Editing 1141: Two Years

{{comic
| number    = 1141
| date      = November 30, 2012
| title     = Two Years
| image     = two years.png
| imagesize = 
| titletext = She won the first half of all our chemo Scrabble games, but then her IV drugs started kicking in and I *dominated*.
}}

== Explanation ==

This comic marks the second year of [[Randall Munroe]]'s wife's battle with cancer, and appears to depict actual events from those two years.
Keeping with tradition, we will refer to Randall's character as [[Cueball]] and his wife's as [[Megan]].

Some explanations:
* Panel 1: Megan receives a diagnosis over the phone as Cueball sits by her side supportively.
* Panel 2: Megan undergoing IV (intravenous) {{w|chemotherapy}}. Because of the hair loss that results from chemotherapy, many patients opt to shave their heads when they undergo chemotherapy. Her hair grows back over the course of the following panels.
* Panel 3: The two of them spending time alone together. 
* Panel 4: The couple are waiting for the results of a scan. A phone sits on the middle of the table while they wait for it to ring.
* Panel 5: More chemotherapy. The couple are playing {{w|Scrabble}}, in which players use letter tiles to spell words in a cross-word style. Megan uses the fact that she has cancer as leverage to get Cueball to ignore the fact that the word she has played (zarg) is not a real word.
* Panel 6: Someone suggests they come for a visit next year, but all they can think about are the words "next year", indicating that they know the future is very much in doubt. 
* Panel 7: They get married.
* Panel 8: The couple watching humpback whales.
* Panel 9: Cueball is paraphrasing a line from the song "{{w|Still Alive}}" ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_S0PGu-cH4 video]) from the video game ''{{w|Portal}}'' (''"I'm doing science and I'm still alive"'').
* Panel 10: Cueball and Megan sit under a tree reflecting on the significance of the past two years.
* Panel 11: Cueball and Megan have dinner to celebrate the fact that she has made it two years since her {{w|biopsy}}.
The title text is referring to a possible side-effect of chemotherapy drugs, the {{w|Chemotherapy#Neurological adverse effects|inability to concentrate}}.

==Transcript==
:[Randall and Randall's fiancée sitting on a bed. She's on the phone with a nurse (shown in inset), who is looking at a clipboard.] 
:Nurse: [illegible] 
:Randall's fiancée: Oh God 

:[Randall and Randall's fiancée sitting at their laptops. Randall's fiancée is hooked up to an IV pump and her head is shaved.] 
:IV pump: ...BEEEP...BEEEP...BEEEP... 

:[Randall and Randall's fiancée rowing a canoe in a lake/mountain setting. Randall's fiancée is wearing a beanie.] 

:[Randall and Randall's fiancée sitting at a table staring at a phone. A clock is mounted behind them. Her head is stubbly.] 
:Randall's fiancée: How long can it take to read a scan!? 

:[Randall and Randall's fiancée playing scrabble. Randall's fiancée is again hooked up to an IV pump. She has longer stubbles.] 
:Randall: "Zarg" isn't a word. 
:Randall's fiancée: But Caaancer. 
:Randall: ...Ok, fine. 

:[Randall and Randall's fiancée talking to a friend. A large thought bubble is above their heads. She's wearing a beanie.] 
:Friend: So next year you should come visit us up in the mountain - [cut off by thought bubble] 
:Randall and Randall's fiancée: "Next year" 

:[Randall and Randall's fiancée getting married. He's wearing a bow-tie; she a white dress. A heart is above their heads. Randall's wife's hair is growing back a little.] 

:[Randall and Randall's wife standing on the coast, watching a whale jump out of the water. She's wearing a beanie.] 

:[Randall standing behind Randall's wife, who is sitting at a desk using a laptop. Her hair has grown back a little more.] 
:Randall: Hey- 
:Randall: You're doing science, 
:Randall: And you're still alive. 
:Randall's wife: Yeah! 

:[Randall and Randall's wife sitting under a tree.] 
:Randall: It's really only been two years? 
:Randall's wife: They were big years. 

:[Randall and Randall's wife at a fancy restaurant being served. Her hair has grown back more.] 
:Waiter: Happy... Anniversary? 
:Randall's wife: Biopsy-versary! 
:Waiter: ...eww. 

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Randall Munroe]]
[[Category:Romance]]
[[Category:Cancer]]