Up a bit earlier than usual this morning. Seems that two raccoons were having a spat over something or other in the woods near the house. Mind you, critter noises are the norm around here & typically get no more response than rolling over to go back to sleep. Not today. Zeke the wonder dawg decided this was not going to happen on his watch, so he starts pacing around the house. Go ahead, I’m going back to sleep. Apparently that was the wrong answer or so I came to realize when he jumped up…
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Added by Tony on June 1, 2011 at 5:11am —
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Spring is here or so they say. Those of us near the Great Lakes haven’t seen much in the way of the sun yet or warm weather for that matter. Just rain and lots of it. Nevertheless, my body somehow knows what time of year it is. Nothing new as it seems each winter brings re-growth, albeit less and less each year. Then along comes spring, complete with intense itching and the all too familiar shedding of winter’s growth. I don’t mind the loss of hair…it’s the itching that drives me…
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Added by Tony on May 25, 2011 at 6:30am —
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There are those days when I can do little more than sit back & laugh at what life brings my way. Today was one of those days. I had taken a shower after my morning run and was preparing to clean up what few hairs remain on my face when I saw it…a hair on my previously bare eyebrow…woo hoo! I felt like an adolescent boy whose first, long awaited mustache hair had appeared as if out of nowhere. A hair, yes perhaps only one but a hair no less. Could this be the beginning of new growth? I…
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Added by Tony on April 23, 2010 at 12:42pm —
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I'm 'shedding' again, or so it seems as my eyebrows, lashes, and the hair on my chest are slowly disappearing. One forearm is also joining in...well, part of one anyway. The arm looks bizarre not that having a partial an eyebrow is normal. The worst part is the itching which always seems to accompany the fall out...followed by the scratching, then even more itching and feined attempts to not scratch. Now I know how it feels to be a dog with fleas.
I suppose that I was in denial up…
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Added by Tony on April 1, 2010 at 12:30pm —
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Hard to believe that it's been so long since I've posted anything here. Hope everyone here is doing well. My own journey over the past 8 months has taken me to many places…some new, some not so new, some I’d rather forget and be done with. My alopecia continues, primarily in the background as I continue to adapt, yet occasionally offers…
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Added by Tony on February 19, 2010 at 7:13am —
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Reincarnation. A rebirth of sorts. Over the weekend, I got to reinvent myself, on the outside anyway, as I once again shaved my head rather than deal with the daily fall out. I know full well that what’s on the inside won’t change much except for that initial period of anxiety and awkwardness as I go out in public. The butterflies will pass in short order. Been there, done that, no t-shirt but lots of hats and bandanas.
The change in appearance presents its’ own opportunities. I’ll…
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Added by Tony on June 22, 2009 at 6:48am —
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On the alopecia road again or so it appears. Three months of letting my hair grow back were…different. Seems folks were more at home offering comments once I was approaching what they considered ‘normal’. Questions such as “are you better?” became common place and were, for the most part, ignored. On the upside, one lady commented that I looked ‘sexier’ without hair. OK, so it’s been a number of years since a woman offered such a generous appraisal of my appearance so I figure that I’ve earned…
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Added by Tony on June 11, 2009 at 1:58pm —
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Where has the time gone? A quick check of the calendar revealed 9 ½ months has passed since the first telltale spot appeared on my head. A month later, I had shaved my head rather than fight with the every growing contingent of hairless areas.
9 ½ months, the same amount of time for a child to come forth into this world. Enough time for my oldest DD to graduate from high school and set off on her own for college…for my youngest daughter to transform from a giggling 8th grader to a…
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Added by Tony on January 15, 2009 at 7:13am —
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It started on a whim….OK, that’s not totally true. I was sitting next to the woodstove Sunday night watching a football game (in between resting my eyes) and was just too dang comfortable to get up & shave. Monday was another day I told myself, reasoning a nice hot shave would start the week off right. Well, Monday morning brought snow & cold so, not wanting to shave before going out to the barn, I decided to wait until I came back in. Of course when I came in I had to have a cup of…
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Added by Tony on December 12, 2008 at 1:35pm —
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Finally Friday. Yippee! Youngest DD will have her girlfriend over tonight to pick apples, then put together pies from scratch for a local apple pie contest. The night holds the promise of boisterous giggling, empty pizza boxes and soda cans…plus remnants of whatever other ‘goodies’ they gobble down…not to mention the flour and stickies on the floor, ceiling (don’t ask), counters, pets and young women present. I’m certain the conversations will wander from topic to topic…school, fashion,…
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Added by Tony on October 3, 2008 at 12:07pm —
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Back from the derm a little while ago. He basically said there wasn’t much he could do based upon the extent and the continued progression. No news there. The reason for the visit was completion of the documentation including the blood draw for the National AA Registry (NAAR). The doc wasn’t familiar with the registry or the requirements but everyone in the office (Dermatology Associates of Rochester) get a gold star in my book for effort. They asked to hold onto the paperwork, and let me tell…
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Added by Tony on September 23, 2008 at 12:09pm —
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What started out as a good day hit the skids shortly after I crested the door way. The flash of the answering machine caught my attention. Nothing unusual there. Probably the usual hang up calls from telemarketers. Not today.
“T”...only a select group of old friends know me by that moniker. The speech was slurred. I knew the voice straight off and could tell that he had crawled inside a bottle before making the call. “What the blankity blank do you want?”, a comment I apparently…
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Added by Tony on September 12, 2008 at 6:19am —
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I had one of those days yesterday. Nothing bad, just too many distractions. Somewhere along the line, my mind kicked into autopilot. The hour was late and much to my relief, the day was nearly over. A hot, steamy shower would help wash away the remains of the day. Instinctively, I reached for the shampoo only to have my hand run smoothly across my head. I have no hair to wash. Strange how old habits die hard…
Added by Tony on September 10, 2008 at 6:29am —
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My eldest daughter left for college this morning. It's her first year...and mine too. I’m happy for her, yet sad to see her go. The tears welled up in my eyes as I stared at the blank walls of her room, now empty except for the faded outlines of where posters of her favorite bands once hung. I closed the door behind me wondering if this was the end. Will she ever spend another night under the same roof? How hard it is to let go…but necessary.
My thoughts are with each parent whose…
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Added by Tony on August 22, 2008 at 12:20pm —
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Pay it forward. At least that’s what I’ve been taught. Never ask for anything personal in return for a gift given…it is just that, kindness with no expectation or desire for reward. Conversely, a gift or act of kindness received should be paid forward tenfold, not necessarily to the giver, but to another in a time of need.
We’ve all been there. The kindness of a stranger who retrieves a dropped glove, the person that holds a door open when your arms are full, the cashier that gives…
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Added by Tony on August 21, 2008 at 7:29am —
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It’s Friday…who’s up for the happy dance? My day starting off on the right foot around 3 AM. Bounced out of the rack for whatever reason despite the early hour, ready to take on the world and it just keeps getting better.
Business casual at work which means comfortable jeans. I usually reach for a pair of generously cut jeans to accommodate the extra weight I put on over the last year. This morning, I mistakenly grabbed a pair from a time when I was in better shape. As Gomer Pyle…
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Added by Tony on August 15, 2008 at 8:03am —
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“It looks good…you have a nice round head.” A nice round head? What the heck is that suppose to mean? My mind immediately equates my appearance to that of Charlie Brown, the round headed bald kid from the comic strip. Sigh…tell me I look handsome, tell me that the style suits me, tell me that I could be a male model…OK, the last one is a stretch but please, please don’t compare me with some inept, always depressed, bald headed kid with low self esteem.
My own acceptance of the…
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Added by Tony on August 14, 2008 at 12:02pm —
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It’s quiet around here lately, at least when speaking of alopecia. I’ve adapted to the hair loss and a shaved head. The occasional reaction from the stragglers upon seeing my new form for the first time has become passé and little more than a brief annoyance at best. Shaving was one of the smarter things I have done as the day to day hair issues become out of sight, out of mind.
I have learned much during this journey of a only few months… to be accepting of others…and of myself.…
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Added by Tony on August 5, 2008 at 12:55pm —
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I read the obit of Randy Pausch last week. At 47, Mr. Pausch succumbed to pancreatic cancer, leaving behind a family, a career, and a legacy for all. Saddened, yet not surprised by his inevitable passing, I sorted through the semi-organized mess on my desk and pulled out the transcript from his now famous "Last Lecture". The video is an hour in length, a full 26 pages transcribed, but well worth the view or read:
http://download.srv.cs.cmu.edu/~pausch/
I once again read…
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Added by Tony on July 30, 2008 at 12:16pm —
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They say ‘for every door that closes, another opens”. While not quite certain who they are or where to send a thank you card, I am grateful that ‘they’ are right. Last week was a train wreck as you may have gathered from my previous blog. A door had slammed closed. This week started down the same set of tracks when I received a call that the brother of a very close friend had passed.
Wakes and funerals have a way of putting life in perspective. I may have lost my hair but those dear…
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Added by Tony on July 22, 2008 at 7:55am —
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