Well I thought I had that program figured out

It seems that I had a lot more to learn about my anti virus program. Fortunately I have had several days where I could sit and communicate with the various software manufacturers via live chat on the internet and finally I have gotten about 90% of the settings firmly set for my security programs. None the less, I am still getting an occasional virus but the new software is very good at finding them as they come in and quarantining them so my emails are safe and my computer still functions. The last virus came in on Outlook Express. I have Outlook Express on my computer but I have not used it in a couple of years. Apparently I subscribed to some news groups back then and even though I have not accessed the program in two years, it was still actively downloading updates for the news groups. That is a lesson to learn. When you stop using a program that accesses the internet, make sure you either delete the program or at the very least shut it down so it does not act as a pipeline for infections.

BTW, if any one is looking for a good financial software I can honestly say that Quicken is the best program I have ever found. Even though it took nearly two hours to fix the problem, I got a very experienced tech on live chat and working through very logical steps we were able to find the problem and repair the software and still preserve the data files. I was very impressed. This was a tech from India. I normally can not stand to deal with the Indians because they are not very experienced but this guy was fantastic and with a little patience, I was able to solve all the problems I had with the program. Two hours may seem like a long time but it was well worth it to be able to save all my data.

If I do not appear on the blog for a while it is probably because I am busy making some big life changes in the next few weeks. I have emailed a lot of you with the details. Hopefully I can announce to everyone else the exciting the news that I have. I can tell you that I will be moving sometime toward the end of the month into a new location. I hopefully will still be in Cathedral City but I will not know for sure until sometime after the 10th of July. In the meantime I am waiting for Kaiser to approve my getting a CAT scan so we can map the progress I have made with chemo therapy. I have an appointment to see Dr. Leichman on the 6th of July but that is based on Kaiser giving their approvals for the tests. I will never understand what the problem is with granting approval for a test that is so important to my treatment. One of my friends suggested that if I can not get an approval I should make a big sign saying that Kaiser is delaying my tests that I need to be able to survive and then go down and protest on the street in front of their offices. I would but it is really too damn hot for an outdoor protest.

My brother Chris came to visit last weekend. It was a really good visit although between his visit and all the errands I ran in the days following his visit I wore myself out. I have had to lay back and relax for a few days. I was walking all those days without canes or any aids and it flat wore me out. During his visit we had many good chats and many good side trips around the town. On Friday we went into Santa Monica to the pier and spent the day there. I had never been to the pier and the temperature was only 79 degrees in Santa Monica in comparison to Palm Springs where it was 112. The break from the heat was truly welcome. The food and talk was also very good. Saturday we relaxed and went to dinner. I will admit that I got rather emotional during the dinner. Chris really helped clear up a lot of my issues regarding the love that he and the rest of my family have for me.

Sunday we spent on Mt San Jacinto. We took the tram up out of the valley and spent the better part of the day up there. It was really also very refreshing. I took tons of pictures which I have posted on my Flickr site. The url for the tram pictures is http://www.flickr.com/photos/drivebare/sets/72157600491719931/ Let me know if the link works or if it does not work for you. I have not edited them yet. Maybe I can do that this afternoon. I really had a good time with Chris’s visit. Hopefully I will get to see him and the rest of y’all again soon.

I realize now just how out of it I was when I first came down with the diagnosis. I am going to be working on my power of attorney and will this weekend now that my mind is so much more clear. I was watching an old movie on the tube the other day and part of the plot was the reading of the will. A phrase they used, “Being of sound mind”, stuck in my head. My original will and power of attorney and so forth could so easily be challenged as I doubt I was really of sound mind when I first put those together. I was really unclear on the principles and details of those documents. I did not want to think about those issues when I wrote those documents out originally. Now that I have had some time to think about those issues I feel far more comfortable filling out those documents. I have some very specific instructions that I want to have followed at the time of my passing depending on how I achieve that state. For sure, I do not want to be artificially kept alive with a forced feeding tube and a life support machine. If there is no chance that I will ever have control of my life or my care again, then please let me go. I would go nuts if I was still brain conscious and able to think but unable to issue any commands or instructions to help with my care. If I lost my ability to voice my needs and desires but still had the ability to use a computer to type out my wishes and desires, I would want to stay alive. That is an extreme example. If on the other hand I was in a coma and there was no chance in the expert opinion of my doctors that I would ever be able again contribute to my life decisions, then please do not artificially keep me alive. The last thing I want to do is run up a huge hospital bill for artificial life support. No Terry Schiavo for me, please.  But all of that will be clearly explained in the new documents that I am going to put together with the help of a very dear friend tomorrow.

Lunch has arrived and I have written more than I usually do.  The menu calls for Chicken Salad Sandwiches and soda and a great dill pickle.  I am going to enjoy my lunch.  Do write me if you have any questions or thoughts and of course, comments are always very welcome here.