Today was a nice break.

Happy Independence Day and such. I celebrated --sort of-- in the most patriotic of ways: My mom and I went to a movie; we bought dishes at JC Penney; we gorged ourselves on way too much delicious pizza. Hollywood, consumerism, and overeating. Thank God for the U.S. of A. But really, today was a much-needed reprieve from this week's stresses.

Monday was Day One of course VI of my chemotherapy. I received one spinal tap and two infusion drugs. I am not sure if it is easier or harder to handle the various procedures when I know what to expect. I dread the pain, of course, but I also know that it will be over quickly. The spinal taps, or lumbar punctures, are not fun, but they are not as bad as they sound. The worst part is the next day when you can feel your spine again, and you mostly feel pain where you were stabbed, repeatedly, with a six-inch needle. But I can tell my back is getting better; my walking is already easier, even after only two days. Yesterday, I only received one three-hour infusion, but my doctor also ordered me blood. So, clinic time was drawn out to about seven hours. And tomorrow will be a repeat of yesterday's chemo and blood infusions. Like I said, today was most welcome. There is very good news though: after tomorrow, I don't have to go back to clinic for almost a week and a half. I plan on doing some serious relaxing next week. My body needs a break. Well, what my body really needs is for this all to be finished, but that's the next step. Right now I am focused on getting through tomorrow.

Worth noting, briefly, is that Boston University starts classes in exactly two months. Most of my friends probably don't want to think about school at all right now, but I am pretty darn excited. I know the next two months will fly by at a snail's pace, but that's okay. Tomorrow is one more drug and one more day closer to the end. Go 'Merica.