Pick-a-Shelf discussion

I like this group a lot and wanted to update people a bit on my recent family stuff. However, when I looked at the group's thread topics, I did not see an appropriate place to share. So....come join me in this coffee/tea room....draw up a chair and let us know what is happening in your life.

My update:

Ed had his surgery. Tumor removed. Pathology report indicates that the surgeon got all of the tumor (plus one kidney and a spleen). He will need to be sure that the tumor did not metastasize prior to surgery, but so far there is no sign of any other growth. :)

My breast biopsy came back benign but the radiologist does not believe the mass is benign and so the surgeon wants the radiologist to do another needle biopsy. I am both really scared and mad. The surgeon says that, if I do not have the repeat needle biopsy done, he will need to do an open surgery lumpectomy. I am thinking...if the second needle biopsy is not OK, they will still need to do the open surgery, so why not skip the repeat test and just take the damn thing out! Tried to call the surgeon yesterday to tell him and he was taking a day OFF! Imagine, I am freaking out and he takes a day OFF! GRRR!

Oh, well. More coffee, please. Anyone else need coffee or tea?

Fingers crossed for Ed, as for your own lump I think you are right and it would be better to have it removed - it would also give you some peace of mind to have it gone.

I'll have a coffee, and how about a slice of banoffee pie.

Thanks, Karen. And what is banoffee pie? Looks delicious.

Biscuit base, caramel sauce with a ring of banana around the edge, whipped cream and then some more banana and cocoa powder sprinkled over the top. Easy to make and really nice to eat.

Bea, I hope everything goes well for you, my mother had breast cancer years ago, they thought hers was caused by the hormones, that was prescribed after her hysterectomy. She had surgery and radiation follow up, she survived thank god.

And yes, I'll take more coffee, just cream no sugar. :)

Karen, pie sounds good.

Thanks, Jo Ann. I am glad that your mother had a good response.

Karen, I really like this pie. Sounds like something even i could make.

Jo Ann, your coffee is coming up. I need more.

Bea, it is so easy to make. No cooking involved, you even buy the caramel sauce ready made. If you've got a food processor and a pie tin you're good to go.

@Bea: thanks for sharing your life with us, Bea. I do hope all goes well with Ed. Re test & surgery, does it have a little to do with costs too? And I supposed, there is always people on waiting list to get surgery done? So if surgery isn't necessary that it'll be better for everyone all around? Dunno... that's just my thought however it is, of course, up to you to make your informed decision because it is about you.

@Karen: I LOVE Banoffee pie! My colleague is New Zealander and he makes an awesome one!

This recipe looks pretty good.

My husband and I are on the last part of this cancer journey - we both have MD appts on Thursday. He will see the oncologist to find out what treatment is recommended. And I will see my surgeon and find out what the path report says. Wish us luck for tomorrow.

Luck, luck, luck! I'll be thinking about you tomorrow.

Sending all the luck your way, Bea!

Looking forward to our weekend away (I know it's mid-week for most of you but am off tomorrow, Friday!) just as Summer is ending :D :D :D

Hoping there won't be too much rain so we'd have some beach times though it's very very humid today. Oh, and I'm going to watch Beautiful Creatures tonight too... Really cannot wait til I finish work today!

I can't believe February is ending... how's this new year been for everyone? Flying away fast, isn't it?

I am spring cleaning a bit (ahead of the season). I just reviewed the multitude of games I entered on this group that I have been tracking....oh so many. In preparation for a new beginning, I have eliminated the following from my tracking and also the group widget: Moving Mountains (Mt. TBR). I have reviewed Nelly Bly and planned for completing that game as soon as I get provisions together (have to learn to fish and cook), get my sails up again, and find the trade wind to get me moving. I have updated the Birthday Games: More, please and Timber with books I plan to read soon (yeah, I am aware those games are over...just my OCD kicking in). AND I have updated my LOST shelf to include the 2013 list.

OK...now I feel ready to join in with POTS!

lol- Bea, still doing RwS too?

I mostly like their 15 pointers challenge... it's a little bit hard to fit in the rest of the books with other challenges ;p

Tien wrote: "lol- Bea, still doing RwS too?

I mostly like their 15 pointers challenge... it's a little bit hard to fit in the rest of the books with other challenges ;p"

My groups are down to three now, Tien. SRC, RwS and PAS. Since SRC was the first one I joined, I have been trying to fit the books for those challenges in to PAS and RwS...without a whole lot of success for RwS. This time I am doing it the other way, trying to fit RwS and PAS planned books into SRC. Too early to know if it will work better, but as of now more of my RwS books (all of 15 pointers plus some of the others) cross with the other two groups. So I might be able to finish the 15 point task at least for the first time.

Bea wrote: "This time I am doing it the other way, trying to fit RwS and PAS planned books into SRC. Too early to know if it will work better, but as of now more of my RwS books (all of 15 pointers plus some of the others) cross with the other two groups. So I might be able to finish the 15 point task at least for the first time. "

Yup, thinks that will probably work out better.

Pulling out a comfy chair and snuggling in with a hot cup of coffee and a book....

Just need some help here, Tien. What tower was I injured on? I have lost track of the game. I know I need to read an India related book, if that helps.

Amy, I will start Little Bee today.

Everyone else, I am a bit frazzled. Very behind on work and trying to deal with breast cancer. Had a second surgery 3/8/13 to remove some lymph nodes and take a bit more skin. Good news! No further cancer noted in the skin and lymph nodes were clear. Bad news...need 7 weeks of radiation and have to start on hormone therapy to suppress the estrogen. Prognosis with that treatment is 85-91% that it will not recur. GREAT NEWS! Still 5 hours of listening to MDs has left me dazed.

Hubby is taking me away for the weekend starting today, so won't get much reading done until I return home.

going back to book and coffee

It was for the Pages Tower, Bea. Here's my original post

What do you do for work, Bea?

Are you working whilst going through radiation therapy? wow!! Are you suffering any side effects? Great to hear it's clearing up :D Hang in there!!

Hope you'll get spoilt rotten this weekend ;)

Thanks, Tien. I remembered the task (mainly because I made a note) but not the tower. Now to find a book.

Radiation therapy will not start for 3 weeks so somewhere the first of April will be the kick-off. And, yes, I will be working through it. I am a nurse case manager which means that I oversee the homecare services for my elderly clients - about 100. I don't do direct care, just arrange and supervise.

Loved the weekend. Hubby and I had a good time.

Bea wrote: "Pulling out a comfy chair and snuggling in with a hot cup of coffee and a book...."

I'm glad (and somewhat amazed) that you are finding time to read again. I'm keeping you in my thoughts! Glad to hear that things are looking so much better.

LynnB wrote: "Bea wrote: "Pulling out a comfy chair and snuggling in with a hot cup of coffee and a book...."

I'm glad (and somewhat amazed) that you are finding time to read again. I'm keeping you in my thoug..."

Thanks, Lynn. I must have seemed like a real pain to the technician prior to sx. She wanted to take my book away, and did so twice. The first time she took it away and then walked out of the room for several minutes, I got up and got it again. The second time she put it out of the room! I told her that reading kept me from thinking about my situation. She gave it back.

Bea wrote: "Thanks, Lynn. I must have seemed like a real pain to the technician prior to sx. She wanted to take my book away, and did so twice. The first time she took it away and then walked out of the room for several minutes, I got up and got it again. The second time she put it out of the room! I told her that reading kept me from thinking about my situation. She gave it back. "

I don't understand why she would take it away, in the first place... it's not like it's interfering with anything else. But I'm glad she let you have it in the end. I'm sure a book was a tremendous distraction :)

Bea wrote: "Thanks, Lynn. I must have seemed like a real pain to the technician prior to sx. She wanted to take my book away, and did so twice. The first time she took it away and then walked out of the room for several minutes, I got up and got it again. The second time she put it out of the room! I told her that reading kept me from thinking about my situation. She gave it back. "

I can't believe she took it away! Another reader would have totally understood. At least she gave it back to you when you explained.

LynnB wrote: "I can't believe she took it away! Another reader would have totally understood. At least she gave it back to you when you explained." and Tien wrote: "But I'm glad she let you have it in the end."

But only after she found me crying. Definitely NOT a reader, huh?

Cool site I just found through a Facebook link. Literature-Map Put in an author you like to get suggestions. Do not use this if you don't want your to-read to grow. lol

That is a good site, Sherri, and definitely avoid unless you are prepared to add on tbr :)

You know what I wish? I wish Goodreads had a way to record that you've read a book more than once. I have several books that I re-read, and when I enter them in GR for my total count for the year, I have to erase the old record.

there is a pull-down option in the advanced for marking how many times you have read a book - but you can't track each date separately - its a database thing - that according to GR will require a huge overhaul of the current one and potentially take GR down for a couple of days

I like literature-map

there is also www.whatshouldIreadnext.com - where you plug in the title of a book you just read and you get some different options

Dee wrote: "I like literature-map

there is also www.whatshouldIreadnext.com - where you plug in the title of a book you just read and you get some different options"

Dee, what a wide variety of books it gave me for Ghost Riders by Sharyn McCrumb!

Dee wrote: "there is a pull-down option in the advanced for marking how many times you have read a book - but you can't track each date separately - its a database thing - that according to GR will require a h..."

Ooh! Thanks.

Glad you like ;) I did a challenge with it in another group a year or so ago

Today is my LAST radiation treatment for the breast cancer!!! Oh, I am so ready to move on to other things.

I will be flying June 1 to see my mother who is deveoping dementia then our dog will have dental surgery June 6 and Ed will have his hernia repair done June 10. Then vacation to SC at the end of July.

Perhaps I can fit some reading in during all those times of travel and sitting in the waiting room! LOL

I really am looking forward to summer and something besides cancer.

Oooh, I'm not sure if 'congratulation' is the right word, but Congrats (I'm sure you know what I mean). I hope :)

Hopefully you'll have a fun-filled summer with tons of good reads ;)

Okay. I don't want to be a whiner, but I live in Oklahoma and it is storming AGAIN. This is getting old. That is all. Carry on.

hm, well, I live in Sydney and rain is imminent!

On another note, I've just been to my volunteer shift at the Sydney Writers' Festival and have another one tomorrow morning.

I wasn't in any of the sessions today as I was in the info booth then on the shuttle bus but hopefully tomorrow, I'll be able to catch one :)

Adrienne, since you posted, I am assuming you are OK but how about your family members? Do you live anywhere near MORE? We have grandkids in OK and all are fine.

Yeah, we're all fine. Thanks for asking. Tired of cowering under pillows and such. My friend's cousin lost everything. I don't live too close to Moore, but there were tornadoes all over the state that day. Moore just got hit hardest, in a big way.

I used to live in OKC, Adrienne. I remember tornadoes in the sky over the city as a fairly common occurrence during the season. Did not touch down much but always the threat. At the time I was working nights ICU.

I lived close to Norman when the big one hit there, though.

My brother lived there, then. It was my nephew's birthday when that big one hit in 1999.

I just want to let you guys know that I'll be quiet for a while. Just settling in new job and packing up to move house. it's taking a lot of my spare time since i obviously can't take time off work. I know i have messages and posts to respond to so i'll be back soon as i can. thanks for your patience :)

Tien wrote: "I just want to let you guys know that I'll be quiet for a while. Just settling in new job and packing up to move house. it's taking a lot of my spare time since i obviously can't take time off wo..."

Congratulations on the new job and hope the move goes smoothly!

Just a quick update:

Telstra (telecom) technicians came yesterday and whilst I don't understand their techie talk, the gist is that there isn't a port for our block (none of our neighbours have any connections of sort and they've been living in the area for about a year, how are they surviving?!?!?!?!?) and we'll have to wait until it's been upgraded which could be anytime (it possibly can take a long time -like over a year!!!). Anyway, we're going to get a dongle for the meantime - just waiting for delivery. It's very small data though for us :( so it'll be very limited surfing time and NO downloads!

I'm just sneaking on the work's internet so I'm trying to be very quick. will check back soon. xx

When you have time ... what is a "dongle"? Maybe a difference in Australian-speak vs US-speak, but I've never heard of it.

i think its like a plug in wireless router...

um, dongle... one of those things that look like USB but bigger. plugs in like USB but it's basically internet on the go?

does that make sense?

Tien wrote: "um, dongle... one of those things that look like USB but bigger. plugs in like USB but it's basically internet on the go?

does that make sense?"

Yep. And my husband says it's a common computer term I'd just never heard it before.

Just sneaking on the work pc for quick update:

got our dongle on Mon but when we called up to get it set up, we were told that a port was now available! So a technician came on Wed and set it all up and we should be live on 24th (woot!) Getting close to our 5th anniversary and I've not done much prep yet :(

I do, however, got a new game drafted (lol, got bored at work yesterday and what do I do...?!?!)

Glad to hear your computer issues are getting fixed! It will be interesting to see your new game plan whenever you unveil it, they're always good!