Piling on bricks

Nurse George told me that reactions to the chemotherapy will start piling up like bricks. The only reactions I recall him mentioning are numbness in my extremities, fatigue and weight gain from the steroids. I may be getting the extremities reaction because my feet were so cold last night that I could not go to sleep. We were staying in our empty shell of an apartment on the Cape and all I could think to do was put on a second pair socks and nuke a stale loaf of French bread and wrap it around my feet. Worked like a dream, no pun intended. Thinking I might lose my taste for food, I went to Brax for brunch, with its great view of Saquetucket Harbor and an all-you-can-eat buffet including nice, rare roast beef. I had already had a couple cups of coffee at home and was feeling a little jittery, so I snagged a slice of roast beef before being seated. I also felt a craving for protein, much like the one Son George had at the end of the move last night. Instead of a cocktail he wanted protein. We found a couple kinds of hummus in the fridge. Looking for a vehicle to dip into the hummus, George found huge shredded wheat squares and dug in. I found dill pickle spears and joined him. George pooh-poohed the pickles, but then tried one and loved the combination. The protein did calm me down. My next 2 platefuls were bites of the most appealing treats on the table. Everything tasted great except for the roast beef, which was not rare enough for my taste, therefore dry. With my Last Supper in mind, Andy and I went to a local pizza joint for dinner at 3:30. My barbecue burger was nearly the best I have ever eaten and the french fries were sublime. A new burger joint opened last summer across the street and we asked about lost business. Yes, it was affecting their business. I suggested that they offer, "if ours isn't better than the one across the street, it's free." I'm sure our 22-year-old, 1-day-a-week waitress will take it right to the Head Honcho. That problem solved. I have always loved running other peoples lives. It's so much easier than running my own. I hope the following 2 little ailments are reactions to the chemo and not new plagues. Reader warning: 1. giant, crystallized globs of goo in my eyes; 2. nostrils so dry, I have now dedicated a stick of Chapstick to them. Enough said.