Supersized me

These are turkeys I saw on my walk this winter-not turkey vultures.

As I was driving across NY state after Oliver's birth last year, I saw a group of birds next to the Thruway that looked very much like vultures but I guessed they must be turkeys as it was cold and they were on the ground whereas vultures roost in trees. Today I saw 10 vultures on the ground giving themselves dust baths at Huron High. Josh who was with me at the time was not impressed. He sees them all the time at his house. I remember there was a time that seeing a vulture would thrill him. We saw one on our first cross state bike trip when he was ten. When he was 16, we took our last trip together (along with 3 of his friends) and that was the last time he was on his bike until today (he is 27). He is going mountain biking at Pinckney. He noted from the speedometer that the highest speed recorded still was from the steep descent on our last day in Traverse City (41.4 mph-I've gone faster on road bikes which have much less wind resistance).
He is going with his buddy from South Africa and his buddy's dad. His friend gave me the idea of blogging from his stay in South Africa (http://marksouthafrica.blogspot.com/).

Yesterday I decided to buy some more clothes from one of my favorite stores-Orchid Lane but alas, their largest size XL was much smaller than what XL usually means. A clerk came to the dressing room to see how I was making out. Not very good, I can't even get this over my shoulders.Well I can get you a larger size. This is the largest size!
Sigh. They must be using Italian sizes. Last summer I bought a top off the clothing truck. (Small villages lack stores so lots of items come by truck going from village to village) Tutti e quindici!! (Everything is 15!!) I selected a top that looked like it might fit and happened to look at the size. XXXL! And sadly I needed XXXXL. Back in the US, I was a mere XL.

Well despite all the abundance of XXXs, I am getting smaller and firmer. I spent some time at the Y yesterday where some of my fellow LiveStrong alums were working out. I noted more hair on one of the ladies and asked when her last treatment was. I will never be out of treatment. She has stage 4 ovarian cancer but her current chemo doesn't cause hair loss. Still she looked well and was working out. I don't know how some people find the strength.

I ran for 6 miles today out in the country. A car slowly pulled up to me in a deserted section of the woods (which always freaks me out) but it turned out it was a woman who was lost and very apologetic for stopping me. I was trying to draw a map for her with sweat dropping all over my drawing (it was sort of toasty today) and then I noticed I reversed east and west. I've been making lots of mistakes like that since cancerfest and I type the strangest things (I try to do spellcheck so not all of these things get through).

Tomorrow I see Oliver!!!