Well, all this book stuff is great fun and I love walking into bookstores and putting a stack of my books on the counter.

The salesperson asks, "Would you like to pay for those?"

And then I say, "No, I'd like to sign them!" Hee-hee! I wish I could be more dignified about this, but I tell you I'm practically wagging.

I'm also having fun speaking everywhere which I usually do for free, just travel and lodging. I said to my friend Carla, "I feel like such a whore because I'm saying, 'Yes!' to anyone who asks me to speak."

She said, "Whores get paid. You're more of a slut."

So there you have it, I'm a Speaker Slut--but only until the end of 2007. That will end the first trimester of my book's existence, which as many of you know, is the most important time period for the growth and development of a book.

After that I must cut down on the speaking because I do have a job I love at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. And I will have to be professional and ask for money.Wednesday I leave for Houston to speak at M.D. Anderson. I love looking at all these other cancer centers and see how they compare to the SCCA.

I went to a big cancer center in central New York. They had a gorgeous lobby with a pianist playing a grand piano. The gift shop was huge. Beautiful art everywhere.

The infusion suite was small, dark, cramped and strung with cheesy Halloween decorations. There were no windows. I don't remember seeing any beds. How could you fit a supportive friend or family member in these little cubicles, let alone a chaplain?

One last word about my central New York speaking tour: here is actual quote from the organizer of one of these luncheons: "Many felt that the subject of death and dying was not appropriate for a group of survivors and supporters."

Then who is the appropriate group? I must tell you that I'm not a downer cow when I talk about death. It's actually pretty funny and entertaining. And when you get a cancer diagnosis you always think about death. I gave a similar talk here in Seattle and they loved it. Go figure.

In other news, my MRI last week was clear. Woo-hoo! However I still have osteoporosis in my hips, but in my spine it's been downgraded to osteopenia.

No sky diving for at least another life time.