A blog about cancer, spirituality, death, and guitars
When I was very young I looked out through my eyes and looked at other people. I wondered if they too looked out through their eyes as I did, or was I the only one?
I would walk past a mirror and I would be surprised at the image. More and more I felt I was the person inside this body looking out through these eyes.
Now I know this to be true.
Everyone knows where they were in 2001 when the planes flew into the twin towers.
I was in Sydney, Australia, sitting across the desk from an urologist who was telling me I had advanced prostate cancer. We were both bleary eyed as like the rest of the world, we had been glued to the TV screen for hours in disbelief.
My urologist was telling me because the cancer was not contained to the prostate, and because my PSA was 67 (above 4 is abnormal) and with a Gleeson score of 4 + 4 (8), my chances of surviving more than 5 years even with the best treatment was slim. He calculated about 18%. The chance of me surviving to 10 years was something like 5%.
Continue reading “ADVANCED PROSTATE CANCER – Lightning Strikes!”
So in 2001 I did a general health test, and as I was 50 years old I thought I should also get a prostate cancer test, which is a simple blood test, called a PSA test.
After that diagnosis I was really unsure of what treatment to do. This was because I saw 4 different urologists for treatment suggestions and they all gave me different options. One even wanted to do an orchiectomy, the other word for that is castration! He explained to me that prostate cancer is testosterone fed and castration eliminated the majority of the production of testosterone. When I asked him why I would do that instead of taking drugs that did the same thing, AND it was reversible, he said that it was cheaper on the government to do an orchiectomy rather than subsidize the drugs!
I made a mental note….NEVER let this guy give me anesthetic!
We all know that at some time these bodies are going to die. I think the longest recorded age for someone in modern times is about 122 years, and if we make it to 100 it is a huge achievement! But we usually put this to the back of our minds and get on with life. What cancer does is make it so the concept of death is always there, always there at the front of your mind.
Every waking moment for the first few weeks when I was first diagnosed with cancer, I was thinking of death and dying. Usually when you are facing some adversity in your life you can get some reprieve when you sleep, but I found even when I managed to get to sleep I dreamt of death! Sometimes I’d be in a semi conscious state and trying to sleep, but with re-occurring thoughts of death it was often impossible.
The online and print newspapers have been full of reports and tributes to Muhammad Ali following his death yesterday. My local newspaper, the Brisbane Courier Mail, attributed a quote to him:
“I think maybe my Parkinson’s disease is God’s way of reminding me what is important”.
I can relate to that.
I quote from the same newspaper:
“Ali’s daughter Hana last night described her father’s final moments: “We all tried to stay strong and whispered in his ear, ‘You can go now. We will be OK. We love you. Thank You. You can go back to God now.’ All of us were hugging and kissing him and holding his hands, chanting the Islamic prayer.”
Very beautiful.
Namaste.
first saw this guitar when it was in pieces. It has a lower bout measurement of 16 1/2″. (Further measurements are in this post). It is stamped on the top of the headstock with serial number 18,488 and Style number 30. It has the gold decal which was used from about 1910 to 1915.
Continue reading “Weymann ‘Keystone State’ Jumbo Guitar c.1913”
Further proof that H. A. Weymann and Son was an innovator in stringed instrument development is a few surviving 12 fret flat top Jumbo and Super Jumbo guitars.
Continue reading “WEYMANN ‘KEYSTONE STATE’ JUMBO GUITARS c.1911 -1913”
To me, vintage guitars do not have had to be expensive to be interesting.
Around the 1930’s was an unusual time for the American guitar. Fads and decorated guitars were very popular. The depression era was hard for instrument manufacturers, for some, being price competitive was the only way to survive. Even so, many manufacturers did not make it to the end of the 1930’s.
A sweet sounding maple backed Weymann that would have been the lower end of the Weymann price range in it’s day. It has a stylized painted faux rosewood finish over the maple. Beautiful spruce top. Before this was repaired it was split in half along the side (see the first photo in the gallery), which is probably the reason the finish is in such good condition. We retained it’s ladder bracing and the only real addition was a new ebony bridge and an additional top up coat of French polish.
I think it would have originally had gut strings but seems to take lightweight Silk and Steel strings well. As with all H.A. Weymann and Son instruments the workmanship is superb.
Dimensions:
Overall Length: 37″
Body Length: 18″
Lower Bout: 12 1/4″
Upper Bout: 8 3/4″
Depth at Base: 3 3/4″
Scale: 24 1/2″
Continue reading “WEYMANN Late 1890’s Budget/Student Guitar”
Screen printed with a 2 color volcano Hawaiian scene, this originally had a metal tailpiece and floating bridge. I made a new bridge from the Australian hardwood, gidgee. It has also been X-braced and had a refret. The sound board is original and made from a beautiful unknown timber. The neck was reset.