Mike Murphy is NOT responsible for this cartoon

One year ago...

From ESPN.com one year ago:

Updated: Dec. 6, 2004, 3:59 PM ET

Notre Dame football exists only in history books
Insider Maisel By Ivan Maisel ESPN.com

History will record Dec. 3, 2004, as the day that Notre Dame football died. The Fighting Irish will still fight. The gold helmets will still reflect the Golden Dome. But the House That Rockne Built, the monolith that bestrode the sport for eight decades, expired Friday when Urban Meyer turned down Notre Dame to go to Florida. That's Florida, whose winning tradition goes all the way back to 1990. Notre Dame football, that national championship machine, exists only in the history books. My generation knows that tradition. Meyer knew it. He coached there. He drank the Irish Kool-Aid. And still he said no.

In reality, here is what happened. A man named Charlie Weis took over. Those of us close to the program knew almost immediately that we had hit a home run. Soon he was being called a "robot genius" since the things he was accomplishing behind the scenes seemed too incredible for a mere human. So it turns out that a lot of this:

translated into this:

which translated into this:

which translated into this:


One year after our "death" we are scheduled to play Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl and our recruiting class could end up ranked #1 in the country. Wow.

So, I've got one thing to say to you, Ivan Maisel, and I mean this with all sincerity: Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Notre Dame football may have died, but we went to HEAVEN! Its great to be Irish!

Note: Although his credibility is now on the level of Millie Vanillie and O.J. Simpsom, Maisel continues to write for ESPN.com.

Today is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception

A Holy Day of Obligation for Catholics.

St. Matt's has a Mass at 7:00 p.m.

Happy Feast Day!

Well, I don't want to be a "Chicken Little" and claim that the sky is falling, but....

I want to keep everyone apprised of what is going on with my current medical situation. Not everyone in the family knows about this yet and I know everyone would want to know so here it goes:

I've been experienceing pain in my chest for the past six weeks or so. When I got my routine PET/CT scan last week, it showed two areas of concern - one in a lymph node under my arm and one in the bone called the sternum. The problem under my arm could just be a false positive or it could be the start of something. These tests are very sensitive and sometimes they show false positives. Of greater concern is my sternum. My oncologist (primary cancer doctor who oversaw chemotherapy) doesn't want to speculate on what it could be yet. It could be an infection or some sort of inflamation but it could also be cancer in my bone. It would be strange for it to be an infection since there seems to be no apparent cause of it. But it also does not look like a typical recurrence of Hodgkins Disease. My radiological oncologist (doctor who directed my past radiation treaement) said that his first thought is that it looks to him like metastasis which is the spread of cancer from another part of the body to a bone. The only problem is that right now it doesn't really look like I have a probable source for this cancer.

Anyway, I'm going in for another bone marrow biopsy on Monday morning. Remember the procedure that was basically sticking a corkscrew into my lower back? Well, Monday I get the corkscrew in my breastbone. (By the way, I like to think of myself as a Beaujolais - very light, fruity, and easy to drink with typical aromas of pear, banana, and like smells. Goes very well with Brie, Munster, Mild Cheddars and Edam cheeses. This is a wine for the non-wine lover, a sort or good sport wine who will try to win over those who are skeptical of reds. But I digress.) I go in early and as long as there is no excessive bleeding, I should be out of the hospital by mid-afternoon. I'll be awake the whole time so it should be interesting.

Our first concern is metastatic cancer, so here's a bit from www.cancer.org (click on the headline for the direct link)

"Metastatic cancer is cancer that has spread from the part of the body where it started (called its primary site) to other parts of the body. When cells break away from a cancerous tumor, they can travel to other areas of the body through either the bloodstream or lymphatic channels.

When the cells travel through lymphatic channels they can become trapped in lymph nodes, often those closest to the cancer’s primary site. When the cells travel through the bloodstream they can go to any part of the body. Most of these cells die, but occasionally they don't. They settle in a new location, begin to grow, and form new tumors. The spread of a cancer to a new part of the body is called metastasis.

Cancer cells that break off from a primary tumor and enter the bloodstream can reach nearly all tissues of the body. Bones are one of the most common sites for these circulating cells to settle in and start growing. Metastases can occur in bones anywhere in the body, but they are mostly found in bones near the center of the body.

Bone metastasis is one of the most frequent causes of pain in people with cancer. It can also cause bones to break (fractures) and high calcium levels in the blood (calcium is released from damaged bones) It also causes other symptoms and complications that can lower your ability to maintain your usual activities and lifestyle.

Finally, the kids don't really know what's going on yet. We don't want them to ride the emotional roller coaster until we know for sure with what we are dealing. Margy on the other hand has been, hmmm how do I put this, well, let's just say she has a rather pessimistic / discouraged attitude right now, so please talk her off the ledge if you see her. (I love you Margy!)

p.s. If things get worse after we get the results next week, send Margy chocolate.

Today lives in infamy

Sorry about the not posting yet this week

Its been a very busy week with lots going on.