Skin of My Nose

Life is all about new experiences - finding them – enjoying them - remembering them. I went two for three yesterday. I missed out on the enjoying part. The doctors and nurses at the dermatology department were their usual awesome selves and made the troubling procedure on my nose as pleasant as possible but that was a very tall order. I was buoyed by the presence of my own personal nurse – my rapidly becoming overly fit elder sister. I think the attending nurses realized they had to be on top of their game with a real nurse in the room with me.

Pre-Op Nose - I hope You Weren't Eating

The doctor came in and asked me to point out where the site of the operation was supposed to be. I kind of thought that was their job as they’re the ones that told me I needed it. I pointed out one of the divots my nose has an abundance of and that was promptly marked for incision. Before we started the doctor (who’s very, very good) found the doctor who made the initial diagnosis and they reconvened above my nose and pinpointed the actual location a little north of where I had guessed.

Following Cut 1

One thing I did learn is that the nose is extraordinarily more sensitive than the ear and neck (where my last Mohs surgery took place). The other downside is having everything right in front of your eyes; some things are better left to an active imagination. The shots to deaden the nose were the most painful part of the entire procedure; well that and the part where they accidently spilled some betadine solution in my eye. The nurse asked me if she had gotten any in my eye and when I opened it felt like someone had lathered in some hot bacon grease. It took two of them to clean it out.

Cut 2

My sister had to adjourn to the waiting room when they were actually working on me and said when she came back it looked like someone had punched me in the eye. The actual cutting for the operation was over very quickly and thankfully they draped my eyes with some clothes so I was spared close up incision view. Most of the morning was spent waiting for the lab results to come back as they test the edges of the excised skin to see if they are cancer free. The hope for only one cut was dashed when they came back needing to expand the cut since they found some cancer along one side. I had visions of my earlier Mohs surgery experience when the cuts went on and on.

The second cut did the trick and this was followed by an extremely long wait to get sutured up. I had pointed out a couple other bumps on my nose and since dermatologists love to excavate they were also taking those off when sewed me up. This is the part where I saw things I really didn’t need to. The cloth slipped so I was treated to an up close and very personal view of a large gash in my nose being manipulated, cauterized (great smell that), trimmed and eventually sewed. It was surreal because there was no pain at all although I unsuccessfully tried to imagine some.

My "Mongoso" Final Bandage

The final act of indignity was the huge (aptly described as “mongoso”) bandage was placed on my nose. I have to keep it on for 24 hours before I can transition to less unsightly proboscis protection. I took my sister out to lunch with this prominent feature and was disappointed I didn’t get to use any of the many lines I had stored up – such as “you should see the other guy!”. In a parting shot the nurse told me I had to go 48 hours without alcohol which is going to put a serious crimp in First Friday celebrations.

After ensuring the patient was okay my sister departed for home with my profound thanks for her company. It turned out I could have done it alone but it was immensely more comforting to have her there. The deadened nerves started waking up in the afternoon so I went out in search of Tylenol and took in another viewing of the Hobbit to kill the pain with distraction. The darkened theater also offered a perfect environment for my facial adornment.

I hadn’t planned on taking anything for the pain, a bad habit left over from military days, but as I said before, if I learned anything yesterday it was - the nose is very sensitive. The coolest thing was the Tylenol actually worked. Ten minutes after I took the pills the pain disappeared completely and hasn’t been back since. I finished off a puzzle of my favorite mountain, Mount Monadnock, which I received as a Christmas gift from the Keene Friend. It was an amateur one where the pieces would fit where they shouldn’t which required a bunch of taking apart and reassembling. The worst part was finishing to find the brand new puzzle was missing three pieces. It will give me something to poke fun at the Keene Friend though – so I’ve got that.

Mount Monadnock Missing Some Slope

The best part of the day was the messages of support and friendship I received from family and friends from around the world. My wife was in full prayer mode down in Panama while some others took a less reverential take on my adventure – see below:

Cantankerous Friend – “Don't worry, you have plenty of nose for them to hack away at”

Son – “Fantastic, you going to look like Frankenstein?!”

Brother in Law – “He should paint it red and wear it at Christmas (upon seeing the final bandage)”

Sister in law – “Dear brother you look like a duck!” (same picture)

My Sister in Law
I Promised a "Flattering" Picture Here After Her Snide Comments

By A Nose

Alright, I’m a little nervous. I’m scheduled to undergo another round of Mohs surgery today on my nose since they found more skin cancer there. It’s not that I have the most photogenic of proboscises but it has served me fairly well for the past half century and I’m not excited about extending a strip mining license there. The basic process of Mohs surgery is cutting a hole in the area the biopsy was taken and then testing the edges for cancer. They expand the size of the hole until the edges are cancer free. Given the sheer amount of skin available on my snout my imagination has taken free rein on expecting the worst although I would never admit that to anyone prior. That would be acknowledging weakness – not going to happen. I’ll have the grisly results for you tomorrow.

Sister and I Last Night

My stalwart sister and seasoned nurse came up last night since I’m required to be accompanied and my wife is tropically unavailable. We ended up watching sci fi movies into the night which brought back a lot of memories from the "TV Room" when we were growing up together. Buddy was in seventh heaven having one of his favorite humans around to dote on him. It was so cool just to hang out with her, a rare opportunity without competing demands on our attentions. My only concern is having her learn what the doctors “recommend” and then I’ll have two women haranguing me, health wise. If you drive by my house this summer and see me mowing the lawn in a burka – you’ll understand. The dermatologist once asked me during an annual screening why the Army sent fair skinned people such as myself to such sunny climes. I answered her naiveté with – “that’s where the bad people hang out.”

I checked out the first novel penned by Kyle Mills, Rising Phoenix, which I finished yesterday. Mills has been selected to pick up the baton for continuing the Mitch Rapp series following the death of Vince Flynn so I had to find out if my hero Rapp was being left in good hands. The book was very workmanlike but got better as I worked my way through it. The plot has a televangelist financing a project to poison the US illegal drug supply in an effort to put an end to it. Mills' hero is a non-conformist FBI agent called upon to investigate. I'm going to try another of his books before I pronounce my verdict because first books are tough and I need a little more evidence that Rapp is safe.

I took a mad dash down memory lane recently when my daughter, in the midst of moving to California, found some photos from Christmas 2000 which was celebrated at my sister’s house in Rhode Island. It was memorable because this was the next to last Christmas we had my mother with us and she actually let a few photos be taken of her – a rare occurrence that. My younger sister and her family were also with us. The year 2000 doesn’t seem that long ago but so much has happened since.

Stalwart Sister and I
 You Can See My Christmas Sartorial Excess has Been Around A While

My Mother and Estrella - Both Long Gone Now

Namesake Nephew (who just turned 21) and my Brother in Law

Christmas Dinner With both my Sisters

My Daughter in her Signature Christmas Sweater with my Mom and I

Pre-ABFA Son and Pre-Wingman Daughter with Their Grandma

Cousins Peeling Potatoes - They're the Same Height Now

Yeah, We Had Some Fun

Stateless

I used to look forward to the state of the union address each year. I know that sounds weird but I honestly believe in this country and no matter who the president is I usually found a way to listen in to hear what the commander in chief had in the way of vision. Last night I blew it off completely. I’ve given up on this president. He’s smart enough to “get it” but has chosen not to. A clear rebuke was issued to his policies in the most recent congressional elections but he continued last night with the same divisive mantra that’s marked his presidency.  At least that’s what even supportive news analysts are saying in the summaries I’ve been reading. No olive branch – no real effort at bi-partisanship – no attempt to be presidential. This was an opportunity to put the country’s expressed needs ahead of securing his legacy but ego was more important than the people’s business. I’m glad I missed it.

I chose instead to see another movie (gasp!). Blackhat is the latest from Michael Mann and stars Thor himself as a computer nerd – bit of a stretch there. The plot has a computer genius cyber attacking both the Chinese and US. They form a joint investigation team led by Thor’s college roommate from China. They have to get Thor out of prison to help out and some very intelligent, if at times confusing, sleuthing ensues. They shoehorn in a love story that doesn’t make sense at the time but indicates there may be hope for Sino-American relations after all. Thor does get to bash people around with some tables which was more believable than his keyboard stroking.

I liked the movie but I thought they waited way too long to reveal the evil mastermind. Thor cuts a swath through a myriad of henchmen before we ever meet the bad guy directing them and then he’s barely developed character wise. This hurts a plot centered around the confrontation between he and the good guys. Mann does his usual extremely competent job of getting a stellar cast to shine and delivers some real shocking moments in the final third. Well worth the watch, a solid if not spectacular effort.

I came home to see the final season premiere of Justified – one of my true guilty pleasures. This last season, based on an Elmore Leonard story (can’t get enough of that), promises to be a lot darker than earlier ones. Marshall Raylon Givens is still kicking asses and taking names in rural Kentucky but the lovably idiotic bad guys are not doing well. I know they have to wind up the action but it’s sad to see some of the comedic villains falling by the wayside – including one very shocking moment last night.

Birthday Boy Opening His Presents Yesterday

Finally a big birthday party down in Panama yesterday where my father in law celebrated his 87^th birthday. The first order of business was a trip to the town square to play dominoes with his buddies and receive their congratulations. He was fretting about his outfit for the entire day before. My wife and her siblings made the day as special as they could for him. I was able to get my daughter in a shared phone call with her “abuelo” but my son proved elusive until after the birthday boy hit the sack. I lucked out though and had a nice conversation with my son which combined with the earlier conversations with my daughter and wife kind of made my day.

With His Bride

And His Kids - My Wife Photobombing From rear

Caught Up

Yesterday was all about catching up with tasks as well as recovering from celebrating a little too much over the weekend; first with birthdays and then the Patriots game. Buddy lodged yet another protest for spending most of the game in his kennel and was promptly rewarded with a mouthful of Tums which he took like a trooper and seems better today. The rest of the day was dashing around grocery shopping,  house cleaning and a couple of movies.

I was also caught up in the past weekend’s phenomenon which was the movie – American Sniper. For the first time since it opened at my local theater I was told the movie was sold out. I usually watch movies there with less than a dozen people so this was telling. Judging from news reports it reflects the movie’s reception from across the US where theaters in small towns have been packed with movie goers all weekend.

I did get a ticket for a later showing which was also sold out by show time. The movie featured Eastwood’s usual technical expertise and the story was very compelling. I think it connected with a lot of Americans because it was so unapologetic, as Hollywood is certainly wont to do. A simple Texas guy has a gift with his rifle and is motivated to protect his fellow countrymen. The left wing nutbags are coming out bemoaning the glorification of violence but I thought it did a great job of painting the price Kyle paid for his heroics.

That’s really my only complaint about this superb movie – they didn’t really explore in any great depth how Kyle overcame his PTSD. It seemed one minute he had it and then all of a sudden he was better. Cooper richly deserves the accolades he’s receiving as the title character as he delivers some real nuance to the role as a supremely tough guy dealing with some demons. They also did a great job with the military aspects; spot on with American military jargon as well as the small unit tactics such as room clearing.

War is a very nasty affair – the supremely violent human expression – to sugar coat it would amount to undue veneration. Eastwood eloquently demonstrates war isn’t something to be taken lightly, there’s real pain associated with the sacrifice. Go see this movie, it’s the best one I’ve seen in a very long time.

Wife and Her Mother Yesterday

My wife was finally able to attach me to a telephone last night after a frustrating (for her) weekend of relying only on texts to monitor my activities. She wanted me put the Panama phone next to the house phone so she could talk with our son and daughter but it was too late for that. She eventually settled for the Maine Musquetera and they happily gabbed away for about forty minutes until they decided to try face timing with their I-Phones. Five minutes after they successfully connected on that device I was released from holding the other two phones together. Four phones was overkill – even for these two.

And Her Sister

Epic Wins with Epic Friends

Yesterday I woke up bemoaning the fact I forgot to pack alka seltzer for my trip to my cousin’s party. I should have known better because he has some mystical ability to encourage severe beer consumption whenever we’re together. Alright – it’s not that mystical. I had a bunch of errands to take care of due to my wifeless existence, as well as a couple ice storms to dodge, so I snuck out of my cousin’s house before those with civilian burnished time clocks arose. It turned out to be a good decision as the first of the ice started to fall just as I was pulling into the house.

Buddy Trying to Look Contrite

I was conducting my morning constitutional basking in the afterglow of the prior evening’s festivities when Buddy the Wonder Pooch decided to lodge his complaint for spending that same evening in his kennel. He took up station outside the bathroom door and then I heard the unmistakable sounds of a truly spectacular technicolor yawn. I was not in position to hurry him outside so when the first one elicited no immediate response other than a loud and deafening, “NO!” from behind the door he deposited the remaining contents of his stomach with a second yawn. After all the beer my cousin “forced” on me the night before cleaning up the results of this protest was not first on my list of tasks I wanted to face. Buddy felt he had adequately stated his point and tried to look contrite although I swear I caught him smiling a couple times.

The Gang Watching Football Yesterday

The ice eventually turned over to a steady rain which allowed me to drive up to Keene to watch the NFL playoff games with the two Keene Friends and the Cantankerous Friend who followed through with his threat to join us for the second game. We were rewarded with two epic games although that opinion is probably not shared by anybody from either Wisconsin or Indiana. The defending champ Seahawks looked all but dead until the final four minutes of the game when they staged a comeback for the ages. Green Bay contributed with some really curious actions – playing not to lose instead of to win. They really didn’t deserve to win and karma redeemed its price with an overtime touchdown pass.

The Catch that Ended Green Bay's Season

People who were in the know had been saying all week that the Colts could not hope to match up with the Patriots. I’m not brave enough to not harbor some doubts – not wanting to anger the football gods. Turns out they were right as the Patriots destroyed the Colts in the same driving rain storm I drove through earlier. We have to work on our high fiving though. As each Patriots touchdown scored we attempted a group high five which met with limited and in some ways comical results. It remains so much more fun to watch the game with friends instead of solo. Keene Friend had to leave for work shortly after halftime but he allowed the rest of us to hang out and watch the Patriots complete their destruction of Indiana.

Sweeeeeet!!!!!

My wife joined us from Panama by a continuous stream of texts asking me why certain things were happening such asking why Brady threw an “intersection”. It was fun though. My daughter also texted Patriots support from the West Coast and Wing Man went on stage last night wearing one of his Patriots’ shirts. In the midst of one of the scoring drives my college roommate called from Pittsburgh and was immediately put on speaker phone. We thanked him for LeGarrette Blount and he reported he and his wife are renting a cottage for a week this summer. He grew up on the shores of Spofford Lake and hosted some of the greatest parties of my misspent youth there. So we will return to the scene of several misdemeanors that are better assigned to the dustbin of history than explored here.  Something else for us to celebrate. Epic synergy.

Wing Man on Stage Last Night

California Daughter Support

Well Lived

The Hero of the Night Surrounded by his Family

I got lucky yesterday. I was privileged to observe a group come together to honor my cousin on the occasion of his 60^th birthday. He’s the closest thing I had to a brother growing up and we’ve always shared a brother’s shorthand when it came to communication. The short drive to his hometown was also strumming the old nostalgia wires. I passed underneath an overpass for Baptist Hill Road in Palmer which is where I used to go for Thanksgiving each year as a young boy. Just passing by the road still has the power to evoke some of the best memories of my youth.

The Party Hall

My cousin’s most excellent wife rented the top floor of the local VFW hall and put out the word to their group of friends. At least a hundred people crowded the hall which tells you in no uncertain terms how well thought of my cousin is. The group consisted of a wide range of ages and included a healthy percentage of young people who lives my cousin has touched. He’s devoted his life to his town and the especially the youth of that town and this was a chance for them to show him how much they appreciated his devotion. It was so cool to witness. 

My Cousin with his Sister and his Son

The big event of the night left nary a dry eye in the hall. My cousin’s daughter is serving in the Army in Germany and he was told she couldn’t make it home for the party but had sent a tribute video. My cousin was placed in a chair in the middle of the dance floor as the video played showing pictures from across his very full  life. The last picture was followed by a message “Now Turn Around”. When he did his daughter appeared in her dress uniform for a heartfelt hug as the entire room hooted in pleasure.  As I said – not a dry eye in the entire place.

The Moment he Turned Around

I’ve been fortunate enough over the past few years to get to know several of my cousin’s friends and it was a lot of fun hanging out with them last night. There was even a reunion of Team Jello Shots from a golf tournament nearly two years ago.  My cousin and I always seem to inspire each other to consume vast quantities of beer and that trend certainly held true last night. Something that would have made my absent wife very happy was an active dance floor that my cousin’s wife dragged me out for a dance. She said she owed it to my wife to insure I stayed in shape.

Family Reunited

As my cousin circulated throughout the hall I also got to talk with his sister, obviously also my cousin. She donated most of her adult life as a military wife and has returned to her hometown – something I’m working on. It was fun to catch up with her and stroll the shared memory lane of family events.

The Dance Floor

So last night was a very good night. You could honestly tell how beloved my cousin was. Testimony to a life extremely well lived.

Great People to Hang Out With

Photo Bombed by Team Jello Shots

Lubricated Puzzle Construction

Fridays remain the best day of the week as work tailspins into another first Friday of the week which of course requires celebration. I was the not the only one celebrating yesterday as my wife gathered familial forces for an assault on the dance floor at the legendary Joron Zepede. I’m not even thinking about trying to call her this morning because without a certain gringo (guilty) along there’s a better than even chance she saw this morning’s sun rise as they left the dance hall. I’m constantly in awe of their ability to party well after mere humans have collapsed in exhaustion. Meanwhile my daughter is adjusting to her new L.A. life confronted with the need to re-learn how to parallel park after an eight year carless existence in NYC. At least Google maps exist to pinpoint handy parking lots near her destinations.

My Wife's Destination Last Night

While my wife was preparing for her night of dancing she maintained electronic account of my locations. She texted me during First Friday celebrations at Brew City to check on my whereabouts. I responded with the picture below of my excellent boss and a couple of co-workers. She was pleased and then told me to behave. The tracking continued to Zorba’s where my favorite waitress was devoted to my care looking completely fetching.

Brew City Crew

She was finally content when I arrived home and reported for duty with Buddy the Wonder Pooch. By this point in the night I was starting to feel the effects of my sampling of the brewer’s art which usually consign me to a half watched movie. I’d been working sporadically on a jigsaw puzzle all week and thought my compromised mental faculties were not appropriate for continued effort. I was wrong.

Solitary Zorba's

Apparently my beer intake removed several blocks on too logical thinking because I absolutely cruised through completing the entire puzzle in about twenty minutes. I’m not saying there wasn’t a couple accidental fracturing of already constructed sections.  I may be on to something here – more testing of this theory is called for. I’m ready to make that sacrifice in the interests of science. I leave it to you to assess the nobility of my actions!

The Lubricated Puzzle - Gillette Stadium - GO PATS!!!!!

I’m extremely psyched because tonight I get to spend time with one of my favorite cousins to celebrate his 60^th birthday. While I contend that is entirely too old for either of us to contemplate approaching I’m looking forward to hanging out with him and his merry gang of friends.  There’s just something special about cousins.