October 23. Still surfing the wave.

It is now day 21 of chemotherapy. I continue to have more energy than            
I've ever had in my life. Yesterday I got up at 6am, already thinking            
about mathematics, left around 7am and did my 40 minute commute                  
listening to my current Italian audiobook (La Coscienza di Zeno, by              
Italo Svevo, if anyone cares to know). Worked on math until my 9:30              
class and gave another energetic lecture. Had my customary large salad           
for lunch (I've become an herbivore as leafy greans are supposed to help         
the red blood cells, often grazing on ferns and leaves with the deer in          
the park). Took a nap, after which I discovered that the speaker for our         
informal seminar on group cohomology was sick for the second week in a           
row, so decided to talk in her place. Cooked up a lecture in no time.            
Had office hours, then off to the seminar and held forth for an hour on          
the cohomology of extraspecial 2-groups. Drove home (more of Signor              
Svevo), had leftover Thai (my wife being out on the town for a Boeing            
dinner). Fell asleep on the couch for a while, which is pretty normal            
for me these days, but then worked on math from 8 to 1 in the morning            
which is totally abnormal. Usually I'm in bed by 10:30 and not really            
good for much for the hour or two before that.  Wasn't all that sleepy           
at 1, but went to bed anyway. It's been more of the same today.

   It is really, really bizarre. I haven't done any research for several            
years now, but in this chemo-induced hyperstate I almost feel like               
starting it up again. I can picture the acknowledgments: ``I'd like to           
thank Dr. X and the UW Med oncology team for their contributions to this         
paper, and the 8th floor infusion ward for providing a quiet, hospitable         
environment in which to work...'' Well, tomorrow is the double-dose,             
cisplatin and gemcitabine. I know my platelets are beginning to drop, so         
maybe the red blood cells are next. It's also when you start to lose             
hair, at least in many cases. The suspense is still killing me. When             
does it all start? Still waiting...