It happened one night in 2010. One neighborhood bar and one unsanctioned air guitar contest where I placed first and won free entry into the Portland Air Guitar Regional Championships.
Though I did not impress the judges the following week, this silly event would allow me to blossom at almost 40 (a strictly guarded secret for many years, ha!).
Nine years later, I have competed eight times, organized five sanctioned local air guitar championships, traveled to Oulu, Finland, for a shot at the World Air Guitar Championship stage, co-organized three US Air Guitar National championships, performed with a belly dance troupe, taken up pole dancing, tied for fourth best Air Guitarist in August of 2019 while going through chemo treatment...
Yeah, it feels strange to say that last part, but it is true. I have stage 4 colon cancer. How weird is that?
Anyway, my purpose in starting this blog is as multi-layered as the younger brother in the movie "A Christmas Story" wrapped in a plethora of scarves and snow suits. Ultimately though, I want to share my experiences because maybe something I do can ignite a spark in you.
Not that I want to dedicate the rest of my life to talking about my cancer--though I admit it is fun to joke about. I want to talk about living with, and in spite of, the cancer. "Spite" is not really what I mean either, but that is something I most likely will go into in another blog post.
Anyway, if you choose to accept this mission--or at least subscribe to my blog--I will do my best to be as real with you as I can in this surreal situation that is my life now. I also promise an equal amount of levity to balance out some potential horror. I may throw in some air guitar "How-to" videos from my "Kara Picante Perspective", take you on trips in my "Way Back Machine", show and tell my artwork and share my quest to receive some kind of sweet sponsorship to go to Oulu, Finland, next August for the 25th World Air Guitar Championships. You never know, and isn't that really what life is about?
Thank you for reading this. It makes me feel a little less alone and maybe you can feel that way, too.
My love to you and yours.
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