The one and only, Nancy Cooley

Nancy looks almost perfectly normal and it's hard to believe she's so sick. I can't believe she only has a few short days left. After the chemo, her platinum blond, straight hair grew in super curly and silvery-gray. When we talked on the phone today, she said, "Janice, you wouldn't believe how curly my hair is now!" I said, "Is it Sideshow Bob curly??" (which is something she always wanted) and she said, "YES!!! And you wouldn't believe it but every doctor that comes in to see me is HOTTER than the one before- and they all love me!"

She has some kind of infection in her lungs so it's difficult for her to breathe but otherwise, she's in good spirits and at peace with everything. I told her I'd be back on Monday to visit her and she said, "Don't worry, I'll be here! I'll be here until I'm not here anymore." She's just enjoying seeing everyone and getting phone calls.

There was lots of talk of BaconFest 2000. This one particular brunch where she told everyone, "oh, you know, just bring something you like to eat," and everyone showed up with bacon. And not just a few slices, but pounds! Nancy's sister said, "I've never met a group of girls who at so much f'ing bacon! And I've never seen it prepared in so many different ways!" Between that and the mimosas, we did not fool around.

There was also some talk (probably would be more if anyone could remember) of the infamous bbq where Nancy made her "Nancy's Magic Punch" and we were all in SUCH a bad way. Frieda was hours late because she got picked up by the cops and was driven around in a police van through the Mission for 3 hours before they let her go, and then Frieda and I barfing while in the hammock (swear to god I felt like I was in that damn hammock for DAYS afterward) and then chain-smoking in attempts to sober up.

A million stories. they are all flooding my brain in no particular order.

I was feeling pretty miserable before I saw her but actually everyone is accepting it with such grace that I felt like we were all just hanging out, joking around like old times. Before her sister left for the day, Nancy made her correct the misplaced apostrophe that a nurse wrote on her whiteboard because it had been bugging her for 4 hours. Nancy, the freekin' grammar queen. I was always spelling things wrong on the music department printouts (Symphonic Winds Rectal!!) and she used to joke with me, "grammar has TWO Ms!" So on our way out today, I wrote on her whiteboard, "Gramer haz too M's" I bet she has some nurse erase it. haaa haa