Tour dates soonish, or nowish?

Unless you’ve been underground hibernating today, or at the doctors office (read: me)…you know that tour date rumors for the US have been a-flying.  Obviously there are some Duranies out there with the coveted info…or at least they’re pretending to have what the rest of us want.

Here are the facts as I know them:  The band hasn’t announced dates since they canceled the European dates over the summer, while we all wait for Simon to recover his voice.  Originally the band’s camp had said they would be announcing dates around the beginning of July, but it is now the 18th and of course we’ve heard nothing of new dates – again, waiting for Simon to get back to 100%. The band has rehearsed a few times, and the last I’d read – Simon actually sung all of his notes, although that day he also said that his neck felt like a London bus had been parked on it.  Not sure what that was about…  Just a week ago or so, John had said they were going to rehearse again in a few (3?) weeks.  Then today, all sorts of dates are announced on DDM.

I don’t make any habit of going to DDM these days – so my information has come to me via “trusted sources”.  I hear that the US tour is going to start in NYC, and that there will be dates in most of the big cities, including a couple of dates in LA and of course a date in Vegas.  I’m actually surprised they’re coming back to my neck of the woods (assuming the rumors are true), simply because they’ve already been here and played a few shows, including Coachella.  I just wouldn’t have thought they’d come back, in favor of spending their time playing in places they hadn’t already been to where they had at least half a shot of getting airplay.  Then again, perhaps that’s not the goal at this point.  For the life of me, I have no idea – and I’m glad it’s not my job to know!

You would think I’d be neck-deep in the plotting and planning, even though all we’ve really got are some rumors, but the truth is that at least for today, I’ve been stuck in my own reality.  The blog is late today, and it’s only been at just this moment where I’ve had the focus or the time to be able to write.  You see, today I was able to close a door on a chapter of REAL LIFE.  For the past year, I’ve been having a nagging worry in the back of my mind that would come up to the surface every now and then.  Last year, during a normal doctor visit, my doctor found a lump in my breast, and while she felt it was benign, this set off a chain of events that has taken a full year to put to complete rest.  I went in for my first mammogram and ultrasound a year ago – where indeed the lump was found to be just a regular fibroid.  Then I had the joy of going back in 6 months, only to be told that I got to come back again in 6 months.  In between the mammograms, I managed to push the worry to the back of my mind and focus on being a mom, but each time I would make the next appointment, I’d set myself up for another week or so of worry before my fears would be relieved.

Truth be told, having a mammogram is NOT a big deal.  Mine didn’t even hurt, and they take just a few minutes.  It’s a lot less invasive than some other “regular” tests that we women endure, and yet for me, having the mammogram is SO much more stressful.  I never think twice about whether or not my pap smear will come back with anything less than good results, so why do I worry so much about the mammogram.  I don’t even have it in my family tree.  1 in 7 women have breast cancer, and I know a great percentage of those women recover and go on to lead long lives. I also understand that conversely, death is a part of life, but as I discussed with God this morning, I’m not ready for it yet.  I’ve still got plenty to do around here, and I insist that I see my kids all the way through their childhood.  That’s not negotiable.  It’s just knowing that any one of us could be the 1 in 7 that’s so darn frightening, and I myself know of two women who have died from breast cancer, and they weren’t that much older than I am right now.  That’s scary, and that’s the place I’ve been inhabiting since I made my appointment to go back in for my follow-up mammogram.

So today I spent my morning having yet another mammogram, and then having an ultrasound.    The mammogram was quick and painless, but the ultrasound took quite a while.  Then, the doctor came in to see me because the radiologist thought she’d found something new on my scans.  There’s not really much scarier than having the doctor tell you she found something suspicious and she wants to do a scan herself before doing a biopsy.  It was in that brief moment that I thought I might actually lose what breakfast I ate – and my first thought was that I couldn’t possibly stay any longer – I needed to pick my youngest up from preschool!  However, I laid back down on the table, and after several more agonizing moments – the doctor felt confident that what they thought they saw on my initial scans was basically, nothing.   Then she told me that I could come back again in a year – which is normal at my age.

Insert HUGE sigh of relief here.

What does all of that have to do with Duran Duran?  Well, nothing except that none of us are getting younger – and if you’re 40 and haven’t gone for a mammogram yet – GO.  If I can do it, anyone can.  It’s funny because when I was in college, I was in a sorority named Zeta Tau Alpha, and our main philanthropy was the Susan B. Komen organization, which is a charity for breast cancer awareness, fundraising and support.  We’d do the fundraisers or help out with things and I never made the connection between the philanthropy and myself.  Never once did I really understand the importance of such a thing while I was in school, and I probably didn’t even think twice about the possibility that one day, it could be me needing that help.  You don’t really think much about 40 when you’re 20, I guess.  Now here I am at 40 and I finally get the point.  I don’t want breast cancer to be the reason than any of you, or I miss the next Duran Duran shows.

-R