I have gotten used to the white noise of my fan...I've taken two cold showers today and my bedroom airconditioners been working over time. It's freakin hot!

I can't stand the humidity. That's the thing I have the hardest time with...that sticky disgusting feeling that just leaves you feeling uncomfortable pretty much all the time. Don't get me wrong...I love summer and I do love warm weather but when that mercury rises past the 80 mark, past 85 and keeps creeping I start to get a little batty. One doesn't have to be too paranoid to consider the possibility that the climate crisis may not be just hype. Not that sweltering summer days and global warming are mutually exclusive, but it just makes you think a little more about it from time to time. It's a reminder of weather extremes that we might be facing in the future if we don't turn things around.

Now consider the element of profuse perspiration. A public leader who has largely ignored environmental issues might think a little harder about such issues if he took a good look at this nice little momento picture. Wow, the heat is on, apparently.

It's roughly 5 days till my Euro-trip. I've been spending the past few days relaxing at my Aunt's cottage on Lake Ontario. The other day, just before sundown I paddled down the Salmon River in my kayak, taking a few moments to breathe in the silence and the stillness that is the utter antithesis to what my life will be for nearly 3 weeks- Chaotic, crazy and harried.

I am starting to feel anxious about making all those flights and trains and connections and bopping around a continent- throwing caution to the wind. The welcome quiet kayak ride gave me a little time to think about all that's ahead. It also gave me a little time to think about how far I've come.
The excitement of stepping outside of my comfort zone is causing some kind of chemical reaction- a rush. I can't believe that this kind of thing is possible for me now.

One year ago I was frail, hairless and too sick to really feel alive. To be honest sometimes through treatment it felt as though I was a dead girl walking. I spent most of my time at the hospital, being a human pin cushion.On this journey I've been watching people around me fight...fighting myself and never feeling quite sure that tomorrow was a given. It wasn't. When you stare down the uncertainty of tomorrow you start thinking about next time...if you have the chance, you'll live life a little gutsier.

One year ago I couldn't handle walking through a mall. Now I'm going to be zipping around a continent. I wanted to prove this to myself again- that I really am alive and am not just the sum of my illnesses. I'm capable of challenging my body.

Funny you should ask

On July 4th I had the pleasure of seeing Funny Cide race...and win.
Depending on your familiarity with the sport of horse racing you may or may not care. Or maybe the name Funny Cide means nothing to you.
Four years ago you might have heard his name...it was nearly shouted from the rooftops as he narrowly missed becoming the 1st triple crown winner in a quarter of a century.

Four years later Funny is still racing. Consider the improbability of a seven year old horse, racing against thoroughbreds half his age and you might just take a moment to ponder it--for sentementality sake at least. This "gutsy gelding" still has the fire and it was thrilling to be able to watch it live and front of thousands of fans at Finger Lakes Racetrack...not the glory of the Derby or even the Preakness but a fine place to still show he can run his heart out.

If you didn't know this...Funny Cide isn't owned by a millionaire, a rap artist or someone of aristocratic background. He is owned by a group of middle class high school friends from Sacketts Harbor NY. They love their horse and they just get a kick out of the whole experience, which really has not spoiled their down-to-earth nature. I know just from talking to them. They were gracious enough to sign posters and memorabilia for fans for nearly three hours, chatting, laughing and kidding with everyone that passed by the line. Wonderful people...and maybe that's part of the magic behind this horse.

I like stories of the underdogs (or underhorses). Maybe that's why I was so drawn to Funny Cide's own story. Something improbable, something against the odds that happens to give you belief that life has possibility.
Going there and seeing him sail past those other horses just did my heart good. Mom and I could have cried when we ran out onto the track to try to get a glimpse of him in the winners circle. Alan Garcia, his jockey, mudsplattered and winded signed my poster. Sure, the Wadsworth Memorial wasn't the Kentucky Derby, but it was a win to give Funny back a champion's confidence.