A couple photos...

Still feeling overwhelmed and humbled by all the love and concern that enveloped me on Sunday...even after a quick down-and-back to the UM yesterday. Thought I'd post a couple photos of the event.../dps P.S. Note the sleepy child and bass playing dad in the Monroe Crossing photo.

What a celebration!

Wow! Thank you all for a most wonderful and memorable day! With all the positive energy that filled the "gathering place" I probably could have skipped the surgery, chemo, and radiation altogether and just been healed directly and communally! Special thanks to all the amazing musicians (Monroe Crossing, the LaPlant's, Jim Miller, Barb & Steve, the 'piping lass, Caleigh, and Trillium) and extra special thanks to Dan Houg for the sound system and Miriam (and associates) for organizing the event. Thanks also to everybody for being there and helping in ways seen and unseen. Your kindness and generousity are astounding...we are truly blessed to have such fine friends. /dps P.S. It is now 9:30 am Monday morning and James is still sleeping soundly, recovering from the festivities!

Happy Valentine's Day!

For a naturalistic perspective on love, marriage, and such check out this piece on the work of Helen Fisher (and others). It presents an interesting contrast to the ignorant, hate-driven ideology that some bigoted Massachutsetts moralists (neo-Puritan witch-hunters?) attempted to cram through their state legislature. It is time to recognize that both 'traditional marriage' and 'civil unions' are purely social constructs -- both richly satisfying and worthy of equal protections under the law. Whether certain churches chose to bless or not to bless certain unions, is of course their business. On the other hand, when an ill-informed and ahistorical few attempt to impose their narrow and exclusive theology on an entire nation, it is all of our business. Don't these lunatics have more important things to worry about? /dps

Friday the Thirteenth

It's Friday the thirteenth in a February with five Sundays...that must mean something (or not)! Actually it happens once every 28 years -- so at most three times in a typical lifespan. Sunday February 29th I'll be coordinating a service at Headwaters Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (HUUF) entitled "Pattern, Probability, and Purpose" (or something to that effect). The general theme will be how we tend to impose pattern and purpose on low probability events (especially after the fact). Toward that end, I am interested in hearing about any seemingly eerie coincidences people have experienced. I'll also consider why Christ's disciples caught exactly 153 fish and unsettling irrationalities like pi and e. My talk is still in the formative stages and I'd welcome any stories people might be willing to share. /dps

Happy Darwin Day...

Charles Darwin and Abe Lincoln were both born on this day in 1809. For the past several years Darwin Day has been celebrated around the world; the day is marked by a variety of events all working to develop a broader and deeper appreciation of naturalistic explanation and to dispel the cloud of ignorant nonsense that masquerade as 'critiques' of evolutionary theory. /dps

Recent reflections

Made another round trip to Minneapolis this week...fortunately uneventful! I continue to make encouraging progress on dissertation related stuff and am getting good support from my advisor and committee members. My sense of taste is starting to recover and I get brief stretches where everything feels back to normal (whatever that is). It is even getting to the point that occasionally the whole surreal October-February experience seems like it was just a bad dream. We are really looking forward to this coming weekend...Jack, Cindy and crew are again taking over the Hostel at Itasca and we are heading down there Saturday for what is always a wonderful evening of music, food, and community of kindred spirits. Sunday's celebration should be more of the same...hope to see many of you there.../dps

Help us celebrate...

...the end of my chemo and radiation treatments and my return to health! On Sunday 15 February from 1:00-5:00 pm we will be having an open house celebration at the new American Indian Resouce Center on the BSU campus. It should be a great time with lots of music planned (bring instruments and voices or just come to listen and enjoy) including an appearance by our friends from Monroe Crossing (one of sevens nominees for Minnesota Music Academy (MMA) 2003 ARTIST OF THE YEAR!) We see this celebration as an opportunity to thank everyone for all the support you have shown in so many diverse ways. Mainly it will be a chance to share good company, great music, and lively conversation. We will have light snacks and beverages available but, if you are one of those veteran Minnesota potluckers that can't go anywhere empty handed, feel free to bring a favorite treat to share (no alcohol please).

This celebration is not a 'benefit' per se. . . but a number of people have asked if/how they can help us out financially. Relative to the millions of Americans who are without health insurance -- inexcuseable in the midst of the world's largest economy -- our situation really isn't too bad (thanks in large part to some very timely and generous help from our families). On the other hand, it does look like we might be facing kind of a cash flow crunch over the coming months as I work to complete my dissertation and Lenore's position remains part-time. Because quite a few folks have already contributed to our cause, we have decided that once we get back on an even keel financially we will make a donation to lymphoma research on behalf of any contributors. Look for a basket and more details at the celebration -- we hope to see you there. Dann, Lenore, and James

Waiting game...

It has been an odd week since completing radiation. In one sense it feels like I am "done" with all this but yet there is a more pervasive sense of waiting for my CT scans in mid-April. I really feel confident that everything worked but I am looking for some kind of confirmation I guess. Also some of the side effects continue...still not much for taste*, a very dry mouth especially at night, not much hair on my head and a "bald" spot on my face at the site of the direct frontal radiation. /dps

(*this morning at breakfast we had some maple syrup from our friend Steve Young and I could actually taste it! Only faintly, briefly, and on the left side of my tongue but definitely there!).