Mad Macedonian

An Exciting, Busy, Weekend Ahead

2013-05-14T16:59:01-05:00

A lot has been going on around here lately, most of it over at The Opinionated Pussycat

My health is doing fine, follow-up eye checks have made the docs happy and while there are 2 laser treatments to come, I am now in the care of a doc at MD Anderson Melanoma & Skin Center for tests and observation for the next 5 years.

Creatively a lot is going on with my cat blogging.

As Nikita, I am in the midst of participating in “A Short Story a Day in May” with 31 straight 100 word cat stories.

A 100 Word Cat Story 9: Aubrey

I am also about to attend the Blog Paws Pet Blogging and Social Media Conference, in Tysons Corner, Va.

I will be taking my camera and my laptop and will see about blogging and tweeting from the event: My Preview

The Blogs of Kiril Kundurazieff:

1. Mad Macedonian

2. The Opinionated Pussycat

3. SMFCB: A 365 Day Project

Visiting Old Town Spring, Having Lunch With a Friend

2013-05-08T12:02:30-05:00

April 15, 2013: A day that will live in infamy, for Boston, and America, began on a wonderful, exciting, note and while my friend and I were later as riveted and horrified by the images we saw when we got home, that evening, as the rest of America, I want to share images that, I hope, will bring a smile to your face.

I started out from my home, early that morning, taking a bus downtown, then another to a transit center near a freeway and the road that runs next to it.

It was down that lonely road that I road my bike 5 miles to old town Spring, to treat a fellow cat blogger, and longtime friend, to lunch.

I wanted to do something besides sit around the house 3 days before the first of my eye cancer surgeries and so called her up the week before to invite her out for our historic meeting.

Marilynn Smith and I have known each other for several years but, until I moved here to Houston, had never met in person.

We rectified that when I treated her to lunch in her hometown

Writeacher’s thoughts

http://writeacher.blogspot.com/

Momma Grace & Company cat blog

http://graceandkittens.blogspot.com/

A retired teacher, with a love for cats, of which she has several, Marilynn and I have a surprising connection that I, especially, find quite amusing to ponder.

You see, I was born in Pomona, Ca. in 1960, and lived my first 8 years in Claremont, the college town next door.

Guess who was going to college there between 1960 and 1963?

It is entirely possible that we crossed paths in the Claremont Village:

On the street as my parents wheeled me around in a stroller, or I was taking my first adventuresome steps on my own.

On a bus. In a restaurant, or other business. In the ladies room, somewhere, where I was getting my diaper changed, or being breast fed.

It’s a small world.

We spent a wonderful couple of hours dining and chatting at Ellen's Cafe.

It was a pleasure to meet her and she was a joy to be around, bubbling with the same personality I had grown to know on her blogs and via email and facebook.

After lunch we walked around the old streets, looking at quaint little stores, all closed because, apparently Monday and Tuesday are the weekend in this corner of wider Spring.

Restaurants (One of which is historic, and the oldest business in town), antique shops, pet shops, 2 museums, used bookstores, clothing and a variety of specialty stores, 150 businesses in all, are here, in very old buildings.

There is a wine and art festival in March, the Texas Crawfish and Music Festival in April, and Petfest in October.

This old 1900's railroad town is far from a sleepy little community.

Exploring the town I found several reasons to return in the future, not least of which would be to visit with my friend again someday.

My Cats share their take, and some more photos, here.

The Blogs of Kiril Kundurazieff:

1. Mad Macedonian

2. The Opinionated Pussycat

3. SMFCB: A 365 Day Project

The Mad Macedonian Conquers Wi-Fi!

2013-05-07T15:23:32-05:00

May 7, 2013 - A day that will live in Houston history!

Wi-fi, oh what fun!
My very first connection has been done.
Going live, I felt no dread.
I found logging online easy, let it be said.

The Blogs of Kiril Kundurazieff:

1. Mad Macedonian

2. The Opinionated Pussycat

3. SMFCB: A 365 Day Project

The Cycling Dude vs Westheimer Road in Houston 3

2013-05-02T22:09:55-05:00

At 16.70 miles I reached State Highway 6 and the large West Oak Mall. The next 3 miles found me on a busy 3 lane road with residential on my left and nothing but what was, at the time, nothing but mystery on my right.

( Part 1 of my journey along Westheimer Road is here: http://www.madmacedonian.com/2013/05/the-cycling-dude-vs-westheimer-road-in-houston-1.html )

At 20 miles I finally reached the spot where Harris County gives way to Fort Bend County, at Barker Cypress rd.

Now, here, you could grab a snack at a nearby Kroger, or eat at the Sonic sit-in diner, but what the hell sort of celebration of your accomplishment would that be to tell your friends about?

Instead, head on out FM1093, next to the toll road, another 2 ¼ miles, just beyond Grand Mission Blvd., to a wonderful 40 yr. old (family owned the last 7 yrs.) biker bar & grill, in Richmond, TX.

Welcome to the County Line Bar & Grill; As the sign in the small diner attached to the larger bar says, “Countless number of people have eaten in this kitchen and gone to lead normal lives.” It is a place where good ol’ boy meets suburbia and love of country shares a drink with love of the family pet. Blacks, whites, maybe red all over, too, stop in this popular place. It is a place where a cat blogging bicyclist who supports the military, and his cats, those animals who also serve, can park his bicycle right next to the fancy motorcycle of a Patriot Guard Rider then walk inside and get a tasty, affordable meal and a drink or two to wash it down.

From the pictures on the walls, to the odd and humorous knickknacks for sale in several cases, not to mention what helps you identify the men’s room and the lady’s room, this place feels comfortable and is a fine place for a writer to settle down for an hour of writing in one’s notebook as he eats.

As I walked into the bar and looked around I saw something that, in light of the changes made to my cat blog the week before it was almost as if I was meant to stop in there that day, at the end of my ride. God works in mysterious ways and this writer can’t help but think he had a hand in this.

The item cost $90, too much for me to spend, but the son of the owner told me to talk with his Mom, who bought it, in Kemah, TX. I proposed $50, she said $60, I said yes, and the deal was done.

I told her about my writing and new look to the blog and why seeing this item affected me so much.

As I returned to catch a bus home, at Highway 6, I chose to ride up the short incline, on Barker Cypress, to see what was on the other side and discovered the answer to my earlier mentioned mystery; an extensive part of George Bush Regional Park.

I rode Westheimer Parkway back to Highway 6, with the park on either side of me, even passing Millie Bush Dog park, a facility so huge and well equipped it would make southern California dogs drool in envy. While I didn’t see the bike trail of the park someone told me where I could find an entrance for later exploration.

So, who won, me or Westheimer? Why me, of course! I rode the road and I conquered it!

Easy, peasy, hee, hee!

The Blogs of Kiril Kundurazieff:

1. Mad Macedonian

2. The Opinionated Pussycat

3. SMFCB: A 365 Day Project

The Cycling Dude vs Westheimer Road in Houston 2

2013-05-02T21:47:44-05:00

There is another time, along this stretch, where things are difficult for the cyclist; where street parking is allowed cars take up most of the lane and, to avoid being doored, the cyclist must carefully take the outside lane as needed.

As I arrived at Weslayan, the street at last widened to three lanes and a left turn lane.

( Part 1 of my journey along Westheimer Road is here: http://www.madmacedonian.com/2013/05/the-cycling-dude-vs-westheimer-road-in-houston-1.html )

After another mile you reach the 610 freeway and start pedaling through the Galleria area. Soon, at Post Oak, Westheimer becomes 4 lanes each way, with an additional turn lane, in order to better handle the crush of traffic through, possibly, the fanciest, most expensive, shopping district in town. This one mile stretch is chock full of high-rise hotels and office buildings, highly expensive boutique stores in several strip malls and the huge Galleria shopping mall with so many floors and stores that one could easily get lost before going broke (though, with all the fancy stores you COULD go broke first w/o trying.). On my two visits to the place I stuck to the great food court and Macy’s.

From here, the 6 mile mark, on out, it is strip mall heaven all the way to Highway 6. All the fast food places are here; Burger King, Chic-Fil-A, Del Taco, Jack-in-the-Box, James Coney Island, McDonald’s, Raising Cane’s, Taco Bell, Wendy’s, Whataburger, even Shipley’s Donuts.

Big Box stores, like Target and Walmart, pet stores like Petco and Petsmart, supermarkets like HEB, Kroger and Randalls, as well as Office Depot, Home Depot and Barnes and Nobles; In other words, all the
familiar comforts of suburban life.

At 11 miles I reach Beltway 8 and the Sam Houston Parkway feeder road beside it I am only a mile or so from home if I want to call it quits, which I don’t.

The road has long since smoothed out, leaving the lumps and cracks to the sidewalks, which is a problem just about everywhere in Houston, except those parts of town where the streets are practically one lane, leaving no room for a sidewalk, but that’s another story, for another time.

The further out I went the dingier some of the strip malls became.. I continued to pass gated apartment complexes and high end residential communities, as well.

At 13.25 miles I came to the Bike Barn, bicycle shop.

At about 15 miles some teens in a silver Nissan, kept yelling at me out their window; I just smiled and waved. At the next intersection I was behind them and they opened a passenger window, expecting me to pull up next to them as we waited for the light. I pulled up behind, smiled and wagged my finger at them. A young Hispanic stuck his head out, smiled and waved back.

At the next light a Sentra pulled beside me with a pair of well-dressed black ladies inside, they opened the passenger window and asked me about my shirt and we had a very nice, short, chat.

As I continued on my way I passed a Slick Willies, a Chino Buffet, and Upland Automotive. After that I began looking for places with the names Pomona, Claremont, Montclair, Ontario, Fontana, and Rialto, but no such luck.

Part 3 = http://www.madmacedonian.com/2013/05/the-cycling-dude-vs-westheimer-road-in-houston-3.html

The Blogs of Kiril Kundurazieff:

1. Mad Macedonian

2. The Opinionated Pussycat

3. SMFCB: A 365 Day Project

The Cycling Dude vs Westheimer Road in Houston 1

2013-05-02T21:29:53-05:00

I have lived in Houston since September, but it was only in March that I took to the streets on my trust steed, Cleopatra, in any serious way.

A few months back I rode my bike alongside the Pasadena freeway, for 14 miles each way, to visit the San Jacinto Monument and recently explored the stretch of Westheimer from Highway 6 to a few miles beyond the Harris County line, but other than a few short rides, on not so busy streets, to run errands, I’d not begun to explore Houston proper.

I decided that, one day at the end of March, it was time to start.

What better way to begin than to introduce myself to the longest, busiest, street in town, Westheimer?

It runs from Bagby Street in downtown Houston, all the way out to Westpark Tollway on the southern edge of George Bush Park, west of Highway 6. At this point “Old Westheimer Road” soon becomes the FM 1093 feeder road for the tollway, at the county line.

The street was named after Michael Louis Westheimer, a German immigrant and flour salesman, who came here before the Civil War. The road itself was born in 1895.

The width of the road is as varied as what one can see while traveling it, but when one only views it from the windows of a crowded, moving, bus there is simply no time to stop and smell the flora and fauna, or experience anything else.

1230pm, Houston, March 28, 2013:

I began my ride at the intersection of Bagby and Westheimer and, after 3.75 miles I reach Weslayan/Willowick Streets and took stock of the journey so far…

It had been a bumpy ride on a two-lane street past small business, many in very old buildings you can find anything from arts and antiques to bookstores, restaurants, and a few things in between. There is Lamar High School and St. Luke’s Methodist Church.

Then there are the streets; narrow and bumpy ain’t the half of it! The inside lanes, aside from being as narrow as the outside, is made up of old, bumpy and cracked, presumably repaired, pavement as not. There are 2 choices for the cyclist: Enjoy a bumpy ride that is less than friendly to your wheels, or take the lane in that part that is damage free.

When you take the lane, traffic behind you will either have to stay behind you or, if impatient, go around you.

Part 2 = http://www.madmacedonian.com/2013/05/the-cycling-dude-vs-westheimer-road-in-houston-2.html

The Blogs of Kiril Kundurazieff:

1. Mad Macedonian

2. The Opinionated Pussycat

3. SMFCB: A 365 Day Project

Got Wings? Channeling Victor Hugo

2013-05-01T18:08:14-05:00

There is a statue of a girl in front of M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, here in Houston. Her hand is out-stretched and there is a hummingbird resting on her finger (Photo taken the day before the first of my two eye cancer surgeries, 4/17/13)

The poem which is inscribed on it is by Victor Hugo:

Be like the bird, who
Halting in his flight
On limb too slight
Feels it give way beneath him
Yet sings
Knowing he has wings."

Surgeries Over, I Return to Action!

2013-04-30T17:23:10-05:00

The surgeries are complete and I’ve been home since the evening of the 24th

I wish to thank all those who have stopped by all 3 of my blogs to read and comment on scheduled posts, posted on my FB, and emailed while I was gone.

I toast you, and thank you, from the bottom of my heart. Your support and encouragement means everything to me.

In the short-term my vision is improving, I am taking 2 types of eye drops, several times a day, and have a pair of follow-up appointments before I head off to the Blog Paws Pet Blogging and Social Media Convention in Tysons Corner, Va., in May (16th-18th).

Going forward there are also questions related to income, housing and career hopes and plans that I will be exploring and answering but, for now, I am going to those appointments and to Blog Paws.

I am, as the above photo gives a hint, also not staying holed up in the apartment and am returning to blogging; I have a cycling story to share, from before my first surgery, plus a visit to historic old town Spring that occurred the day of the tragic Boston Marathon massacre.

I will be reading 3 short books, on social media for writers, that I’ve had on my shelves for a while, next month, as part of my Blog Paws adventure prep.

Cancer free is not the right term for my situation, as the tumor stays.
We are reducing its size, and there will be 2 laser treatments at 3 and 6 mo. and in a year we will know if the cancer is in remission.

The important thing is this treatment allows me two working eyes instead of putting undo stress on my lifelong weaker eye by removing the right eye.

Intraocular, uveal, melanoma is a rare cancer, but it is the most common eye cancer in adults.

In patients with small tumors that have not spread, intraocular melanoma can be cured and vision can usually be saved.

I can't thank Dr. Gombos and his team, the nurses in pre-op and post-op, as well as the 10th floor where I spent the night and part of the next day after each surgery, as well as those who took me to and from appointment, and to the taxi, by wheelchair, enough for the care I was provided at MD Anderson.

I want to share a few links to end this post:

Ophthalmology Clinic at MD Anderson
http://www.mdanderson.org/patient-and-cancer-information/care-centers-and-clinics/care-centers/head-neck/eye-clinic/index.html

The Section of Ophthalmology at MD Anderson
http://www.mdanderson.org/education-and-research/departments-programs-and-labs/departments-and-divisions/section-of-ophthalmology/index.html

Dr. Dan Gombos:
http://faculty.mdanderson.org/Dan_Gombos/Default.asp?SNID=1806315031

http://www.mdanderson.org/newsroom/cancer-newsline/cancer-newsline-topics/2010/cancer-newsline-research-and-diagnoses-for-eye-cancer.html

On Uveal and Intraocular Melanoma:

http://www.mdanderson.org/newsroom/cancer-newsline/cancer-newsline-topics/2012/uvealmelanoma-cnl.html

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/intraocularmelanoma/Patient

Defining plaque radiotherapy – A pop-up
http://www.cancer.gov/Common/PopUps/popDefinition.aspx?id=476765&version=Patient&language=English

On Eye Cancer:

http://www.eyecancer.com/

http://www.cancer.org/cancer/eyecancer/index

PYTW 45: Framing Myself as a Way to Inspire My Hopes and Dreams 2013

2013-04-29T21:15:45-05:00

Prompting Yourself To Write 45: Frame yourself! 2013

(An updated version of a post from July 2012)

An April 2012 blog post of mine so deeply affected my friend in writing, Amanda Socci (The Creative Idea Gal), that she strongly suggested I do something a little radical to thus inspire myself.

After reading PYTW 34 - Dear Mad Macedonian: A Love Letter she shared her thoughts in a comment, and on Facebook, where she also shared my piece with her friends.

This was her overall message to me:

Dear Kiril: I love this blog post on so many levels.

I cannot begin to express how potent it was. I found it to be exceptionally inspirational. A rich, creative, fulfilling writing prompt. Kudos for having completed this exercise so well.

Here is liquid gold, carefully integrated from your pen, leaving multiple windows of insight into your unique world wide open. Here is my favorite line, and one which I think speaks volumes: "I'm your imagination...proud, bold, unchained, and unafraid!." You are not just the mad Macedonian, you are Groucho Marx incarnate!

You write so richly about your life experiences in a way that is truly enviable. You have captured your successes and turned them into power. You must print this out, autograph it, and frame it so that you may remind yourself each and every day of how good you are with your writing and talents.

Bravo!

A lot has happened in my life since last summer, personally and creatively.

After coming out of my recent eye cancer surgeries, last week, I got to thinking of how to revise the single-frame poster, of last year into two as I move forward.

I went to Walmart and spent $17, then came home and printed out the pieces from that version, including the 2 below, as well as her comments to me.

1. Being My Own Cheerleader is a piece I wrote a month ago, inspired by another new friend in writing.

JoAnn Jordan's Chronicles Blog began in 2005, and I continue to find it an interesting read.

2. A Creative Writer's Prayer, written by me last December.

For this edition I added 2 more pieces I am proud of, including one written since moving to Houston, last September:

A Visit to Baghdad: A Christmas Tribute to the Troops (Dec. 2007)

Prancin' in the Rain (Jan. 2013)

I also added mention of my being a runner-up in the Purina Cat Chow Correspondent contest in 2011, and images of 3 awards fellow bloggers have given me for my writing.

Most importantly I included 3 photos from the collection of poses I recently had done at a portrait studio. The quotes with 2 of them are ' "Live Laugh Love" and "Enjoy Every Moment".

Thank you Amanda, and JoAnn, for your continued friendship, encouragement and inspiration.

In two days, an important month in my creative and personal journey begins. It will end with my attending the Blog Paws Pet Blogging and Social Media Conference, in Tysons Corner, Va.

In between I will take the time to explore 3 books I have long had in my collection and feel ready, at last, to read:

By Kristen Lamb: (A writer and cat lover based in Dallas, TX.)

1. We Are Not Alone: The Writer's Guide to Social Media

2. Are You There Blog? It's Me, Writer

By Nina Amir:

How to Blog a Book: Write, Publish, and Promote Your Work One Post at a Time

Air Poetry 9: Health Issues in Houston - Pt. 3

2013-04-26T22:03:46-05:00

Recording the poetry of randomly overheard snippets of conversation written down as they catch my attention.

As usual, the results can be quite interesting. (AP 1 was in 2011)

Appearances

I look lovely today!
Go see the post-op in 6.
I'll probably burn his ass.
A troubling location.
That's kind of the custom.

(Overheard on his travels by the Mad Houstonian)