Rejoice!

i think this picture says it all.

it's gonna be a great week ahead!

GO SOX!

to MBS:

"now you know what it's like to be a cleveland fan."

SOX WIN!! SOX WIN!!!

And guess who the hero was? That's right people, MY MAN DUSTIN!!!!!!!


Cleveland returns to its regularly scheduled suckiness. Bye Pearl Necklace!! Bye Astroglide!!!


Dice-K temporarily redeemed....I still don't trust him in big games...but for now, YEAH! Go Sox!

542A goog nihjt

yaaaawwwn

i can't remember my name anymore.... and quoting tom hanks in the money pit when he was trapped in the floor ...............'i think there care bears were here'

sleep will be a sweet reward

508A - and i'm getting sleepy...

top of the 8th. i'm almost there....just got to stay awake a little while longer....

it's 502A and i'm still believing

good times

let's hope they keep the momentum going. good times will be sad times if mbs sports that jacket all year....

for jenny

he doesn't look short in this picture Jenny...

I'm wearing this hat all night if i have too.

Rally Time Kids

Here are just a few snapshots of how i'm getting my and hopefully your spirits up....

i keep these guys in my work notebook to inspire me to
be do a good job everyday.

Be Agressive! Got to be Agressive! A-GG-RESSIVE!
i'm no cheerleader but that was a fun one.

Are Ya Having Fun Over There?

Ok i think we can all agree it's time pull out all good luck charms and superstitions to get a Red Sox win. Focus on believing every minute of the day and wear all possible Red Sox gear for the next 2-3 days.

I just bought the Tessie song from itunes and i'm gonna play it a few times in the team room tomorrow to get us in the spirit! and i'm gonna carry my Red Sox hat around for extra good luck....anything it takes to get us through this series!

ok gotta go - GO RED SOX!!!!

let's get this party started...again

well, as most of you know, jenny and magnus will be departing for the great american tour on saturday morning. they'll be crisscrossing the US. would be nice to keep them updated on the exciting life in luzern.

big news these days is that the piedra sisters have been reunited, this time in luzern. they are venturing to mt. pilatus today. i hope they make it back in time for a pint (or a beer card) of guinness later.

happy friday!

Elvis was in Luzern today

Guys,

So it's been about 72hrs since i've been back and i think there are more tourists here than i've ever seen before in my Luzern life. One today especially looked like the king himself! A little shorter and not so bloated, but i wonder if he was channeling the spirit of Elvis on this the anniversary of his death.

so i thought it would be fun to start snapping shots as i people watch for the next few weeks and see what other celebrity look a likes i can find hiding in luzern. ...that or just weird tourists. by the way did i mention i swear i saw lucy lui in northampton, ma? i think it was my first real celeb sighting - this totally surpasses the time i saw the local channel 22 meteorologist at the movies in south hadley!

anyway, i wish i had a picture of Elvis today, but you'll just have to take my word on it. what's up the Mr. Golden Freak who sits across from schwanenplatz? ok gotta go - working on the ipod...

ciao ciao,

k

if you're jet-lagged and you know it clap your hands...

hellooooo anyone out there at this hour? call me i'm bored.

so i fell asleep around 11P and was up by 1230A. i read, sort of fell asleep then woke up again. am playing with the ipod. i had a productive first day back. cleaned up most of the apt, hung stuff on the walls, unpacked my suitcases, went food shopping, visited my neighbor, visited stephanie then tried sleeping.

and now i'm awake.

yes it's good to be back. see you tomorrow - if i'm awake.

k

The Lake is Rising...

KP, are you so excited to come back to rainy, potentially flooded Luzern...the lake and river seem to be rising. I hope you don't need a boat to get to your apartment. I am so excited to see you again. Have a safe trip. Give me a call on Sunday! Cannot wait to see you. -christine

No joke...

11AUG BOSZRH HK1 655P 810A+1

p.s. i'm taking monday off - gotta restock the fridge and reunite with my space. heck i might even go see how the Guetsch is doing... can't even begin to tell you how excited i am to see you guys! the next ten days are going to cruise by. Thanks again JOD-Mattias-Lara-Oskar-Everyone, for coming up with the blog - it was really something I looked forward to during this time in Boston. You guys are the best!

See you soon!

k

Two Weeks!!!!

Guys,

I got the green light from my dr! they ran some tests earlier than usual and the results came back very good! Technically i'm not cancer free, but in about 10 years with no reoccurrences it will be as if this never happened. i go back for a check up at Christmas.

(side note: watching BOS play BAL and Papi just homered - high-5! (BAL4BOS2)

So now i just gotta find a flight. i should have a date by monday! I can't believe it - two weeks!

Now about those pics...Thank you for teaching Steph how to post! I talked to her the other day and she was so proud of herself! Good team work on that everybody. and Mattias, you're looking well as always....

see you soon!

k

Reason Number One You Must Come Back to Luzern

Here are two pics of Christine from Geneva... you can see she is developing an unhealthy obsession with Hello Kitty -- help!!! And of course, we stopped by our old friend Mr. P's in Geneva. It was much bigger but just not the same without all the crazy characters in Lucerne.... Hope you had a nice weekend. Let me know how to get a hold of you so we can meet up in Boston..

JOD

Whoa!!

Look at me!! I'm posting!! Jenny showed me how, AGAIN, the other day and apparently I actually understood. To tell you the truth, I figured out exactly what I was doing wrong but I'm totally not going to admit it.

Today is a good day to post since I'm hiking Pilatus tomorrow and who knows how that's going to go. I have yet to attend Blue Balls, I couldn't make it to the KKL the other night because I had scared myself into staying home because I watched too much Prison Break. I lead a sad sad life.

Anyway, I've included some pictures, hope you enjoy them!! I can't stop using my new digital camera. And now that I know what I'm doing I can post a picture a day!!

Get better real soon, we miss you terribly. Check back frequently, I have a feeling I'm going to LOVE this posting thing....

The Day After (the summer party)

Hey there,
Well we took a million pictures, which hopefully Mattias will be uploading soon. It was a very festive evening despite the...wait for it... rain with the "creative Hawaiian" attire leading to everything from Mariano in the most hideous shirt I've ever seen to Louise Elmen in a pink bikini with grass skirt. Our dinner table included Dr. Manse, so many dirty jokes were told - don't worry you have already heard them all. And then Mattias tried to make me dance..."do it for Karoline" he cried (in vain). The evening ended at Roadhouse, as many booze-filled evenings do, where Jenny K wandered around in bare feet and we drank that fateful "just one more" beer...
Stay tuned for more coverage of the night that was...

Can you feel the excitement?

Hi KP! You really are a tough cookie to go into the office. How's the Boston office looking? Now more than ever, a nap room would be a great idea. Maybe you could sneak down to the 5th floor. I'm sure the students wouldn't mind!

Well, the lake is lined with tents that will soon be crowded by eager Swiss people looking for a beer while listening to music at the Blue Balls Festival. Does anyone know the history of this festival's name? I'm sure there's a story there. Or maybe it's just to attract attention. Think the musicians are embarrassed by the name? Anyway, I'm sure the music will be ok, but nothing special. Nothing like Fasnacht. You better be back in time for that. :)

Miss you. Hopefully I'll have some stories from Geneva.

Hope the Sox get things back in order! Cheer them on for me. Talk to you soon. -cj

Hi

Hi Guys,

I went into the office for the end of the day yesterday. It was so nice to see people! I only worked from noon- 530, but was hitting a wall by 4. I was hoping that I would be ok, but ugh...this fatigue thing sucks. anyway, i'm working from home today and will go in to the office for only the morning tomorrow. I saw Marco yesterday and it was great to see a familiar face from the Luzern office - even if he is new.

It's early and that's all i got for now...It's raining today. Hope that means you're having nice weather. :)

later,
k

tragedy strikes at Fenway, but ends on a good note

Ok, not quite what i had in mind for my first trip to Fenway in over year.

we thought it would be nice to go for a walk saturday morning. this was our first mistake. we should have kept it down to an hour walk, but it was a two hour walk (1030-1230) and then i had to come home shower and nap before 2P. i couldn't really sleep, but i hoped that pretending was enough rest to keep me going. that was my second mistake. i skipped lunch as i figured free food was waiting for me at the park. as tired as i was from the morning jaunt i was hit by a bolt of energy outside fenway and i plowed through the crowd like i was late for the game. it was only 315P. the weather was perfect. i pounded a hot dog, a hamburger, a lemon popsicle thing, grabbed two waters and ran out to the see the field. it was like sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows exploded in my little heart and i was so happy. there were so many people there already for this special pre game gig, but I was more interested in trying to see the who's who on the field. i wanted to keep moving as close as i could toward the dugout, but sister was annoyed because i wouldn't stay put....oh what i wouldn't have done to push all those little kids out of my way so i could have a spot along the wall...but i kept my cool. i grabbed my camera from sister, still carrying two full bottles of water and took off to explore on my own. Third mistake. happy happy happy. here a picture there a picture everywhere a picture picture. then i decide to go find sister carrying everything i had with me just 2o mins ago. la la la what a glorious day....until uh shit, sister! where's my camera! fudge fudge fudge (but the real f-bomb) panic panic panic sadness sadness sadness anger anger anger. and just like that my day took a nosedive.

i walked around feeling bad ,sad, and mad at myself . it was 7P and time for our national anthem. This is where things got better and i'm not being sarchastic... a woman named Theresa who survived something crazy like four years of throat cancer, chemo, surgery, everything was about to take on the national anthem in front of 35,000 people....her voice started like a whisper, but she had a big smile on her face and she just belted out the national anthem as best as she could and it sounded like she was gasping for air at times, but she did it! and even at the high note at the end she did it. and i was like wow. and everyone gave her a standing ovation as if Papi hit moon - it was crazy. at that moment i felt stupid for feeling bad about a small piece of tin and said oh well, so what i lost a camera. no big deal.

it was a kickass game - Papi solo homered at his first at bat! then more homers by JV and Hinkse (pleasant surprise) Sox go on to win 9-4 and even though i had to leave at the 5th inning (sorry guys i tried, but i just couldn't keep up), it was a good ending. And i still hope that whoever found my camera will return it, but even if i don't get it back then oh well.

have fun at the game!

Hi KP, so happy that you get to go to fenway. I'm sure the "sweet karoline" sing-a-long will cheer you up! I sure hope they win. Too bad we cannot watch the game over here. I've been back in Luzern now for a week after my vacation at home. I spent 5 days in Connecticut. And for the record for all of you CT bashers, there are plenty of wonderful things in CT. But yes, the traffic and Yankees fans should be dealt with. :) My friend's wedding was great. The weather was perfect. I'll try to add some pictures to the blog. mAfter the wedding weekend, I went to PA to spend time with my parents and to visit my grandparents. I wouldn't say it was the most restful vacation, but it was great seeing everyone.

I've been back in Luzern for a week now. You know what that means, a few nights at the Pick of course! I had really missed it while I was gone!!! Bet you miss it too. I cannot wait until you're back here so we can have a pint together. :)

Cannot wait to hear about your trip to Fenway. Talk to you soon/Christine

ow quit it. ow quit it. ow quit it!

Hi guys,

thanks for all the pictures! YAY!

i was trying to do some work today and i got kicked out of my connection - try try again but nothing so i thought i should check on the old blog.

something is poking me in the neck right now and pissing me off. ow quit it is a reference to homer simpson for those of you who don't know what i'm talking about. anyway, our sort of heat wave is about over and looks like blue skies for saturday. This saturday is the big game! My first trip to Fenway in a super long time. These are those tickets that sister got for donating to the Jimmy Fund. We get to go at 3P and watch batting practice and the prep work. AND free dogs, burgers, soft serve, and drinks (booze for sale). i can't wait! i will be sure to take a good nap before show time...

i told my mom about it and she was like 'Dios Mio! and what time does this game end?! you need to rest you know!' i told her it ends at 9P to make her feel better, but between us let's hope we don't go into extra innings...but don't worry i won't leave early. i might be passed out with my eye lids taped open, but i will be there.

Believe you me there will be photos of the team this weekend.

later all,

k

You asked for pictures...

Hi Karoline!!!

I have to admit I love reading your blogs. I read them in your voice its weird - its like our old daily banter!!! A couple of posts back you asked for pics.... and luckily I just received some picks from Carolyn for my past quick Boston trip!

First of all I drove up and it took me forever - the most horrible ride ever - way too much traffic in Connecticut. If they just remove that state the drive wouldn't be too bad... I went up for a baby shower and we decieded to stop by one of our old Stomping grounds The Black Rose (pic 1)

Right out front of the Black Rose was that round bike thing(pic 2) - Carolyn and I were so excited because we hadn't seen one of those since our trip to AMS in 2002 - plus the people had no idea how to ride it so it was comical! Pic # 3 - me with a Red Sox Bud light and slightly drunker... but they do have them with the Phillies logo as well. My friend Karyn walked in late, ordered a beer, then saw my beer with the red sox logo and totally changed her order so she could have a beer with the Red Sox logo.... Pic #4 is funny because look in the background and you'll see a girl giving us the finger. The picture didn't turn out that great but I may frame it because I love the use of the middle finger.

Picture # 5 - is just me - I thought you might want to have a cute pic of me - but seriously I've been going to weight watchers and have lost 18 pounds!!!! This was a couple of weeks ago so I was probably only at 15, just wanted to lose some poundage for the wedding day and all...

Oh here's another scoop about me, I got a promotion at work and am now an accounting manager - I have my own office and manage a staff of 11 staff accountants!!! I just started three days ago - its a bit crazy. I feel like CM!!!

Okay I've written enough, I kind of like this I could go on forever but I don't want to bore everyone I don't know - I do know Jenny though hi Jenny!!!!

Seriously I'll stop now

Miss love foreves!

Lauren

Reporting from da place where it's all happenin'!

Hey K! Since you are probably wondering what you have been missing out on I figured I'd give you an update:

So Tiziano and Francesca finally made it official by carving their names into our beloved bridge. According to recent rumor Francesca has been checking out Magdalena lately, so that story might turn into a real mess soon. Not only is Tiziano frustrated from suffering from a chronically bad breath since childhood (sour milk incident), but he also likes to play with fire and accidentally(?) burned down the bridge back in 1993 when his ex girlfriend left him for a violin playing trucker from Bulgaria.


Miss Switzerland visited Luzern over the weekend and the crowds went wild. You can't see Lara in this picture, but you know how excited she gets when celebrities come to town. She was literally fighting off people left and right in order to get an autograph. All that fighting left her badly bruised so she had to take a few days off work in the beginning of the week in order to recover. Today when she got in the first thing she said was "It was totally worth it dude!".

I don't know if you can tell from the t-shirt in this tiny photo, but the guy standing on the left is a Pink Floyd fanatic and tomorrow it is 18 years since the group last performed in Switzerland (Stade Olympique de la Pontaise in Lausanne, 12th July 1989). He is celebrating this very special anniversary by hanging around the lake and (not very discretely) filming girls coming out of the water.

Yeah I'm sure you haven't missed it - it's been ALL over the news since they announced the new seven wonders of the world. In short, because the Swiss are so filthy rich and temporarily ran out weed and good ideas on how to spend their money they decided to buy "Christ the Redeemer" and fly him in from Rio de Janeiro. Sadly since all the good spots are already taken here in Luzern by The Lion Monument and Emmen Centre they were forced to place him outside the city next to the lake where only the Indian tourists that go on one of those Charles Bucher boats can see him.

Last but not least I just wanted to show you what our view looks like since you left. If you look really hard (or at least if I send you the full sized version) you can acually see the raindrops falling from the heavy sky. It's cold too, but on a more positive note we have managed to avoid bloodshed over the control of the AC-remotes.

Oh and Sweden was good by the way. I spent about 1,5 week in a car visiting friends and family. Still raining though..

THANKS FOR THE PICS!

wow you guys, your postings really cheered me up! I read them like two times each and will probably read them again! Magnus, you look like a regular at Fenway! - bravo!

and good pics from the anniversary party! thanks Jenny!

so i was thinking that i would go into the office this week, but what the hell was i thinking....i hate that i think i'm gonna be up for something that just doesn't happen. No i won't be in the office this week so please don't get excited. ...working on and off from my sister's apt. i'm still pretty uncomfortable all around my neck and shoulder and don't always sleep well - like last night. and i get pretty tired around noonish and can hardly keep my eyes open so i sleep for about an hour and a half - 2hrs. Chronic fatigue is a potential side effect from my new thyroid replacement and i wouldn't say that i'm tired all day, but there are times when i'm just wiped out. i don't know it's weird. and then there are the headaches attached with picking my head up too quickly or stepping off a curb or trying to walk too fast. things come and go and some days are good days when i feel, aside from the 'regular pains', pretty awake and some days are just not good and i'm really tired. eh, whatever just going with the flow.

nonetheless it's nice to be sort of coming out of retirement. and your pictures will come in handy when i need a boost. so thanks again, stop working schmerking, and keep em coming!

have a good night!

k

i'm not gonna set goals for myself right now and take it week by week.

Breaking News: IT RAINS IN LUZERN. - Hi KP, just checking in to say hi from a wet town in the heart of Switzerland (yes, you know which one I'm talking about). I heard from el maestro Kingpin (aka your boss) that you might be coming in to the BOS office for work this week and I have to say that I am full of admiration. Go KP! As rain seems to be the central theme in this posting I can tell you that I have had several fantastic experiences of wetness over the past two weeks - one including a train ride from St Gallen (only 2hrs) in B couch without wearing anything on my upper body (yes, the train staff did have heart attacks) as a direct consequence of standing at the openair festival listening to snow patrol (waited for five hrs and it started raining 2 minutes before they came on) and another one involving a round of golf yesterday. Wet to the bone I believe is the only way to describe it! We all miss you here in Luzern so don't forget to come back soon - and bring some of that sunshine with you! /Managus

Here are some pictures....

OK, Karoline, here are some pictures for you. We have one of our trip to Fenway back in Boston, one of me and Angelica at Roadhouse this past Saturday, and then one of Anita, Christine and I celebrating our one year "Swissiversary" also from Saturday (as you can see, the night went on for a while) - Vicki the bartender at Pickwicks gave us balloons and streamers along with a free shot!

Hope this tides you over until we can get a few more photos up.

In another surprising news...it's STILL raining. I am hoping we get some better weather for my vacation next week so I don't have to spend it all watching DVDs. I have no big plans for the week off, but it will be hard to get motivated to do anything if it keeps raining like this. Ok, more soon but I have to do some work for a bit...//JOD

will someone pls send me a picture?

...of anything? your team rooms? your messy desks? what you're eating for lunch? anything?



please? (sigh) this one is from kickoff last year. let me know if anyone's interested in seeing my badass scar...i've been documenting it's evolution. i know not everyone has the stomach for it, but i'm putting it out there...don't be shy.

In Arts and Entertainment News

New York Times Bestseller: BLACK MASS The True Story of an Unholy Alliance Between the FBI and the Irish Mob.

"A jaw-dropping, true-life tale of how two thugs corrupted the FBI" - Baltimore Sun

"A heart breaking...story of corruption and crime...a work of rare lucidity, high drama, journalistic integrity, and rare courage." - New York Times Book Review

"A wicked good book so far..." - South Hadley Town Reminder

Back Yard Gossip

When asked about the recent news on how Brittany Spears attacked a photographer's car with an umbrella, Mr. Frog was shocked. "I thought she was finally getting her act together. It breaks my heart to see her still misbehaving." Meanwhile Mr. Black Bug had little to say except "oops she did it again!" He also expressed that since her break up long ago with short term boyfriend Oskar Grondahl that Brittany has never recovered. "Her actions now are all cries for help. I hope Oskar is listening."

Reporting Live from Western Mass

GROUND BREAKING FOR NEW ANT PYRAMID! Grand opening of the latest ant hill in the Piedra back yard has been postponed due to rain. A spokesman for the ant community says damages could be devastating, but they are determined to regroup and rebuild no matter what.

this week from western mass

Guys,

It's been been sunny, rainy, and stormy much like Luzern but humid. Here are a few shots of what i've been upto lately. enjoy.

thanks,

k

P.S brennan can you pls text me your digits again? i did get your text last week thank you! i wanted to call you up...work and or home or cell would be great.

update

Hi guys,

i got my sutures taken off yesterday and my pathology report came back with really good news and then some. My Dr. was really happy and announced that of the 32 lymph nodes removed all came back negative. this means no need to reopen and go into my right side! And interestingly enough they also found a second lesion on my thyroid which was papillary carcinoma a.k.a regular thyroid cancer - it turns out that i had both regular and medullary thyroid cancers (a.k.a MTC)at the same time. My scar looks pretty bad ass right now and there's still a lot of swelling, but this will get better in time. And the numbness and stinging could take months or even up to a year to go away...ugh. Sister joined an MTC chat room and people are describing very different post op stories - but most of them are well over two- months of headaches, numbness, chronic fatigue and upto a year of no or little feeling of the shoulder area...it's still so recent that i don't know if how long this will last for me, but today i had a killer headache and the "snapping rubberbands on my sunburn" sensations on my left shoulder were so uncomfortable. the next step from here is to slowly work on stretching/exercising my shoulder and following up with my endocronologist a couple more times over the next month. I'm not giving up on the idea of a 'speedy' recovery, but i guess i'll need to take it day by day. hope tomorrow will be better. Heard that the summer party is coming up on the 23rd....are you all going?

Last one for today

And as i mentioned in times of stress and struggle i have to laugh at myself and make fun of my frustrations. so this is that not so gory picture of me in my hospital room sleeping peacefully. you i covered up my neck but you might be able to see some swelling below my face. you also can't see the staple marks on my face or below my neck. as some of you know i have a pretty strong stomach for tastifully documented invasive surgery so i had to ask one of my dr's the next day what those red marks were on me. turns out that during surgery they drape some sterile covering over the exposed area and to keep this in place they had to staple these coverings to my face and to my chest. How crazy is that?! I was like wow, cool.

Hope you enjoyed these pics from last week. I will be able to post a new pic with each new entry. Please tell everyone i said hello and thanks for all the well wishes. talk to you later,

k

i just liked this photo

Sister took this on Saturday. I just like this picture and the view was equally nice in the evening.

Tek homered just for me

I forgot my glasses, but i used the camera as my eyes. Can't remember if they won or lost this game, but at least J.V. homered!

When i wasn't watching t.v.

I slept a lot, read a little, did some crossword puzzles, played scrabble, played with the controls on my bed - up and down and up and down, drank a lot of water, took my meds, ate my meals, entertained visitors, made friends with other patients in the hall ways. and when i was all alone i thought a lot about everything and everyone. too many thoughts to list, but I especially wondered about recovery. i thought it would be faster and more noticeable, but that hasn't been the case so far. i've learned that when it comes to patience i have none for myself. oh the fights we've had this week....but let us continue...

How i kept busy in the hospital

i spent my first three days propped up on pillows. I walked two or three laps around the floor everyday. Sister checked if i had internet access, but i didnt. thank God Bravo was showing the GodFather I and II and i watched baseball one night.

Friday June 22, around 4P Room 1127B

I've been connected to the internet! these are about a week old. they're self explanatory so i'll keep the captions brief. I lucked out with a nice view. the first night was so quiet, i thought i was all alone.
I had macaroni and cheese for dinner and Norbert Lorscheider was the first of many texts - thanks everyone!

Welcome Lauren Brennan

Hi GUys,

Sending a shout out to Ms Brennan out in PHL. She used to work for Travel back in when I started then I left and then came back. Brennan was our accountant when our team was first dubbed TAFT. And yes Brennan the name has stuck.

I wasn't having a good day so far. I understand that pain is part of recovery, but it seems that everyday it's a little more painful and not sleeping well in an upright position for the week has finally taking it's toll on me. The silly Dr wants me to cut back on my pain killer consumption, but c'mon now, something's gotta give and if one doesn't do it you better believe i'm popping a second...besides if he didn't want me to use them why did he give me so many right....? The pain has finally subsided and i'm no longer on the verge of a melt down as i was this morning. Chin up right? Even if I can only mean that figuratively right now since my chin has been sewn to the bottom of my neck for the time being.

Anyway, my 45 yr old aging hippie, mother of two, soon to be divorced and dating an 83 yr old up in the berkshires friend, Suzanne, has offered to bring me dinner tonight and i can't wait to catch up with her. I used to work with Suzanne back in my bug days when i chased butterflies and dissected catepillars in the name of science....awe good times. Those of you familiar with the who Amherst, MA - do you remember the Black Sheep Cafe (not to be mistaken with the new Black Sheep in Luzern), well i used to love their Greek salads with a knot roll. And next to that is the Fresh Side Cafe where she's picking up some pad thai and spring rolls...so yummy.

Can't wait for Saturday, i will finally be able to share some photos with you.

yours truly,

k

weather report

i'm flattered that Lara thinks i can control your weather from over here. who knows i might know a few people i can call on. i don't have much to report today. I walked this morning. it was hot out there. i had two hard boiled eggs with crackers and grape juice for breakfast. for lunch i had grilled salmon and rice and canteloupe for desert. for snack my mom gave me a popsicle. some family friends are stopping by tonight.

i started writing out thank you cards today. tomorrow maybe we'll stop at the post office for stamps! There's a chipmunk outside the window right now. he's cute. life in western mass perfectly suits my pace right now.

oh jod- could you please add adrienne robie (now adrienne.morin) to the blog?

thanks,
k

this just in

so i was having a bad morning - lots of aches not just from surgery, but i think also from having to prop myself back up to an upright position every hour the night before. anyway walking really made a difference this morning. my mom and i walked for about 15mins before it got too hot and i felt better afterwards. must be something with the circulation. it's so strange to be not be able to feel the surface of my skin now days later, but i am getting a tiny stinging sensation like a sunburn and i think this is a good sign. brother says internet will be fixed this saturday. until then you'll have to wait for my photos.

magnus with a shorter haircut? definitely need to see it to believe it. i forgot the luzern phone back in malden and right now only have the 413-464-3371. yesterday and today were in the 90' s with like 200%humidity and thank God for AC. it's almost 8P now and mom and i just went for another walk and the air is so thick out there. huge T-storm on it's way and that should cool us down... thanks for writing back today and i will keep in touch tomorrow.

Oh and p.s. my thyroid Dr. (not the surgeon) called me tonight with the pathology report: my lymphnodes came back negative and i don't need surgery on the right side!!!!! he was very pleased and we're also relieved! he said feeling will come back slowly after this kind of major surgery so the pain is normal and i need to be patient. i meet with my surgeon for my post op on monday for the official news and more details about the tumor, but so far this is great.

talk to you tomorrow. miss you guys!!!!

k

photos latr

internet's not working too good

I'm alive, but not kicking much

Hi Gang,

I got out yesterday afternoon and made it to my Mom’s in one piece. I almost had sister post another message the other day, but then I decided to do it myself. Thank you everyone in Luzern and Boston for the good wishes and for checking on me. Keep the messages coming as it feels good to be connected to people on the out side. Yeah I’m sort of uncomfortable right now and not looking my best, but that hasn’t affected my sense of humor. I’m pretty stiff from the neck up and swollen on the left side of my chin. It’s really weird, I can’t really feel my left shoulder, but I can tell that’s swollen too. Dr. says I will feel numbness for a few weeks if not longer. Talking doesn’t hurt and neither does swallowing, but opening my mouth big enough to fit a spoon in there does hurt. There is a certain throbbing and headache that comes along with this too and for that I got my pain killers. They say I need to keep walking around and I did walk around the hospital quite a bit, but I’m not supposed to stretch out my left arm much for now – wish it wasn’t so damn hot out otherwise I would be out there walking down the street scaring the little kids…ha ha…Anyway boredom is starting to kick in a little, but only when I’m awake. Mom doesn’t have wireless as I thought so I need to ‘borrow’ it when I can from the neighbor. On the other hand this time has sparked my creativity and I look forward to entertaining you during this work week. That being said…here are some photos from my time in the hospital – and I censored the gory ones….miss you guys tons and look forward to hearing from you. By the way how’s Anders holding up?

Message from Karoline

From Karoline:
"Hmm . . .
Talking hurts bad. I'm asking sister to post this for me. Dr. says surgery went very well. Super tired [something, something]"

From Katherine:
Karoline was super drugged up when she wrote this note. That's why the beginning of the note was more legible than the "something, something" part. If I have time, I'll scan in her note so you can see how funny it looks. It's like she's drunk or on drugs--wait a minute! She is on drugs.

Good luck KP!!!!

Hi KP,

Don't know if you will really have time to check this thing today, so I'll keep it short and sweet...Just wanted to let you know we are all thinking of you!
With love from Luzern,
the gang

Guys,

I feel so smart! it worked! The summer party was fun after a few drinks...not that i would know as water and gingerale were my poison for the night. Oh all right, i had one scotch, but i asked a reliable source (with a medical degree) if it would be ok. i just had one and i sipped it slowly.

My favorite part of the night was when Starr, the newest member of TAFT comes up to me and says"Wow, there are some REAL pole dancers out there! I'm mean I know some moves, but hmmm, wow!" i think that sums up the night. later, k

dumbass i am

Guys,

yeah so i created this account and forgot my username and password. i tried everything, but nothing worked so i had to create a new name. i have nothing really new to report. the summer party was at some high rise on state street- it was a really good location with a lovely view of the city at night.....ah. i took pics on my cell but wasn't sure how to get them from the phone to the pc - you all know technology is my weakness. Well thank God for smart people like Nicole Langone who showed me how this works. we're testing it out - wish me luck....

ciao ciao,

k

oh my goodnesss, i think i figured something out...

will someone pls confirm....i have successfully posted?

highlights of today:
i was at the dr's from 10A - 530P and most of that time was spent in waiting rooms. repeating some more tests this week, but they say i seem to be in good shape for friday.

after all that i got a burrito from !viva burrito! it was good. not sure why burritos haven't made it to Switzerland...guess if it doesn't fit on a pretzel it's crap.

boston is getting a little steamy. the sox are trying to rally back from a 4-9 loss to to ATL in the bottom of the 9th. one out to go, but it's also time to get to sleep...of course i will stay up for the end. ok forget it, that's over.

anyhow, i have requested that scrabble be brought to my hospital room for the couple of days i get to hang out there. they say that i get to (have to)walk around the hospital in my pj's - dr's orders that i walk 2-3 times a day asap after surgery - won't that be fun? anyhow, tomorrow is the summer party. Picture this - sober Karoline, steadily drinking Anders, and a drunken EF...there's only so much gingerale i can drink, so let's hope i find another way to entertain myself.

ok later all,

k

Hi Karoline!

So, we've setup this "Group Blog" in order for us to keep in touch while you're on holidays. Obviously this was all Jenny's idea, the rest of us wanted to buy you a really expensive gift, but she's a manager now you know.

Anyway, we can post stuff here, like photos of... the office.. and the lake. Maybe even Road House if you're lucky? And you can of course respond to our messages etc. by using your own login.

To sum things up; you'd better get your ass back here soon, because this place is falling apart without you. But until then, now we can keep you updated on all the action here in Lucerne. Up to the minute postings about Lara's air-conditioning habits, Luzern After Dark recaps, live weather reports (take that Accuweather!), etc etc. We hope you enjoy reading it!!

Jenny O and Mattias