As those of you in the NY area know, we got a fair bit of snow yesterday. Roads were bad, and in general being out in Bay Ridge there's a lot of propensity to go wrong. When I take mass transit now, I was recommended to take the bus and avoid the more crowded subways.

It was one of those days in the past that I might have called in "sick" and worked from home – and all I could do was laugh at the irony that I couldn't stay home yesterday… because I was sick.

In any case, I started the second cycle yesterday. I was tired yesterday but part of that has been my sleeping schedule. The rooms are tight but the nursing staff is wonderful – Edna is taking great care of me and makes the whole process much easier. I also found the much larger and heavier Notches laptop was actually easier to work with for whatever reason in the chairs. It just sort of balances better because it's wider.

The only complication I have right now is that my neutrophil level is low (0.8 when normal ranges are 1.5 to 8.0). My overall white blood count is on the lower side but within acceptable range. Neutropenia is a common and potentially serious side effect that affects about half of chemo patients. A neutrophil is a mature white blood cell that are the real "fighters" responsible for protecting the body from disease and infection.

My medical staff felt because my overall WBC is acceptable, it was better not to delay this treatment. Instead, I will just get a shot of Neulasta next Mon which will help bring those levels up again quicker than normal. This means I need to be very careful, avoiding crowds, raw foods, kids with recent vaccinations and people with colds.

Otherwise, I feel fine and things are moving forward. After this week, I will be halfway through my chemotherapy regimen. I guess time really flies when you're having a good time.