Sunday, June 19, 2011

Day +72 “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)”

Let me tell you the meaning of +72: four weeks from today (God willin’ ‘n the crick don’ rise) I’m history at the Lodge at Lake Crest. I am so looking forward to that… believe me. I’ve been OK the past couple of days… feeling better than I have in a week or so, especially today. Leonora and Tony have been here and Becky and Sean came to celebrate Father’s Day. It was a great day… some nice Bolognese that Sean made from a recipe from his Italian friend in California. Good food and good company… an unbeatable combination. The only thing missing for me was a nice glass of wine… UGH! Maybe September. We also did a nice mile tonight... about 2 1/2 laps.

Had labs earlier today… numbers are good. Thank God, no more Neupogen, at least for now. They had a Doc look at my face… nasty rash, itchy, bright red. Looks better today and I just have to keep what I’m doing… Hydrocortisone and Claritin. I have a visit with the PA tomorrow. Could be from anything; drugs, Graft vs. Host Disease. But I’ll say it again: except for the neuropathy (PAIN in the…!!!) and the niggling little things (like the rash), I seem to be getting through this without the really bad stuff that can happen. Still have four weeks, and it CAN turn around, but I’m hopeful it’s a slide to July 17th!!!

Memories from Waterbury are still flowing in: Brian K., a Croft grad reminded me of all the theaters there were in the neighborhoods. There was the Capitol in Brooklyn, the Tower, at the bottom of Robbins Street, the Hamilton in the east end, the Alhambra in the North End, and the two big ones in the center, the State and the Lowes Poli (Palace). How about the Armory where we would pack them in for high school double headers. We would draw 1,200- 1,500 on Saturday nights when we were playing the other local high schools. Municipal field where the Saturday football games and the spring baseball games would draw nice crowds. I have memories of skating at either Hamilton or Fulton Parks on Friday nights. Murray Park, Washington Park, and Brass Mills Park, too, for skating… right behind Frankie’s.  I remember one night when everybody agreed to go to Fulton. We got there and there was no one there (at least who we knew). So we walked to Fulton… Pine Street to Bishop Street, through the “Square” to Cherry St, down to East Main and out to the park. We weren’t more than 15 or 16, crazy and stupid, too) and no one even gave us a second look. Can you imagine doing that today???

3 comments:

  1. July 17th is just around the corner (just a few more laps). Power of positive thinking my friend, you definitely have it! Keep the stories coming....please.

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  2. Donny, I posted this comment last week, but somehow through the miracle of wireless communication, it is now somewhere in cyberspace. Anyway, continuing the comments of Waterbury, i agree that it was the greatest city in the world to grow up in at the time. I remember how I used to look forward to Saturday mornings. I would walk from Hill Street downtown to my accordion lesson at Leogrande's (this I did not relish), BUT afterward I would stroll down Bank and Grand Streets to do a little window shopping at Beiner's or Alling Rubber (sp?) to check out all the sporting goods. Sometimes I would have enough $$'s to stop in at Mr. Peanut's for a bag of carmel corn, etc. But my most vivid memories are, as you stated, of the Friday or Saturday all-city double headers at The Armory. The place was always packed and you had to get there early just to get in. It was an atmosphere that cannot be adequately described ---YOU HAD TO BE THERE TO APPRECIATE WHAT IT WAS LIKE. And it always seemed that downtown was a bustling place until very late at night --stores, restaurants, etc.

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  3. Oh Don I can't wait til you are back on this side of town. :) I've missed all my Sforza friends. We must have a get-together when you get back! So glad that I haven't had to see the kitties though, because that usually means they don't feel good. Although I miss them too <3

    Keep on keeping on!

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