Taylor Thursday

Date:                               Thursday, September 2nd, 2010
Word of the Day:             anacoluthia; lack of grammatical sequence or coherence, esp. in a sentence
Weight:                            225 pounds
Goal:                                lose 100 pounds in one year duration
Pounds to lose:                 93 pounds
Waist Size:                       53.5 inches
Rowing Duration:             102 minutes, 48 seconds, 78 minutes, 53 seconds (second session)

I want it to rain, long, hard and now and it looks like I just may get my wish.  I find it is always best to ask for things that are imminent, such as, alot of dark clouds hovering, added with a gusty wind, usually is indicative of rain, so I hope for rain and that way, I will not be too disappointed if for some bizarre reason it doesn't rain, but usually I get my wish.  If you ask for a sure thing, nine times out of ten you will get it.

I am getting feedback from some of you, and I want you to know how much I appreciate hearing from you, it really does mean alot to me.  And the jokes, anecdotes, smile of the day, how funny are they?, I wish I could forward them all to you, but some are on the dirty side, smell of chain-letter, religious overtones,  and I really don't want to alienate any of you, but they really are funny.

I love today's word of the day, it is so relevant,  and indicative of my style of writing.  I really should have followed through and completed that class on Grammar 101, at the University of Toronto, yes, I went there too!!!!!

I guess I've got caught that sometimes I do start the next day's post on the day previous, it is just so hard to input all of the daily indicators, each and every time, and I like to get it over with, and not much changes, except times, word of the day, etc.  Okay, okay, so I started writing a little, there isn't that much there,  and it shouldn't overwhelm you!

First things first, I would very much like to thank Marta Giametti, who not only reads my blog faithfully, she provides me with alot of ideas, as far as she is concerned, (and I,) no subject is too difficult to tackle.  I always, always appreciate,  and value her input.

  I miss Marta, greatly, she and I almost instantly connected when we met at our workplace, and we found we had a shared interest, the theatre, so it was not too long into our friendship that we started going to see plays together.

Marta was always able to see things that I missed,  (I like to think that I'm observant,) and I enjoyed her thoroughness to the subject at hand, always providing me with insight, intelligence, and humour,  which made some of the stronger subjects easier to digest.

Marta and I went to plays that were popular, unpopular, but always controversial and I truly miss her company, one day I know we shall reconnect, and we will once again renew our friendship on a more personal level.

It seems the subject of circumcision has stirred an interest in some of you, hmmm. who would have ever thought, (besides me) that something so clinical, topical and controversial would be of so much interest?  I am not addressing the subject of circumcision today, I am still researching it, there really is alot to it,  and I want to carefully cull what I choose to put in my post.

I am now going to talk about cancer because I don't know of anyone who hasn't had some kind of cancer contact,  either with themselves, within the family unit, or with the stranger that you try not to notice,  and who you tell yourself that "well, it can't happen to me, I'm so different from him!" 

Cancer does not discriminate, got that?,  and the likelihood is there that one day you will personally have to deal with it, not only on an emotional level but on a physical level, so why not align yourself with as much information that you can,  and share it with the person sitting next to you, you may just save their life.

On a very personal note, it really annoys me that I have family members who strike the attitude that they don't like to have tests done because they would rather not know if they're getting sick.    Can you believe this insanity?  It is so hard for me to stay quiet that I often get into trouble for opening my big mouth, but I can't help it, it is akin to watching someone hurt themselves.

There are so many different types of cancer:  breast, colon, lung, prostate, ovarian, skin, etc.  So what is Cancer, I'm so glad you asked.

Cancer is a class of diseases, in which a group of cells display uncontrolled growth (division beyond the normal links,) invasion (intrusion on and destruction of adjacent tissues,) and sometimes metastis (spread to other locations in the body via lymph or blood.)

These three malignant properties of cancer differentiate them from benign tumours which are self-limited, and do not invade or metastasize.  Most cancer form a tumour, but some, like leukemia, do not.

The branch of medicine concerned with the study, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of cancer is Oncology.

Cancer affects people of all ages with the risk for most increasing with age, how nice, wrinkles, worn-out joints and limbs, and memory loss isn't quite enough of a challenge for us evidently.

The best defense against Cancer is often recognizing symptons early,  detecting the disease before it is able to progress, this is key and vital to the survival, are you paying attention my family?  Knowing what tools are available to you is often a large part of the battle.  So what symptons should you be aware of?,

Unfortunately, many types of Cancer don't display any obvious symptons or cause pain until well-advanced.  Early-stage Cancer symptons tend to be subtle, and there are some warning signs of Cancer that you should familiarize yourself with:

Change in bowel or bladder habits
A sore that does not heal
Unusual bleeding or discharge
Thickening or lump in the breast or any other part of the body; women should always be checking their breasts and mamograms should be conducted on a regular basis.  Men should be checking/feeling their testicles for small lumps
Indigestion or difficulty swallowing
An obvious change in a wart or mole
A nagging cough or hoarseness

Some symptons are specific to certain types or Cancer, such as difficult urination for prostate
Cancer, or flu-like symptons for acute leukemias.  Don't hesitate to discuss unusual symptons with your doctor.  Diagnostic tests are available to mose common Cancers.  If diagnosed early, your chances of surviving Cancer are greatly increased.

If you are over fifty years of age, and this isn't the first time I've said this, please do not hesitate to get a colonoscopy.  Trust me, they give you pleasant drugs for the procedure.  Had Zac been given a colonoscopy when he was just fifty years old, the problems that he is currently battling could be non-existent!

I have tried to provide you with a snapshot on the subject of Cancer, clearly there is too much information available to put in this blog, however, should you want more information, google Wikipedia, go to your library, speak to your doctor, and talk to people, every Cancer is unique to every individual so keep that in mind.

Topics coming soon:

The night they raided Minsky's
Circumcision
Pets