DickDonohue.com

Woo hoo!!! I got the results of my CAT Scan today and there is “no evidence” of any cancer in me! That makes four years that I’ve been in remission!! Thank you, God! And many thanks to those of you who have been praying for me.  

So for the next year,  I might see the oncologist in 6 months, and I’ll get another CT scan next January.   That’s pretty darn easy.   I still have my  portacath in me.  I asked the oncologist if I should get it removed.  He suggested that I keep it in “to ward off evil spirits”.  Ok, it’s not great theology, but I’m keeping it in.  So I still get to drop by the oncologist office once a month to get that flushed.    (Q: What’s the difference between me and a toilet?   A: A toilet doesn’t tell you bad jokes when you flush it).

So today is a great day to be alive.

At 9:30 Monday morning (1/26/2009) I will be inside a great big white donut feeling like I’ve peed my pants.  I’m getting my annual “let’s-see-if-Dick’s-cancer-has-come-back”
CT scan (a.k.a CAT scan).   Whenever I get a  CAT Scan, I have to fast the night before and then take some stuff they call “contrast”.  It tastes horrible.  It has this metallic taste and it makes me think I’m drinking puree’d aluminum. Then, when I get there, they make me take all my harmonicas out of my pockets.  I usually wear sweat pants to the CT Scan; that way I can keep my pants on.  Otherwise, I’d have to wear the famous hospital gowns with a view.

Anyway,  when I get there,  they give me even more contrast.  Then they hook me up with an IV of this stuff and when they inject it, I can feel it.  It doesn’t hurt or anything, but I get this sensation.  I can feel it moving around in my veins.  It’s a weird feeling.  Then the worst:  the contrast makes it to the …ah.. the groin area… and it causes a sensation just like I’m peeing my pants… warm and wet.  Now, of course, I’m not really wet.  And I haven’t really wet myself.  But try telling that to my brain.

continue reading…

Grab your favorite valentine and bring them on down to The Union Caberet and Grille and check out Great Buncha Guys.  We will be there Thursday, February 12 through – Saturday, February 14, 2009.    We take the stage at around 9:00, but if the last time was any indication, you’ll want to get there early, enjoy the wonderful cuisine and a Valentine’s Day filled with wonderful memories.

Kevin Brown used to say that there are two kinds of music:  Good Music and Bad Music.  For Great Buncha Guys (we’re not all guys), our goal is to play only Good Music.   But beyond that, the genres are  wonderfully diverse.  You’ll hear blues, jazz, country, and rock.  What you won’t hear:  reggae, ska, hip-hop, gangsta rap, and Bad Music.   That means that, no matter what kind of music you prefer, you are bound to hear music you like.  And if we are playing a genre that you don’t particularly care for, at least you know that it will be Good Music! Our set list includes songs by Edgar Winter, Alison Krauss, The Eagles, Eva Cassidy, The Pretenders, Thelonias Monk, Bonnie Raitt, Pink Floyd, Booker T, and Santana — just to name a few.  And we are adding several new tunes to our set list.  

I look forward to seeing you there!
It is has to be good:  I just bought five new harmonicas! 

Hey! my friend Shelagh Brown recently posted some songs that she wrote.  I really like them.  She has an awesome voice.  Go listen and let her know what you think!

I’ve got some folks who want to stream audio files (mp3’s mainly) on their WordPress-based websites.  So I am testing a few ways to do that.  The audio file that I am testing with is original music (to avoid copyright entanglements).  This is the band at Southridge Church (several years ago) with me on harmonica.  We are attempting to cover Terry McMillan’s version of Amazing Grace.  If you have not heard it before, it is a pretty cool version — the guitar solo is the late, great Kevin Brown.  I especially like the harp licks at the end of the song.  Sometimes, it’s hard to believe you can get away with playing music that is this much fun– in church! continue reading…