We got up to Atlanta early and had lunch at one of our favorites places, Murphy’s, in the Virginia Highlands area of the city. Our son, Michael, met us so we could visit with him and pick his brain on an exciting, new marketing program we’re working on at the magazine.

Jill had a fantastic beef bourguignon dish. Michael’s lunch was a crab cake burger and caesar salad. I had north Georgia trout with a parsnip puree and delicious roasted broccoli and cauliflower. The food there is excellent and the service is equally fine. I’m glad I didn’t have to look at that hairy stomach shot at lunch that you’re seeing over to the left of you right now.

We finished lunch and I made an almost fatal decision. I decided to NOT take the drug I keep in my bag for special claustrophobic situations that I might encounter along the cancer trail. I decided to wait until we got to the Emory Winship Cancer Institute and see how long I might have to wait before I took the 2 mg of Ativan. So I hopped in the car, stone sober, and we tooled on over to the cancer center, checked in and sat in the waiting room.

Jill went on a bathroom run and before she was back they called my name. I grabbed up my Kindle and my jacket and headed out into the hall. Jill intercepted us on her way back and we followed a nice “technician,” as she called herself. We were steered into a room where two other technicians greeted us. “The first thing we want to do is show you the machine we’ll be using today,” said one of the techs. [Read more…]