Happy New Year 2007

Lab last week looked good. Looks like everything is still being "held in check" the way it's supposed to be.
I'm now in Seattle at Mary Catherine's cousin's home. Julia and her husband Tom are graciously letting me stay in their downstairs apartment for the month of January. I'll be working at the University of Washington Hospital - the final step in my Anesthesia re-entry plan. It should be interesting and stimulating. It will also be more fun, compared to my Locums work. Plenty of friends here in the Seattle area, lots to do, and I brought my commuter bike! I will also make a quick visit home to Sandpoint mid month.
My December plans were derailed by a nasty cold I came down with 2 days after my return to Sandpoint. My ski season was delayed, but I still managed to get 5 good days, including some awesome powder and one day climbing up Schweitzer with Bram on our back country skis with climbing "skins". I eventually decided that driving my Dad's '90 Pontiac cross country solo in the dead of winter was too crazy even for me, and cancelled that project. I was sorry to miss out on my parent's 65th Anniversary in Boston. Mary Catherine and I flew in the Comanche down to Lewiston for a Holiday gathering of our many friends there. On the way back to Sandpoint the visibility was so good we could see every mountain range within 100 miles!
The end of the month will find me back in Bethesda at NIH for my 18 month check-up: bone marrow, blood tests, etc. Eighteen months since my stem cell transplant. Hard to believe. As Jerry said "what a long strange trip it's been".