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Phil,

I kinda agree that it is most people.

My background working at Grumman working with vets taught me a lot. Also some of these men were fatherly figures for me.

When I see a vet wearing his baseball cap signifying his service I always thank them, and generally I say. “Every day is Veterans Day for me.”

My father was in the U.S. Army during WWII, my oldest brother was a Buck Sargent in Vietnam in 68, my second oldest brother was a Nuclear Operator on attack subs, my younger brother was in the Air Force.

Me, I helped win the Cold War.

I owe a lot to veterans…

Cal
 
I've been following your posts for some time, especially interested in your ongoing battle with cancer. It goes without saying (but I will say it) that I admire so much your realistic attitude that makes you stronger and in greater command of your situation. I am halfway through a regimen of radiation treatments for prostate cancer—five days a week for 30 treatments. Two years ago I had breast cancer which had spread to some lymph nodes, had a complete mastectomy and 30 radiation treatments. Still undergoing hormone treatments for that. At 80 years old and with a family history of cancer, I feel very lucky to have gotten this far, and am looking forward to some good years ahead. I have a wonderful treatment team at Yale Cancer Center, a supportive wife, and other than the cancer and the normal effects of aging, I'm in good health. I wish you all the best (and Maggie too) in your ongoing treatment and recovery. I'm so grateful for your sharing your experience, you are an inspiration.
 
Some uplifting news is that the kids are getting that house in Carmel.

The contractor on this house went top shelf so this small cottage is not a flipper. Well insulated, new windows, and Mini-splits for HVAC.

The house got bid up, and they had to pay over asking. Pretty much a turnkey house except that some trees need to be taken down that endanger the house. Oh-well.

The bad is that the surrounding area homes are not renovated and updated, and perhaps this is very near a major road and commercial businesses.

In the end the appraisal did not meet or exceed the contract price, so it looked like a no deal unless there was a steep price drop, and the contractor kinda would likely take a loss.

The basement is finished, but according to the building code is not living space, so the taxes are mighty low because it is only considered a 2 bedroom cottage. Realize that this was just a summer home built in the 50’s, built now it kinda got the HDTV deluxe update and refurb in a lux manner.

Some of the limitations are no sewers and well water. They have lake rights…

The septic system did not do well with the inspection so it got replaced and is brand new. Also radon was detected, so that was remediated with a ventilation system.

Pretty close to a new house.

Mucho glad that this house worked out for them. Pretty much now is a steal deal with crazy low taxes. In time the rest of the hood will get Reno’s and upgraded.

Cal
 
So I’m up to 5 pullups in a max set. The kids are coming by so we will head to Blue Mountain for a walk. The little kids will have their bikes.

I have this Burt’s Bee’s lip balm that somehow appeared ion my slush pile of misc. items. I have been using it on wood screws to lube the threads on my guitar building.

Today I figured that the Candy Apple Red Strat bridge could benefit for some of that mucho soft way as a lube to aid in tuning. Removed the 6 wood screws one at a time, and coated the base and head with soft bee’s way, and it made a tremendous difference.

With cars friction is either a friend or foe. Traction and braking require mucho friction, but in the engine you want to minimize friction to prevent wear.

So I used this Burt’s Bee’s way to a great extent, and it seems to work better than Tri-Flow a graphite bike chain lubricant that I use to use. At the nut, the cow bone is porous, so the wax fills these pores. My thinking too is even the Graphtech nuts do well also.

Don’t tell anyone my secrete.

Cal
 
Calzone said:
So I’m up to 5 pullups in a max set. The kids are coming by so we will head to Blue Mountain for a walk. The little kids will have their bikes.

I have this Burt’s Bee’s lip balm that somehow appeared ion my slush pile of misc. items. I have been using it on wood screws to lube the threads on my guitar building.

Today I figured that the Candy Apple Red Strat bridge could benefit for some of that mucho soft way as a lube to aid in tuning. Removed the 6 wood screws one at a time, and coated the base and head with soft bee’s way, and it made a tremendous difference.

With cars friction is either a friend or foe. Traction and braking require mucho friction, but in the engine you want to minimize friction to prevent wear.

So I used this Burt’s Bee’s way to a great extent, and it seems to work better than Tri-Flow a graphite bike chain lubricant that I use to use. At the nut, the cow bone is porous, so the wax fills these pores. My thinking too is even the Graphtech nuts do well also.

Don’t tell anyone my secrete.

Cal
Click to expand...
A bit of bicycle trivia for you: way back in the day, beeswax was the preferred lubricant for installing headsets and bottom brackets. I learned to wrench from a real old-timer who insisted that beeswax was still the best lubricant for headset threads, to prevent loosening.
 
In New Mexico, they use to say, “If you don’t like the weather wait 5 minutes.” Pretty much one in December could experience 4 seasons in a day. The weather was moody and temperature and conditions could and will rapidly change. This was refreshing and exhilarating.

But here we have tariffs that ship shape constantly. Not exhilarating, and actually destabilizing.

Hmmm… What to think except evil thoughts…

**************

I happen to glance out my 2d floor window where we have an expansive view, and at that moment I saw a hawk swoop and glide over the marsh just beyond my back-backyard. It was a remarkable sight so here you go. I think it likely was the Northern Harrier because they swoop rather than dive like a hawk.

In many ways they are owl like, not only in their face.

***************

The kids came by, and we went to Blue Mountain Preserve. I left early to get out of the cold, taking care of myself. The granddaughter has a Huffy 20 inch bike. Somehow the police in Florida were gifting them, and the other grandparents grabbed one for her.

She was a scooter-girl, and only recently learned how to ride a 2-wheeler. I suspect I’ll go to AJ and spend some cash on a more real bike to encourage her. She weaves a lot and is not so stable. She will be 11 in May…

**************

I wonder if I will build the grand kids a stilted hideout. I’d like to see if my friend Craig would give up more of that 4 quarter fir. If I could get 200 board feet, I’d build an 8 foot round water tank like fort, and elevate it with a small deck set on 4 posts.

Hmmm…

***************

The grandson is about 2 1/2, and he is a tool man. He likes building things and taking things apart. Before I left my job, my new boss told me to take all the tools I wanted home, since we were abandoning the facility.

Pretty much I took home thousands of dollars worth of Craftsman tools. I have mucho doubles and duplicates, so I have to sort out the spares, to make a new tool kit for the kids and their new home.

Certainly the grandson will be excited, but the granddaughter and “Maggie’s” daughter will use the tools. The husband is not so mechanically inclined.

So some real great recycling is going to happen… Mucho money. I guess as a house warming gift I’ll buy a tool box and the tool organizers so things don’t get lost.

Maggie yells at me that I have too much stuff, but pretty much all the stuff I have is good stuff.

The weather has turned, so that electric heater that I held onto for over 27 years will be utilized in the She-Shack. 750 and 1500 watts. We have on hand a hundred fool 10 gauge extension cord.

More later.

Cal
 
I’m happy the kids now have a home secured.

Carmel is an area that is getting redeveloped. Was a summer vacation community, but now some homes have been converted and updated for year round living. Not far away is an upscale community: Katona.

The kid’s real estate agent mentioned that they are building out new $750K-$800K condo’s in Carmel, so this should accelerate things.

This is inland and east of the Hudson River, and is more open spaces. Also within somewhat a watershed.

I would expect equity to build rapidly as this is a bit of a location that should advance rapidly in redevelopment. Modest small homes that are somewhat still affordable. About a 25 minute drive east from Peekskill on Route 6.

The Empire State Trailway is in Carmel and there are a series of lakes that the town is built around. The Trailway though has some steep climbs though. I peddle these long climbs, and I have done them on even a 63.59 gear inch single speed, but it is a lengthy climb I would call a “grinder.” I see many bikers who are not hard core walking their bikes up this grinder.

On the way north though gravity is your friend and this long descent is a chute where you could really do some speed.

I can see dropping off “Maggie” at the kid’s house, and me doing an epic ride solo. I could head to the great swamp and do repeats of the18 mile out and back to stack milage without going too far. The Great Swamp is through a series of vast preserves, and the beauty is other worldly. Pretty much empty wilderness that promotes a feeling of remoteness.

So there is mucho strategic value to having the kid’s living in Carmel when I need my time on the bike.

In Carmel the Trailway is a tunnel through a tree forest by Carmel City Hall. Then there is that Chute, and then a series of lakes that includes a bridge that crosses a lake.

Near the end of this is short section where the Trailway is broken and interrupted by about a half mile of roadway. There is a steep climb, a mini grinder, then a shallow climb through a part of Brewster. The Trailway then leads to the Great Swamp which is 9 miles out and 9 miles back of really flat railroad grades.

I have not done much exploration north of the Great Swamp but I was told by other bikers that it even gets better heading towards Hopewell Junction and Poughkeepsie.

When I build out a comfortable base, I think it would be an interesting challenge to do an 80-100 mile solo ride once a week. The goal would be to lower my resting heart-rate, and lower my blood pressure to become ultra-fit. Probably would lean out to about 150 pounds at 5’10”.

This is definately both muscular and skinny bitch. I wonder how the hormone treatment will work. I’d be prone to loose muscle, but this kinda exercise still could lead to a lean hardbody look. Pretty much I want to try and avoid getting plump. I would rather be a skinny bitch.

I am a vain man…

The part of my hair that was buzzed has grown a lot. I’m at a point where I think I will get this length evened out with the longer part. Pretty much intergrate the two lengths and then just let it grow.

During the Pandemic I did not get my hair cut for a long time. My hair reached my navel and waist, but then I got some spray isulation in my hair, and I gave myself a haircut loosing about half my length.

Pretty much I think after getting my hair evened out with a blunt cut, I go again for an extended time again and let my hair grow freaky long.

Cal
 
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Wild fires on Long Island in the Pine Barrens. This is a place west of the Hamptons where Iron Mike and I rode our mountain bikes every winter. The section burning thought is further south near Sunrise Highway. We rode just south of the end of the LIE (Long Island Expressway).

Pretty much take the expressway to exit 70 and head south. Park at “Graces” a hot dog stand to mountain bike, but in the summer continue south to Sunrise Highway to head out to the Hamptons to ride with the Wall Street crowd that had beach houses.

The women were hot, needing no makeup, with tight gym bodies wearing Lycra. I say the man who invented Lycra should of won a Nobel prize. The Hamptons was a hot place to be.

So it is March and wild fires in Georgia, South Carolina, and now Long Island.

At this point the New York Governor has already declared a state of emergency.

Cal
 
Calzone said:
My thinking since I have the Cancer diagnosis that the approval by my insurance hopefully won’t be another delay.

My thinking also is to lay off the strength training as this could actually promote Toe-TEST-ER-rone production, and this would encourage and feed Cancer growth.

Strength training will resume with the Fem-Out.
Click to expand...
Interestingly, 2015 research said there was no significant link between elevated endogenous testosterone production and prostate cancer:

Testosterone and prostate cancer: an evidence-based review of pathogenesis and oncologic risk - PMC

Testosterone plays a central role in male development and health. Likewise, androgen deficiency, or hypogonadism, is associated with a variety of symptoms including decreased energy, diminished libido and erectile dysfunction, among others. Male ...
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

But 2022 research suggests a link between test and IGF-1 levels and risk of prostate cancer, but they are still investigating the nature of a possible link:

Largest study to date confirms role of two hormones in aggressive prostate cancer risk — Cancer Epidemiology Unit (CEU)

www.ceu.ox.ac.uk www.ceu.ox.ac.uk

But this is not to say that the test increase from strength training is enough to have any effect on existing cancer.
 
Archiver,

Thanks for the links. From exercise I denote an elevated body temperature when I am sleeping. Pretty much an elevated metabolism as my body is repairing and rebuilding. So I have noticed basically that my metabolism increases, and that due to chemical reactions more heat is generated.

I then gave to remove a long sleeve T-shirt to avoid sweating, basically have to shed a layer. In Philly recently with a 5-6 miles of walking I used dormant muscles and that night suffered night sweats from my body repairing and rebuilding.

I know that Cancer is fast growth and hormones that promote growth, but my present thinking is to starve the Cancer by using glycogen and my body repair systems to basically starve the Cancer.

Cancer has a very high metabolism, sugars feed a Cancer, so I believe diet and exercise can help.

Thanks for the links.

Cal
 
Hmmm…

At 67 I don’t think I fit the early onset profile, and even though I don’t know my IGF or testosterone numbers, my boyish build would suggest not high levels.

I certainly suffer the lower levels though that are the product of aging. I am definitely of the other side of 40 years old… The light amount of hair I had on my arms in my younger life no longer exists, and my armpit hair I would call “scant” and that of someone just starting puberty, meaning almost none.

The Androgen Deficit Therapy science is to inhibit growth. ADT will immediately “zero” my PSA. My understanding is testosterone can promote Cancer cell growth, so removing hormones can buy time, but this is not a cure.

My separate research indicates that radiation is actually used to kill Cancer cells as treatment for prostate Cancer. 4-6 weeks of treatment. Today’s technology with radiation therapy is highly targeted and precise , so collateral damage is somewhat minimized.

ADT is used as a tool and is not really a cure. The science is ADT is a growth inhibitor and it is proven useful in conjunction with radiation therapy.

In my case post prostatectomy some Cancer has spread outside the prostate envelope. The neck of my bladder had some Cancer removed, and might be suspect. Lymphoma still is a possibility. Know that local lymph nodes were excised. So my aggressive prostate Cancer lurks elsewhere…

The ADT Internet information is very dated. A new generation of drugs has minimized side effects and is more advanced. Also the side effects are somewhat exaggerated and overstated to an extent: everyone is different and not everyone gets the side effects.

Cal
 
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Calzone said:
I say the man who invented Lycra should of won a Nobel prize.
Click to expand...
Not so fast, there, Cal! I was in Walmart a few days ago, by coincidence, and as I looked around I couldn't help thinking that Lycra was perhaps the sartorial faux pas of the twentieth century. Worse even than bellbottoms. Please, America, remember that wearing Lycra is a privilege to be earned, not a right!
 
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