I’m coming up on my eight-year cancer checkup in April, where I’m hoping they’ll tell me I have no new passengers aboard. But the idea that it could return later in some other form has always been in the back of my mind; How would I know it’s back until it’s too late to treat properly?
Researchers are discovering dormant tumour cells, also known as disseminated cancer cells, in association with breast, prostate, lung, colon and other cancers, and these cells are increasingly implicated in some metastatic cancers. An estimated 30% of people who have been successfully treated for cancer might harbour these cells, although unpublished work suggests they could be even more common.
There is a field of cancer research dedicated to finding out why it comes back and how it’s triggered, but it’s still early days and there don’t seem to be any clear answers yet.
The New York Times has a frame-by frame breakdown of the murder of a Minneapolis woman by ICE agents on Wednesday. This is shameful behavior from a government agency. The fact that they are allowed to wear masks is inexcusable. None of these ‘agents’ have been taught de-escalation, which should be the first thing they rely on when dealing with the public, not reaching for their gun.
I don’t care who you are or what politics you belong to, but everything I have ever seen or have been told is that when a police officer or federal agent are involved in a shooting, THEY DO NOT GET TO LEAVE THE SCENE. They are held at the scene, their weapons are confiscated, and an investigation begins as soon as the area is secure. This guy, later identified as Jonathan Ross even though he was wearing a mask, jumped in another SUV and sped away from the area.
When I was in college in the late 80’s, Baltimore was ignored in most musicians’ touring schedules. We usually had to drive down to DC to see anyone worthwhile, which made it difficult and expensive to see bands. One bright spot was the 8×10, a small privately-owned venue in Federal Hill with a stage the size of the name and a great sound system. I saw many up-and-coming bands there over the years and have a lot of great memories of the place (and there are some nights I can’t remember, honestly). The partners who have owned it for 20 years are retiring and looking for a new buyer. In this day and age of corporate consolidation of live music, it would be sad to see it shut down forever.
(previously, previously)
I’ve had Falling Hard by the Crystal Method going through my head for the past couple of days. This was released 17 years ago, in a time period where a lot of electronic acts were teaming up with vocalists. I just love the groove of this song. Apparently one half of TCM retired a number of years ago and it’s just one guy now. I haven’t really dug into their stuff lately, but what I have heard is OK, I guess. I miss the Big Beat artists of that time period, and the first two TCM albums are desert island discs for me.
It’s Sunday, the last morning of a four-day break. We filled it with quiet, peaceful pursuits, laying low and recharging in our own ways. We all enjoyed sleeping in, even Hazel, who let us hit the snooze button and stay in bed long after our usual revillie. The basics got taken care of, but I’d wager we spent more time in PJs than street clothes. Jen and I caught up on the final season of Stranger Things, and watched the third Knives Out movie, which were both fantastic. I listened to the Sean Combs documentary while working on the Scout, and had to stop several times to make sure I heard some of the details correctly (I did, and they were horrifying). Our Christmas was lovely, although the stack of return boxes was large this year—mostly due to size and color issues, not displeasure over the gifts. I think we’re taking the tree down today in preparation for a frantic January, which makes me sad (I love the smell of real pine wafting through the house) and then it’s back to the grind tomorrow morning.
Oh, and apparently we invaded Venezuela. That’s just great.Â