Experts Attribute Increased Tryptophan Use to Holidays

What's the best way to celebrate Thanksgiving? With forty-eight of your close family and friends, of course! Dinner this year was at Mom and Dad Parker's home. They had guests from Utah, Idaho, California, Brazil and Taiwan.

(Not them, although there was plenty of grazing going on)
(Uh-uh, not them, either. This is the rooster on my hit-list)


The food was delicious and plentiful, the company diverse and pleasant. After-dinner entertainment consisted of a rousing game of Bocci;



several rounds of Settlers of Catan, one of those painfully protracted board games that my sons love to play; a drawing/writing game (sorry, I don't know its name, but it was a lot of fun!) naps, movies, laughter, more naps, dessert, a few songs from Amannda and Camilla (nice job!) more food, more dessert, until about ten o'clock Thursday night. Thanks to Mom and Dad Parker for a great day. Thanks to Sherry for understanding the whole Brit/Lit obsession...long live Mrs. Darcy! Good luck with the move. If you find they don't have libraries in Texas, call me and I'll send you an emergency shipment of Jane Austen. Thanks to Mom and Dad Carling for letting us stay with you, and not minding that we were gone the entire day. Thanks to Lynn and Carol for putting the older boys and Brandi up for the night. Thanks to Cathy and Brian for having Cameron and Jacob come for a visit. Thanks to Paul for feeling well enough to make the trip to Utah and for being an example of endurance and quiet strength for us all.

Quick Update

Paul spent Saturday night and most of Sunday in the hospital. He was still so nauseated that he couldn't keep any food or medicine down so we thought it best to get him rehydrated and figure out what was causing the problem. They did a CT of his abdomen to rule out any type of mechanical cause (blockage, growth, etc.) The results were negative. Sunday morning Dr. Hancock stopped by to see how Paul was doing. He determined that the likely cause was a gastrointestinal bug that has been making the rounds in Madison County. He had another chemo patient there, for the same reason. After a good night's rest - at home - and some homemade chicken noodle soup, Paul is feeling much better. He even drove himself into town today! This is the first time since surgery. We are confident that he will be well enough to make the trek to Utah for Thanksgiving, although I did buy some masks for him to wear to cut the risk of exposure to any other nasty viruses that may be in the vicinity.

Unlocking the Secrets of the Universe...

Okay, maybe not those secrets, but I think I've discovered the recipe for Iced Lemon Cookies from the Point Restaurant at Huntsman. That's nearly as important, right? Once I figured out the secret ingredient I began searching for a recipe that embodied all of the other magnificent qualities of the cookie. With the help of my assistant, Jacob, who requested I call him "Little Chef," we put it to the test on our cooking show (Jacob's idea.) We talked to the invisible audience, explaining each step in the process.



The results were pretty darn close to the original, even if I do say so myself.



Not being a fan of lemon-flavored anything, Jacob made a brilliant, though somewhat self-serving, suggestion. The cookie dough had to be refrigerated for an hour, so he said, "Why don't we make a different kind (read: Chocolate Chip) while we're waiting for the other dough?", reminding me that's how the guy on Dad's favorite cooking show (Rick Bayless, Mexico One Plate at a Time) does things. So we did. Jacob was in charge of adding the flour to the mixture, a little at a time. After the first addition, I said, "Okay, now add half of what's left." He picked up a knife and cut the flour that was in the measuring cup in half. Ah, to have the mind of an eight-year-old again...life would be so simple and straightforward. I love working with Jacob, whether we're baking or cleaning up. After we made the Chocolate Chip cookie dough, we put the first batch in the oven to bake and I set the timer. Unfortunately, I didn't hear it ring. By the time I realized this fact, the cookies were, well, um... let's just say they were a bit dark. Jacob called them "the practice batch."




Random Sampler

Scraping the ice off your windshield with a Subway points card is not as effective as using a real ice scraper.

Cameron thinks that the technology exists to create a time machine, but the scientists don't want to mess with the space-time continuum. Hmm...

Hayden went swimming twice on Friday at Green Canyon Hot Springs. Unfortunately, only one time was in the pool. The other happened while crossing the river in the dark.

"Those who do not complain are never pitied." ~ Jane Austen

Okay, we all know that Paul is the last person to complain about anything. So I'm gonna do it for him. He has had a miserable week. Last Tuesday, he started back on Temodar, the oral chemo. He felt fine until the weekend, which is normal. He usually starts to feel better by Sunday. But he was extremely sick (and dehydrated) all weekend and not feeling any better by Monday. I wanted to take him into the oncology clinic to get some I.V. fluids, but they were completely swamped. So we ended up spending four hours on Monday in short stay therapy and the E.R., getting fluids and nausea meds. Since then, he has had nausea off and on every day. I think some of it is from the pain medicine, some from the pain itself. He hasn't been to physical therapy at all this week, but he's been walking around outside, since the weather has been unseasonably warm and beautiful. His leg is actually feeling pretty good; his shoulder is giving him fits. We are praying that the chemo is making the cancer cells just as sick as it made him.

Jacob and Cameron had Pack Night last Thursday and Paul was well enough to go with us. Jacob earned his Bobcat badge, Cameron got three or four Webelos activity pins. Unfortunately, I didn't bring a camera, so you'll have to imagine them smiling while receiving their awards.

Friday is the end of the trimester for the boys. Parker informs me that there is a very good chance he will be getting a 4.0. All of the boys are working hard and keeping busy with their studies. I have about three weeks left in the semester. I've got a project for my English class to start/finish before then. Not quite as involved as the Shakespeare-to-film project from earlier this year, but still demanding. I registered for Winter semester last week and was able to get the classes I wanted: another English, this time focusing more on writing; and a class on the Middle East.

Assuming that Paul is up for a road trip, we're headed south (Utah, not Cancun) for Thanksgiving. We'll be joining a bunch of the Parker family, as well as miscellaneous other guests, for dinner at Mom and Dad's home (Hey, roosters: consider yourselves warned!)

I'm Famous! (or infamous)

If having your portrait drawn by two different artists is an indication of one's social standing, I'm either well-loved or notorious. Jacob and Cameron both drew pictures of me yesterday. Click on the images for a larger view. Jacob managed to capture the true character of my hair, especially on a windy day. Cameron's rendering is especially authentic, down to the most minute detail (notice the shirt; and the title of the book: English Literature.) Nice work, boys!




Paul continues to surprise his physical therapist. Yesterday he sent him to the stationary bike, saying, "I know you won't be able to do a full rotation, just do your best." Paul proved him wrong. He is also able to walk around the house without using his crutches. He is the most determined man I know. I think he's tired of being stuck at home. There's a limit to how many cooking shows and Hispanic soap operas a person can tolerate.

Fried chicken, anyone?

Paul had a follow-up appointment at Huntsman Cancer Clinic on Wednesday, so we drove to North Ogden and spent Tuesday night with Mom and Dad. Since retiring, my dad has been honing his latent agricultural tendencies, most recently in the field of poultry husbandry. He has become quite successful, and is the proud owner of a large number of hens and roosters. Unfortunately, roosters are in the habit of announcing their presence to the world at unreasonably early predawn hours, around 5 a.m. on the morning of our visit. I realize these birds were just doing what comes naturally to them, but really...people were trying to sleep! I'm not usually one to hold a grudge, but when Dad decides it's time to send them off to the big Rooster Round-Up in the Sky, I'll be there to help.

Paul's appointment went well. Dr. Jones was very pleased with the progress he's making and said we won't need to come back for six months. While we were waiting to see Dr. Jones, Nancy, Dr. Andtbacka's nurse stopped by to say "hi." She gave Paul a hug and asked how the "miracle boy" was doing. We also saw Ryan, the physical therapist, who was impressed with how well he's getting around.

These are post-surgical x-rays of Paul's "bionic" leg. Amazing!
(click on images for a larger view)






On a less cheerful note, the results of the shoulder MRI showed no rotator cuff tear, but a mass about the size of a walnut growing on the acromion process (the blue-colored projection to the far left of the shoulder blade).



Paul will resume the oral chemotherapy drug regimen that he was on before his leg surgery. Dr. Hancock feels this is the best course of treatment. Paul will probably start this on Monday.


The rest of the family is doing well, keeping busy with school and other responsibilities. About a week ago, I went to Madison High School to see Parker inducted into the National Honor Society. He didn't want me to take pictures, but here's an image that captures the mood of the event.



Way to go, Parker!