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As a geek girl, I find it amazing that I made it this far into the 21^st century before converting my CD music library into electronic form. I'm all about data retrieval and forward-thinking archives, but I had no reason to convert my music because...well...I didn't have an MP3 player!

But, as you know, all that changed when I got an Apple iPod Touch and undertook the mammoth effort to import my entire library into iTunes. Over 3400 tracks later, I am finally done, and now I'm ready to pass on the savings - er, I mean wisdom - to you. So, if you're in the position I was in, facing stacks of CDs and a mostly empty MP3 player, listen up. In this article I'll show you how you can convert your library with a minimum of anguish and a maximum of happy listening.

Step 1: Update iTunes, If Needed

Since we're using iTunes for this (though you have many other options) it makes sense to be sure you have the latest version so that you have all the latest cool features available to you. To see if you need to download an update (at least, this works on Windows) go to the Help menu and choose Check for Updates.  Read more »

If you were to meet me during cancer treatment, you might be misled about my approach to cancer. Given the flamboyant wigs I wore, the way I'd cheer up other patients and entertain the medical staff, you might think I was one of those folks who believed the great cancer myth of positive thinking. You know, the one that says,"You have to keep a positive attitude if you want to survive this disease. Attitude is everything."

I'm here to tell you attitude is not everything. It is so not. I'm just naturally perky, with cancer or without. And this has nothing to do with my status of being cancer free.

But the Positive Thinking Brigade would like to congratulate me, nonetheless. They like to point out that I am a sterling example of how with love, gratitude, and giggles, one can overcome even the dark specter of cancer and go on to live the good life. I am an inspiration.

Oh, please. I'm not that stupid. If having a positive attitude led to overcoming cancer, a whole bunch of lovely, upbeat people would not have died from the disease. Mean, bitter people would not have lived. Yet they have!  Read more »

"You never work hard enough; if you don't apply yourself more, you won't get anywhere." "You should have done that the other way. Now this looks shoddy, see?" "Why on earth did you use blue for that? Blue will never work."  Read more »

Who is this voice? A critical parent or a harsh teacher? No, it's the voice in my head that plays too much of the time...and perhaps, the voice that sometimes plays in your head, too. You know the one, the voice that is never happy with what you do, the one that says you are too this or too that, suggesting that all your problems come from not listening to him or her. Some call this voice your Inner Critic. I, however, know it best as my Inner Commodore.

We all hear that cancer is big business, involving expensive treatment, but how expensive is it exactly?

I was recently reviewing my medical expenses for last year and was shocked at the numbers. I decided to share them to give my readers an idea of what cancer treatment can really cost. Keep in mind that this is nine months of treatment for early-stage breast cancer in a 40-year old woman with a strong family history. All treatment was provided at cancer centers in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Total cost of care billed:  $224,725
Total paid by insurance: $134,110
Total paid by patient: $5,706  Read more »

Lately, I've been thinking about the things that we surround ourselves with in life. Almost everyone has certain things that they have an abundance of, and the type of things vary from person to person. Typically, the nature of our things illustrate our values, show what we love and sometimes, broadcast our beliefs about what we think we need to make things better.  Read more »

When you're newly diagnosed with cancer, there is so much going on in your head that it is easy not to know what to do and to go with what others recommend. Yet here are some tips on what you might want to do right away in terms of finding your best care. I wish I knew this when I was diagnosed.

The first thing to do is call your medical insurance company, assuming you are insured. Ask them what your options are for finding a center for treatment. You may have to talk to several people to make sure you are getting the right answers, but this is important enough to put in the effort. Your first priority is to find out where you can go and where you can't.  Read more »

Do you remember those hidden image stereagram posters that they used to sell in mall kiosks? They looked like multicolored visual static-nothing distinct-but if you stared at one long enough, you'd see a three-dimensional image emerge after a while. Maybe it was an eagle or a landscape. I tend to think that the Universe sends us secret, encoded messages through our experiences in a similar way. If we unfocus our eyes and cock our heads to one side, we may just see something special that no one else can see. Sometimes these messages take us one step closer to our destiny.  Read more »

Since I started wearing my many wigs during chemotherapy, I've found myself giving little impromptu wig seminars for patients in waiting rooms, the infusion center, and online. Several people have suggested I write a guide for chemo patients who want to go wig shopping, so here it is.

The first thing to do is consider whether you even want to wear a wig during chemo. It's not required that you do - you can wear hats, turbans, scarves, or even go bare headed. Having met a few patients who found wigs cumbersome and uncomfortable, I know that they are not for everyone. If you are unsure, start with one wig and see how that feels for you before you invest in any more.  Read more »

I've been thinking lately about how important it is to have an advocate available when you receive a serious diagnosis like cancer. It's on my mind because my father's wife is going through treatment right now and I think she could really benefit from one.  Read more »

The new fall season is upon us and for those us unashamed TV-aficionados, it's time to review new offerings to consider what we want to make space for in our precious free time. (Not to mention our DVR hard disk or TiVo box.)

This year I am cynical and find myself resisting the allure of new shows. I can't help but look at each prospect and think, "Yeah, sure, you look good. But are you going to hook me in for three seasons of rampant loyalty and then turn on my ass with embarrassing plots that make me want to disown you, only to con me into watching a finale that betrays everything I ever loved and believed?"  Read more »

Most cancer patients, when scheduled for chemotherapy, are first sent to a chemo training session with a nurse or other health care provider. In this session you are given a lot of information about the drugs they’ll be administering, potential side effects, what you should and shouldn’t do while in chemo, and so on. There is so much information that you can feel like you’re getting a good idea of what chemo will be like.

However, there are a plenty of things they don’t tell you about chemo—important things—that you figure out a few weeks into it.  Read more »

It's funny the things people say to you when they find out that you've been diagnosed with cancer. Since my own diagnosis, a few people have said things to me that make me want to stand there with my mouth open, but my sense of composure is too great to allow for that. I can only think that people don't know how it feels to hear those things. Perhaps I'm naïve, but I think if they understood, they wouldn't say them.

I thought I'd share some of these comments with you. Now, I didn't hear all of these myself, but from swapping stories with other cancer patients, I know how common the rest are. My own commentary follows.

"Don't worry! Nowadays, breast cancer is no big deal."

"At least you got an easy cancer."

"If you're going to get cancer, breast cancer is the one to get."

"Oh, well, good thing that's curable!"

It's really hard to go through a potentially life-changing illness when others are telling you that it's nothing to be concerned about. Call me crazy, but I don't think there are any easy cancers. There are cancers with higher survival rates, it's true, but even with those, treatment can be very difficult.  Read more »

The other day I was shopping for the perfect ball cap for those no-hair days, when I'm puttering around the house and the doorbell rings, or I want to run out on an errand without putting a wig on. I found a fabulous "Cancer Sucks" cap at choosehope.com. I chose a green bill to set off my lovely bloodshot eyes.  Read more »

When you go through chemotherapy, there are a myriad of details that you need to keep track of - medications, times you take them, your temperature, side effects, numbers to call if anything goes wrong - you get the idea. A lot of people keep a daily log or journal of this information, sometimes writing about their personal experience as well. Now, you could go out and buy a notebook or a blank journal and use that, but I think it's more fun to decorate your own. Here's one way to do it.

I started with a 99-cent black-and-white composition book. You can use any plain notebook as long is the covers aren't plastic, because it's hard to get paint and glue to adhere to those.  Read more »

1. Experiment with wacky wigs

As I like to demonstrate often, wigs worn for chemo don't have to match your real hair. You can go as wild as you like. Is there a hair color you've always wanted to try? Now's the time! Redhead, brunette, blonde, white, blue, or violet, the world of hair color (and style) is now open with you. Just be sure the wig is comfortable on a bare head.

There are hats and there are hats. I'm talking about color, large, ornamented hats. Jester caps. Easter Parade hats. Carmen Miranda hats. If you can't find 'em, you can always get something plain and tart it up. Just be sure to duck as you walk through low doorways.  Read more »

It amazes me how many people respond to the news of cancer with questions that are clearly designed to determine why you got it. In the beginning, this confused me-why were so many people assuming I smoked or asking if I did? Why were people so curious about whether it runs in my family? What's with this interrogation about my diet?  Read more »

Three times out of five, if I tell someone that I was just diagnosed with cancer, they have someone for me to call, a website for me to check out, or an exercise program for me to try. A woman I'm working with insists I must call her colleague who healed herself using a special alternative therapy. A guy giving me a quote for work on the house insists I must visit a website before I start chemo, because I can heal myself with sunshine and a trust in God. Friends and acquaintances give me phone numbers for 'amazing nutritionists' or ask for my address to send me literature. I receive links to anti-cancer diets that I'm told I should start following right now.  Read more »

There is a big bru-ha-ha on one of the breast cancer discussion boards right now. You see, yesterday Tony Snow was talking on Good Morning America about his experience with colon cancer. He made the remark, "This sounds weird to anybody who hasn't had cancer, but everybody who's had cancer says the same thing: 'It was the best year of my life.'"

Uh-huh. Let's just say there are a LOT of the women on the discussion board who are pissed off at Tony Snow.  Read more »

One of the unfortunate truths of the universe is that we don't always get to deal with nice people. Some people are selfish, nasty, or simply have no empathy. When you are forced to deal with people like this-maybe it's your boss who is toxic, or an in-law, or a repeat customer-it can feel like you get doused with cooties after each interchange and there is nothing you can do to get rid of them.

That's why I developed the Hokey Pokey method of ridding myself of cooties.  Read more »

I've been spending the weekend reading up on the issue of genetic risk for breast cancer. This is about the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations that have been linked to a significant increase in breast cancer risk. For women who test positive for one of these gene mutations, their risk of contracting breast cancer in their lifetime can be as high as 85%. After getting breast cancer, the risk of later getting cancer in the other breast can be as high as 50%. In addition, BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations are also linked to a heightened risk for ovarian cancer, as well as some other cancers.  Read more »

Most of us can agree that regular workouts are good for our body, but what's a person to do when her rich, inner life is not inspired by endless step aerobics done to monotonous music? If you're a daydreamer who wants to get in shape, try out one of these specialty home workouts to motivate both your mind and body. Whether your secret alter ego is an action hero, spy, samurai warrior, tropical temptress, Bollywood star, or something truly exotic, there's a workout just for you.  Read more »