Ahoy, mates!

So, do tell:

Where’s the best place to live in Seattle? Which are the best schools (public or private (for the children under 18))? Is it really so very rainy or is that just an urban legend?

I have reason to believe this may be in my (relatively) distant future:

http://depts.washington.edu/bioe/programs/phd/phd.html

Are brain-enhancing drugs ethical?  Are they safe and healthy?  Johann Hari took Provigil for a week and he makes it sound amazing.  He ate less, wrote twice as much, read a book on quantum physics in five hours and cleaned his apartment, all with no immediate side effects.  A drug that would make me clean my apartment!  I expect there will be a lot more drugs like this in the next ten or twenty years.  This NYT article discusses the fact that more and more scientists, students and academics are using Provigil and Ritalin to increase their focus and productivity.  The two big ethical conundrums are fairness (what about people who don’t have access to these drugs or choose not to take them) and “character” (as in struggle builds character — will these drugs make us weak and lazy?).

And that’s the best part of having cancer — getting to spring it on people. I found out in February that I have cervical cancer — carcinoma in situ — which means, basically, that I have cancer but it hasn’t broken out of my cervix yet. I tried to hang on to the fact that what I have is not truly classified as frank cancer because it hasn’t invaded the surrounding structures, but my doc assured me that the cells appear cancerous under a scope. I gots the cancer, even if it is only in one of my reproductive organs. So, I go to have the better part of my cervix removed next Wednesday.

It would be a fair assessment to say that I am kind of devestated about this because I’d really like more children. And while having carcinoma in situ doesn’t preclude fertility or successful pregnancy, the procedure that I have to have done to get rid of it will negatively impact my ability to maintain a pregnancy, were I to release a mature egg that became magically, magically fertilized and then mysteriously implanted itself into my endometrium.

So, girls! Don’t be a prodigal daughter — get your pap on and get it on once every calendar year! I missed one annual exam (2006) and let me offer you my most resolute assurances — I wish I hadn’t. I’ve had “abnormal” paps before and even had to have some biopsies, but I never expected to have carcinoma in situ at 26. The crazy thing is that I tested negative for HPV — the prom queen of carcinogens. Sure, lots of things can predispose one to cervical cancer, but in my demographic, I think HPV is assumed with that diagnosis. My doctor said that, in all likelihood, my prediliction for the tobacco had something to do with the change in the cells. This, of course, came as a huge surprise, since I had no idea smoking was bad for you. </deadpan>

So, there that is. I have cancer but I won’t have it in a week or so because, with any luck, I’m going to have it all removed on Wednesday.

Kisses!

Over the weekend Kerry, Tim and I were watching an episode of Oprah when she had this segment about the creators of a new 11 part mini-series on the Discovery Channel called Planet Earth. It took them 5 years to record a lot of the stuff, sometimes waiting hours to catch something spectacular. I couldn’t believe the footage that they showed on the Oprah show. There were things that you will probably never see again. The first show starts March 25th at 8pm.

I leave you with a little video of penguins.