap causes their packages to be left behind, unfortunately. Frank decides to journey to the liquor aisle because a bottle of liquor named Firewater is said to be an expert about the reality of the great beyond.

Oh, did I mention that Firewater is a Native American?

And here's the problem. Whatever statements the filmmakers (cowritten and coproduced by Rogen) are making -- about religion and beliefs and how they can divide us -- are completely overwhelmed by the "humor." Stereotypical humor (see: Firewater; a lesbian taco, and bickering bagel and lavash). Scatological humor. Sexual humor (ha ha, look at the giant orgy! Look at the douche, name of Douche, unload his product into the...I've said enough.) I think I actually laughed out loud twice, and that doesn't cut the mustard. My grade: D-minus.

That's all the movies I've seen in the theater. But I'm not done. I recently watched some movies On Demand and I've decided to write about those as well. Stay tuned!

Movie Catching Up, Part Two

2016-09-12T10:00:00.000-04:00

Welcome back to the return of regular blog posts! Hmmmm...well, that may be asking for a bit much, but at least I'm getting these movies out of the way. After this I have three more that I saw in theaters and two more via On Demand.

So Jason Bourne came out of hiding. Just skipping over whaterver happened in the Matt Damon-less C-less "Bourne Legacy," this sequel finds him in hiding but recovered from his amnesia. What brings him back this time? He's contacted by the former CIA operative (Julia Stiles) who helped him in the past and is now also on the run. Through computer hacking she's discovered files about how Bourne became part of the program that turned him into a killing machine -- and it involves his father. Soon they're both being hunted by CIA assassins. The action sequences are what you'd expect, but the film gets bogged down a bit by a subplot involving privacy rights and a secret deal in which the CIA is funding a social media venture to use it to spy on everyone. My grade: B.

Suicide Squad is one DC comic book that I've never been interested in, and in the wake of the film that hasn't changed. The premise: government operative Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) assembles a team of imprisoned villains, either wiith special skills (Deadshot, Will Smith), metahuman powers (El Diablo, Jay Herndandez), or just plain psycho (Harley Quinn, Margot Robbie), who are coerced to participate The team's job is to do whatever it takes should someone like, say, Superman (currently still dead in the movies) decided to destroy the planet. Soon there is such a threat and the "team" is sent into action. But secrets and lies threaten everything.

Having Harley Quinn in the mix led to adding the Joker, and there are a couple of cameos by Ben Affleck's Batman. (Meaning all of this takes in the ~~DC movieverse~~ DC Extended Universe alongside Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, etc.) And Jared Leto's Joker is awful, annoying in every scene in which he appears. Oh, Heath Ledger, why did you have to die?

And too many of the Squad members leave no impression as characters. They're just along for the ride or to serve to move the plot a bit. Fortunately, Robbie's Harley Quinn is a live wire, and Amanda Waller proves to be a total badass -- a term that fits Viola Davis as well. And a scene inserted into the credits makes me glad she's part of the ~~DC movieverse~~ DC Extended Universe. My grade: C.

P.S. I suddenly want to go see it again.

Movie Catching Up, Part One

2016-09-10T01:59:00.001-04:00

I 've been so behind on this because of my current life circumstances, but I am determined to get back on track. At least the older films are on Blu-ray or DVD or On Demand. (I decided to split this into multiple posts, BTW.)

Central Intelligence stars Kevin Hart, who's in pretty much every movie now, and Dwayne Johnson, who's also in pretty much every movie now. It starts with a flashback to high school. Hart is the BMOC with a bright future and comes to the rescue of the nerdy Johnson (in a fat suit) after a bullying incident. (By this way, am I detecting a trend of movies inserting messages and life lessons and such? I mentioned it in my comments on Zootopia.) Cut to a few yars later and Hart hasn't soared, working as an accountant. One day the Rock -- still nerdy but now buff -- shows up at Hart's workplace, claiming to be a CIA agent, needing Hart's accounting skills to prevent a terrorist attack. The plot is confusing/preposterous but the leads are fun. My grade: B.

It took almost as long as Pixar to make a sequel to Finding Nemo as it took me to get around to writing this post. Finding Dory focuses on the blue tang (again voiced by Ellen DeGeneres) with short-term memory loss. But Dory begins to remember brief snippets of her childhood and getting separated from her parents. She sets off to find them, and soon Nemo and his father Marlin are on her trail. Despite some new characters it's kind of a retread -- but wait! This film has a message too.This one's about the challenges faced by parents raising a special needs child. If you're dealing with this you may particularly identify with tjhe flashbacks to Dory's parents. My grade: B.

The first trailer for The Secret Life of Pets made me want to see it. It didn't reveal any plot details, though. It opens in a Manhattan apattment building as various pet owners say goodbye to their pets as they go off to work, etc., after which all the pets hang out together. Then one woman, owner of a Jack Russell Terrier named Jack, adopts a big dog named Duke from the pound. The two clash (jealousy issues) and that leads to misadventures on the mean streets (and sewers) of NYC. Kevin Hart (told you, he's in everything) voices the leader of a gang of abandoned pets. He's an angry...white fluffy bunny. Ultimately, despite some funny bits, it was kinda meh. My grade: C-minus.

Next are a couple of raunchy comedies (this first one more so). Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates -- the title explains the basic plot: brothers Adam Devine (starting to approach Hart/Rock status) and Zac Efron manage to wreck every big family gathering with their partying antics. Their parents order them to behave and bring respectable dates to their sister's upcoming wedding in Hawaii. A Craigslist ad leads to a TV appearance, which leads to two friends (Anna Kendrick, Aubrey Plaza) who are definitely not very respectable, but they fake it to get the free trip to the wedding. Hijinks ensue. Lots of R-rated sexual content but later comes some sweet and romantic moments as well as feelings begin to develop between characters. It was not as bad as I expected going in. My grade: C-plus.

The Bad Moms in this one are considered "bad" for different reasons by different characters. For example, Amy (Mila Kunis) is overwhelmed by her job, her two kids and her PTA duties, especially when she throws her husband out of the house for online cheating (which potentially could lead to some sexytime of her own with a hunky widowed father.) One day she breaks, letting her kids fend for themselves and quitting the PTA, making an enemy in its dominating president (Christiana Applegate). Amy fights back with the help of two more "bad" moms (Kristen Bell, Kathryn Hahn). And believe it or not I found a message -- about modern-day parenting and the way society has affected it. Kids are often overloaded with activities to get into better schools or pad their records for college, often stressing them out as well as their well-meaning parents. Come on, people, we all need down time! My grade: B.

The State of Pitching

2016-09-08T20:40:00.001-04:00

OMG, a post about sports!!!!

MLB needs to hold a summit meeting in the off-season to discuss the state of pitching, particularly starters. I got this idea after hearing the news about Stephen Strasburg's latest injury.

I've never seen a season where there were so many early exits, skipped starts, innings limit issues, pitchers shut down for the season, multiple times on the disabled list, etc. This has led to what seems to be an endless stream of pitchers called up to make their major league debuts...and then shortly after that they're on the DL as well.

Baseball has a lot of problems, but this is a crisis to me. They need to evaluate their training and workout programs as well as how they handle pitch counts and innings limits (face it, not only did the Nationals screw up their playoff hopes in 2012 with how they handled their end-of-season Strasburg shutdown, the last two seasons he's been oft-injured.)

What do you think of my idea?

Brief Update on #Cancer Front

2016-09-02T00:09:00.000-04:00

When I saw my chemo oncologist on the 26th, he presented me with another treatment option: going back on the Avastin via IV. This was the one that was stopped due to the swelling in my feet and legs as well as the protein in my urine. Since all the subsequent tests on the kidneys turned out fine, and the Avastin seemed to have the most success in slowing the progression of the cancer cells, the doctor felt it was worth a try. So I had my first biweekly IV Wednesday. If the swelling returns and I'm taken off the Avastin again, well, I honestly don't know what happens then.

I contacted Duke University about their clinical trials, and because I have multiple tumors now, even though the cell groupings are close to each other, I don't qualify for the much-hyped polio virus-turned-cancer cell killer, or any of the other trials, save one. For that one my tumor has to be something called EGFR (Epidermal growth factor receptor) amplified 5 fold. My oncologist is going to check the pathology from my previous surgeries tested to find out my number, though he said the number can change over time. The only way to know the current number is to test a new sample, which would require another surgery, which, as I explained previously, isn't really an option after having two already. So I think this is a long shot at best. If I did somehow get qualified, I'd have to go down to Duke every 2 weeks.

My Sports Tees And Miscellaneous Caps, Part 7

2016-08-30T09:30:00.000-04:00

With all that's going on related to my cancer, things are kinda tough, including with this blog. But last night I finally got a picture of EVERY baseball cap I own! (For now. Some are quite old and have sweat stains so it may be time for them to go, and there's a Phillies cap or two I'd like to buy if they're available/the right price.)

And so I present the final batch of caps...followed by some cool throwback t-shirts I got recently...

OMG! A 76ers cap! And the 1997 Flyers Eastern Conference Championship. That was a fun ride. Until it wasn't. #chokingsituation

Baltimore Orioles giveaway from a game in 2002, some time when I gave money to Human Rights Campaign (something I'll never do again), and from the golden days of Outsports.

These tees are from Shibe Vintage Sports, and I love them! There are a few more I hope to get soon.

Except for the above, which also comes in red for the Vet's other main tenant, so far I've got some long-gone teams...

Note: this pic is from the Shibe website. My pic turned out a brown color(????) The Bell, from something called the World Football League, looked like a success story when they initially drew over 50,000 to JFK Stadium. Turns out they gave most of the tickets away. It killed the team. The WFL soon followed.

The Star were able to play at the Vet because USFL played their games in the spring. And they won a chapmionship! (See, Eagles, it IS possible!) Then this happened. The Stars were forced to move to Baltimore until the league was killed. #NeverTrump

The Blazers played here for one year before moving. They were from the WHA, the league that the NHL eventually took some teams from. Not the Blazers, of course. The NHL did get a team from Edmonton. Had a kid named Gretzky. Whatever happened to him?

Before Oakland, before Kansas City, they were the Philadelphia Athletics. And look at this list of championships won while they were here (before things went sour and they...you get the idea.)

World Series titles: 1910 1911 1913 1929 1930
AL Pennants: 1902 1905 1910 1911 1913 1914 1929 1930 1931

Phillies? Any comment?

The Firebirds were a minor league hockey team that played at the long-gone Civic Center (fun fact: the building's gone but Civic Center Boulevard keeps the name to this day!) I was at their final home game in 1979 before they moved to Syracuse. Someone outside handed out fliers asking fans to chant "Keep the Birds in Philly!" midway through the 2nd period. The result: dead silence. #ByeFelicia

Not good news on the cancer front

2016-08-14T02:54:00.000-04:00

Again, if you see weird typos and such, let me know so I can fix them.

So in my last update I talked about the aftermath of the MRI I had at the end of April. During May I went through a brief round of radiation. I had 10 total treatments that only lasted maybe 10 to 15 minutes each After that I started the next chemo treatment, this medicine being called irinotecan. This was administered via IV (and it took about THREE hours each time) in a regimen spread out over a few weeks. It was done on Wednesdays. First they did it on back-to-back Wednesdays, then they'd skip a week, then they would repeat the process. The day after each second Wed. treatment I got an injection of a medication designed to keep my white blood cell count high.

Luckily, unlike the previous chemo, this one did not cause my legs or feet to swell. In fact, the previous swelling went away thanks to getting off the Avastin as well as changing my diet to reduce my salt intake. However, in the last 2 or 3 weeks or so my diet has very much gone to pot. I've been eating more junk food and red meat so my weight has come up a little bit; also, I think my feet are swelling a little bit so I really have to get control of what I'm eating again. I'm due to see the nephrologist in about 2 weeks. There shouldn't be any issue with my kidneys, though.

Which brings us to my latest MRI on Wednesday. I saw my chemo oncologist Friday. He had the results and they were not good. The area which showed the cancer cells in the last MRI still shows cancer cells. And he said there are more cells growing in kind of a ring pattern around that area.

He spoke to my radiation oncologist, who said they really couldn't do any more radiation because of the two previous rounds of radiation; there's only so much radiation that they can do to the brain, and it doesn't seem to be helping anyway even if they could do more. They also said they feel surgery isn't really an option since I've already had two in that area, though I have the option to a talk to a neurosurgeon about it.

My chemo oncologist said he reached out to Penn Medicine to the doctor I saw previously to see if I qualified for the clinical trial.(By the way, I did not qualify for that particular trial based on my genetic testing.) So he sent her an email to see if there were any other trials going on; he has not heard back from her yet.

He also suggested I should contact Duke University because they have a lot of activity as far as trials for treatments of glioblastoma. CBS News did a report on one a while back that showed great promise. I shared it on Facebook at the time. I don't know if I can get into the trial or any of the logistics as far as how many times/how often would I have to go down there and for how long.

In the meantime my chemo oncologist said there are two more chemo drugs I can try, but they don't have much of a track record for treating glioblastoma. One that seems to be slightly more promising would be in pill form given every six weeks.The other would be given intravenously every 3 weeks. My thought is right now to start on the pill form of the chemo and then try and see what clinical trials are available either here or at Duke in the meantime, but I have to let the doctor know of my decision when I see him on the 26th of this month.

I had a suspicion that it was not going to be good news just because some of my issues have seemed to worsen recently. My left leg has been still kind of weaker, dragging my foot when I walk. The forefinger and thumb on my left hand are still giving me problems: gripping things, typing and holding my phone, getting out of chairs or using a toilet in the restroom --all of this has really become frustrating. To hopefully alleviate of this, my doctor increased the dose on the steriod Decadron (it had been stopped for a while and then I went back on it but at a lower dosage). So incompetent customer service people, Jehovah's Witnesses knocking at the door, ignorant drivers who don't like stopping for pedestrians with the right of way -- get ready for more ROID RAGE!

Quick Review: Ghostbusters

2016-07-18T08:26:00.000-04:00

I have to say I was a bit concerned with the social media and other commentary regarding Ghostbusters, the latest franchise reboot, being a bad idea because the Ghostbusters are now women. After all these years Hollywood is still unfair to women, whether it's the type of roles and scripts they're offered or their pay compared to male actors. So I made sure I saw it during opening weekend, and the box office report says it earned $46 million.

And it deserves it, because despite a bit of a slow start to set things up, it's quite funny. The new 'busters (Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones) work well together, and Chris Hemsworth gets to ham it up as their receptionist, hired despite being dumb as a post but pretty to look at. The plot involves a scheme to open a portal to release malevolent spirits and bring on the apocalypse. There's a post-credits scene to set up a sequel, and though I tend to frown on them I want one in this case. If nothing else, it may help shut up the sexist Twitter trolls...no, they're like the cockroaches that will survive nuclear holocaust. My grade: B-plus.

P.S. Classic title song >>>>> New theme song.

My iTunes Shuffle Baker's Dozen 7/17/16

2016-07-17T11:24:00.000-04:00

Remember when I posted these regularly? For that matter, remember when I posted ANYTHING regularly?

I've been listening only to specific playlists for a while, and I forgot the simple joy of the shuffle.

Love One Another - Cher
I'm Not The Man I Used To Be (Smith And Mighty Version) - Fine Young Cannibals
Love Shack - The B-52's
Country Sunshine - Dottie West
Getting Away With It - Electronic
Go Insane - Lindsey Buckingham
Dazz - Brick!
It Don't Come Easy - Ringo Starr
The Main Main Event (mashup) - RuPaul/Barbra Streisand
Dedicated To The One I Love - The Mamas & The Papas
Giving You The Benefit-Extended Club Mix - Pebbles
Don't Leave Me This Way (Featuring Sarah Jane Morris) - Communards
I Loves You Porgy - Nina Simone

Some More Movies I Haven't Written About

2016-07-04T08:00:00.000-04:00

Good grief, I don't even remember when I started writing this. So, some more procrastination and time wasting, my medical issues and unrelated issues and we have seven movies I've seen dating back to the day before my birthday. And also, I haven't even been to a movie in a month! (Speaking of which, at this point I'll have to turn Birthday Disco Month into Birthday Disco Year and try to get my 30 posts done before I turn 55. And when that happens there will be NO salute to Sammy Hagar, I swear!)

Captain America: Civil War: It's pretty amazing that with a few exceptions every Marvel movie is essentially a continuation of the Avengers, This time there's a split over the world's governments wanting superheroes either to register and come under governmental control or retire. Iron Man: pro. Cap: anti. Others pick a side or have their own agendas (such as the new-to-the-films Black Panther).Not much to complain about, except the guy who orchestrated the events that lead to the split is kind of lame. On the other hand, they nailed the introduction in this Marvel Cinematic Universe of Spider-Man. Nailed it! My grade: A.

The Boss: A starring vehicle for Melissa McCarthy, as a wealthy CEO, nasty to everyone until she loses everything and goes to jail for insider trading. Then...well, she's still nasty, even to her former assistant (Kristen Bell), the one person still willing to take her now-homeless ex-boss in. Can she claw her way back to the top and maybe even become a better person? (cough)formula(cough) Which isn't to say there aren't (R-rated) laughs. Just don't expect a brilliant story in addition. My grade: C-plus.

Sing Street: I loved this little indie out of Ireland. Conor, a teenager in Dublin in 1985 has to switch to a state-run Catholic school due to the family's financial problems. While trying to avoid bullying by both other students and the principal, he meets a pretty girl and, to impress her, tells her he's in a band. He then has to start a band. There's a lot of great interaction between all the main characters, but I was particularly touched by the relationship between Conor and his older brother. There's great music of the era (the Cure, Duran Duran, etc. and a few originals that fit in as well. My grade: A-minus.

Money Monster: George Clooney plays Lee Gates, a host of a wild Wall Street TV show (think "Mad Money" and Jim Cramer) and Julia Roberts is the show's director. One day after a stock touted by Gates completely tanks, loising virtually its entire value, a guy who invested his meager life savings in said stock breezes onto the show's set (way too easily! Hello, security?), pulls a gun and forces Gates to put on a vest lined with explosives, threatening to blow up the host and kill himself if he doesn't get an explanation. Everything plays out in the studio, on live TV and eventually the streets of New York, it's all well-acted and tense enough, but a bit preposterous. But it dosen't comment on Wall Street shenanigans the way The Big Short tried to, and Clooney and Roberts actually shared just one scene together; they mostly talked via the studio PA system or phone. My grade: B.

Zootopia: I was stunned, The ads pulled you in with a world populated with nothing but animals walking and talking and living in a modern utopia, where predators and prey live in harmony, with a rabbit who achieves her goal of being the first rabbit police officer in Zootopia, but put on parking-ticket duty because the police chief doesn't think she can do anything else, and when she does try and solve a crime she's forced to get info from the "fastest" DMV worker -- a sloth. Hahaha! Animated comedy! But as the movie continues, the timely message -- in utopia things aren't always what they seem, and even in a diverse society, old prejudices lurk not far from the glossy surface -- is skillfully and subversively worked in. Brilliant. My grade: A-plus.

The Nice Guys: Buddy action-comedy set in 1977 Los Angeles, starring Ryan Gosling as...well, not the most successful private eye in the world, who with some help from his young daughter, teams up with Russell Crowe as an enforcer-for-hire to investigate the case of a porn star killed in a car crash but whose aunt insists she saw her alive days later. Raunchy, violent, and surprisingly funny. I liked the pairing of Crowe and Gosling. My grade: B-plus.

X-Men: Apocalypse: The younger X-Men from "Days of Future Past" -- with a a few new mutants -- have to save the world from the very first mutant, who rules ancient Egypt until he's entombed (despite his powers?) until 1983. He is angry at the state of modern society and decides to destroy everything and start anew. But he needs a few more mutants -- again, if he's so powerful why does he need help (Four Horsemen, as it were)? A lot of plot that makes no sense. But like in the last film, there's another standout sequence featuring Quicksilver (Evan Peters) using his speed -- this time to evacuate the students of the Xavier School as an epxlosion is about to destroy it -- and it's set to "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" by Eurythmics! 1983 rules! My grade: C-minus.

Trenton Thunder 9/1/15

2016-05-20T06:42:00.003-04:00

Last September I went to three minor league baseball games in the span of 8 days, with two being first-time
visits (and the other being the Camden Riversharks, who have since moved out of the area). I started with the Trenton Thunder, and what did I find when I left the light rail stop nearest the ballpark? The New Jersey State Prison!

Thanks, Google! Good to know they're open 24-7.
Wouldn't want crooks waiting outside all night to get in.
And 3.8 stars!

Along the wall of the prison there's a mural...

I noticed that structurally all three parks sort of look the same. Did minor league parks go through a cookie-cutter phase like, for example, the Vet, Three Rivers in Pittsburgh and Riverfront in Cincinnati?

My Sports Tees And Miscellaneous Caps, Part 6

2016-05-10T07:00:00.000-04:00

Surprise! NOT about movies! NOT about disco! NOT even about cancer! It's more shirts and caps, in photos mostly taken months ago!

Let's start with the Phils, since they're in season -- and doing surprisingly well! Most of these I got from the clearance racks. First one is actually not a t-shirt.

Some from the recent glory days...

Two from 2008 -- one official, one not...

THIS SHIRT IS A FRAUD! They didn't use that logo in 1980. I don't think they even had official locker room t-shirts in 1980! But the important thing to know is, I WAS THERE IN PERSON ON THAT WONDERFUL NIGHT AT THE VET! All you 2008 attendees, I am only a little jealous because, after all, there's nothing like the first time.

Last game at the Vet (I was there -- actually I saw the last 7 Phils' games at the Vet)...

...and I was there for the first official game at Citizens Bank Park!

And now some Eagles shirts -- some long-sleeved, some replica jerseys. First one is front and back...

Only bought this because I decided I needed the black one as well. Mike Patterson???

Ahh...much better. Westbrook and Trotter...

Hey, remember that time the Patriots cheated the Eagles out of a Super Bowl win?

Now, some caps! The Temple cap I no longer have. I gave it to my friend Kurt, a Temple alum.

Yankees cap was a giveaway item when I saw a game at the OLD Yankee Stadium. The Altoona Curve (minor league baseball) cap I got at the Outsports gathering in LA in February 2003. Everyone gave up an item from one of their teams and got something in exchange. And that weekend the Presidents Day blizzard stranded me in sunny California for TWO extra days!!!

And, finally, the man who gave a huge boost to the Flyers -- and also shares my birthday!

Birthday Month Extended: Day 12 (Mother's Day Edition)

2016-05-08T16:36:00.004-04:00

I'm telling you, I'm doing 30 of these! But this is only going to contain one song, in honor of Mother's Day: from Philly's own Gamble and Huff, the Intruders with "I'll Always Love My Mama." (From a Soul Train broadcast!)

Neverending Story -- new #cancerisabitch update

2016-05-04T18:54:00.002-04:00

(Forgive any typos and the like if you spot them, and let me know so I can edit. I've already edited but I probably missed something.)

It's starting to feel a bit like piling on.

As previously mentioned here, my chemo oncologist stopped my Avastin treatments and referred me to a nephrologist to check on my kidneys because of protein in my urine. I also had a followup with my radiation oncologist the next day (April 26). I updated both on things like the leg swelling and weakness, general tiredness, the return of the focal seizures in my face, and some reoccurring problems grasping things with my left thumb and index finger and speech (stumbling on words, etc.), all which indicated that the glioblastoma was possibly reasserting itself. The two oncologists arranged to have me get an immediate outpatient MRI that very day. Sure enough, the tumor is starting to grow again.

I saw the radiation doc on the 27th. She said that having had two surgeries already, and especially with it not being extremely large yet, another surgery is not really an option now. She (consulting with the chemo doc) recommended another round of radiation, but only for two weeks (Mon. thru Fri.), and in a more limited area of the brain, followed by a different chemo treatment. To alleviate the issues I mentioned above, I was placed back on the steroid decadron. They (and, I assume, the lack of Avastin) have had positive effects. My legs, although there's still swelling, are stronger again, and my fingers and speech (and typing) are improving. And the extended-release version of Keppra the seizure specialist put me on (see last post) has completely stopped the facial twitching. For now, at least.

Today I saw the chemo doc, followed by, finally, because I had the wrong number for the office for a couple days (rolling eyes), the nephrologist.

Chemo doctor said that after I have the radiation (to be scheduled -- phone call tomorrow), I will start on irinotecan via IV. Because of side effects (possible nausea, diarrhea -- OH JOY! -- and lower white blood cell counts) he wants to lessen the amount of each dose and spread them out over a period of time a little. Maybe one dose one week and two doses a couple of weeks later, or something like that. To be determined.

He also said he tried following up with the doctor at Penn to find out if I quality for the immunotherapy vaccine clinical trial, and they haven't gotten back to him. He feels this is a sign that either I didn't qualify based on the genetic testing or they didn't have room, or something, because otherwise they would have likely contacted me quickly to get me into the program. (They also never got back to me after my recent followup. Another phone call tomorrow.)

As for the nephrologist, he really believes that the biggest factor in the protein in the urine is not from a kidney problem but basically some combination of the Avastin, my diet (way too much sodium) and the recent doubling in the dose of my blood pressure medication amlodipine. This is also an issue in my swollen legs. He thinks I have an extra 30 pounds of weight just from that. He has given me a prescription for another blood pressure med (one he takes himself, he said), and told my to cut my amlodipine back to where it was. He wants me to restrict my sodium intake, cut out red meats (NO MORE BURGERS??? NEVAH!!!! but I will cut back a lot), eat more chicken and fish, egg whites, etc.

One week after I'm on the new med he wants me to have blood work done (the fasting kind) and he also wants me to have an ultrasound on the kidneys. I follow up with him in August. If there are still problems at that point, he'll want to do a kidney biopsy, which would be a needle into my body to remove kidney tissue.

Okay, I think that covers the facts and figures, so to speak.

This feels like it's getting more and more complicated. So much to do, so much to keep track of, and I'm beginning to worry about whether I'll actually get to do some of the fun things I was hoping to do during the summer, like a few days at the shore, some Broadway shows in NYC, maybe a Phillies road trip. Sure, going to the downtown parks and festivals and the like are great, but I need more. What I really need are friends to do some of these things with. The people who I know would go places with me all live too far away. The people who live here are just acquaintances, or just Facebook "friends." And my family is great, but it's not the same dynamic. So if any of y'all can help me out here that'd be awesome.

Also, I swear I'm gonna get those Birthday Month Disco posts done.

And also again, READ AND SHARE MY RECENT POLITICAL POST, DAMMIT!

Birthday Month: Day 11

2016-04-30T01:54:00.000-04:00

Some more 70's goodness!

The Hues Corporation -- "Rock the Boat"

Speaking of rocking, George McCrea wants you to "Rock Your Baby," which would be him, by the way...

P.S. There's a mashup of this with Annie Lennox's "Little Bird." I have it in my iTunes but couldn't find it online.

Carl Douglas (no relation to Carol) says everybody was Kung Fu Fighting! (I wasn't.)

I wasn't doing The Hustle, either, Van McCoy.

Birthday Month: Day 10

2016-04-30T01:30:00.000-04:00

What's that, you say? You want more??? The Andrea True Connection (not to be confused with the Joe in Philly Experience because, for one thing, she was doing porn films when she hit with this song) obliges you with 'More, More, More."

And here's a song that sampled "More, More, More:" Len's "Steal My Sunshine". Wikipedia says it helped give Andrea True a few VH1 appearances on their various countdown shows. Classic disco influences 90s pop! Well, not so much for Len, as they, like Andrea, were one hit wonders.

Birthday Month: Day 9

2016-04-30T01:08:00.000-04:00

I owe it to myself to see this through, even if it goes well into May! To do that, I'm not gonna put a bunch of songs on one post unless they are from/related to one artist. Here's some early stuff.

Some advice for those of us battling health issues: follow your Doctor's Orders. Or Carol Douglas's. :)

And if you don't, well... Shame, Shame, Shame on you! (Shirley & Company)

And here are two songs from Silver Convention. Each song's lyrics consists of a grand total of six words.

"Fly, Robin, Fly"

"Get Up And Boogie"

Advice For Candidates, Supporters And Successors

2016-04-27T16:24:00.000-04:00

What? A post not about my cancer or featuring disco music? WHAAAAA...? It's true, though. I start with a quote:

You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes you might find
You get what you need

(The Rolling Stones)

With Pennsylvania and four other states having held their primaries yesterday, Republican Donald Trump and, especially, Democrat Hillary Clinton are both closer than ever to clinching their party's nominations. FiveThirtyEight's Nate Silver says that Trump's sweep of all five states makes it likely that if Indiana wants Trump (whether he can go back there or not) the Cruz-Kasich tag-team, formed much, much too late, will be probably be unable to stop Trump from preventing the contested GOP convention they so desperately need.

FiveThirtyEight also says that, barring a miracle, Clinton (winning 4 of 5, including the big prize of PA) will have more total elected delegates than Bernie Sanders, and adding in the superdelegates (more on them in a bit) makes her pretty much the a certainty to win the nomination in Philadelphia in July. (Side note: if health permits I plan to volunteer at the convention here in some capacity.)

So with that, and the comments I'm reading from supporters of both Bernie and Hillary ranging from angry to smug, bitter to ecstatic, desperate for a miracle to anxious to fast-forward to the fall, and too much it nasty, I've decided to spend a few minutes dispensing some advice -- I'm a little more focused on Sanders, any progressive candidates who may come in his wake, and his supporters, many of whom are younger and idealistic -- certainly much younger than myself and somewhat more idealistic. :o . But I'm nothing if not an equal-opportunity advice giver.

ADVICE TO TRUMP, CRUZ, KASICH AND THEIR SUPPORTERS

Go fuck yourselves. Hard. All of you. America doesn't need to be made great again. It's already pretty dammed great and getting better, no thanks to any of you, you bunch of racist, misogynistic homophobes and religious zealots.

ADVICE TO "MODERATE" REPUBLICANS

I still maintain that there's no such thing, but giving them the benefit of the doubt, here goes: Leave the GOP. Now. En masse. Join the Democrats if you can. If you can't bring yourselves to do that, join another party, form your own party, or become independents. But LEAVE THE GOP NOW. Face the facts: they left YOU a long time ago. If you're truly not one of the aforementioned bunch of racist, misogynistic homophobes and religious zealots, you don't belong in their party any longer. By staying Republicans, you give them numbers, a support structure. You're enabling them to spread their hate. You're nothing but cowards.

ADVICE TO CLINTON AND HER SUPPORTERS

Hillary. Gurrrl. I feel you know a lot of this because you're smart. First, reach out to the Sanders boosters, especially the younger ones. To see the passion in them, for their causes, makes me feel better than I have a while for the future. There are a lot of good ideas out there. Some may require skillful handling to get them enacted, some others need tweaking, but you can do that. Don't dismiss anything out of hand. Give the Bernie fans a fair and respectful hearing. Convince them you DO have their interests at heart, and that you're "not the same as Trump." Because, dammit, YOUR'E NOT THE SAME AS TRUMP! Don't let the right distort your record to give people thoughts such as this. And don't be afraid call the right-wing extremists the liars that they are.

In conclusion, Hill, I say to you in my best RuPaul voice from Drag Race: Good luck...and DON'T fuck it up!

And to the Hillary supporters: I think a lot of you, generally skewing (but not exclusively) older, are too arrogant and smug, in your support for Hillary and your disdain for Bernie and especially his younger supporters. You should debate topics, certainly, but not just put down Sanders and his fans, even those who say things like "Hillary's the same as Trump." I repeat: HILLARY CLINTON IS NOT THE SAME AS DONALD TRUMP. You know that. I know that. I think even they know it. They're lashing out in anger. You need to debate issues, but with facts. Not just spin, and not with insults and condescension. You are alienating these people when you need them -- not just to win the White House but to mount a serious effort to take back the House and Senate. Because we all know getting anything substantial through a GOP-controlled Congress will be extremely difficult for any Democrat.

ADVICE FOR SANDERS, HIS POSSIBLE SUCCESSORS, AND HIS SUPPORTERS

BERNIE! YO! (fist bump) I voted for you! Maybe not for the reasons you'd expect, but still...so anyhoo, I voted for Hillary in the 2008 PA primary, and she went to lose the nomination. This year I voted for you...and you're going on to lose the nomination. (Hmmm...maybe future candidates should pay me NOT to vote for them?) You now need to face that and achieve what you can. I'm not saying you should drop out now. But your focus needs to be on: 1) continuing to push for your agenda items, especially in the Democratic platform; 2) in doing so, avoid severe attacks on Hillary, because that just gives more ammunition to the right-wing, as well as those who like to say things like "Hillary's the same as Trump." Because as I've said before: HILLARY CLINTON IS NOT THE SAME AS DONALD TRUMP. It seems that you may be heeding this advice already. Good!

Just a little more advice for you -- or anyone who follows in your footsteps, whether running for President or other offices: build coalitions of like-minded candidates at all levels. We had a guy running for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate here in PA. Maybe you've heard of him? John Fetterman. Very atypical politician. Little money to spend, no party support, and endorsed you for President. You...did nothing in response. Why?

Imaging if you joined with Fetterman and you both worked together, each building on the other's strengths, providing each with support, financial or otherwise. In essentially a three-person race (one candidate was taken off the ballot and reinstated by court order just before the election, and he was pretty much ignored). Fetterman, by himself, managed to get damned near 20 percent of the vote in the primary! Imagine if you worked together. Imagine if you did that nationwide! Surely you could have helped get some of your candidates to win. Your coalition could have a stronger influence on party policies...such as superdelegates. Or if not, you have the basis for the beginning of a new party. Imagine if your coalition combined with those "moderate" Republicans I talked about earlier. If you all were serious about working for the good of all, realized neither side would get what they want all the time, and you broke the logjam in Washington. This could be not just a viable third party, but one capable of taking the place of one of the big two. Imagine it!

BTW, your supporters are angry and upset you lost in PA, and really up in arms about this superdelegate issue. I don't particularly blame them. I'm not saying this system is fair or just. However, superdelegates have been part of the Democrats' nominating process since 1984, so any serious candidate should know/have known by now to have a plan to fight for as many as them as possible. So my closing plea to you, Mr. Sanders, as you go onto the convention and beyond, keep engaging your supporters. You did a great job in inspiring them and energizing them. Now you need to refocus them to the number one goal from now through November: keeping the Republicans OUT of the White House.

And, finally (deep breath) thank you for waiting your turn so patiently, Bernie fans. First, let me get this out of the way...

Hillary Clinton is not the same as Donald Trump.
HILLARY CLINTON IS NOT THE SAME AS DONALD TRUMP.
HILLARY CLINTON IS NOT THE SAME AS DONALD TRUMP!

I feel that needs to be said as often as necessary until it really sinks in.

Though not exclusively so, Sanders's support skews (say that three times fast) younger. And that is awesome. So much of the good things that are happening (especially in Philly) are due to the young. The milliennials. And that is awesome. Seriously, you are giving me LIFE right now, and with my battle continuing against the cancerous tumor in my brain continuing, I can really use that energy.

But that's not going to happen if you have an extended sulk because Bernie Sanders lost in PA and is about to lose the national delegate race, to the point where you don't vote at all in November, or write in a name, or -- God forbid -- vote for an actual Republican instead of the one some think Hillary is.

You have to realize that while Hillary is not perfect, and nor was her husband, much of what he did/she wants to accomplish, is being viciously fought by the Republican party. They despise the Clintons only slightly less than they despise President Barack Obama (because racism, duh). They wasted valuable time and money on a fruitless impeachment, and they're now wasting valuable time and money on a fruitless email "scandal."

Think of all the things you want to see happen in the near future. Do you want full equality for the LGBT community in everything, and not just marriage rights? Housing? Employment? The right to use a public restroom that corresponds to your gender identity? An increase in the minimum wage? How about the right for a woman to make her own health choices without government and/or church interference? Or more public accountability for incidents of police brutality? Or an end to gerrymandering to protect the party in charge by creating legislative district borders convoluted beyond reason but which contain larger numbers of the "correct" party (i.e. the one in control)? The list can go on for a while...

YOU WILL GET NONE OF THIS FOR A MINIMUM OF FOUR YEARS IF A REPUBLICAN TAKES THE OATH OF OFFICE IN JANUARY 2017.

As you get older you'll realize, as I have, that no one candidate is perfect, and none of them can accomplish anything by themselves. Which is the other reason voting in November: to take the Senate, and maybe the House, out of GOP hands. This will reduce the chances of completed obstructionism, as we see so much now.

It is said that politics is the art of the possible. You've proven this. You propelled the Bernie campaign farther than the vast majority of pundits thought was possible. You now have the opportunity to prove it again, by crushing the dreams of the Republican racist, misogynistic homophobes and religious zealots.

I close...with another quote:

The world only spins forward. We will be citizens. The time has come. Bye now. You are fabulous creatures, each and every one. And I bless you: More Life. The Great Work Begins.

(the final lines of "Angels in America: Part Two: Perestroika)

New #cancerisabitch Update: Featuring Pee!

2016-04-25T22:01:00.000-04:00

So I found out today that I'm off (at least temporarily) the Avastin treatments.

A couple weeks ago the urine sample I gave them on my regular visit showed some protein in it, although not at a high level. My oncologist was concerned enough to have me do a 24-hour urine collection, which I completed a week ago (at home -- because there was no way I was carrying a jug of pee around with me to work, so I waited until my last work day until this coming fall, which was April 15th). This time the testing showed it had a even higher protein level. So he wants me to see a nephrologist to see if there's a problem with my kidneys. The protein could just be a side effect of the Avastin, though.

I'm still waiting to see if I quality for the immunotherapy vaccine clinical trial through Penn. They had said the genetic testing would take a couple months, and it's been that long since I saw that doctor, so I called the office to follow up, and I'm waiting to hear back from them.

Also, I mentioned a while back that my focal seizures had returned and were occurring periodically. I saw a seizure specialist, who thought I might benefit from switch from the regular formula of keppra (anti-seizure med) to the extended-release version. I've been on that for 3 weeks. At first it didn't seem to help -- in fact, at one point it happened three consecutive nights -- but I haven't had one in the last week-plus. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

I'm to schedule my next MRI in May.

Birthday Month: Day 8 (And Phillies -- Really)

2016-04-25T21:20:00.000-04:00

When I first got the idea for this series of posts, this song immediately jumped into my mind. Coinicidentally, this story popped into into my Twitter feed today...

Phils celebrate 40 years since 'Phillies Fever'

But how this other "classic," written about Pete Rose and released the year he joined the Phils, has been lost to the dustbin of history...

Pamela Neal - "Charlie Hustle" (Haven't found it on You Tube but you can listen to an mp3 at this link. The accompanying article at the website is hilarious in that it says this song "anticipates the coming of Blondie..." Ummm, no.)

Birthday Month: Day 7

2016-04-17T09:00:00.000-04:00

When I left work on Friday, April 15th -- for the last time until September!!! -- I posted this first song to Facebook and Twitter. So this leads to a string of Kool and the Gang here.

"Celebration"

They started out, however, in jazz, before moving into a more soul-funk sound...

"Jungle Boogie" (sampled in, among other hits, Madonna's "Erotica")

"Hollywood Swinging"

"Open Sesame" was featured in the "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack...

When James "JT" Taylor became lead vocalist the band's sound became more disco-fied, and they had some of their biggest hits...

"Ladies Night'

The rest of these followed "Celebration."

"Steppin' Out"

"Get Down On It"

"Big Fun" (not a huge hit but I like it a lot more than some of the others on this list)

As time passed deeper into the 1980s the rise of MTV drove veteran acts to make videos like this...

"Misled"

"Fresh"

Birthday Month: Day 6

2016-04-15T07:30:00.000-04:00

Choose your favorite versions of these classics. I DARE YOU! (And if you have other cover battle sugesstions, let me know!)

"Never Can Say Goodbye," Gloria Gaynor vs. the Communards (whose lead vocalist was, as you should know, one-time Bronski Beat lead singer Jimmy Somerville)...

...or "Don't Leave Me This Way," Thelma Houston vs. the Communards (again)...

...or how about "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)," Sylvester vs. Jimmy Somerville (this guy loves his covers!)

Ooh, what's interesting about this pair -- "More Than A Woman," the Bee Gees vs. Tavares -- is both versions are on the "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack!

Birthday Month: Day 5

2016-04-14T09:00:00.000-04:00

Check what Wikipedia's entry on disco music begins with!

Disco is a genre of dance music containing elements of Rhythm & Blues, funk, soul, pop, and salsa. It achieved popularity during the mid-1970s to the early 1980s. Its initial audiences were club-goers from the gay, African American, Italian American, Latino, and psychedelic communities in Philadelphia during the late 1960s and early 1970s.

So, it it weren't for Philly we'd have no disco???? Well, that may be a reach. But when you think of some of the stuff that came out of the Philadelphia International Records talent pool, from "The Love I Lost" by Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes...

...to the O'Jays' "Love Train..."

... to "T.S.O.P. (The Sound of Philadelphia)" by M.F.S.B. -- which soon became the theme song for Soul Train...

...and many more, clearly we were a major influence.

More in the coming days. I vowed to do 30 posts and I will. With my last day of work for the summer being tomorrow(!!!!) I have no excuses!