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（日本語は後からいれます）

It has been a very busy, but productive week.

On Sunday, Mark came back from Japan safely with souvenirs; I asked him to buy brushes, pens, and water color paints, in addition to the regular food items from Japan.
It is always fun to open a package. He also bought me a sweater and a jacket, because he will not be here on my birthday, and it is getting increasingly difficult to find clothing in the US, but even the Japanese size S is a bit too roomy with my current weight.

Then, on Monday and Wednesday I worked for a medical device company that manufactures unique cardiovascular devices and is 70 miles away from home. In the past I did not enjoy working for the medical industry very much, because the terminology is so different and technical, and it requires quite a bit of preparation. This time, however, I was interested in their devices. I now know how a catheter works, for example, and appreciate the value of it. As a result of cancer, the medicine related assignment might become one of my favorite jobs.

My achievement with this job was the 140 miles round-trip drive. I managed to drive each way myself and work for 8 hours, even though the factory tour was very hard on my back.

In addition to the two-day job, I have been translating pages of speeches throughout the week for a Monday job, for which I will stay in the hotel in Boston on Sunday night so that I do not need to drive in the morning. But it means that as soon as I finish writing this blog, I have to leave.

While being busy with my work, Mark and I went to the guitar concert featuring Mark’s teacher on Friday night at a local music school, where our sons took music lessons for years. When the music school was moving to the current location from a church basement and refurbishing the building, my oldest son cleaned the basement debris for his Boy Scout Eagle project. We, as parents, chipped in our labor, too. It has been 6 years since then, and it was nice to come back to the building that is a fully functioning beautiful school now. It is amazing how many memories you have from your children’s activities.

Mark’s teacher was dynamite! She played about 10 pieces, from various styles and eras that span for 4 centuries, all memorized. It is amazing that the classical guitar can express such varied tones and emotions, and it is wonderful to be able to hear the world-class music in an intimate local venue.

On Saturday night, we went to our dinner group, HOG (Holden’s Own Gourmet group), in which we have been participating on and off for 7 years as a couple. The group plans a full course meal 4 times a year, cooks and enjoys it with wine. As I could not cook this time, we only contributed vanilla ice cream. The menu was shrimp bisque, Beef Wellington, creamed vegetables, and chocolate souffl? cake. Everything was wonderful, but I could only eat the soup and a part of the dessert. How long will it take for me to be able to enjoy a full meal like this? I enjoyed seeing my friends and talking, more than the food.

Even though I am doing very well and enjoying life fully, my weight remains a problem. In fact, I have to be careful not to pack my week with too many activities, because it is much easier for me not to eat and go on to the next exciting activity.

When I went to the oncologist on Thursday, I was told that he was very concerned with my weight loss. I am losing muscle mass instead of fat right now. It is possible that my persistent backache stems from not having enough muscle. He recommended that I use weights to strengthen my upper body. Also, he suggested that I take anti-histamine for insomnia and dumping problem at night, instead of anti-anxiety pills.