tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-201169832010-02-08T22:09:34.036-08:00<i><p>Tales of my second go-round with breast cancer before the age of 40.</p> <p>A chronicle—sometimes raw, sometimes reflective, always irreverent—of a life upended by a long shot and of the daily indignities and tiny victories that comprise it.</p></i>Jody Rosen Knowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17638066371993482277noreply@blogger.comBlogger542125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20116983.post-90698622772111247632010-02-08T21:24:00.000-08:002010-02-08T22:09:34.048-08:00

The very nice bra fitter who was unable to help me on Saturday recommended that I check out Title Nine, a retailer that caters to active women. As their un-mission statement says, "We are evangelical about women's participation in sports and fitness activities."It also says "Policies make us nervous." And "We're quirky!" And "We like dessert." What's not to like?Title Nine mostly sells clothes

Jody Rosen Knowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17638066371993482277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20116983.post-10179846048538733412010-02-07T22:12:00.000-08:002010-02-07T22:31:31.653-08:00

I'm happy to report that my plan to try a new recipe every week is still going strong. Tonight's dish:Pork Tenderloin with Pears and Shallots(with a side of roasted butternut-squash purée with sage)Last week's:Quinoa with Moroccan Winter Squash and Carrot StewBoth are great winter dishes (especially if your winter features actual cold weather. . . .).Bon appétit!

Jody Rosen Knowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17638066371993482277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20116983.post-50195861716455532692010-02-07T09:19:00.001-08:002010-02-07T10:02:55.734-08:00

Yesterday's professional bra fitting did not go well.The fitter was lovely, and she brought lots of things for me to try, but she quickly realized that I'm a lot more challenging to fit than, as she put it, "the average bear."A highlight of our exchange:The fitter: You've got a real conundrum. Me: I've got two of them.Just to give you a sense of how extreme the situation is, here's what she

Jody Rosen Knowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17638066371993482277noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20116983.post-59970760590752341622010-02-05T23:31:00.000-08:002010-02-05T23:54:01.199-08:00

After my second consecutive looong week at work, I treated myself to an hourlong foot massage/reflexology session that also included a neck-and-shoulder massage. And a leg massage.And an arm massage.And a hip massage.And a forehead/temple massage.And a scalp massage.The whole thing cost $25, and the only things I had to take off were my shoes and socks.Not a bad way to end the week!

Jody Rosen Knowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17638066371993482277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20116983.post-39295203951912157012010-02-03T21:19:00.000-08:002010-02-03T21:47:20.754-08:00

On Saturday, Zach and I are going to drive thirty-some-odd miles (up to an hour and a half in traffic, according to Google) so that I can try once again to find a bra that actually fits. (I have already stumped at least three professional fitters in New York and two in LA.)My mom did a little poking around (thanks, Mom!) and found this fitter, who is actually based in the Bay Area but travels to

Jody Rosen Knowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17638066371993482277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20116983.post-75689039384375445402010-02-02T23:46:00.000-08:002010-02-02T23:51:49.162-08:00

Tonight I am thinking of good friends going through tough times: the loss of a parent, a seriously ill child, a spouse suffering through chemo, a broken heart. Wishing you all comfort, peace, and better news tomorrow.

Jody Rosen Knowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17638066371993482277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20116983.post-11436094930762207642010-01-31T22:19:00.001-08:002010-01-31T22:55:14.252-08:00

Normandy was part of our family for almost 19 years—more time than we had a right to expect, less than we hoped for. Her favorite place was always somewhere high above—I have to think she's feeling right at home in cat heaven. And we know she's in good company. Brittany and D'Artagnan, take good care of our girl.

Jody Rosen Knowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17638066371993482277noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20116983.post-44815940324326727492010-01-29T23:24:00.000-08:002010-01-30T00:09:11.419-08:00

I had a much-needed deep-tissue massage this evening at a great local day spa called dtox. I got a small holiday bonus this year and decided to spend it on massages. Between the car accident a year ago and all the scar tissue from my various surgeries, my back and neck seem to be perennially in knots. My left side is unquestionably worse, but my right side is pretty bad, too—from compensating,

Jody Rosen Knowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17638066371993482277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20116983.post-17727585597652514012010-01-28T21:48:00.000-08:002010-01-30T00:10:58.215-08:00

Here's the memo I received at work today:Date: January 28, 2010To: [My Office Building] TenantsFrom: Building ManagementRe: “24” Filming with Helicopter Activity Thursday, January 28, 2010 Please be aware that

Jody Rosen Knowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17638066371993482277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20116983.post-62104474481751644502010-01-27T22:47:00.000-08:002010-01-27T23:17:55.924-08:00

Zach's mom left this morning after a very nice visit, which included multiple trips to Pazzo Gelato and various other diet-unfriendly outings (mainly involving French fries), and I resolved to get back to healthy eating ASAP.Then I walked into a meeting at work today and saw a huge chocolate cake with white icing that read "HAPPY BIRTHDAY JODY."I had forgotten that they have a birthday cake once

Jody Rosen Knowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17638066371993482277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20116983.post-7436400715505989872010-01-26T21:56:00.000-08:002010-01-26T23:00:52.757-08:00

Seems like a good time to report on how I'm doing with some of my key New Year's resolutions:Exercising: Haven't missed a day, although mostly I've been doing sit-ups. But when I can work it in, I'm really enjoying the spin/yoga classes I've been taking with Zach. I'd like to do more of the yoga-only classes, too. In any event, I think I'm going to have to up the sit-up count to 60 for

Jody Rosen Knowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17638066371993482277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20116983.post-68480946565598173202010-01-25T21:51:00.000-08:002010-01-25T21:55:40.249-08:00

On a T-shirt at Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena:Don't judge a book by its movie.Love it.

Jody Rosen Knowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17638066371993482277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20116983.post-16591544384155729102010-01-24T21:10:00.000-08:002010-01-24T21:17:05.659-08:00

We've had a jam-packed weekend seeing the sights with Zach's mom, but I didn't want to drop the ball on my try-a-new-recipe-every-week resolution, so I picked an easy one for tonight: Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce with Butter and Onions.Here's how easy the sauce is: you throw (good) canned tomatoes in with butter and two halves of an onion, reduce the tomatoes down, and then toss the onion.I made

Jody Rosen Knowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17638066371993482277noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20116983.post-20141747090372473732010-01-23T21:34:00.000-08:002010-01-23T22:42:46.721-08:00

A couple of months ago, Zach and I hosted a dinner party, and one of our guests that night—a friend of a friend we were meeting for the first time—was a lovely man who happens to be an art conservator at the Getty Museum.If you haven't been to the Getty—and you should go, even before you go to Pazzo Gelato—you may not know that it has one of the finest art-conservation operations in the world.We

Jody Rosen Knowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17638066371993482277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20116983.post-13804992310189704082010-01-22T21:20:00.000-08:002010-01-22T21:32:44.234-08:00

Zach's mom is visiting, and we introduced her to one of the very best things about the neighborhood where we live: Pazzo Gelato.They have an incredible array of flavors—about 20 different ones on any given day, so we never know what we'll find.Tonight I had Mint Chip and Venezuelan Chocolate (pedestrian, I know). Zach had Tiramisu and Buttered Brown Sugar with Cinnamon. Zach's mom had Avocado

Jody Rosen Knowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17638066371993482277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20116983.post-23498491364922268752010-01-21T23:40:00.000-08:002010-01-22T00:20:16.806-08:00

A dear friend lost her dad this morning. It was not a surprise—he was in hospice—although of course it was a shock to her when it finally happened.He had as good a death as one could have under the circumstances, and I was grateful for that. My dad was not so lucky.I've been in close touch with my friend these past few weeks, and she called to tell me the news within hours. She also told me

Jody Rosen Knowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17638066371993482277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20116983.post-42229732015084452272010-01-21T00:00:00.000-08:002010-01-21T00:14:20.494-08:00

So read a text message from a friend, a Southern California native with a dark sense of humor.The big story here right now is the rain and the havoc it could wreak—floods, mudslides, even tornadoes.Yesterday we actually had thunder, which sounds prosaic except that thunder doesn't really exist out here. (I don't know why, but it doesn't.)The thunderclap I heard on the 42nd floor of my office

Jody Rosen Knowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17638066371993482277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20116983.post-6967510614223411822010-01-18T23:10:00.000-08:002010-01-18T23:27:23.386-08:00

If I've counted right, today is the fifth work holiday I've had in about seven weeks (including Thanksgiving, the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day), and also the last one I'll have for 19 weeks (I don't get Presidents' Day off for some inexplicable reason even though it's a national holiday).So I'm staying up a bit late to enjoy every minute of it.I crammed a lot of stuff in

Jody Rosen Knowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17638066371993482277noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20116983.post-41246314881558997412010-01-17T08:46:00.000-08:002010-01-17T10:31:51.340-08:00

I've been asked to spread the gospel of flossing a bit more effectively, with some info on how to do it right.First, let me share a few key pointers:The main purpose of flossing is to remove plaque from your teeth—the floss should be making contact with your teeth, not your gums. (This was the heart of my mistake—I was flossing the gums between my teeth rather than the teeth themselves.)Floss

Jody Rosen Knowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17638066371993482277noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20116983.post-75192424398167993772010-01-16T21:24:00.000-08:002010-01-16T21:51:30.056-08:00

It's only been two weeks, but I'm feeling good about sticking with my New Year's resolutions. Zach and I took another spinning/yoga class this morning and felt (although perhaps didn't smell) great afterward.Later in the day, I shopped around for something to cook for my weekly meal and settled on Lamb Köfte with Yogurt Sauce and Muhammara, a Mediterranean dish from the current issue of Bon

Jody Rosen Knowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17638066371993482277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20116983.post-24450284452210981062010-01-14T22:45:00.000-08:002010-01-14T22:49:18.118-08:00

We chose to give to Doctors Without Borders. If you wish to do the same, just click here.

Jody Rosen Knowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17638066371993482277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20116983.post-52047747655901132662010-01-13T23:26:00.000-08:002010-01-13T23:57:49.022-08:00

More than a year ago, my dentist in NY told me that my gums were receding and that I needed to have surgery to keep things from getting worse—where "getting worse" meant "possibly losing some of my teeth."I was already living in LA and hadn't found a dentist out here yet, so I started looking in a hurry.After a false start, I finally ended up seeing a periodontist this past fall. I had a

Jody Rosen Knowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17638066371993482277noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20116983.post-18038856659655187442010-01-12T21:04:00.000-08:002010-01-12T21:18:35.199-08:00

I got my H1N1 vaccine today as a follow-up to the seasonal-flu vaccine I got a few months ago. The shot hurt for a few seconds, and I'm sure my arm will be sore for a couple of days, but the trade-off is well worth it to me—two of my friends have had H1N1, and it can be really nasty.Wishing you a flu-free winter, whatever you decide!

Jody Rosen Knowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17638066371993482277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20116983.post-13906562265696125342010-01-11T21:56:00.000-08:002010-01-11T22:05:59.543-08:00

One of my others for 2010 is to cook more often—at least once a week (which I realize isn't often at all, but if I cook 52 times in 2010 it will be something like 47 times more than I did in 2009).Last week's effort involved fried-green tomatoes (our farmers' market tomato purveyor had them, and they called out to us). I wanted to find a southern dish to go with them, and when Zach reminded me

Jody Rosen Knowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17638066371993482277noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20116983.post-38726667181667398842010-01-10T19:32:00.000-08:002010-01-10T19:41:28.633-08:00

On the recommendation of a friend (thanks, Annette!), Zach and I took our first combined spinning/yoga class yesterday (30 minutes of each). The spinning part was far more humbling than the yoga part, but both were fun. Fun enough that we signed up for a package of classes.So fun that I went back today for a yoga-only class. The place is close enough to where we live that we used to go past it

Jody Rosen Knowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17638066371993482277noreply@blogger.com0