Where has the time gone? We just had another wonderful week-end in my backyard with my local family plus two special guests...my sons Adam and Kyle from Baltimore and Texas. What a treat. And we had nice warm, clear weather. We even got some work done on Sunday in addition to all the swimming and games. The work was removing a large old bush that was pretty but took up way too much space for our "play ground". Bridgette's husband Ben brought over his chain saw and we had it cut up in minutes. Then it took hours to feed and burn the foliage which created more than a little smoke in the neighborhood. We called the fire Dept first to make sure we were legal.
The big show of the week-end was "Baby Sloan's first roll-over" from her back to her front. Maybe it was the other way. She's about 2 months old and got a big hand from everyone wanting her to "do it again". Son Kyle was happily beating most at the croquet competition and son Adam and his partner Greg were kick'n butt in horseshoes most of the week-end. The girls seemed happy playing washers but I did not see who was doing best. Tyler arrived with a cake she made on Saturday and a beautiful plate of scones on Sunday which was quickly devoured by everyone. They saved a few for me since I placed the order earlier in the week and bought the supplies.
This all started Friday evening and ended Sunday evening so I suspect most were as tired as I was. Adam didn't get home until 1 am Monday after a late connection thru Chicago. Kyle and Chrystal arrived home about 8 pm after a 1 hr stop-over in OK city for a short business call. He had borrowed a company truck to move his things out of my basement and back to Texas. We had a nice family breakfast and meeting Sunday morning as an update to my health and living will and it was a real fun week-end. Natalie took photo's of the Scott Clan and me with the boys for sister Peggy's 59th birthday which was last Thursday. I guess you could say things actually started Thursday evening with a nice family dinner at a very nice Mexican restaurant.
I had a very pleasant surprise the previous week-end, when I got a visit from the executive director of Maryknoll Lay Missioners who I worked for in Tanzania. He stopped by the house Saturday morning on the way to a "church talk" in Emporia. Sam and I have the same birthday and he is a K-State grad from '75. I decided to drive over to hear his talk he next day and visit my elderly (94) aunt Louise who just moved back with her daughter in Emporia. I took her to mass and she enjoyed that, I believe.
Last week I met with a KU Cardiac doctor to get a second option on my heart surgery. It was very helpful but a little different opinion from my first doctor who thinks I definitely need the "root" of the aorta replaced, in addition to the valve and ascending aorta. That's about the only disagreement but it is a significantly more involved surgery to replace the root, so that needs to be resolved soon. I really like both doctors. Both have a lot of experience, especially Dr Daon at KU (400 surgeries per year for 10 yrs). The fact that he's cajun doesn't hurt. It looks like the surgery will be in mid October if the chemo ends as scheduled in early September.
I also got an encouraging email this last week from our Tanzanian school head master. The school has agreed to pay for shipping of the 30 used laptops via DHL Express instead of waiting for me to bring them later this year or early next year. That will be expensive (about $100 per PC) but sure save me a lot of hassles at the airports, etc. So that will be my project for this week; getting everything boxed and shipped. It would be cheaper by US Post but much greater chance of theft.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Finally a Second Opinion and More
After many weeks of waiting I received a second medical opinion on how best to treat the cancer in my prostrate. This opinion from MD Anderson Cancer Center basically agrees with the opinion of my doctor here in Kansas, so I will now proceed with the chemotherapy that I started about 6 weeks ago.
My last Blog update was just after my first chemo treatment on May 6. I postponed my second treatment after I decided to get a second opinion regarding staying with chemo vs surgery to remove the prostrate. During that delay I learned that I have another issue which will require urgent attention according to my new heart doctor. A recent cat scan of my heart showed that I have an aneurysm in my ascending aorta also called “the arch”. This large blood vessel is now about 2” in diameter instead of 1”. This has caused a thinning of the artery wall and danger of a rupture, which would be deadly. You may recall my twin brother had 5 aneurysms.
The opinion of the doctor is that I need open heart surgery as soon as I finish my cancer treatment to replace the aortic valve, valve root and the artery connected to that valve. I suspect the earliest that this could occur would be in October. He thinks this enlargement has been growing for about 2 yrs and will continue due to having a bicuspid valve like my mother. Without the examinations required for my cancer it seems unlikely that this would have been detected before a major rupture occurred. So the cancer seems to be a blessing in this case.
The other major family news is the birth of my niece Natalie's first child 4 weeks ago. She was a little small at 4lbs 13 oz. but Sloan is now doing fine and is in normal size clothes. I've seen her regularly the last two week-ends when her parents come to visit and relax in my back yard. She's a doll. Natalie's sister is expecting her first child in December so it's very nice to be home for these big events.
My brother-in-law Phillip and I drove to Houston for my birthday (66th) on May 20th and spent the week with my son Kyle and his mother Pam. It was also his birthday (24th), so we had a very nice visit and got to see a few friends in the area. Phillip was kept very busy doing repair projects for Pam which had been delayed and he was very helpful for me in doing most of the driving (13 hrs one way). It was a wonderful week and we had some great food at home and in restaurants.
Just as we were departing Kansas my hair started departing my scalp. After we returned to Kansas I decided to cut it all off for my summer look. It's much cooler so I'm sure glad this was not something that occurred in the winter months. A week later my brother and other brother-in-law decided to get their summer haircuts so we all look pretty similar. Now I'm working on my summer tan, especially of the scalp.
Kyle's girlfriend Chrystal also arrived from Atlanta the same week Phillip and I came to Houston. She has decided to live in Houston. She was busy looking for a job as a hairdresser the whole time we were there. Kyle also decided to change from his part-time job doing sailboat repairs to full time for the father of his best friend. Last week they both started their new full time jobs and hope to be moving out of Pam's house in another 6 weeks. I think Kyle will be driving to Kansas City in a few weeks to get his furniture and belongings out of my basement. I'm hoping to fly his brother Adam from Baltimore (and his daughter Audrey) here the same week-end so we can spend some family time together.
I'll keep you all posted as things develop. Please continue to keep me in your prayers. Tom 6-15-10
My last Blog update was just after my first chemo treatment on May 6. I postponed my second treatment after I decided to get a second opinion regarding staying with chemo vs surgery to remove the prostrate. During that delay I learned that I have another issue which will require urgent attention according to my new heart doctor. A recent cat scan of my heart showed that I have an aneurysm in my ascending aorta also called “the arch”. This large blood vessel is now about 2” in diameter instead of 1”. This has caused a thinning of the artery wall and danger of a rupture, which would be deadly. You may recall my twin brother had 5 aneurysms.
The opinion of the doctor is that I need open heart surgery as soon as I finish my cancer treatment to replace the aortic valve, valve root and the artery connected to that valve. I suspect the earliest that this could occur would be in October. He thinks this enlargement has been growing for about 2 yrs and will continue due to having a bicuspid valve like my mother. Without the examinations required for my cancer it seems unlikely that this would have been detected before a major rupture occurred. So the cancer seems to be a blessing in this case.
The other major family news is the birth of my niece Natalie's first child 4 weeks ago. She was a little small at 4lbs 13 oz. but Sloan is now doing fine and is in normal size clothes. I've seen her regularly the last two week-ends when her parents come to visit and relax in my back yard. She's a doll. Natalie's sister is expecting her first child in December so it's very nice to be home for these big events.
My brother-in-law Phillip and I drove to Houston for my birthday (66th) on May 20th and spent the week with my son Kyle and his mother Pam. It was also his birthday (24th), so we had a very nice visit and got to see a few friends in the area. Phillip was kept very busy doing repair projects for Pam which had been delayed and he was very helpful for me in doing most of the driving (13 hrs one way). It was a wonderful week and we had some great food at home and in restaurants.
Just as we were departing Kansas my hair started departing my scalp. After we returned to Kansas I decided to cut it all off for my summer look. It's much cooler so I'm sure glad this was not something that occurred in the winter months. A week later my brother and other brother-in-law decided to get their summer haircuts so we all look pretty similar. Now I'm working on my summer tan, especially of the scalp.
Kyle's girlfriend Chrystal also arrived from Atlanta the same week Phillip and I came to Houston. She has decided to live in Houston. She was busy looking for a job as a hairdresser the whole time we were there. Kyle also decided to change from his part-time job doing sailboat repairs to full time for the father of his best friend. Last week they both started their new full time jobs and hope to be moving out of Pam's house in another 6 weeks. I think Kyle will be driving to Kansas City in a few weeks to get his furniture and belongings out of my basement. I'm hoping to fly his brother Adam from Baltimore (and his daughter Audrey) here the same week-end so we can spend some family time together.
I'll keep you all posted as things develop. Please continue to keep me in your prayers. Tom 6-15-10
Friday, May 7, 2010
Update After Ist Chemo Treatment
I guess most of you know about the lymphoma diagnosis in my prostrate. The latest tests showed no lymphoma in the bone marrow, which is a blessing. The bone biopsy results are the only results missing now. The chemo started yesterday (Thurs) and no pain or side effects during that, which is nice. They took it nice and slow so it took 8 hrs and 3 IV's. But I just napped and read so I was in no hurry. They will speed it up after they see my initial reactions. They say I might experience vomiting , headaches and hair loss in a few days. We shall see. I started steroid pills today and go in for another shot today call T30. That's about it until 3 weeks when my 2nd treatment starts.
I did have a nice side-affect which I was hoping for but not expecting so soon. I did not have any back ache last night which is the first time in 3 or 4 weeks. Even Tylenol PM did not help, so maybe the chemo has started doing some shrinking of the prostrate already, but that seems very optimist. At least I got a good nights sleep and the urge to urinate was much less. So far so good.
I hope to drive down to Houston on the 20th for my birthday and my son's and spend a few days visiting family and friends before the next treatment. I did get in a round of golf this week but it was pretty poor golf; still great weather and a nice course. Also won at croquet and horse shoes so can't complain. Now I need to get back to bowling with my brother and my daily walking and drinking more water and washing hands regularly like in Africa.
After 4 treatments (12 weeks) I'll have another cat scan to see if the chemo is doing anything. I still hope to return to Tanzania this year, but that will, of course, depend on my response to the treatments. Normally it requires 6 treatments.
I got 12 new large African Cichlids donated to my new 60 gal aquarium so I'm learning how to keep them happy. It really looks nice and the visitors seem to enjoy them, especially the grand-kids. I bought a new slide scanner this week and hope to start saving most of my old slides to digital form. That could take months. Also want to install a small aquarium for experimenting with growing plants under water. That is a little more challenging than fish, but should be fun or at least interesting.
I did have a nice side-affect which I was hoping for but not expecting so soon. I did not have any back ache last night which is the first time in 3 or 4 weeks. Even Tylenol PM did not help, so maybe the chemo has started doing some shrinking of the prostrate already, but that seems very optimist. At least I got a good nights sleep and the urge to urinate was much less. So far so good.
I hope to drive down to Houston on the 20th for my birthday and my son's and spend a few days visiting family and friends before the next treatment. I did get in a round of golf this week but it was pretty poor golf; still great weather and a nice course. Also won at croquet and horse shoes so can't complain. Now I need to get back to bowling with my brother and my daily walking and drinking more water and washing hands regularly like in Africa.
After 4 treatments (12 weeks) I'll have another cat scan to see if the chemo is doing anything. I still hope to return to Tanzania this year, but that will, of course, depend on my response to the treatments. Normally it requires 6 treatments.
I got 12 new large African Cichlids donated to my new 60 gal aquarium so I'm learning how to keep them happy. It really looks nice and the visitors seem to enjoy them, especially the grand-kids. I bought a new slide scanner this week and hope to start saving most of my old slides to digital form. That could take months. Also want to install a small aquarium for experimenting with growing plants under water. That is a little more challenging than fish, but should be fun or at least interesting.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
HEALTH ISSUES DELAY TRIP
My doctors are finally making some progress in resolving my stubborn prostrate healing issues. Unfortunately the lack of healing appears to be due to malignant cells in the prostrate. They did a biopsy after my second surgery and found non-hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in the tissue. This is not prostrate cancer but is a common form of cancer (diffuse B cell) found typically in the lymph system. In fact it is only seen about 0.1% of the time in the prostrate.
The chances of recovery are good with chemotherapy and it looks like I will start the first of 6 treatments next week. But first they want to do a pet scan and bone marrow sample to see how far the cells have progressed. They wait about 3 weeks between each treatment so I hope to complete these by mid September. Needless to say that changes my departure plans completely for returning to Tanzania, which was scheduled for mid May.
I'm feeling fine except for some increasing pain in my lower back which may be due to the enlarged prostrate, which is nearly twice the normal size. It may be pressing on a nerve. This usually does not slow me down during the day but makes sleeping difficult at night. I thought it might be another kidney stone but everything checked out okay there. I also got a good report on my colonoscopy last week. That's always good to hear since mom had polyps removed at this age (66).
I purchased a large aquarium (75 gal)a few weeks ago with the intention of waiting to buy fish until my return from TZ. It looks like I'll have more time to tend the fish after all, so I hope to be getting some African Cichlids this week from friends of the family. Getting the tank and supplies set up has also helped to keep my mind occupied. It turns out the Cichlids are from Lake Malawi which is the long slender lake that borders Tanzania on the south. I hope to read more about them soon. I have had Cichlids before but never knew much about them, except that they are unusually colorful.
Last week-end we had a wonderful family celebration for my niece Natalie and soon to arrive first baby. Who ever heard of a baby shower for 125 people? It rained most of the day so 3 tents was erected. But my sister's backyard grass is a pretty big mess now. It lasted from 3 pm til 8 pm so people were feeling no pain by that time. I sure didn't make it that long. A bunch of party animals. Of equal excitement was the announcement of Natalie's sister's first pregnancy. Bridgette and Matt are expecting in early December. Great news. Natalie and Mike are expecting in mid May near the BD of me, twin brother Jim and son Kyle (21st). We are all hoping for that day.
The chances of recovery are good with chemotherapy and it looks like I will start the first of 6 treatments next week. But first they want to do a pet scan and bone marrow sample to see how far the cells have progressed. They wait about 3 weeks between each treatment so I hope to complete these by mid September. Needless to say that changes my departure plans completely for returning to Tanzania, which was scheduled for mid May.
I'm feeling fine except for some increasing pain in my lower back which may be due to the enlarged prostrate, which is nearly twice the normal size. It may be pressing on a nerve. This usually does not slow me down during the day but makes sleeping difficult at night. I thought it might be another kidney stone but everything checked out okay there. I also got a good report on my colonoscopy last week. That's always good to hear since mom had polyps removed at this age (66).
I purchased a large aquarium (75 gal)a few weeks ago with the intention of waiting to buy fish until my return from TZ. It looks like I'll have more time to tend the fish after all, so I hope to be getting some African Cichlids this week from friends of the family. Getting the tank and supplies set up has also helped to keep my mind occupied. It turns out the Cichlids are from Lake Malawi which is the long slender lake that borders Tanzania on the south. I hope to read more about them soon. I have had Cichlids before but never knew much about them, except that they are unusually colorful.
Last week-end we had a wonderful family celebration for my niece Natalie and soon to arrive first baby. Who ever heard of a baby shower for 125 people? It rained most of the day so 3 tents was erected. But my sister's backyard grass is a pretty big mess now. It lasted from 3 pm til 8 pm so people were feeling no pain by that time. I sure didn't make it that long. A bunch of party animals. Of equal excitement was the announcement of Natalie's sister's first pregnancy. Bridgette and Matt are expecting in early December. Great news. Natalie and Mike are expecting in mid May near the BD of me, twin brother Jim and son Kyle (21st). We are all hoping for that day.
Friday, April 16, 2010
April 2010 Update
I guess the big news this month is my second prostrate surgery (this week), which is called a traditional TURP procedure. It's a little different that the green laser procedure of 6 weeks ago. Let's hope it's a little more successful, since I'm due to depart for Tanzania May 14. I delayed that departure a few weeks for this second surgery. I just hope I don't need another delay; time will tell.
On Easter Sunday we had a wonderful gathering of family at church followed by even more (14 + 2 guests) at my house for dinner. The weather was great so everyone enjoyed my new brick patio for eating out. I even got to break-in my new charcoal grill; an Easter gift from sister Peg. Brother-in-law John showed me how to use the grill and Jim's son-in-law Ben brought loads of great homemade ice cream. Sister Janice brought the strawberry shortcake. It was all delicious.
Last week I got another lot of 15 used Dell laptops to take with me to Tanzania and have slowly been checking them all before packing. I think I'll only have room for 26 on the plane and one bag for cloths. They all seem to be in good condition so far. I also bought 5 external hard drives and 30 optical mouse and a digital camera to take back. Most of this is for the teachers at Kowak Secondary.
I'm really enjoying the warm weather we've had these last 2 weeks and got in my first round of golf this week before the surgery. I've been watering my new grass seeds daily and did my first weed-eating this week, so Spring has sprung. It's delightful with lots of birds and squires to watch all day. This should be a quiet week-end but next Saturday my niece Natalie will have a big baby shower next door for 200. That should be fun.
On Easter Sunday we had a wonderful gathering of family at church followed by even more (14 + 2 guests) at my house for dinner. The weather was great so everyone enjoyed my new brick patio for eating out. I even got to break-in my new charcoal grill; an Easter gift from sister Peg. Brother-in-law John showed me how to use the grill and Jim's son-in-law Ben brought loads of great homemade ice cream. Sister Janice brought the strawberry shortcake. It was all delicious.
Last week I got another lot of 15 used Dell laptops to take with me to Tanzania and have slowly been checking them all before packing. I think I'll only have room for 26 on the plane and one bag for cloths. They all seem to be in good condition so far. I also bought 5 external hard drives and 30 optical mouse and a digital camera to take back. Most of this is for the teachers at Kowak Secondary.
I'm really enjoying the warm weather we've had these last 2 weeks and got in my first round of golf this week before the surgery. I've been watering my new grass seeds daily and did my first weed-eating this week, so Spring has sprung. It's delightful with lots of birds and squires to watch all day. This should be a quiet week-end but next Saturday my niece Natalie will have a big baby shower next door for 200. That should be fun.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
March Update from Kansas
Well, it's been 4 weeks since my prostrate surgery and still having some problems. I hope to get it resolved this week when I have my next doctors appointment. This could possibly slow down my departure date (4-18) to Tanzania by a few weeks. Wish me luck.
The weather has been pretty cool all month (40's) and really felt cold during the 2 hr St Pat's Parade this week. Wow. It was an impressive parade. I had no idea how many Irish decendants (clubs) and supporters there are in this city (KC). And I could not believe the skimpy outfits that some of the high school bands and dance teams were wearing for this weather. But they were good and seemed to be enjoying themselves just like the crowd, who was dressed much warmer, but just as silly looking.
By Friday (2 days later) it was up to 68F and sunny and everyone was glad to see that Spring was just a day away. Then the front came thru and by 5 pm it was raining and down to 38F. The next morning we had 6 inches of snow on the ground. Today (Sun.) we have 2 more inches but the temp is coming back up. I'm getting a lot of use out of my new snow shovel and lots of help from my brother-in-law. Sure is different than Texas or TZ, but enjoying the change. We took my sisters grandchildren (5 and 7 yr) sledding and they had a ball. So did we.
I really enjoyed the NCAA basketball this week, with the victory of K State over a good BYU team. That puts them in the sweet 16 in Houston next week. There are lots of happy fans here, but even more very sad KU fans, since they were upset last night by a very good Northern Iowa team. They sure had a great season and great team (beat K Sate 3 times).
I got the first half of my used laptop order this week (15 of 30) so I'll be busy checking them all out before I start shipping them to TZ. The prices were higher than last year but still reasonable and still climbing. I hope they all make it undamaged to TZ. Between damages and theft this could be an expensive project. Wish me luck. I hope the insurance works. I'm loading AVG anti-virus, Skype and Mozilla on all of them, checking the wifi, battery life and key functions, etc.
The weather has been pretty cool all month (40's) and really felt cold during the 2 hr St Pat's Parade this week. Wow. It was an impressive parade. I had no idea how many Irish decendants (clubs) and supporters there are in this city (KC). And I could not believe the skimpy outfits that some of the high school bands and dance teams were wearing for this weather. But they were good and seemed to be enjoying themselves just like the crowd, who was dressed much warmer, but just as silly looking.
By Friday (2 days later) it was up to 68F and sunny and everyone was glad to see that Spring was just a day away. Then the front came thru and by 5 pm it was raining and down to 38F. The next morning we had 6 inches of snow on the ground. Today (Sun.) we have 2 more inches but the temp is coming back up. I'm getting a lot of use out of my new snow shovel and lots of help from my brother-in-law. Sure is different than Texas or TZ, but enjoying the change. We took my sisters grandchildren (5 and 7 yr) sledding and they had a ball. So did we.
I really enjoyed the NCAA basketball this week, with the victory of K State over a good BYU team. That puts them in the sweet 16 in Houston next week. There are lots of happy fans here, but even more very sad KU fans, since they were upset last night by a very good Northern Iowa team. They sure had a great season and great team (beat K Sate 3 times).
I got the first half of my used laptop order this week (15 of 30) so I'll be busy checking them all out before I start shipping them to TZ. The prices were higher than last year but still reasonable and still climbing. I hope they all make it undamaged to TZ. Between damages and theft this could be an expensive project. Wish me luck. I hope the insurance works. I'm loading AVG anti-virus, Skype and Mozilla on all of them, checking the wifi, battery life and key functions, etc.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Update on March 10
Hope this finds you Mwanzans all well and dry. I hear it is raining a lot in Kowak. This is just a brief update, while I wait for the big game at 5 pm (KU vs K State for Big 12 bragging rights. It'll be be a difficult game since KU is ranked #1 in the country and KSU # 9. KSU won a late game agains t Baylor last night so will brobably still be tied. That's my excuss and I'm sticking with it. The National playoffs start next week, aka March Madness.
My lazer surgery went well 2 1/2 weeks ago but still incontinent. Started wearing Always yesterday to keep my jeans dry. At least I know where to buy them now in TZ. Hope I don't need them, or any meds. I just stopped taking BP meds and Flomax last week. So far so good. I'm eating fish every day with rice and steamed veg. Trying to get my Cholestrol down. Probably won't work but worth a try and I sure like it. Wish Fr Jim did. Back to meat and potatoes twice a day when I return.
I hope Liz made it back okay and has taken the tubing fittings to Kowak that I sent her. Dr John (aka Lock Jaw) is returning for a month of volunteer dental work in mid May. I may delay my return til then to save the Kowak folks a trip to Nairobi. Right now I'm scheduled to return to Nairobi 19 April but can change it without penalty. I have order 30 used Dell (D610) laptops and they should arrive next week. 25 were ordered by the KGSS teachers. I hope to start examining all of them next week and shipping them as soon as possible. I may bring 4 or 5 with me for the school classroom. They cost $260 each plus $50 for shipping and insurance. Hope it works.
I'll been having some repairs done to my house. I just moved in mid Dec after 8 yrs of renting to relatives. The roof leaks and electrical repairs are done. Need to refinish the hardwood floors but that can wait. I love having a basement. Sure can't have them in Houston. We (twin brother and in-laws) had the boys over for cards last weekend in the basement. It's was a kick. I'd never played Pitch before. Boy is it different. The snow season seems to be over. Just a little rain now and in the 40's everyday, all day. They say it's been a very snowy winter but it doesn't seem much different than in than mid 60's in Manhattan (aka the Little Apple). That shoveling has been good exercise, but I'm glad it finished before I had surgery.
Alex in Kowak tells me they just installed 12 new Vodacom modems at the school (8 for students) and have some kind of contract for 20,000/+ per month. So they shut down the satelite dish which was costing a fortune ($200m+ per mo). I'm on facebook now, but not sure that is a good idea. I've got about 115 "friends" now. One of them is Fr Bill Vos in MN. He is coming back to TZ in April, as you probably know. I hope to see him and his donors in Kowak on 27th of April if I'm back by then. If not maybe in Nairobi later. Hope all is well with each of you.. keep in touch ya'all. I guess plural (all ya'all) would be better English.
--
My lazer surgery went well 2 1/2 weeks ago but still incontinent. Started wearing Always yesterday to keep my jeans dry. At least I know where to buy them now in TZ. Hope I don't need them, or any meds. I just stopped taking BP meds and Flomax last week. So far so good. I'm eating fish every day with rice and steamed veg. Trying to get my Cholestrol down. Probably won't work but worth a try and I sure like it. Wish Fr Jim did. Back to meat and potatoes twice a day when I return.
I hope Liz made it back okay and has taken the tubing fittings to Kowak that I sent her. Dr John (aka Lock Jaw) is returning for a month of volunteer dental work in mid May. I may delay my return til then to save the Kowak folks a trip to Nairobi. Right now I'm scheduled to return to Nairobi 19 April but can change it without penalty. I have order 30 used Dell (D610) laptops and they should arrive next week. 25 were ordered by the KGSS teachers. I hope to start examining all of them next week and shipping them as soon as possible. I may bring 4 or 5 with me for the school classroom. They cost $260 each plus $50 for shipping and insurance. Hope it works.
I'll been having some repairs done to my house. I just moved in mid Dec after 8 yrs of renting to relatives. The roof leaks and electrical repairs are done. Need to refinish the hardwood floors but that can wait. I love having a basement. Sure can't have them in Houston. We (twin brother and in-laws) had the boys over for cards last weekend in the basement. It's was a kick. I'd never played Pitch before. Boy is it different. The snow season seems to be over. Just a little rain now and in the 40's everyday, all day. They say it's been a very snowy winter but it doesn't seem much different than in than mid 60's in Manhattan (aka the Little Apple). That shoveling has been good exercise, but I'm glad it finished before I had surgery.
Alex in Kowak tells me they just installed 12 new Vodacom modems at the school (8 for students) and have some kind of contract for 20,000/+ per month. So they shut down the satelite dish which was costing a fortune ($200m+ per mo). I'm on facebook now, but not sure that is a good idea. I've got about 115 "friends" now. One of them is Fr Bill Vos in MN. He is coming back to TZ in April, as you probably know. I hope to see him and his donors in Kowak on 27th of April if I'm back by then. If not maybe in Nairobi later. Hope all is well with each of you.. keep in touch ya'all. I guess plural (all ya'all) would be better English.
--
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
