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John Pytlak Illness


John Pytlak RIP

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Hello John,

 

Keep posting. Your film wisdom, insight and knowledge is the best part of this (and other) forums that you post on.

 

Keep on trucking!! You know that you have all our positive thoughts.

 

Mike

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Hi John

 

I read that your latest bout of chemotherapy hasn't been at all pleasant.

 

What is there to say? Obviously that you are in everyone's thoughts (I'm sure that for once it is safe to speak for everyone on cinematography.com as well as the several other lists that you frequent). People I've known in your situation take strength from the knowledge that the chemo sessions are a low point, and when they stop, things will get a little better again.

 

I remember that a couple of years ago you were scheduled to present a paper at the ACVL (Association of Cinema & Video Labs) meeting about the value of participating in internet and email forums. Unfortunately for some reason you couldn't make it at the last minute (happily we met at the meeting the next year).

 

How prescient your thoughts have turned out to be, though in a way that no-one would have thought of. Apart from the valuable contributions you continue to make to everyone's knowledge and understanding of film technology - something that simply wouldn't have been possible without the internet - I'm impressed by your presence here as an (almost) dispassionate observer of your own experiences.

 

So much so that if anyone of us on these lists is unfortunate enough to have the same problems - or have someone close to them fall ill in the same way - we will be all the better prepared for understanding what is happening. So even out of your illness, you have even succeeded in giving something helpful for us all.

 

Not that I wish that on anyone of course!

 

Anyway, thanks for staying on-line, John. You are doing such a great job for yourself as well as for everyone else - and I'm sure that includes your immediate family as well as the thousands of friends you have out here.

 

Spring must be on its way, even in Rochester NY. Here's looking towards better days for you.

 

very best regards

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What is there to say? Obviously that you are in everyone's thoughts (I'm sure that for once it is safe to speak for everyone on cinematography.com as well as the several other lists that you frequent). People I've known in your situation take strength from the knowledge that the chemo sessions are a low point, and when they stop, things will get a little better again.

 

There can be no truer statment on this board! John is a fountan head of information, some of which he does not even realise the significance of as he has been so deep in the technology that we all want to understand for so long.

 

Spring in this part of the world comes slowly and unpredictably, where I live 500 Miles from Rochester we are expecting Snow to come from Lake Ontario, so the climate is always interesting. Hopefully John will at least be looking out the window at the wonder of it all.

 

As a Candian TV personality used to say, "Keep your stick on the Ice, we are all pulling for you."

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This past week has been greatly cheered by the Easter visit of my daughter and her husband, and our first grandchild Benjamin John, born on January 12. Katie and Ben just flew back to Boston this evening.

 

Yes, the winter weather can be unpredictable due to "Lake Effect Snow", where cold air flowing over a relatively warm lake picks up moisture, and dumps it when it cools over landfall. Rochester is at about 100-inches of total snow this year, some still this week. East of Lake Ontario, it was well over 15 feet in some locations.

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I've just survived another two-week round of chemotherapy to slow the tumor growth along my small intestine that are sometimes causing blockage. Chemo is definitely not fun, with extreme fatigue and nausea. But as they say, "no pain, no gain". Should have at least a two week break before the next round, and based on past experience, I should be feeling alot better during the break.

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.... Should have at least a two week break before the next round, and based on past experience, I should be feeling alot better during the break.

John -- Use the break to get as much exercise as your doctors will allow. Especially work on your back, abs, neck, and shoulders -- everything that affects your spine. Muscles atrophy when you're forced to not use them, so building them up before the next round may save you the pain of a backache.

 

Of course we're all pulling for you.

 

 

 

-- J.S.

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Stay strong, keep fighting, John! Enjoy the coming spring in Rochester - I'm sure it will be beautiful.

Weather forcast is lots of sun for the weekend from here to Wisconsin, so hopefully that will include some sunshine on the south of the big lake. If you can get out and enjoy it, it is good for both Body and soul.

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I wish I could eat some cake, but it is not on the "full liquid diet" list.

My wife's "tonic" is a mint chocolate milk shake with two extra squirts of chocolate syrup mixed in. Any chance your docs will let you splurge on one of those? She's not down with cancer but suffering through failed back surgery and the job from hades right now (She's an A & D outpatient treatment facility's Clinical Manager. The job's normally ok, just too many people left within a short period of time).

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Though I have not thank God had gone through something you have been such a trooper about having, I find that when I am sick, nauseous, or just need a good cleanse, I have this green "superfood" drink which has a ton of good rich antioxidants and vitamin complexes. I know vitamin suppliments can be counter-intuitive to the body so it's fruit&vegetable-rich juices like this which give one so much of "the good stuff".

 

I thought about it because you're on a liquid diet and it seems as if this would be a great candidate to aid in recovery.

 

Godspeed pal, we're all in high hopes for your speedy recovery.

 

As David mentioned, you look forward to a beautiful spring. Spring is when all of the dead trees rejuvenate and bloom after a cold harsh winter, it's almost as if natures forces are working towards your recovery as well. :)

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have a project where the director wants me to research shooting anamorphic on 16mm. Searching around I found a presentation given by John Pytlak on 1.5X squeeze for the 16x9 aspect ratio. In your presentation I found the advantage of the 1.5X lenses vs the disadvantage of using the current 2X lens.

 

In the presentation John you surmised that there would be little interest in 1.5 squeeze lens because movie theaters would need to purchase new lenses to un-squeeze the new format.

 

With this valuable information I can go back to the director and have further conversation about the idea. So John, your hard work and pearls of wisdom are still helping us figure out our production problems.

 

Thank you and all the best.

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