To a Son, Husband, Father and Friend

My dad was diagnosed with cancer last Father's Day, June 15, 2013. He died 11 months to the day—May 15, 2014. The cancer began in his esophagus, a result of Barrett's Esophagus, a condition caused by many years of untreated acid reflux and likely an old habit of drinking whole jugs of Carlo Rossi before he quit cold turkey. - It spread to his bones--legs, ribs, arms, spine, in particular--and likely his brain as the last couple weeks were spent with him making very sweet but odd overtures, and …

The Plight of the ‘Working’ Mom

Poor Gwyneth. Even before she and Chris Martin split she was complaining about the challenges of being a working mom. --- In an interview with E! she said: “I think it’s different, when you have an office job, because it’s routine and, you know, you can do all the stuff in the morning and then you come home in the evening. When you’re shooting a movie, they’re like, ‘We need you to go to Wisconsin for two weeks, and then' ….blah blah…" --- Woe is Gwyneth. …

The Cancer Book: Dear Man

Dear man who offered to help me in the Barnes & Noble parking lot on Saturday: - I’m sorry I was kind of bitchy. You were doing this nice thing and I was frustrated and angry and didn’t even turn around to acknowledge your offer. - You see it would have been so easy to let you lift my husband’s wheel chair and put it in my car for me but what about getting it back out when I got home? What about the next time and the next time after that? I was thinking of all that as I cursed under my …

Bracing for the fall

What is it about fall that makes us feel so warm and fuzzy inside? --- Something about that reliable ol' autumnal equinox turns even the most jaded of New Yorkers into smiling Pashmina wearers, and the most unfit New Englanders into hiking extraordinaires. I know because I have dabbled in both of these occupations: I grew up in Berkshire County, which meant that for 10 months out of the year I fought a boredom so fierce that it made Anne Frank's time in the annex look like a trip to Disney. …

The Cancer Book: Chemotherapy, Round Two

Let’s get ready to rumble! - Actually, after dealing with chemotherapy, round one, I’d be happy with a lot less rumbling – rumbling here used as a euphemism for frequent vomiting and explosive diarrhea. And let’s not forget being just plain wiped out and bone weary for days after the treatments. - Either way, with the positive energy and just plain cheerleading of wife Rochelle, I managed to get my mind right and believe that this second round of cancer treatment would work a lot better than …

The Cancer Book

I was told to buy a notebook to keep track of all the important information I would be getting regarding Rod’s cancer. Rod’s cancer. After being married for a long time there aren’t many things that belong to one or the other of us. This would sometimes annoy me. -- I would say something about using Rod’s car and he would correct me that it wasn’t his car but our car and that he just happens to drive it more often. I tell him people need their own things. I tell him we are too close and should …

Take a stand against the man (in the labcoat)

Editor's Note: Since the dawn of Buntology, Jackie has been regaling us with her medical tails of woe (and triumph). Most recently, she let us in on her whacky visit to the optometrist. Now she's back, only this time it's with a vengeance. No longer will patients suffer at the hands of over-scheduled appointment books! No longer will we be forced to sit in a waiting room reading old issues of Cosmo secretly hoping nobody can see that we're turned to the "Sex Tips" article, which is pretty …

Bunt Family Stream-of-Conscious Oscar 2013 Recap

The 85th Academy Awards debuted on ABC last Sunday. Angela watched from her apartment in Queens, and Rochelle & Rod (her adoring parents) watched from their bedroom in Western Mass. The result? A mish-mash of jokes and insults that you may or may not find amusing. But you're already a paragraph into the article so you may as well just keep reading. --- ANGE: I listened to the red carpet pre-show while pulling the gizzards out of my chicken and prepping it for the oven. No, seriously. How …

Jackie takes a visit to the optometrist

I have not been to an eye doctor in years. --- Once I moved to the eastern side of the state, I never got around to getting myself a new eye doctor. I've had the same pair of cruddy glasses since highschool, and only use them for watching TV (when I'm not too lazy to get up and grab them) or when I go out to the movies. --- I have been yelled at dozens of times by my family to get contacts, or to "go put on your glasses!" "stop squinting!" " you're going to kill a pedestrian!" etc. etc. Have …

The Ladies Bunt review Les Misérables (Hint: It was freakin’ awesome)

Les Misérables has been a defining musical in the Bunt house since it was introduced to Angela & Jackie in 1998. While they've never seen it performed on Broadway, for the last 15 years they've essentially been performing it for anybody that would listen. Which was nobody. When news broke that the musical was being adapted into a film, they began counting down the days until this Christmas miracle would hit theaters. Read on to find out exactly what Angela, Jackie and Mama Bunt (Rochelle) …