thrown apart by flu

It's quite a challenge having cancer. I'm in the chemo phase - although will find out by end of next week if need more, maybe not - and there are all those niggly side-effects that can overwhelm your life if you're not careful.
There is the hair loss which includes rapidly disappearing eyebrows;precarious, in my case, threatening-to-split-in-half nails; stomach hassles; and, cannot think. Even worse is the constant threat of getting sick. Your immune system is compromised and this week I got flu. It really threw me; was more miserable than from just about anything and who knows, it might have been unrelated to the cancer.
But I am so sick of not feeling ok. Sick of not being able to go out, sick of missing things (today it was the Deborah Bell www.deborahbell.org/ walkabout at David Krut) and most of all, and this is the most downheartening (is there such a word?), the constant obsession with oneself and how one is feeling. In one sense, this blog just reinforces this.
But otherwise, am ok. Reading a fab book - Ndumiso Ngcobo's Is it Coz I'm Black? twodogs.book.co.za/blog/2008/10/13/is-it-coz-im-black-ndumiso-ngcobos-sequel-to-some-of-my-best-friends-are-white which is in the same vein as his first book, Some of my best friends are white. Both are hearty laugh-out-loud collections of essays/observations/satirical looks at life in the 'new South Africa'. Highly recommend them.
So life isn't so bad at all.

More on Deborah Bell:
www.davidkrutpublishing.com/2830/deborah-bell-recent-prints
www.whoswhosa.co.za/Pages/profilefull.aspx?IndID=8739

More on Ndumiso Ngcobo:
www.thoughtleader.co.za/silwane

wonderfully busy day

By the way, the play last night - At her Feet - was brilliant and Quanita Adams is definately best actress of the year.
Been super busy today and so far have enjoyed every minute of it.
Went to Hyde Park to buy a wedding present for Ntseke and Birgit. Could not decide between a Ritzenhof bottle opener and a Carrol Boyes www.carrolboyes.co.za pate knife - has to be small so can fit into my handbag and then don't need to pay tax when cross the border into Lesotho. Chose the pate knife as don't think bottle openers are used much these days, what with all the screw tops and twist tops.
Then went to the opening at the Gordart gallery www.gordartgallery.com/ along the strip in Rosebank. Was so packed could not get in for the opening performance so hopped along to all the other galleries in the strip. Favourite was Deborah Bell www.deborahbell.org/ at David Krut www.davidkrut.com/ and the Pieter Hugo pics www.pieterhugo.com/ - wow!!!!! - at Warren Siebritz www.warrensiebrits.co.za/, which must be the most serious gallery there. Serious as in authoritative.
Bought an artwork by a muso/artist called Stompie Selibe www.davidkrutpublishing.com/1317/stompies. Called Stay with Me. Quite serious and possibly angsty. My taste. When get it in three weeks' time when the Gordart exhibition closes, will post a pic of it.
Wow, just been checking Stompie out on the Internet and am very impressed. Think I got a good deal considering it cost less than my handbag and less than my friend Karen's haircut this morning. Ok, ok, still need to frame it but it's not toooooo big so should not cost tooo much. Well, it will double the cost of the purchase.
Then tonight off to Gramadoelas www.gramadoelas.co.za/ for dinner and to stand-up comic Loyiso Gola's show www.jhblive.com/live/publications_view.jsp?pub_id=97490 at the Market www.markettheatre.co.za/.
Only once did I feel shitty - when I stood still too long chatting to who had previously been a stranger at the Gordart Gallery.
Oh and forgot, went to Soulsa www.food24.com/Restaurant/0,,2165,00.html for lunch and spent the afternoon there, also drinking my first real alcoholic drink since starting chemo - a Pimms. Delicious.