Hello friends,
It’s been busy for me since I left the “bubble” but I’ve been meaning to get some information to everyone…..
I was able to attend one of the days of the Cancer Control Society Convention over Labor Day weekend. The Society is a resource for alternative therapies to cancer treatments and other debilitating diseases (rheumatoid arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome, Hepatitis and other immune compromised diseases). It was a fascinating day with lots of speakers and booths and information about options to the standard treatments of chemotherapy, surgery and radiation! There are alternatives that are working!!!!!
I also went on the day tour to some of the Clinics in Tijuana, Mexico that are providing these therapies in a hospital or clinic setting. It was fascinating and some of these clinics have been around for 30 years! Generally, they build the immune system and detoxify the body as well as address the cancer in a way that does’t have the damaging side effects that chemo and radiation have. it was exciting to see these therapies helping people! And one of the clinics was using the same Biofeedback program that i am using! yea!!!!
If anyone would like this information, please feel free to contact me or contact the Cancer Control Society at www.cancercontrolsociety.com or 323-663-7801.
I know that we are all grateful that the path that Margi had to walk has proved successful for her, and I don’t discount the work that the doctors are doing. But if anyone is faced with the decisions that Margi has had to face, then I want everyone to know that there are options out there that are working and worth checking out.
cm
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Etiquette Alert
Dear Blogwatchers,
It has come to the attention of our Office that one Margi Scharff, aka Wonwulf, aka The Wild and Woolly (although once temporarily hairless) Traveler of the Western and Eastern World, is about to return to El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de Los Angeles.
Ms. Scharff is projected to be projected into the airport known to various lax personages as LAX on Friday, September 29, 2006. She will immediately be conveyed to the first of various safe houses, from which she will issue proclamations when she is damn well ready, thank you very much.
Ms. Scharff catapulted into Memphis, TN some time in the last week or so (our sources either lack the proper information or are asking too much money for it), allegedly to see her family. How she managed to elude the proper authorities and SNEAK into the United States without notice, we have not been able to ascertain, but our operatives are at this very moment moving stealthily through various communities attempting to collect information concerning this serious breach of rational security.
The surreptitious nature of Ms. Scharff’s return to her natal land no doubt owes A GREAT DEAL to her continuing violation of Cyberspace Rules, although said Rules have been enumerated to her innumerable times; to wit, the Essential Law of Blogs, which is that new data MUST be periodically injected into the permeable plasma of the plausible plutosphere from time to time, or the whole thing stutters and dies, sort of like that sourdough starter we had years and years ago which needed a steady infusion of flour every week or it starved, and it was just too much of a responsibility, wasn’t it, so we eventually threw the whole thing in the trash with only a tiny little whimper of guilt and a much larger sense of relief, now, didn’t we?
But we digress. And then we just stop, flat. Because we’re like that.
Sincerely,
Director of Cyberspace Etiquette
Monday, July 10, 2006
Margi in the flesh in the clouds
Monsoon clouds in Mcleodganj -- on the rooftop of the Him Queen Annex.
I’m sitting in the middle of a cloud, completely surrounded by opaque air, and the sky beyond is a mystery. The rains fall intermittently. Occasionally the cloud gathers itself in varying degrees of density and brightness — until the mood shifts and the veil becomes completely uniform. A blank slate, soft and fluffy, with no clues of what lies beyond.
Tonight I head back down to Delhi for my blood test and check-up 4 weeks after chemo #6. Brian will accompany me on the train and help me cope with the jitters that come with the hospital visits. Hopefully, it will be a short visit — no more chemo is scheduled and this thrills me to the core. Also, according to the Delhi weather report, the temperature has been hovering just above 100 degrees, with humidity in the high 80s. The monsoon has not yet graced Delhi. So I hope to zip in and back out in just a few days time. As long as my CA-125 level remains low, I won’t need another check-up for another month or so -- when I’ll return for a fresh look inside my body with a CT scan.
Here in Mcleodganj, I have started seeing a Tibetan doctor, Yeshi Dhonden, former doctor of the Dalai Lama, in preparation for the end of chemotherapy — to ward off the return of any cancer demons. He has worked with cancer patients around the world and particularly in San Francisco in affiliation with a Cal State University program that focuses on breast cancer. (You can google him for further info.) He has given me a course of pills that look like polished balls of dirt and also taste like dirt. His translator tells me the pills will keep the cancer from returning. A week’s supply costs 60 rupees. There is no charge for the consultation.
My most immediate concern is to drive away a creeping sinus and lung infection — it would be a shame to succumb to a cold after surviving all that chemo. It’s the same bug, I believe, that hit me in Delhi just before chemo #6 — that Dr. Rajan gave me antibiotics for-- which I had to quit too soon because of the rollercoaster-sledgehammer effects of chemo #6 (just couldn’t keep things down). So now I am coming at it from all angles: back on the antibiotic from Rajan as well as some Tibetan medicine (more dirt pills) from Yeshi Dhonden and some effervescent Airborne tablets from Penelope and Deane and colloidal silver sinus spray from Susan and QX from Carolyn and of course, ginger tea from the Hakeem brothers at Him Queen… That should do the job.
On a more important note -- I read today that the Dalai Lama is currently suffering from fatigue and lung and chest congestion. He was admitted to the Tibetan hospital here 2 days ago, just after his birthday. The doctors have prescribed 10 days of complete rest along with Tibetan herbal medicine (dirt pills) and they have canceled all of his current engagements, which included lectures in Europe. He had just completed 10 days of intense 'teachings' here in McLeodganj. They attribute his fatigue in part to his hectic schedule. No doubt -- there were people from around the world here to attend the 10 days of teachings. I wish him well.
In the meantime, I’m here in the cool monsoon clouds of the Indian Himalaya, alternately working and resting. My monsoon cloud has thinned a bit and I think I can make out some shapes of things I already know are out there. A first-time looker would never know about the expansive valley below or the high mountain peaks above. Time seems suspended in this no-sunrise-sunset and so-very-still atmosphere. For the moment, there is no hurry.
(email from Margi, received by Penelope - she asked me to post it, as she was too tired Sunday night to post it herself)
I’m sitting in the middle of a cloud, completely surrounded by opaque air, and the sky beyond is a mystery. The rains fall intermittently. Occasionally the cloud gathers itself in varying degrees of density and brightness — until the mood shifts and the veil becomes completely uniform. A blank slate, soft and fluffy, with no clues of what lies beyond.
Tonight I head back down to Delhi for my blood test and check-up 4 weeks after chemo #6. Brian will accompany me on the train and help me cope with the jitters that come with the hospital visits. Hopefully, it will be a short visit — no more chemo is scheduled and this thrills me to the core. Also, according to the Delhi weather report, the temperature has been hovering just above 100 degrees, with humidity in the high 80s. The monsoon has not yet graced Delhi. So I hope to zip in and back out in just a few days time. As long as my CA-125 level remains low, I won’t need another check-up for another month or so -- when I’ll return for a fresh look inside my body with a CT scan.
Here in Mcleodganj, I have started seeing a Tibetan doctor, Yeshi Dhonden, former doctor of the Dalai Lama, in preparation for the end of chemotherapy — to ward off the return of any cancer demons. He has worked with cancer patients around the world and particularly in San Francisco in affiliation with a Cal State University program that focuses on breast cancer. (You can google him for further info.) He has given me a course of pills that look like polished balls of dirt and also taste like dirt. His translator tells me the pills will keep the cancer from returning. A week’s supply costs 60 rupees. There is no charge for the consultation.
My most immediate concern is to drive away a creeping sinus and lung infection — it would be a shame to succumb to a cold after surviving all that chemo. It’s the same bug, I believe, that hit me in Delhi just before chemo #6 — that Dr. Rajan gave me antibiotics for-- which I had to quit too soon because of the rollercoaster-sledgehammer effects of chemo #6 (just couldn’t keep things down). So now I am coming at it from all angles: back on the antibiotic from Rajan as well as some Tibetan medicine (more dirt pills) from Yeshi Dhonden and some effervescent Airborne tablets from Penelope and Deane and colloidal silver sinus spray from Susan and QX from Carolyn and of course, ginger tea from the Hakeem brothers at Him Queen… That should do the job.
On a more important note -- I read today that the Dalai Lama is currently suffering from fatigue and lung and chest congestion. He was admitted to the Tibetan hospital here 2 days ago, just after his birthday. The doctors have prescribed 10 days of complete rest along with Tibetan herbal medicine (dirt pills) and they have canceled all of his current engagements, which included lectures in Europe. He had just completed 10 days of intense 'teachings' here in McLeodganj. They attribute his fatigue in part to his hectic schedule. No doubt -- there were people from around the world here to attend the 10 days of teachings. I wish him well.
In the meantime, I’m here in the cool monsoon clouds of the Indian Himalaya, alternately working and resting. My monsoon cloud has thinned a bit and I think I can make out some shapes of things I already know are out there. A first-time looker would never know about the expansive valley below or the high mountain peaks above. Time seems suspended in this no-sunrise-sunset and so-very-still atmosphere. For the moment, there is no hurry.
(email from Margi, received by Penelope - she asked me to post it, as she was too tired Sunday night to post it herself)
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Some views of India, explained
Couldn't figure out how to combine words and text, so here's about the pictures below: Margi on the roof of Ashoka Indian Restaurant, Mcleodganj; Margi on the trail to Bhagsu waterfall, leaving me in the dust; Margi and hydrotherapy in the stream that leads to the waterfall (she liked lying on this rock because she had water flowing on both sides, so complete auditory immersion, as well as cold water flowing over hands and feet and stimulating sensation); Margi and Vinod Shanti, who made us great chai and meals at Angus' house in Dharamkot, above Mcleodganj; Margi and Brian, the computer genius and music/film maven, who with his wonderful wife Sonia brought us movies and meals and took us on trips around the countryside; the hat girls. Margi took the last picture, with my camera upside down out at arm's length, on a rectangular rock where we picnicked above Bhagsu waterfall. I was tempted to post it as taken, inverted.
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
chemo #6 almost
hello,
well, actually, there hasn't been a chemo #6 yet, since Margi's WBC (white blood count) was too low for them to safely give the chemo. so she had an extra night in the hospital and was given some IV solutions to help boost her system and then will have the chemo today, pending results from the lab.
it is surprising that her count was low, since she seems to be doing ok (no fever, no diarrhea). she did have a couple of tougher days this past time in D'sala with some diarrhea and a short-lived fever, but that had seemed to pass without incident, so it leaves us all a bit perplexed. Margi was thinking that the insecticide spray at the hotel might have contributed to her not feeling so well....just too much for her system to handle with chemo and everything else.
they did a chest xray yesterday, but that was clear. she has been feeling more lightheaded these past couple of weeks, but that doesn't seem to be related to the low WBC count, according to the doctors. when i spoke to her this morning, she was feeling better, so the IV has done something good.
Margi is entertaining herself at the hospital while i am running around trying to do the last minute things before i leave. thank goodness Deane is coming so that Margi will have someone to be with her when i leave! their train tickets have been changed to Sunday night to accomodate the chemo schedule. it will be a hot couple of days for Deane, but there is AC to retreat so i'm sure she'll be entertained with all that is around here.
i've contacted her friends here in Delhi, so they know that she might need some support in the next few days before she leaves for D'sala. and Brian has been alerted as well. so all support is in line!!!! hurray.
it is hard for me to leave at such a point. i was really intending to see her through the last and final chemo and make sure all things were good before leaving. but the wheels are in motion, and i have to get going. i'm glad that i know she is in good hands though, so it will be ok. the Hotel is a wonderful place for her, we have been so lucky.
i will be stateside by the end of June. yikes. i've been in the "Margi bubble" for awhile now, the US will be another shock again.
so now i will be one of the blog watchers waiting for updates and info!
until then,
cm
well, actually, there hasn't been a chemo #6 yet, since Margi's WBC (white blood count) was too low for them to safely give the chemo. so she had an extra night in the hospital and was given some IV solutions to help boost her system and then will have the chemo today, pending results from the lab.
it is surprising that her count was low, since she seems to be doing ok (no fever, no diarrhea). she did have a couple of tougher days this past time in D'sala with some diarrhea and a short-lived fever, but that had seemed to pass without incident, so it leaves us all a bit perplexed. Margi was thinking that the insecticide spray at the hotel might have contributed to her not feeling so well....just too much for her system to handle with chemo and everything else.
they did a chest xray yesterday, but that was clear. she has been feeling more lightheaded these past couple of weeks, but that doesn't seem to be related to the low WBC count, according to the doctors. when i spoke to her this morning, she was feeling better, so the IV has done something good.
Margi is entertaining herself at the hospital while i am running around trying to do the last minute things before i leave. thank goodness Deane is coming so that Margi will have someone to be with her when i leave! their train tickets have been changed to Sunday night to accomodate the chemo schedule. it will be a hot couple of days for Deane, but there is AC to retreat so i'm sure she'll be entertained with all that is around here.
i've contacted her friends here in Delhi, so they know that she might need some support in the next few days before she leaves for D'sala. and Brian has been alerted as well. so all support is in line!!!! hurray.
it is hard for me to leave at such a point. i was really intending to see her through the last and final chemo and make sure all things were good before leaving. but the wheels are in motion, and i have to get going. i'm glad that i know she is in good hands though, so it will be ok. the Hotel is a wonderful place for her, we have been so lucky.
i will be stateside by the end of June. yikes. i've been in the "Margi bubble" for awhile now, the US will be another shock again.
so now i will be one of the blog watchers waiting for updates and info!
until then,
cm
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Leaving the mountains
Tomorrow Margi and I will leave Dharamsala for Delhi - me to prepare to fly back to California on Friday, Margi to get ready for chemo #6, scheduled for Monday. Carolyn will join us in Delhi, and will be with Margi through chemo #6 and just after; another California friend, Deane, will join Margi the night of June 14, then train back to Dharamsala with her on June 15, the same night Carolyn flies back to the U.S. It was serendipitous (and very kind) of Deane to reschedule her arrival from June 19 to June 14, to connect with Margi in time to travel with her back to the mountains.
It's been a lovely and rich time for me here. I will think about these three weeks for a long time. Here's a poem written in the first few days of being at Pema Thang Guesthouse. It's based on a partial fallacy (if you look really, really hard, you can see that the blue prayerflags on the horizon actually do still have some words on them, albeit very faded), but I stand by my false premise.
PEMA THANG
All the words have drained
from blue prayerflags
encircling the guesthouse.
Faded by wind and rain,
they move beyond description.
Line ends tethered to the roof peak
suspend pink yellow green
sheets still wearing pleas,
but on horizon line
turquoise pages float
blank and eloquent
before pines, misty valley.
It's been a lovely and rich time for me here. I will think about these three weeks for a long time. Here's a poem written in the first few days of being at Pema Thang Guesthouse. It's based on a partial fallacy (if you look really, really hard, you can see that the blue prayerflags on the horizon actually do still have some words on them, albeit very faded), but I stand by my false premise.
PEMA THANG
All the words have drained
from blue prayerflags
encircling the guesthouse.
Faded by wind and rain,
they move beyond description.
Line ends tethered to the roof peak
suspend pink yellow green
sheets still wearing pleas,
but on horizon line
turquoise pages float
blank and eloquent
before pines, misty valley.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Weather Report
Yesterday was sunny and a little hot (Dharamsala hot, not Delhi hot), and Margi was feeling good in early afternoon, so we went to Bhagsu and did the walk up to the waterfall. Margi wants everybody who's done the walk with her before to know that the pool at the bottom of the waterfall was really full, deep enough that it was shoulder height on a (short) Korean man who alternately stood posing for photographs and swimming about.
We spent some quiet time on her favorite rectangular rock slab above the cascades, listening to the water, then visited her friend Aju at his chai shop nearby for a cup of delicious extra-ginger chai.
Today began sunny, then turned to early afternoon rain, lightning and thunder. I've just been out walking around the temple grounds, now that the rain has stopped, after a morning of writing in my room.
It's beautiful here, and we're having a good time, and Margi obviously thrives in this environment. She still has some days of weakness and illness, with the aftereffects of the chemotherapy and general bodily depletion, but she also has many very good days, like yesterday.
We spent some quiet time on her favorite rectangular rock slab above the cascades, listening to the water, then visited her friend Aju at his chai shop nearby for a cup of delicious extra-ginger chai.
Today began sunny, then turned to early afternoon rain, lightning and thunder. I've just been out walking around the temple grounds, now that the rain has stopped, after a morning of writing in my room.
It's beautiful here, and we're having a good time, and Margi obviously thrives in this environment. She still has some days of weakness and illness, with the aftereffects of the chemotherapy and general bodily depletion, but she also has many very good days, like yesterday.
Saturday, May 27, 2006
At Pema Thang
We're settled into rooms at one of Margi's favorite guesthouses, Pema Thang. We transfered there from Angus's house yesterday afternoon.
After walking around the temple grounds on the hill below and opposite the guesthouse yesterday afternoon, and having dinner at a restaurant not far from Pema Thang, we separated with the idea that we'll meet up for dinner tonight.
Those of you who have been here know that if Margi is walking all the way to the temple grounds, and up and down the steep hills without trouble, she's doing just fine. She's eager to get back to making collages, and in fact may have started that today.
I now refer to where we are as "Dorlindia." Margi and I became friends at Dorland Mountain Arts Colony 13 years ago. We've agreed we'll have plenty of separate private time in which to do our work. We also made a ground rule, though, that if she needs something at times we aren't planning to be together, she'll call me.
She looks great, she's eating well, she seems completely recovered from the bug that bit her just before we left Delhi.
After walking around the temple grounds on the hill below and opposite the guesthouse yesterday afternoon, and having dinner at a restaurant not far from Pema Thang, we separated with the idea that we'll meet up for dinner tonight.
Those of you who have been here know that if Margi is walking all the way to the temple grounds, and up and down the steep hills without trouble, she's doing just fine. She's eager to get back to making collages, and in fact may have started that today.
I now refer to where we are as "Dorlindia." Margi and I became friends at Dorland Mountain Arts Colony 13 years ago. We've agreed we'll have plenty of separate private time in which to do our work. We also made a ground rule, though, that if she needs something at times we aren't planning to be together, she'll call me.
She looks great, she's eating well, she seems completely recovered from the bug that bit her just before we left Delhi.
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
In McLeod Ganj
Just a quick note to let you know we arrived safely in McLeod Ganj. Margi had a hard time on the train this time because she was seriously depleted and feeling unwell - she blames it on the insecticide sprayed in the hotel corridor the day before we left the Prince Polonia, on top of chemo #5. I didn't realize how weak she was feeling until after my first India post. She has given me permission to tell you about her swan dive backwards in the middle of the night - the most graceful faint imaginable, crumpling backward so that her head landed gently on the Salman Rushdie novel conveniently placed about five feet inside the door. Neither of us slept a great deal on the overnight train, her from indigestion, achy body and general debilitation, me from concern that she might tumble down again.
However, now we are safely enconsced at Angus's beautiful house above the town, and after resting all day yesterday her appetite has perked up, she's looking much better, and we've even gone for two short walks together.
Day after tomorrow we'll move to the Pema Thang guesthouse in town, but for now we have an idyllic spot up the mountain, a good place to rest, rejuvenate, and read (the three rs).
However, now we are safely enconsced at Angus's beautiful house above the town, and after resting all day yesterday her appetite has perked up, she's looking much better, and we've even gone for two short walks together.
Day after tomorrow we'll move to the Pema Thang guesthouse in town, but for now we have an idyllic spot up the mountain, a good place to rest, rejuvenate, and read (the three rs).
Monday, May 22, 2006
leaving Delhi
hello hello,
well, i have just said goodbye to Margi and Penelope and will miss all the adventures that they will be having! it was nice to hear Penelope's reactions to India since i'm so used to the oddities (like becoming an attraction just because you're a foreigner)and the auto rickshaw wild rides.
i'm sure that Penelope will love Dharamsala as much as Margi does and will appreciate having the quiet time to write and relax after the few hot and busy days in Delhi.
i leave tomorrow morning for another town in the foothills of the Himalayas called Shimla. well, actually i am going to Dolanji, which is south of Shimla. it is the where the Menri Monastery is located. The Menri Monastery is the home of the Tibetan Bon (the indigenous Tibetan religion)and there is also an orphanage and school for the children. www.bonchildrenshome.com if you want to get more information.
i became involved with this group through my volunteer work at Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena. Latri Nyima Dakpa Rinpoche, the administrator of BCH, has given a couple of talks at Pacific Asia Museum on the Bon tradition. so, i figured, while i was in the neighborhood (so to speak), i would visit them! i'm looking forward to seeing the town and their organization.
i am also hoping to visit Shimla and some of the towns in the area, but am leaving my plans open to see how it goes. Shimla was the summer capital of the British Raj and is supposed to be nice.
i will come back to Delhi when Margi and Penelope return and will be here for Chemo #6 and then will be flying back to LA.
but for now i'm back on the road. i'll be missing my traveling companions but am looking forward to getting out of the heat and congestion again and seeing something new!
cm
well, i have just said goodbye to Margi and Penelope and will miss all the adventures that they will be having! it was nice to hear Penelope's reactions to India since i'm so used to the oddities (like becoming an attraction just because you're a foreigner)and the auto rickshaw wild rides.
i'm sure that Penelope will love Dharamsala as much as Margi does and will appreciate having the quiet time to write and relax after the few hot and busy days in Delhi.
i leave tomorrow morning for another town in the foothills of the Himalayas called Shimla. well, actually i am going to Dolanji, which is south of Shimla. it is the where the Menri Monastery is located. The Menri Monastery is the home of the Tibetan Bon (the indigenous Tibetan religion)and there is also an orphanage and school for the children. www.bonchildrenshome.com if you want to get more information.
i became involved with this group through my volunteer work at Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena. Latri Nyima Dakpa Rinpoche, the administrator of BCH, has given a couple of talks at Pacific Asia Museum on the Bon tradition. so, i figured, while i was in the neighborhood (so to speak), i would visit them! i'm looking forward to seeing the town and their organization.
i am also hoping to visit Shimla and some of the towns in the area, but am leaving my plans open to see how it goes. Shimla was the summer capital of the British Raj and is supposed to be nice.
i will come back to Delhi when Margi and Penelope return and will be here for Chemo #6 and then will be flying back to LA.
but for now i'm back on the road. i'll be missing my traveling companions but am looking forward to getting out of the heat and congestion again and seeing something new!
cm
In Delhi
I was delighted to see how well Margi seems. The morning of my arrival she had just had chemo #5 (she promises to post to the blog about this soon), which went smoothly. She was bright-eyed and luminous, just as she has always been. And not even skinny! She's been eating well, and is normal weight.
In Delhi she stays in her room to rest and recuperate, and it's obviously good for her to do that here. It's true what I've been told: Delhi is hot, dusty and crowded. But I've had kind guides (Jennifer and Carolyn) to take me places the last two days. Jennifer flew home night before last. I was very happy to meet her.
This evening Margi and I depart on the night train to the town at the foot of the Himalayas where the train ends. When we get there tomorrow morning, there will be a taxi (already arranged) to take us up to Dharamsala. For the first few days we'll stay at the home of her friend Angus, then transfer to a guesthouse in the town. I'm looking forward to pine forest inhabited by monkeys, cooler weather, and natural beauty at Angus's. Carolyn leaves Delhi in a couple of days to visit friends at a monastery. We'll see her again around June 8, when we return to Delhi.
I've actually enjoyed - in a hot, sweaty kind of way - seeing some of Delhi, experiencing several autorickshaw rides (the drivers truly do believe they're immortal, and it's best for the passengers to adopt the same attitude), visiting the Red Fort and the Rajgat, being viewed myself as a tourist attraction (Indians kept sidling up at the Rajgat and asking to take pictures of themselves with me - something about my height, gray hair and fierce face, I guess), and having some wonderful Indian food. Most of all, it's great to see how far Margi has come since the diagnosis.
In Delhi she stays in her room to rest and recuperate, and it's obviously good for her to do that here. It's true what I've been told: Delhi is hot, dusty and crowded. But I've had kind guides (Jennifer and Carolyn) to take me places the last two days. Jennifer flew home night before last. I was very happy to meet her.
This evening Margi and I depart on the night train to the town at the foot of the Himalayas where the train ends. When we get there tomorrow morning, there will be a taxi (already arranged) to take us up to Dharamsala. For the first few days we'll stay at the home of her friend Angus, then transfer to a guesthouse in the town. I'm looking forward to pine forest inhabited by monkeys, cooler weather, and natural beauty at Angus's. Carolyn leaves Delhi in a couple of days to visit friends at a monastery. We'll see her again around June 8, when we return to Delhi.
I've actually enjoyed - in a hot, sweaty kind of way - seeing some of Delhi, experiencing several autorickshaw rides (the drivers truly do believe they're immortal, and it's best for the passengers to adopt the same attitude), visiting the Red Fort and the Rajgat, being viewed myself as a tourist attraction (Indians kept sidling up at the Rajgat and asking to take pictures of themselves with me - something about my height, gray hair and fierce face, I guess), and having some wonderful Indian food. Most of all, it's great to see how far Margi has come since the diagnosis.
Monday, May 01, 2006
Flying out this Thursday
Looking forward to my flight to New Delhi on Thursday, May 18. Well, okay, I'm not looking forward to the actual FLIGHT so much. But I'm excited about seeing Margi and Carolyn, and meeting Jennifer, and experiencing India for the first time. I'll be there until June 9. I'll try to post some news before long.
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Margi DVD available now
Copies of the film I made about margi's work in Kathmandu in 2003 are now available. The DVD includes slide shows of her time in Nepal and her work and music from the film, available nowhere else. Price: $20 plus $5 for postage and handling. Proceeds to Margi.
e mail danielglak@gmail.com for more details.
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
FUNraising pictures!
Thanks everyone who joined in the festivities Sunday night. It was really good to get to get together.
Monday, April 24, 2006
Back in Delhi
Just a brief note to let you know that we are back in Delhi and headed for the hospital tomorrow for the ct scan, followed by chemo #4. We will be celebtrating Carolyn's birthday in the hospital.
For those of you that made it to the FUNdraiser, we hope you had a lovely time. I can't wait to see the pictures and hear the stories.
For those of you that made it to the FUNdraiser, we hope you had a lovely time. I can't wait to see the pictures and hear the stories.
Saturday, April 22, 2006
Old news for some
March 23
We went to McCleod Ganj today and circumambulated the Dalai Lama’s temple. I believe tomorrow is the last day of his teachings, but as we came close to the temple, we could hear him talking and chanting. So many Tibetan monks are here now with their burgundy robes on. Everyone who does not understand Tibetan is wearing head phones in order to hear the radio broadcasts in different languages. We went to visit an old friend of Margi’s who works at a beauty parlor and got Margi’s head shaved so that the remaining scraggles of hair are gone and then, we got MY head shaved so that she is not alone. My ears stick out a bit, but we are two of a kind. It was a fun experience and Margi is really really happy about it. She appreciates it exactly the way I thought that she would, which of course makes it worth all the odd growing out phases to come. Unfortunately, I can feel the cold more thoroughly at night without hair. I can’t stop touching my head. How bizarre that it is me. I almost feel as if I will wake up tomorrow morning and have the same hair that I woke up with this morning. We are keeping it a secret for the time being. We all think that it will be well worth the shock value and the look on Dad’s face when he comes in a couple weeks. Margi and I are having a race to see whose hair will grow back more quickly. I am afraid that I have a bit of an advantage over her… Brrr… I wish I had flannel sheets… Haven’t longed for those in a while! Another benefit to me having shaved my head is the fact that now Margi is associating the tingling and prickling on her head with the fact that she is bald and not the chemicals coursing through her body. Because, of course, I am having a similar experience.
I wrote this a month ago, but chose not to share it until now as we thought it would be fun to have a surprise waiting for Dad (Jackie) when he came to visit. It is warmer at night now and my head has become a big fuzzball. I am debating whether to go ahead and face the awkwardness to come or to delay it another month by shaving my head again. Either way, I am clearly winning the grow-out race. I wish that our hair would grow together, but I am confident that it is only a matter of time before she catches up. It is interesting to look back at the pictures. In some, all you can see is Rosie’s brown hand against the white skin of a freshly shaven head. With no face in the photo, the only way you can tell us apart is by the color of our own skin. Where she is golden, I am rosy. She has gotten a henna tattoo covering the whole of her head. It really is beautiful. Too bad it has been so rainy this past week. She hides the design beneath a scarf.
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
a quick stop in Delhi
hello!
i am back in Delhi after a quick trip to Nepal to visit friends in the town that i was a Peace Corps Volunteer. it was nice to see that everyone was doing fine despite the political difficulties.
i met Jack at the train station early on the morning of the 18th. it was easy to recognise him since he was the only western face there!
we spent the morning visiting the Red Fort in Old Delhi. an impressive complex built in the mid 1600s by the Mughal King, Shah Jahan, the same King who built the Taj Mahal.
Jack wanted to do some gift shopping, so we braved the crowded, hot streets of Old Delhi and found everything that he needed.
a siesta was in order after all our shopping was done, so a cool airconditioned room was a welcome haven! yea Hotel Prince Polonia!
Jack's flight was later in the evening and after a whirlwind week in India, he was on his way home to familiar sights, sounds and foods!
i will head for the cooler hills again tonight and spend a few days in Rishikesh, the place made famous by the Beatles in the 70s. then i will be back in Delhi in time for Chemo #4 and join forces again with Margi and Jennifer.
so, until then.....
cm
i am back in Delhi after a quick trip to Nepal to visit friends in the town that i was a Peace Corps Volunteer. it was nice to see that everyone was doing fine despite the political difficulties.
i met Jack at the train station early on the morning of the 18th. it was easy to recognise him since he was the only western face there!
we spent the morning visiting the Red Fort in Old Delhi. an impressive complex built in the mid 1600s by the Mughal King, Shah Jahan, the same King who built the Taj Mahal.
Jack wanted to do some gift shopping, so we braved the crowded, hot streets of Old Delhi and found everything that he needed.
a siesta was in order after all our shopping was done, so a cool airconditioned room was a welcome haven! yea Hotel Prince Polonia!
Jack's flight was later in the evening and after a whirlwind week in India, he was on his way home to familiar sights, sounds and foods!
i will head for the cooler hills again tonight and spend a few days in Rishikesh, the place made famous by the Beatles in the 70s. then i will be back in Delhi in time for Chemo #4 and join forces again with Margi and Jennifer.
so, until then.....
cm
Saturday, April 15, 2006
FUNdraiser for Margi
Hi all -
So everything's underway for the party - thanks to Jeanie Lytle for stepping up with some needed assistance.
If anyone is interested in donating some refreshments please contact me (Susan) sebarnet02@hotmail.com, or Elizabeta (elizabeta@overtones.org)
I think it's gonna be a lot of fun and I know that's exactly what margi wants!
Susan
So everything's underway for the party - thanks to Jeanie Lytle for stepping up with some needed assistance.
If anyone is interested in donating some refreshments please contact me (Susan) sebarnet02@hotmail.com, or Elizabeta (elizabeta@overtones.org)
I think it's gonna be a lot of fun and I know that's exactly what margi wants!
Susan
Friday, April 14, 2006
joy and a little business
First of all, on behalf of the entire Margi Scharff community, for that it what it is, can I express joy and thanks to all upon and above this terra firma who/that have helped our friend along. Much more friendship to come Margi, many many years of it.
Secondly, I am finally completing to a high polish the film that I did with Margi in 2004, "Rangi Changi, the color of art". This -- I hope -- shows Margi at her best and just how she accomplishes those amazing works of her's. My hope is to have the film read on DVD to show at the FUNdraiser later this month.
I welcome suggestions now. Since it it is also a FUNDraiser, I propose to make copies of the DVD and sell them with proceeds to whatever Margi and her blessed caregivers deem worthwhile. If all goes according to plan, the DVD will have a 15 minute film, a slide show of images of Margi's work from Nepal and some music files of stray tunes from the film.
Do people think this is a good idea? Margi? If so, what price? $20 per DVD? $15? It's all for the cause. I'll ship a collection of DVDs to the gallery and have them available with me as well for the price plus shipping. All willing that is...
Daniel Lak
danielglak@gmail.com
Secondly, I am finally completing to a high polish the film that I did with Margi in 2004, "Rangi Changi, the color of art". This -- I hope -- shows Margi at her best and just how she accomplishes those amazing works of her's. My hope is to have the film read on DVD to show at the FUNdraiser later this month.
I welcome suggestions now. Since it it is also a FUNDraiser, I propose to make copies of the DVD and sell them with proceeds to whatever Margi and her blessed caregivers deem worthwhile. If all goes according to plan, the DVD will have a 15 minute film, a slide show of images of Margi's work from Nepal and some music files of stray tunes from the film.
Do people think this is a good idea? Margi? If so, what price? $20 per DVD? $15? It's all for the cause. I'll ship a collection of DVDs to the gallery and have them available with me as well for the price plus shipping. All willing that is...
Daniel Lak
danielglak@gmail.com
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