Hairy Mike Returns. The End of Bald Mike.

With chemo and lymphoma behind me, with baby Sophia and Jacqui deserving every moment of my attention, with the Yankees just generally sucking, and with a daunting manuscript and some articles ahead of me this summer, I’ve been wondering what I should do with this blog?

I’ve noticed as of late that a) I have not been writing as much (with good reason-how many ways can I describe how thrilled I am to be lymphoma- and chemo-free, and how many times can I thank my lucky stars for that before it sounds hackneyed?); b) that I don’t feel as motivated to write for the blog and therefore my postings tend to feel forced and a little boring; and c) that the blog is increasingly a series of pictures of an ever-cutening Sophia.

For eight months, 4-5 days a week, I wrote about what it was like to have lymphoma, be a cancer patient, have our first child, become lymphoma-free, lose my father, and so on and so forth. It is time to leave this genre of writing behind for a while. You think? Maybe I’ll devote my time to writing a good history book about the development of a modern scientific language of race and racism during the 20th century and its impact on public health. Hmmmmm… Fascinating… What a great idea!

At some point, a year or so down the line, a few scans in and with Sophia scampering around the house, I’ll revisit the blog and think about how I can convert it into a book. But that is for another time. For now, I think that the blog is going to become the homepage for all of you to see, wait for it… endless photos of little Sophia (SFX of everyone heading for the exits?). And I am even thinking of retiring the baldmike.com site, and replacing it with hairymike.com. We’ll see. I am after all growing hair so quickly that I can almost braid my back hair.

So thanks for stopping by this past year to read about my life in chemo, to share in the ups and downs, to laugh with me and sometimes at me, to shed a few tears, and to offer me your love and support. It has meant a lot to know that so many friends, family members, colleagues, and total strangers were out there reading about my crazy life. One of my favorite things to do is to go back and look at the live blogging on November 30th, the day Sophia was born. And when I really miss my dad I go back and read some of the postings about him, look at some photos online, or read his eulogy.

So I thank you all. Bald Mike bids you adieu. I’m Hairy Mike now.