Often throughout my life, I've been told that I «radiate calm» or words to that effect, which is typically a good thing. Given the recent circumstances, though, I think there is a concern I may be taking this conceit too far. More than one person has looked at me as if saying, «Shouldn't you be more distraught?» I know this because one of the first people to think so was me.

I know people have been waiting for an update, so I agreed to an interview by my good friend Cyril the salamander.

Enough of this nostalgic nattering! Sgt. Friday would not be impressed. The cry goes round Derwood and environs, “Give us the facts!”

Hi ho, Cyril the Salamander here… (with apologies to my fellow amphibian Kermit the Frog). Elliot has clearly dropped the ball on these updates, so it falls to your humble servant to pick up the slack.

Ever wondered how chemo drugs know to attack cancer cells but not other cells in your body? Well… they don't.

Obviously I can't speak for anyone's mindset save my own. These are a few changes I've discerned since getting my diagnosis—since Elliot-Then became Elliot-Now.

I know I said I don't really have a bucket list, but after not being able to enjoy my favorite foods for a few months I do have a new goal. It's a plate list.

In which we catch up on recent events via the time-honored tradition of answering readers' letters.

Saw the oncologist yesterday, and the CT scan results are “as good as can be expected”—no sign of cancerous growth or spread. Of course if we entertain the unexpected, we could hope the cancer would actually be disappearing instead of holding steady. But it's too soon for the radioactive yttrium-90 particles to have accomplished much. Maybe by the next scan in a couple of months.

Just saw the oncologist recently, and once again there's very little change. The pancreatic and liver masses haven't grown significantly, and my CA-19 (blood cancer marker) level is still around 310. That's down from an initial high of 1,600.

Hard to believe, but apparently that restaurant is Komi. So no video or slideshow this time around. I can post the menu, although (as with Minibar) the all-too-brief course descriptions don't do the dishes justice:

I've been solving crosswords for, oh, decades now. I even have a vivid memory of my parents bringing home the inaugural issue of Games magazine back in the fall of 1977. So I've gotten pretty good at both American and English (or “cryptic”) crosswords. But I've never competed in a crossword tournament… until last weekend.

Two weeks of external radiation down, one to go. So far, it's a bit of a mixed bag.

The radiation treatment itself has been relatively smooth. But it may have exacerbated my ongoing stomachache. This abdominal distress started right after I got the stent in mid-March, and at the time the docs said some discomfort was normal as my body adjusted to this foreign invader.

Since turning 21, I generally haven't paid much attention to birthdays. My attitude has basically been “every day is one day older”.

That changes with a cancer diagnosis.