The cancer you've never heard of...

I had never heard of Angiosarcoma until just over a year ago when a friend of mine collapsed in pain while at work and soon after learned that his spleen had essentially exploded as a result of the disease.

What is Angiosarcoma?  Angiosarcoma is a cancer of the inner lining of blood vessels, and it can occur in any area of the body. The disease most commonly occurs in the skin, breast, liver, spleen, and deep tissue.

Cancer of the inner lining of blood vessels. Who even knew there was such a thing? Seriously, there aren't enough major organs for cancer to infest, it has to invade the inner lining of blood vessels?  Even the Wikipedia article on the disease is really brief. By the time my friend knew he had this aggressive cancer, it had already spread all over. He fought it as hard as he could with heart and courage and humor. But it killed him anyway.

There used to be a tagline for American Cancer Society PSAs. "Help fight cancer in YOUR lifetime." It's too late for my friend, but maybe not too late for someone you know. If you have a spare dollar and don't know where to put it, here's a place.

Angiosarcoma Awareness, Inc.
P.O. Box 17421
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33318
www.cureasc.org

400 Years Later--William shakespeare is still relevant!

Caliban's Drabble

In honor of #ShakespeareWeek

Caliban’s Drabble

They say that two wrongs do not make a right. That is a concept that was unknown to me until the Duke and his daughter came to the island and took it for their own. My mother offered the duke friendship and welcomed the girl, but he saw her as an enemy and with his magic imprisoned her.

He took my birthright and in return, he taught me language, which I welcomed, for it allowed me to curse and I often had need to curse.

And to bemoan my wretched fate.

Fuck language.

Fuck curses.

I want my island back.

 

Ian McKellen and Judi Dench in Macbeth

Yes, #ShakespeareWeek continues with another fabulous YouTube find, the 1978 Royal Shakespeare Company's version of Macbeth starring Sir Ian McKellen and Dame Judi Dench. Yes, Shakespeare royalty. You can see it here. The production is stripped down, minimalist and intimate, with semi-modern dress. McKellen was 39, when he played Macbeth, Judi Dench, 44. McKellen, at 5'11" is nearly a foot taller than Dench, and that physical disparity makes her seem almost fragile at times. But watching her face as she gives voice to her ambition--bemoaning that Macbeth is so full of the milk of human kindness--and the way she seduces her husband into regicide, you have no doubt that this is one DANGEROUS lady.  It's a terrific production.

YouTube finds: Helen Mirren's version of The Tempest

I've been wanting to see this forever but somehow never did. But now that it's #ShakespeareWeek, I went looking for Shakespeare on YouTube to see what sort of Shakespeare goodness I could find. Imagine my delight when I discovered the full movie is up. Directed by Julie Taymor, who conceived he fabulous stage version of The Lion King, the movie is a visual treat and stars Helen Mirren in the role of Prospera. Shakespeare productions are always fiddling around with the sex of their protagonists, much in the way the playwright himself played with it, but here the sex-change works beautifully in a way that female Hamlets never have for me. If you love the play--and I do, I've seen around seven productions of it--check it out here.

Surprising Shakespeare Brand Name

so it's #ShakespeareWeek and I was Googling around looking for Shakespeare silliness and I discovered that there's a Shakespeare brand of fishing equipment. I know Shakespeare isn't the first name that comes to my mind when I think "fishing" so I went looking for something he might have said about the sport. (Was fishing a sport back then? Or was it just another way to catch dinner?) Turns out there is a famous quote from Hamlet:

“A man may fish with the worm that hath eat of a king, and eat of the fish that hath fed of that worm”

Celebrate Shakespeare Week

By reading three strange tales (and a bonus "Drabble") inspired by the Bard. Shakespeare Noir.