As you all know, this has been a trying weekend for me. I had not only my procedure to get my cancerous cells removed but also my ballet exam.
Thursday I had a procedure done known as an LEEP. I am pleased to report to all of you that this procedure went as well as could be expected! I spent about three hours at the doctor's office on Thursday while they worked to get rid of all of the cancerous cells. After the procedure was done, they told me that they're pretty sure they were able to remove all of these cells. I was advised to take it easy and do no physical activity for the next 3-5 days. After asking, they did give me the go ahead to take my ballet exam even though it's on Sunday. I was also told to resume light activity for the next three weeks, but I have been required to take it easy and be careful not to overexert myself.
This doesn't really work with the fact that I've tried to take up running. I guess I'll start back on the running Tuesday before ballet if I'm feeling up to it... If I'm not still sick that is. I knew I was coming down with a cold on Wednesday and I was hoping to be over it already, but alas I'm not. I feel absolutely terrible. I can't remember the last time I felt this terrible. My throat has been swollen, I've been all stuffed up, and I've had a fever running constantly since Friday. Not exactly fun.
And now, my ballet exam! I wasn't exactly sure if I'd be able to take my exam since I was notified after my appointment on Thursday that I needed written consent to take the exam, something I didn't think twice about. I wasn't able to get a hold of my doctor on Friday so Friday and Saturday I pretty much gave up hope and figured I would have to wait to be able to take my exam. Something I didn't want to do considering I've been working for quite some time on this. Sunday morning I got a call from my ballet instructor telling me that as long as I filled out a release promising not to sue if I got hurt and promised to leave the exam if I noticed any pain, I could take the exam. And I already got the email back from my instructor informing me that I passed!
Even sick and recently getting rid of cancer, I can still dance!
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Today is the day
Today I'm going to have a procedure that will (hopefully) be able to remove all of the cancerous cells. Since it is Stage I, there will be no chemo involved. I know how hard chemotherapy is on your entire body and how rough it is to go through so I'm thrilled to hear that I won't have to worry about it. Since my procedure is this afternoon, I knew I would drive myself crazy thinking and worrying about this if I was at home. So I decided to come to work. I doubt I will really get anything done today, but I just couldn't stand the thought of doing nothing at all and driving myself insane.
After the procedure, I'm supposed to stay in bed and do absolutely nothing for at least three days, preferably up to five. Being anemic, the big concern is that I will reopen any wounds and begin to bleed profusely and die. Okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but that's the reasoning. Me being me, I know that there's no way I can stay home, let alone in bed, for three days. And since I have my Cecchetti exam on Sunday, I know that's not going to happen. I have already discussed this with my doctors and even though they're not exactly thrilled, they're willing to let me do it. It just means I have to take even more time to recover and be careful and blah blah blah.
Lucky for all of you, being on bed rest means I get to post more on here! I doubt I'll post an update later today, but you can all expect something tomorrow! Fingers crossed it all goes well and I don't die or something!
(I won't die, stop worrying)
After the procedure, I'm supposed to stay in bed and do absolutely nothing for at least three days, preferably up to five. Being anemic, the big concern is that I will reopen any wounds and begin to bleed profusely and die. Okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but that's the reasoning. Me being me, I know that there's no way I can stay home, let alone in bed, for three days. And since I have my Cecchetti exam on Sunday, I know that's not going to happen. I have already discussed this with my doctors and even though they're not exactly thrilled, they're willing to let me do it. It just means I have to take even more time to recover and be careful and blah blah blah.
Lucky for all of you, being on bed rest means I get to post more on here! I doubt I'll post an update later today, but you can all expect something tomorrow! Fingers crossed it all goes well and I don't die or something!
(I won't die, stop worrying)
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
SOPA, PIPA, ACTA
Since you are all using the internet, I'm assuming you've at least heard mention of the two US bills that were threatening to go through congress, SOPA and PIPA, as well as the global bill threatening to pass now, ACTA. Since there are numerous websites designed to help people understand what these are, I'm not going to add to that list. (To read more on ACTA, you can go here or here)
I download files. I share files. I see nothing wrong with this at all. It seems that the main concern for these proposed bills are the fact that there is a large amount of theft of intellectual property. You hear from top CEO's and executives about how when people download music, movies, and television shows, they are stealing from the artists and these companies. These bills are going to protect these innocent and helpless companies from such terrible, terrible theft.
But, are the people that download really going to start adding to the massive profits these companies are already seeing? Are these people that have been getting unlimited music, movies, and television shows suddenly going to start spending thousands of dollars on these products? The simple answer is no. If you have been getting something for free for years, you're not going to start spending money on it now. I can see that there will be new ways to get around this law before the ink is even dry on the last signature. Would you like to know why? Because people like free things and people are going to want to continue to get free things.
Another problem I have with the claims that these companies make about the massive losses they incur from illegal downloads is the fact that these downloads actually help. It may seem a bit counter-intuitive at first glance, but the more you look at this statement, the more merit it has. I can speak from my own personal experience when it comes to this fact. I have downloaded countless songs, albums, movies, and even a television show or two. I have watched movies and shows streaming. And yet, when I do this, I am actually putting myself in a position to give these companies more money. If I hear about a new band, I don't want to spend the first $10 on an album I might find absolutely terrible. So what do I do? I download it. I then listen to this new artist and decide I really like this band. I then make decide that if this band is going to have any chance of making it in the music industry, I need to support them. I spend money on albums, concerts, clothing. I also promote this band. I may share some of the albums with friends, making them a fan as well! Looking through my spending records from last year alone, I can see that I've spent over $3,500 on albums, concerts, and attire for these bands. If I hadn't had the chance to listen to them for free, that would be $3,500 that the music industry would have never seen.
Finally, are these television and movie studios really losing money when people download their products and watch them? Not necessarily. When I download or stream a show, I'm most likely doing this because it is not available yet in the US. That might seem a bit strange, but I'll clear this up for you... Most of the shows I enjoy are British. The BBC will release them in the UK first, then roughly a season later, it will be allowed to air in the US. For instance, I love the new BBC show "Sherlock." Sherlock only has three episodes per series. This means for the next three episodes, you'll have to wait a year. Now, in the UK, "Sherlock" was released almost a month ago. It will not be aired in the US for several more months. So I decided that I would download it and watch it. Does this mean I wont watch it when it finally does air here? No, I'll watch it. I love the show and the story line. But I do not like having to wait many months for the new series when it is readily available elsewhere. The same goes for other shows I love, "Doctor Who", "Merlin", and "Skins". All of these shows are released early in the UK and those fans in the US must wait. Most fans will still watch them when they air here, but that does not mean we like being left out and forced to wait when they have them all ready to air!
These bills are going to censor the internet. They are going to greatly diminish the knowledge we all have and have grown accustomed to. Not only are many sites we use everyday going to be forced to shut down, but they are creating these bills for completely bogus reasons. And, you should be afraid of what happens next. If letting someone use something for free, even when you own it legally, is going to be illegal, beware of what could happen next. Don't be surprised if used CD-, movie-, and book-stores are all forced to shut down. Don't be surprised to see libraries all being forced to shut their doors.
I download files. I share files. I see nothing wrong with this at all. It seems that the main concern for these proposed bills are the fact that there is a large amount of theft of intellectual property. You hear from top CEO's and executives about how when people download music, movies, and television shows, they are stealing from the artists and these companies. These bills are going to protect these innocent and helpless companies from such terrible, terrible theft.
But, are the people that download really going to start adding to the massive profits these companies are already seeing? Are these people that have been getting unlimited music, movies, and television shows suddenly going to start spending thousands of dollars on these products? The simple answer is no. If you have been getting something for free for years, you're not going to start spending money on it now. I can see that there will be new ways to get around this law before the ink is even dry on the last signature. Would you like to know why? Because people like free things and people are going to want to continue to get free things.
Another problem I have with the claims that these companies make about the massive losses they incur from illegal downloads is the fact that these downloads actually help. It may seem a bit counter-intuitive at first glance, but the more you look at this statement, the more merit it has. I can speak from my own personal experience when it comes to this fact. I have downloaded countless songs, albums, movies, and even a television show or two. I have watched movies and shows streaming. And yet, when I do this, I am actually putting myself in a position to give these companies more money. If I hear about a new band, I don't want to spend the first $10 on an album I might find absolutely terrible. So what do I do? I download it. I then listen to this new artist and decide I really like this band. I then make decide that if this band is going to have any chance of making it in the music industry, I need to support them. I spend money on albums, concerts, clothing. I also promote this band. I may share some of the albums with friends, making them a fan as well! Looking through my spending records from last year alone, I can see that I've spent over $3,500 on albums, concerts, and attire for these bands. If I hadn't had the chance to listen to them for free, that would be $3,500 that the music industry would have never seen.
Finally, are these television and movie studios really losing money when people download their products and watch them? Not necessarily. When I download or stream a show, I'm most likely doing this because it is not available yet in the US. That might seem a bit strange, but I'll clear this up for you... Most of the shows I enjoy are British. The BBC will release them in the UK first, then roughly a season later, it will be allowed to air in the US. For instance, I love the new BBC show "Sherlock." Sherlock only has three episodes per series. This means for the next three episodes, you'll have to wait a year. Now, in the UK, "Sherlock" was released almost a month ago. It will not be aired in the US for several more months. So I decided that I would download it and watch it. Does this mean I wont watch it when it finally does air here? No, I'll watch it. I love the show and the story line. But I do not like having to wait many months for the new series when it is readily available elsewhere. The same goes for other shows I love, "Doctor Who", "Merlin", and "Skins". All of these shows are released early in the UK and those fans in the US must wait. Most fans will still watch them when they air here, but that does not mean we like being left out and forced to wait when they have them all ready to air!
These bills are going to censor the internet. They are going to greatly diminish the knowledge we all have and have grown accustomed to. Not only are many sites we use everyday going to be forced to shut down, but they are creating these bills for completely bogus reasons. And, you should be afraid of what happens next. If letting someone use something for free, even when you own it legally, is going to be illegal, beware of what could happen next. Don't be surprised if used CD-, movie-, and book-stores are all forced to shut down. Don't be surprised to see libraries all being forced to shut their doors.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
It's a New Semester!
Yesterday was my first day back back on campus for the semester. I'm really looking forward to this semester even if it is sure to prove a bit more challenging than my last. For the fall semester, I finished with all A's. For the wintermester I took a Sociology course and finished that with an A. I'm hoping I can finish my next semester the same way, all A's.
Now for a brief overview of my courses and what my first impression is of them...
First up, I have History. I was honestly not looking forward to this class at all. It's American History, the book takes us from Colonization to 1877. Honestly, I prefer World History because there's more of it and it just seems much more interesting. The only way I have any chance of finding interest in this class is if the professor knows how to engage the students and peak my interest. And guess what? She's already done that! We spent the first class just over-viewing how the basic colonization methods still have an impact today, how it effects politics, and how we can still see the English influence in our everyday lives. Another thing I'm looking forward to is the way she is able to tie in History with our political system now and the upcoming election. Since we're pretty much on the same wave length politically speaking, I think I'll be able to really apply myself. It's not the same boring History lessons that we've all been taught, this is applying our past to our present and our future. Which, I think, is something that most History teachers don't do nearly enough.
Next I have my newest English Composition course. This course is going to deal with argumentative and persuasive essays, something I think I am quite good at already. There is also going to be a large research paper near the end of the semester which is going to take an awful lot of work. I was looking forward to taking this course as soon as I finished my last English course, and that anticipation hasn't diminished at all. I am a little disappointed that there wont be many essays due, but I think the essays themselves will be great to work on. The professor seems like a great guy. The way he talks and dresses actually kinda reminds me a bit of John Green (the author... go look him up now). The class... They seem to be a bit retarded. Since it was the first class, he wanted us to introduce ourselves and part of this required students to say what their favorite book is. Out of a class of eighteen, at least six of them stated that "Reading is boring" or "I don't read." Excuse me? You don't like to read? I wanted to smack them with the book that I had in my bag with me and hopefully knock some sense into them. Alas, I didn't. I still think I should have....
Anyways... My final class is my French course. I am a bit disappointed that I have to take French online due to the fact that they only offer it in the middle of the day. Obviously, with my job, there's no way I could take it on campus. So, I have to suffice with an online course. I honestly don't know how well this will go just because there is a lot of speaking and pronunciation and whatnot that comes into play with learning a new language, but I'm hoping I can do this. If I have any troubles, I have found out that NLC does have a work center that will be able to tutor students with foreign languages. If I'm worried about the speaking aspect, I'll at least have that resource available.
Well, that is my general class schedule. I know that it is going to take a bit more work than last semester but I think I'll be able to handle it. Now, I just have to make sure I can keep up with work and ballet. Oh, speaking of ballet, I have my Cecchetti exam next Sunday! I'm very excited and pretty sure I'll pass even with the stress of school and health issues. I've been practicing more and I think I'm fully prepared!
A tout a l'heure!
Now for a brief overview of my courses and what my first impression is of them...
First up, I have History. I was honestly not looking forward to this class at all. It's American History, the book takes us from Colonization to 1877. Honestly, I prefer World History because there's more of it and it just seems much more interesting. The only way I have any chance of finding interest in this class is if the professor knows how to engage the students and peak my interest. And guess what? She's already done that! We spent the first class just over-viewing how the basic colonization methods still have an impact today, how it effects politics, and how we can still see the English influence in our everyday lives. Another thing I'm looking forward to is the way she is able to tie in History with our political system now and the upcoming election. Since we're pretty much on the same wave length politically speaking, I think I'll be able to really apply myself. It's not the same boring History lessons that we've all been taught, this is applying our past to our present and our future. Which, I think, is something that most History teachers don't do nearly enough.
Next I have my newest English Composition course. This course is going to deal with argumentative and persuasive essays, something I think I am quite good at already. There is also going to be a large research paper near the end of the semester which is going to take an awful lot of work. I was looking forward to taking this course as soon as I finished my last English course, and that anticipation hasn't diminished at all. I am a little disappointed that there wont be many essays due, but I think the essays themselves will be great to work on. The professor seems like a great guy. The way he talks and dresses actually kinda reminds me a bit of John Green (the author... go look him up now). The class... They seem to be a bit retarded. Since it was the first class, he wanted us to introduce ourselves and part of this required students to say what their favorite book is. Out of a class of eighteen, at least six of them stated that "Reading is boring" or "I don't read." Excuse me? You don't like to read? I wanted to smack them with the book that I had in my bag with me and hopefully knock some sense into them. Alas, I didn't. I still think I should have....
Anyways... My final class is my French course. I am a bit disappointed that I have to take French online due to the fact that they only offer it in the middle of the day. Obviously, with my job, there's no way I could take it on campus. So, I have to suffice with an online course. I honestly don't know how well this will go just because there is a lot of speaking and pronunciation and whatnot that comes into play with learning a new language, but I'm hoping I can do this. If I have any troubles, I have found out that NLC does have a work center that will be able to tutor students with foreign languages. If I'm worried about the speaking aspect, I'll at least have that resource available.
Well, that is my general class schedule. I know that it is going to take a bit more work than last semester but I think I'll be able to handle it. Now, I just have to make sure I can keep up with work and ballet. Oh, speaking of ballet, I have my Cecchetti exam next Sunday! I'm very excited and pretty sure I'll pass even with the stress of school and health issues. I've been practicing more and I think I'm fully prepared!
A tout a l'heure!
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
I Lied
Alright, Readers. I lied. In my last post I said I wasn't going to talk about this diagnosis until I knew more but honestly, I don't think that's going to work. After I told Austin, I think that helped me to accept what I was going through. So I've told Jessica and four other people I work with about getting diagnosed with cancer. I think it might actually be helping me deal with it by letting other people know what is going on.
I also called my doctor yesterday because after I got the call confirming that it is cervical cancer, I tuned out the entire conversation. Anything that came after "cancer" is just a blur, and I figured I needed to know this information so I called back yesterday while I was off. I'm glad I did. I not only confirmed when exactly my next appointments are, but I learned a little about the steps I'll need to take and what the outcome is. Since it was just a phone call, they didn't go into quite as much detail. But hearing a little information has helped calm me down a little. My next appointment I'll learn more about cancer, the options I have, and the steps we're going to take to get rid of it. I'll also learn about what all of the consequences are going to be. The appointment I have after that is when they're going to be doing biopsies and more tests.
I have spent a lot of time reading up about it in general and trying to come to terms with the fact that I will probably never be able to have kids due to this. The more I learn about it, the better I feel. But it really sucks having to tell people. Seeing their reactions and seeing them start to cry because I'm so young and having to deal with this makes me want to cry. But having the support of people is already something I know that I will need in the next several months.
Also, I do apologize if my last post wasn't exactly coherent. I had been crying and upset and just wanted to get it out there. Hopefully this post makes a little more sense and explains a little better what I'm going through... I'm pretty sure drinking (a lot) before posting that helped any...
I also called my doctor yesterday because after I got the call confirming that it is cervical cancer, I tuned out the entire conversation. Anything that came after "cancer" is just a blur, and I figured I needed to know this information so I called back yesterday while I was off. I'm glad I did. I not only confirmed when exactly my next appointments are, but I learned a little about the steps I'll need to take and what the outcome is. Since it was just a phone call, they didn't go into quite as much detail. But hearing a little information has helped calm me down a little. My next appointment I'll learn more about cancer, the options I have, and the steps we're going to take to get rid of it. I'll also learn about what all of the consequences are going to be. The appointment I have after that is when they're going to be doing biopsies and more tests.
I have spent a lot of time reading up about it in general and trying to come to terms with the fact that I will probably never be able to have kids due to this. The more I learn about it, the better I feel. But it really sucks having to tell people. Seeing their reactions and seeing them start to cry because I'm so young and having to deal with this makes me want to cry. But having the support of people is already something I know that I will need in the next several months.
Also, I do apologize if my last post wasn't exactly coherent. I had been crying and upset and just wanted to get it out there. Hopefully this post makes a little more sense and explains a little better what I'm going through... I'm pretty sure drinking (a lot) before posting that helped any...
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