Detlef's morning wish ...

This song is the one Detlef picked out for me this morning...
...and I have that lucky star, we both have it, will shine ever more brightly with our love.

Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris: Love and Happiness (live)

And here, the lyrics:

Here's a wishing well
Here's a penny for
Any thought it is
That makes you smile
Every diamond dream
Everything that brings
Love and happiness
To your life

Here's a rabbit's foot
Take it when you go
So you'll always know
You're safe from harm
Wear your ruby shoes
When you're far away
So you'll always stay
Home in your heart

You will always have a lucky star
That shines because of what you are
Even in the deepest dark
Because your aim is true
And if I could only have one wish
Darling, then it would be this
Love and happiness for you

Here's a spinning wheel
Use it once you've learned
There's a way to turn
The straw to gold
Here's a rosary
Count on every bead
With a prayer to keep
The hope you hold

You will always have a lucky star
That shines because of what you are
Even in the deepest dark
Because your aim is true
And if I could only have one wish
Darling, then it would be this
Love and happiness for you
And if I could only have one wish
Darling, then it would be this
Love and happiness for you

YES, I can...

2012 is a gift I welcome and am grateful for. Yes, I can enoy another twelve months of life; yes, I am well and confident, ever better, ever stronger; yes, I will speak up for all those everywhere who also need a chance, need support, need protection, need encouragement.
There is no turning back, no relinquishing what has been achieved, no doubt, no despair.
There is only hope and thought and love and ongoing life.

And with that, we can ensure freedom and rights for all everywhere...
the right to think, speak, love, and to be cured of illness.

Another year !

May we all remember what a wonderful joyous privilege it is to begin another year, a new year, to go on with our lives, living with love, sharing that love, and smiling, yes, laughing, simply because we are there and aware and mindful of being there!

HAPPY NEW YEAR - FROHES NEUJAHR - BONNE NOUVELLE ANNÉE - BUON ANNO

FIVE MONTHS OLD

To celebrate reaching the ripe old age of FIVE MONTHS with my new (Terri's, thank you) stem cells with vigor and élan to become ever better, ever stronger, ever more, I am posting this festive piece by Mozart to match my mood and spread joy to whomever may happen to hear it. Joy and love is what we are all here for, and I know that is what I celebrate every single day of my new life.

- Thanks to Philippe Sollers for sharing this performance on his website; and don't forget that his new novel appears at the beginning of 2012.

Celebrating the New Normal

A New Friend, New Caring

Siang Be, a new friend from my last brief stay in Station 51 due to a fever episode, is just beginning his battle against mantle-cell lymphoma and will have as much support and encouragement along the way as Detlef and I can possibly muster for him.
His wife Steffi will enjoy that support, too, and we will share all that those who have been down such a road are unique in being able to give to others just entering such uncharted territory.
There is a special solidarity possible among "patients"; a nod, a smile, a little shake of the head is enough between us, because we know this "dark cloud" from the inside, know therefore HOW MUCH LIGHT there is inside that supposed darkness.
Siang will be beginning his chemo today, and I am simply calling upon everyone who read's this to think of him and his wife - they are two REAL people! - and wish them strength and healing. They needn't know you; you needn't know them: just send positive vibrations into room 13 of Station 51 of RVK so that he can achieve the cure I have achieved due to the successful beginning of my fight in precisely that same Station!
YOU CAN BEAT THIS, SIANG! HANG IN THERE, STEFFI! WE ARE THERE FOR BOTH OF YOU!

F.ully D.um P.arty † Sept. 18, 2011

Without sorrow and with much relief I am pleased to announce the death yesterday of the F.ully D.um P.arty in Berlin. With election results at a level between the "animal protection party" and the neo-nazi proto-party (which also fortunately sank since the last election here), these neo-liberal worshippers of deregulated markets and lower taxes for the wealthy have disappeared from ALL parliaments in Berlin, i.e. from the city-state parliament (Abgeordnetenhaus) and from ALL twelve of the district assemblies (Bezirksverordnetenversammlungen). They garnered a mere 1.8% of the votes in the state and district elections here yesterday.
An added benefit to the city and its districts is that all of those self-serving free-marketeers will now have to find a job on the free market themselves. Until now they have been able to play well-to-do yuppies with party jobs, parliamentarian assistants, party work-groups etc. And jobs in the party organization will also be greatly reduced, as the F.ull D.ummies P.rotectorate will have very little money in the coming years; party financing here depends largely on the number of votes in the last election, so they will be nearly bankrupt. I look forward to those yuppies veering into Arbeitslosengeld II (unemployment welfare), being tossed from one unpaid trial job to another, and having to accept wages far below anything reasonable because THEY so long opposed any minimum wage in this country. Yes, the organization's and the individuals' bankrupcies are looming near. And, to borrow one of their latest populist slogans and apply it to them:

KEIN RETTUNGSSCHIRM FÜR DIE FDP!

NO EMERGENCY PARACHUTE FOR THE FDP!

Now, with one of the two components of the Tigerente rotting, Angie Buttons should finally call for a mercy killing of her ill-fated and embarrassing coalition and have the Federal Parliament (Bundestag) vote no confidence and call for new elections.

I hope soon here to be able to write the obituary of the Tigerentenkoalition.

It's all about liberty !

Don't forget what happened ten years ago today.
And remember, the attack was against LIBERTY, your freedom and mine to be whatever we are, to say and write and read any opinion we wish, to live freely with each other in an atmosphere of respect and true tolerance, to cast off the chains of any and all religious fundamentalism.
We still have a lot to do to push back what encroached on our liberty that day as two towers burned and collapsed. All too often since then we have witnessed the tower of liberty collapsing for "security" or for "religious reasons" at different spots around the globe, and we must do all in our power to strengthen the tower of individual liberty everywhere.
With liberty and justice for all, we may be able to make this world a better place for all and finally witness the smoke of 9/11 lifting to reveal the blue sky once more.

Do Something to Help

Government is NOT your enemy; your enemy are those trying to convince you that "the market" will solve everything. Deregulation of the markets (banking, finance, insurance, hedgefunds, etc.) is precisely what has led to the financial crises around the world today. Financial institutions must be regulated and FORCED to do what they refuse to do on their own: care for the welfare of their employess and the country as a whole. Only watching "return" to stockholders is a rip-off for the average citizen who sees those companies use the country as a base without bearing any responsibility.
Fair taxation: higher for the rich and for high-profit business, lower for the less well-off
Solidarity: health insurance for everyone to cover all healthcare costs
Good government: for the interests of the people as a whole, not for a select few with more lobbyists
Control: of the markets, not of your government

ENACT THE PRESIDENT'S JOB PLAN! There should be even more done for the average citizen, but at least this is a plan that even the Republicans should be able to support despite the anarchists in their ranks!

A Wonderful Day

The Countess would have turned 85 today.
My doctors in the outpatient clinic were pleased today and did a marrow biopsy on me which will certainly show that I am continuing in full remission. Detlef maneuvered me through the narcotics allowing them to puncture my pelvis again and get me quickly back up on my feet.
The CMV test last week was negative, meaning the chances are good it was so today as well and I can soon drop the pills against it.
Micha is feeling better, fever free, will probably get out on Friday, and we can all have a nice evening together.
Life is wonderful.

Die Rettung beginnt heute.

Today, with Terri here, begins the transplant phase of my treatment, exams and talks today tomorrow, fully stationary as of Wednesday, and I feel excellent emotionally & physically.
Detlef is in good shape, too, and we will make it through the coming ordeals connected with the transplant, the chemo before, the nadir danger phase thereafter, the adoption of the new stem cells from Terri, their grafting and becoming productive, so that I once and for all have leukemia FREE bone marrow for perfect blood cells for the longterm future!

Rainbows and Dreams

Over my personal rainbow, leaving the storm behind me, propelled with the stem cells from my sister, accompanied by my loving husband Detlef, a long life of great love is waiting for me, normal, without medical intervention, simple and just waiting to be lived....

...and on the other side of that rainbow, my black-and-white films turns into technicolor, too!

New York Makes a Former Citizen Happy!

New York Allows Same-Sex Marriage, Becoming Largest State to Pass Law
The New York Times, June 24, 2011

ALBANY — Lawmakers voted late Friday to legalize same-sex marriage, making New York the largest state where gay and lesbian couples will be able to wed and giving the national gay-rights movement new momentum from the state where it was born. [...]

Dozens more states have laws or constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage. Many of them were approved in the past few years, as same-sex marriage moved to the front line of the culture war and politicians deployed the issue as a tool for energizing their base.

But New York could be a shift: It is now by far the largest state to grant legal recognition to same-sex weddings, and one that is home to a large, visible and politically influential gay community. Supporters of the measure described the victory in New York as especially symbolic — and poignant — because of its rich place in the history of gay rights: the movement’s foundational moment, in June 1969, was a riot against police inside the Stonewall Inn, a bar in the West Village.

In Albany, there was elation after the vote. But leading up to it, there were moments of tension and frustration. At one point, Senator Kevin S. Parker, a Brooklyn Democrat, erupted when he and other supporters learned they would not be allowed to make a floor speech.

“This is not right,” he yelled, before storming from the chamber.

During a brief recess during the voting, Senator Shirley L. Huntley, a Queens Democrat who had only recently come out in support of same sex marriage, strode from her seat to the back of the Senate chamber to congratulate Daniel J. O’Donnell, an openly gay Manhattan lawmaker who sponsored the legislation in the Assembly.

They hugged, and Assemblyman O’Donnell, standing with his longtime partner, began to tear up.

“We’re going to invite you to our wedding,” Mr. O’Donnell said. “Now we have to figure out how to pay for one.”

This is truly good news, well-timed to crown Christopher Street Day celebrations and parades around the world, including the one in Berlin today. Gay Pride has been served, and those who love and commit to each other have been recognized in yet another jurisdiction. May the rest of the USA and the WORLD follow suit forthwith!

Home from the Second Round

Life is so wonderful when you can weather the storm of a heavy duty consolidation chemo against AML and get back home again with counts sufficient to provide you protection against infection.
I feel well, my counts are continuing to climb, and I am grateful...
... grateful to the nurses and staff of Station 51A (and B and 52) of Charité's Virchow Klinikum for their tireless support,
... grateful to the doctors of the oncology/hematology team there, Dr. Flörcken, Dr. Kuhnitz, Dr. Kreher, Dr. Westermann, Dr. Müller, et al. for their unceasing efforts to carry me through it all,
... to all my friends and family here who visited and called, to all my friends and family in the states who face-booked me words of encouragement,
... to Claudia & Alma for hosting Koko while I'm at home, so I can see him even if I can't be around him,
... to my dear sister, Terri, who stands ready to provide me with the stem cells that are a genetic match and which I need for the marrow transplant next month,
... to Detlef for always being there for me with his limitless love.

And, yes, I am even grateful to myself for mustering the strength that is rewarded by my home right here so full of love!

Take my counts up, up, and away in that beautiful balloon!

I'm climbing into that balloon and want to have my counts ascend rapidly for a quick return home to maximize the amount of time I have there before coming into the Marrow Transplant Unit!

Let's go now, soaring white cells, ascending platelets, rising red cells!

May my marrow provide the necessary propulsion for me to go up, up, and away from the hospital and back home for a while!

With the love of Detlef and the support of so many friends and family members, it must be possible to get this balloon off the ground!

PEACE

Please, let there be peace!

Please, think about it!

Easter Sunday on the Way to Recovery

What a gift this weather is, in addition to the absolute joy of having these few weeks out between chemo treatments, transplant, etc., to be able to walk around the most beautiful parts of our wonderful city of Berlin! Detlef & I together, just relishing every second we have, basking in love and life, determined to go on and on and on and on and on and on and .....

Home is Glorious!

With counts that allow it, we're building up for the next rounds in the battle to full victory over leukemia!

So you still think it's safe?

Hey, Angie, hey, Norbie, hey, Brüdly, hey, Guido, do you guys still think nuclear energy is a useful "bridge" technology instead of all out efforts for ecological energy production?
Consider, please, what is going on in Japan, and don't EVER again open your mouths to say nuclear energy production is safe when you KNOW the only reason for it is to make those very few energy conglomerates super rich at the expense of the taxpayer, and now probably also at risk of his life!

+++ Cäsium tritt aus AKW Fukushima 1 aus +++
[06.29 Uhr] In der Nähe des beschädigten Atomkraftwerks Fukushima wird radioaktives Cäsium festgestellt. Das berichtete die Nachrichtenagentur Kyodo unter Berufung auf die Atomsicherheitskommission. Die Wahrscheinlichkeit, dass Kernbrennstäbe des Reaktors schmölzen, sei hoch, meldet die Agentur Jiji unter Berufung auf die Atombehörde. Möglicherweise seien sie sogar schon geschmolzen. Der Betreiber hat daran gearbeitet, den Druck aus dem Reaktorgehäuse abzulassen, um eine Kernschmelze zu verhindern.
Nach der Naturkatastrophe war das Kühlsystem des AKW ausgefallen. Bis Samstag war es nicht gelungen, die Störung zu beheben. Insgesamt gilt für fünf Reaktoren in zwei Atomkraftwerken der Notstand.

And an earlier announcement from VOA:

Japan has declared states of emergency at two nuclear plants damaged by Friday's massive earthquake along the country's northeastern coast.Officials said the 8.9 magnitude quake and subsequent tsunami knocked power out and caused cooling systems to fail at two plants in Fukushima. They warned of radiation leaks as steam was vented from reactors in an effort to relieve growing pressure.

From the Los Angeles Times:

Damage at two Japan nuclear plants prompts evacuations
After the tsunami damages the cooling systems at five reactors in northeastern Japan, officials take steps to avert the possibility of a meltdown.
Japanese officials struggled Saturday to avert the possibility of a meltdown at two major nuclear power plants whose emergency cooling systems were damaged by Friday's earthquake and tsunami.Emergency officials ordered the evacuation Saturday of all civilians within a six-mile radius of the Fukushima No. 1 plant, which is about 150 miles northeast of Tokyo, after its normal backup cooling systems failed and it became necessary to release radioactive steam to relieve pressure that could cause an explosion.
Several hours later, authorities revealed that cooling systems at the Fukushima No. 2 plant, a few miles south, had also failed, and evacuations were ordered around that plant as well.In all, five reactors at the two plants were damaged.
Radiation levels in the control room at Fukushima No. 1 were reported to be as high as 1,000 times normal, while levels outside the plant were said to be about eight to nine times normal, indicating some leakage of radiation had already occurred.

It is bad enough that the people of Japan have to suffer the ravages of this earthquake and the tsunami, and we should all think of and help them as each is able, but the idiocy of a nuclear power plant placing them at further risk is unpardonable!

CLOSE NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS NOW!

How Old Are You?

The year of your birth gives NO information whatsoever about your age ; so many of those born in years chronologically following my own are, despite their misinformed counting of years, older than I will ever be. Think, and you are young. Be, individually, and you are young.

Philippe Sollers once again hit the nail on the head. Look at the self-proclaimed "young man" seated opposite him, compare both, and you, too, will realize how senile that youngster is and how much younger Sollers remains.

« Qui est quelqu’un dans tout ça, voilà ma question. S’il y a quelqu’un, quel qu’il soit, c’est vraiment quelqu’un de jeune. »