stevenology 2.0 » Family

Petra B – Still NED And Loving It

stevenology — Thu, 27 May 2010 06:03:06 +0000

Yesterday was the semi-annual visit to the oncologist for Petra. She is finally finished with the orginal surgeon, the chemo, the radiation oncologist (after five years), and the reconstructive surgeon (after five years), but still sees this one every six months. And no, that is NOT him in the picture.

After a discussion of her recent blood work and (of course) an exam, her doctor pronounced her to be “NED”. That’s cancer-speak for No Evidence of Disease. Yahoo! That’s the best you can hope for once you have ever had cancer. And it only holds until the next round of appointments. But still, yahoo again! High fives for everyone!

Leave me a comment below or else the doctor in this picture will give you an exam!

Get stevenology by email

Follow stevenology on twitter

A Day In The Life – Take 7

stevenology — Sat, 01 May 2010 00:32:38 +0000

OK, it’s not really a day. It’s the last week or so. But it’s time to catch up a little bit on what the heck stevenology has been doing!

Well, to start off, I’m full and happy after a lunch at Curry Corner. It’s a great Indian Food lunch buffet here in the Natomas area. All you can eat and all gooooood.

Last night we saw an advance screening of a new movie, City Island (web site, more info, even more info). It’s a very funny comedy with heart. We were laughing out loud and so was everyone else in the theater. Great writing, brisk pace, and funny! Go see it!

And let’s be sure to add some April birthday wishes for my sister Steph, my ex-sister-in-law Connie, and our friend Jared (the big 30).

And talking about Jared, he just started up a food-related blog over at JaredEatsWorld. Go visit and tell him stevenology sent you!

Last Friday night we went to see the Sacramento Rivercats baseball game. It was fun, always is, but they lost. They choked at the end. Oh well, you can’t win them all.

OK, faithful readers, what do you think of all THAT?

Swell Sisters Second Sat With Petra B

stevenology — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:25:24 +0000

On Saturday December 12th, 2009, the Swell Sister Society will be hosting their second annual group art show at the Coffee Garden. My wife and partner Petra B will be showing at least one piece of her fused glass art and I have to say it’s a really nice piece too!

The Second Saturday reception for the show will be from 6:00 to 9:00 PM. The show features 15 talented female artists, a raffle, refreshments, and music by Jasmein. Along with the show pieces, Little Treasures (affordable art for everyone) will also be featured and any sales from those pieces will benefit the Women’s Wisdom Project at the Sacramento Food Bank, a very worthy cause.

Come on out and see Petra B’s art, along with a bunch of other great art too.

The Coffee Garden is located at 2904 Franklin Blvd in Sacramento.

Leave me a comment below. Art for art’s sake.

Get stevenology by email

Follow stevenology on twitter

Some Kinda Fairytale Town

stevenology — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 05:24:32 +0000

It’s been two years and three months since we were able to take the granddaughters on an outing, just the four of us. But it happened today so I wanted to post about it, real quicklike, before I hit the bed for a few hours sleep before work tomorrow. We were finally able to take them, so we went for a gourmet lunch (Taco Bell!) and then we went to Fairytale Town and spent the afternoon there.

It was just totally a nice visit with the grandkids. They love Fairytale Town and we went there with them lots of times, a few years ago. But today, after a long time waiting, was special. Of course, they are kids and they are sisters, so they sometimes have a little rivaly or a bit of bickering, but they are great and lovable and, of course, so are we so we had a great time. Love those kids…

Doh! Almost forgot, after we dropped the kids off we went to 524 Mexican Food. Mmmmm. That was pretty good too.

Get stevenology by email

Follow stevenology on twitter

Leave me a comment below. Tell me the kids are cute!

Petra Runs, Charity Wins!

stevenology — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 05:37:41 +0000

She did it! My wife Petra ran in the 5k Race For The Arts tonight. And she did great! She even cut a few minutes off her expected time.

There’s more info about her and why she ran the race in my blog post the other day. Check it out. But the important thing is that she set a goal and then accomplished it. And in the meantime, she made a bunch of money for her chosen art charity.

Way to go, Petra. We’re hecka proud of you!

and it’s not too late if you want to make a donation ;-)

Subscribe to stevenology – get the news first!

Follow me on Twitter – get the news second

A Birthday Song For My Wife

stevenology — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 01:03:49 +0000

And it goes like this:

Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday, Petra B
Happy birthday to you!

Nice song, huh? I didn’t write it. But I wanted to publicly wish her a great, great, wonderful day, today and everyday. I love her a lot.

As much as can be…

Help Petra B Help The Arts

stevenology — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 22:37:02 +0000

My wife and partner Petra B is running in the 5k Race For The Arts later this month. How about supporting her and helping a great charity at the same time? All donations to sponsor her will go to the Women’s Wisdom Project, an art program of Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services.

If you would like to donate make checks payable to “Race for the Arts” and send to Petra B. Wynbrandt, P.O. Box 340564, Sacramento, CA 95834-0564.

Read her statement in her own words after the jump:

Please support me (Petra B. Wynbrandt) in the Race for the Arts!

I am participating in the Race for the Arts on Friday August 28th. The will be my first 5k run/walk in 20 years! (Actually my only other 5k was in 1989).

The Race for the Arts is a charity event to raise funds for non-profit art organizations. 100% (yes 100%) of all donations I raise will go to the Women’s Wisdom Project, an art program of Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services. This program is free for all women! It’s a healing through art type program, which I am a strong supporter of. I believe art was significant in helping me through chemo brain while I was going through cancer treatment. Although I had lots of support from friends and family, and the financial means to pay for my own art classes, I am very much aware that many women don’t have these same advantages. Supporting this program is a way I can help those women.

If you are interested in making a pledge to the race, please contact me at pb@dazedandfused.com. Checks are to be made out to “Race for the Arts” .

Thank you,

Petra B

More information about the Women’s Wisdom Project can be found at http://www.sfbs.org/womenswisdompg.htm

If you can benefit from the Women’s Wisdom Project art program please contact the program manager, Helen Plenert (916) 456-1980 or hplenert@sfbs.org to attend an orientation. It’s free for all women!

If you are interested in donating to the Women’s Wisdom Project at a later date, please visit the website or program director listed above. Even if you aren’t sponsoring me in this race, I encourage you to consider this wonderful program for your charitable giving. (I have no involvement in this program, I just appreciate the work they do.)

So how about it, help out a worthy art-related charity. And make stevenology happy too! Donate now!!

Subscribe to stevenology – get the news first!

Follow me on Twitter – get the news second

The Doctors All Say “NED”

stevenology — Tue, 12 May 2009 05:15:27 +0000

Last week was “Go to the Doctor” week here in stevenology world. My wife Petra had four, count ‘em, four doctors appointments all related to her breast cancer from back in 2005. Yes, unfortunately, that issue never really leaves your life once it has so rudely forced it’s way in. She is still on medication with at least one (hopefully minor) surgery to go. And she is still seen and monitored by multiple doctors at various intervals. And the appointments all happened to hit last week. We should get a frequent doctor discount! Or maybe, go to ten visits, get the eleventh free.

Anyway, first up was the original surgeon for a follow up exam to make sure everything is still going ok. Then it was the oncologist to discuss the recent blood work and of course an exam. Then the radiation oncologist for a followup and another exam. Then, finally, the reconstructive surgeon for yet another exam and an injection too. Sheesh! The only person missing was Jim-Bob’s cousin Raylene! Just kidding…

But here’s the really good news: 100% of her doctors agree that Petra is “NED”. That’s cancer-speak for No Evidence of Disease. Yahoo! That’s the best you can hope for once you have ever had the Big C diagnosed. And it only holds until the next round of appointments. But still, yahoo again! High fives all around!

Leave me a comment below or else the doctor in this picture will haunt your dreams!

To get stevenology by email, just click here

Gone But Not Forgotten – James A. Bolen

stevenology — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 06:07:14 +0000

Good ol’ Uncle Jim. Well, technically, he wasn’t my uncle but he did care about me. He was my wife Petra‘s uncle and he passed away on December 27th in Illinois. Jim always told Petra how lucky she was to have me, and I won’t argue with that. But the bigger truth is that he and Petra were very lucky to have each other.

As you may or may not know, Petra is adopted and adoption records are sealed in all but five or so states so that people, even grown adults, can not know their family or history. That is a wrong that needs to be corrected. But that is another story. In our case, Petra managed to track down, with the help of her (adoptive) parents, information about her birth family. Her birth father is deceased and her birth mother sadly wants nothing to do with her, even after all these years. Petra has had some contact with a couple brothers and their families but none of that compares to the relationship that she had with her birth father’s brother, her beloved Uncle Jim.

They met and visited a number of times and found many remarkable, striking similarities in personality and mannerisms. Adopted people rarely get that “you look like your mother” or “you write like your brother” or “you have his eyes” or any of that. But it turned out that she had a lot in common with Jim even though they grew up and lived 2000 miles apart and they never even met until Petra was over 30. He quickly became a very important person in her life. He was the only person that had a version of her in him. They had a special bond and had many long phone calls and letters, as well as some visits in person over the years. He meant the world to her, and was very, very special. But now the only person that she could see parts of herself in is gone.

Of course, Petra is loved by many, but this loss cut her deeply. If you have not been in her situation you may not be able to understand the depth of the loss. An adopted person, with no one “like” them, finally finds a biological familiy member that she identifies with, and then that is gone. But she is getting through it. She created a temporary tribute web site here but they only allow those for a brief time. Go see it now and look at the pictures too. There’s also a one-month guestbook here and there is also an obituary here, though the picture is NOT what Petra would have picked and doesn’t represent him well. Another guestbook is here. Petra may build a more permanent web site, and if so I will post the link on this blog. In the meantime, take a minute and feel her loss. She didn’t find Jim or any biological relative until she was around 30. And now the most important and closest one is gone. RIP, Ol’ Uncle Jim. Smile down on your niece, she loves you very much.

Happy New Year!

stevenology — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 06:07:40 +0000

OK, so I am almost a week late. We move at a relaxed pace out here on the left coast. But here’s wishing you all the the greatest new year ever possible. As for the past year, well, it’s over and we can say that for it at least. Bygones. There were a lot of highs (too many to recap) and a few lows (losing my mom for instance).

So, the holidays are over for better or for worse, and now on into the new year full speed ahead. Or at a nice, smooth pace. Whatever works for you. And on that note, here’s a video (below) that I have always liked about “A Long December”, by Counting Crows:

Peace to all in the new year.