Dear Family, Friends, and Diary,
I have been waiting for a couple of weeks to finish a diary. Waiting for what? I'm not sure, but "waiting" has seemed to surface as a theme.
First things first. A few weeks ago, Marianne detected a lump in her rib cage area, not far from where malignancies had been found - and excised - three times before. That initiated waiting; waiting for an exam, an ultrasound, a biopsy, and, just yesterday, official word that the lump was malignant. No shock this time. Now we will wait for another PET-CT scan, another surgery, another drug - a pill this time. It's all part of a regime that promises to be ... livable.
Meanwhile it's the Christmas Season and the living room has been properly decorated. Every day we turn on all the tiny lights and, I suppose, wait for the small family gatherings we have planned. Our neighborhood is pretty quiet this year and we are well past the era of hosting big Christmas parties.
Marianne remains busy with painting - classes, practice, and a project or two. She also made our Christmas cards, as she does every year. Now we wait for YOUR cards in return.
My waiting time is spent with "the normal": exercise, puzzles, Warriors and 49ers games on TV (one home team doing poorly, the other quite well), reading a little, and YouTube - a lot. My current favorite has been following the December 18 Iceland volcanic eruption, particularly the videos from a drone pilot named Isak Finnabogason. Things have settled down up there, but I supposes the locals are waiting for the next threat.
I am also waiting for my next new car - the three-wheeled one. The San Diego startup developing the Aptera is gradually making progress with some nice new computer renderings, and the first body parts pulled from their Italian molds. Delivery for my reservation is slated for the first half of 2025. A long wait.
Gabby, Ava, and Sam are coming today, a short wait for a quick one-day visit. On Christmas Eve we will head over to Monterey to celebrate with that part of the family. Can't wait.
Stay tuned,
John and Marianne.