SO THE thing is they, uh… c’mon, focus, focus, focus!… make you so, so… so very… Zzzzz…
Here I am with the IV stuck in my arm for the next two days, coming at you in real time, in the chair as we speak. It’s the beginning of Round 2 of 6, really cramping my style, a First World problem to be sure. Life zigged while I was planning on zag. The human condition in a nutshell. Roll with it, Moe.
Spiffy hospital socks… super grippy when you go padding around the chemo center. The place is full up. In every cubby some poor slob’s undergoing treatment, or as I like to call it, enhanced interrogation technique.
Staying hydrated, that’s important. Brought my well-traveled water bottle.
Been with me in the weeds of 49 states, many times over. And every province between the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of Canada. In & out of California so many times I’ve lost count. Across the AZ/CA line, the NV/CA, the OR/CA, riding east to west, west to east, north to south, south to north… is that every which way? I think so. Too foggy to be certain.
Would like to give in now, need to close my eyes, but… lots of writing I want to get done today. I have about 40 pages left to do on a screenplay polish, and I want to read a book proof for my friend Kevin Conran. He’s about to go to press on it, gave me access to his dropbox account so I can have a look at the files.
Kevin was the production designer on Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law and Giovanni Ribisi. His book is about the art he created to design the visual narrative of the movie.
Here’s one of Kevin’s squiggly-armed robots.
Really need to sleep but might as well say I almost bought another motorcycle last week. Had my eye on a 2010 ST1300.
Hang on… a hospital volunteer just popped in to ask if I’d like a chicken salad sandwich. I would, yes, and keep ’em coming. Anti-nausea meds make you hungry as well as sleepy.
The one I was looking at was black, like this, but no top box.
No miles on it, under 9,000, barely broken in, can be had for short money. I came awfully close to buying it. Probably would have if it were an FJR1300 for the same money. And the same low miles.
The FJR’s an inline four, which I think I prefer to the ST’s V4.
FJR is still in production, ST’s been discontinued.
FJR has a little more trail built into its triple-tree geometry, good for stability.
The ST’s a great bike but has a footnote in its safety record: a rare but very real high-speed loss of control; a weave, a wobble, a violent yawing-about some riders have experienced at 110mph and up. (Tell yourself you’re not gonna ride that fast, but of course you are.)
The cause was never fully identified, to my knowledge. Could be a lot of things: a certain tire-wear pattern, suspension setup, neck bearings, a dozen other factors. It’s probably a combination of two or more.
Friend of mine in Canada rode his ST around the wide open spaces of the American West at 140mph, says she ran steady and true as can be. Bet he was thinking about the wobble the whole time, though.
Durn, getting sandwich crumbs on my keyboard..
And have to take a leak. The wandering water bottle and the IV are double-teaming me…
Got to wheel the whole rig along when you pad to the bathroom in yer grippy socks.
Tony DePaul, November 20, 2019, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
Ahoy Tony! (What with all that water you’re drinking, and your molars singing “Anchors Away”, I thought a nautical salutation was in order.)
I know less about motorcycles than agriculture, but I know style when I see it, and that bike appears rather fetching. The other rig , the one you’re dragging to the toilet, should be left there. You’d think with so much money devoted to cancer research they’d toss some coins to the body shop and come up with a classier chemo-ride, akin to a sidecar as you pad the linoleum halls in those striking socks.
Look on the bright side: it’s brighter there than here. The sun yawns around eight, and slumbers above the horizon for a few hours before sinking. Fog and rain swallow most of the rays; those that reach us are like anti-nausea meds: I eat and sleep. And I pray.
Hello Tony, thanks for your wonderful friendship and the brilliant way of guiding with healthy ethics and knowledge you have given us through the Phantom strip.
Jossie
Now that’s one well-worn bottle from the look of it. I almost suggested you should replace it as it may be getting to the end of its life. However, I was just reading about how long it takes for discarded material to disintegrate. Depending on what that water bottle’s made of it could take as much as 500 to 1000 years to totally degrade if it’s plastic. So maybe no need to worry! Not that you’re showing any signs of worry about anything. 🙂
Hey, Tony,
You are in my thoughts. Wishing you the most comfortable as possible journey through this treatment. Best regards to Pam.
Cheers, Alix
Hey Tony, you would’ve been a great guy to share a foxhole with, the s#$t is coming down all around us and you manage to turn it into a narrative! Hang in there buddy.
P.S. The FJR will always be my steed of choice: just like the Millennium Falcon, only a few seconds to light speed.
I know the grippy socks and anti nausea drugs from my surgeries to remove benign tumors, over the years. Happily, the anesthesia, which was once a primary cause of the nausea, got better over the years, along with a anti nausea drugs.
Never had chemo but I recognize the desire to put your time to good use under the worst of circumstances. The comfort of a long held possession, in this case, your water bottle during, no other word will do, an ordeal.
I only know the film by reputation, but have always admired the retro look of it familiar from my childhood. Can’t recall the name but there was a Saturday morning television adventure with a helmeted rocket-wearing adventurer.
Your writing now is essential reading at this point in my life.
I like to think Jon is there with you, Tony, giving you gobs of advice and coaching. I can hear him now …
Know that I am thinking of you and Pam. Kathy P.
ST vs FJR…hmmmm. seems the top winners and finishers in the Iron Butt competition are on FJRs. You know they don’t ride 55 mph all day long to win that gut buster.
You sure you can handle the smoothness after being vibrated across the country and back on a single thumper and a Harley too many time to count? Might fall asleep at the wheel…
Hi Tony, Thinking of you and Praying for a Speedy Recovery, Stay positive and just look forward to riding again. Picture all the great trips you’ve had and that’ll get you the tough times.
Hello Tony, enjoy reading your updates. Prayers for you to get better and get riding again.
Here is to only thoughts of more riding to places you have not been! You will get through this and be on the road again! Keep the rubber down!
…what was actually going through my…er, your buddy’s mind, while doing 140 mph on his ST heading out of Utah towards Monument Valley was ”hey….shit….no way!!! ….this is where Tom Hanks stopped running in Forrest Gump”.
…that and “this is kinda stupid, especially in an under armor T-shirt and jeans….”
Positive focus and planning for the MABDR in 2020 brother!
Dear Tony: Please know you’re in my thoughts. I hope the anti-nausea med works well. It’s great that you can write while having treatment, it must make the time go by faster. Sending all my best wishes to you, your friend, Ellie
Good decision on the ST Tony. The FJR’s are sweet bikes, but the early models baked their rider to well done. Fixed later; not sure the year the fix went in.
Hi Tony, Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family! Wishing you a speedy recovery and a new water bottle!! Best, Doc
Get better Moe. I have a 2003 K1200GT that I just never ride. It has your name on it…
Hey Tony! You’re getting the best of care! On your next trip to Alberta I’ll make Gerrie park her Ford ST in the driveway so you can park your 2010 Honda ST1300 in the garage!
Thinking about you all the time. Hoping this all goes by quickly and the healing begins. Love you!!
Think about you and Pam all the time. And then you go and post something that lifts my spirits. Shouldn’t it be the other way around? Just around the corner – please let me know if there is anything I can do for you!
Hang in brother. We gotta ride.
Dear Tony, all the best to you, the very best wishes for your health from all your friends in Norway.
Never give up and you will be healthy for many, many years to come.
Kjell Steen alias Sjefen (Boss)
Been wondering about you, my friend. Hold off until you find an FJR… my riding friends say great things about them. Get this glitch in your rear view mirror and twist toward another horizon.
Thank you for sharing this Tony. Thinking of you and your loving family. Love, Chris
Hi Tony, been thinking about you and sending lots of love. Your focus is amazing. We talk about your visit with us often. We are looking forward to the next time and hope you bring your “Bride”. Love, Jody