For the fourth time in the nearly three years I've taken Votrient, I gave myself a week off.  By ten days ago, my stomach was in such turmoil that I couldn't continue with the routine.  Although stopping the chemo doesn't do anything for the waves of fatigue, the effect on my G-I tract is immediate.  The first day after quitting, I had a rueben panini with pork belly, sauerkraut, and swiss cheese with no consequences whatsoever.  Two days ago, however, I went back on the chemo; we'll see how long it takes for the meds to kick in.

The switch to e-cigarettes is going well.  Mohamed hasn't broken down once--not one real Camel for over two weeks now.  I cheat three times a day, but eventually the stash of real cigarettes will run out.  Going from, say, 25 cigs a day to three hasn't been too difficult.  And when I do break down, the Camels aren't satisfying.  Still, I have those occasional urges to puff away non-electronically.

Topeka continues without Fred Phelps.  There was no funeral, since he'd been excommunicated from his church.  What must he have thought during the last few months of his life--driven from his church and from his home?  Did he still think of himself as the righteous one with all his former church members now among the reprobates?  His was a life that truly ended not with a bang but a whimper.

We have a leased Toyota Venza, and the lease is up on August 1.  It's almost impossible to believe that it's been three years since we chose the car.  I had just had my abduction cast removed and movement was painful.  The temps were in the triple digits, and I had no motivation to go car shopping--no motivation except that the lease was up in a few days.  When we finally chose the Venza, I said to myself that this was the last time I'd ever go car shopping.  We got an insurance policy to cover the lease after my death.  Three years later and I'm still kicking.  We've spent a couple of weeks looking at cars (crossovers mostly) on the road and the last two days visiting dealerships.  So far the Honda Crosstour seems to be leading the pack, but we've got three more months to decide.

We've had six consecutive months of below normal temperatures.  And April has begun on the same note.  I'm ready for spring.

The Supreme Court in McCutcheon continues politically rewarding the rich.  C. J. Roberts argued that unless there's a direct and clear quid pro quo, political contributions didn't lead to corruption--or even the appearance of corruption.  Meanwhile, potential Republican 2016 candidates and tuches leckers extraordinaire made the pilgrimage to Las Vegas to kowtow to Sheldon Adelson.  The most humorous moment was when the supposed bully Chris Christie had to return to grovel before Adelson because Christie had had the nerve to call the occupied territories 'the occupied territories.'