greetings from dallas! if ever you find yourself here, i highly recommend staying at hotel lumen and eating at a small italian joint called olivella's. i had the best pizza since my last visit to pino's in boston. DC pizza sucks (as a rule) and i dream of opening a pino's II one day.
good news - the giant hole in my leg was all for nothing as my mole is benign. that's great and all, but i did THROW UP for this. what am i saying? it's not like i'd be happier if it was bad news bears. if i toss my lunch based on a little mole removal, imagine me going through chemo. how did my dad do it? ugh.
packing for this trip, i didn't have a new book to take with me, so i pulled the tao of pooh out of the bookshelf and started to read it again. i'm not sure if it's going to help me much, but it's nice to revisit. maybe the book will chill me out a bit.
boss sent me an email tonight asking for time to chat before friday and then said "don't worry, you are absolutely not in trouble" which sort of makes me think i am.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
mole be gone
One week without travel and I am totally off my game! I loved being home for the past 10 days, but I hated being in the office. Cubby hell makes me feel completely crazy. As I write this, I am happily on a plane to Tucson AZ (again). Warm Arizona weather…just like warm DC weather I guess.
Yesterday, I went to the dermatologist about a mole that my doctor didn’t like. I had a full body mapping which involved me lying in a paper gown, completely naked, with the doctor looking me up and down. Far more intimate than the average physical. The only point of concern was the mole on my leg, and she asked if I wanted to come back or if she could simply take a biopsy of the mole right then and there. Those of you with any medical knowledge would have understood what she meant. Fool I am, I thought she was going to take a piece of the mole – to “biopsy the mole” as opposed to remove the mole. Right, I get it now, it’s the same damn thing. Plus, who wants a half-mole left? But I was unprepared. And alone. And I had to return to work, and then ride my bike home. You can see this is going in a bad direction.
The “little pinch” of lidocane was more like a huge giant pinch. (I am on a plane and feeling nauseous just thinking about this)… she took a big chunk of my leg off. I was queasy so she had me remain horizontal for a few, and then I had to sit up for a few. I felt relatively ok 10 minutes later, but as I walked to the check out counter, I had to use every last ounce of energy to keep, as the page on 30 Rock would say, “the sick down.” Since I was about to ralph, I tried counting backwards and then forwards and WHY IS SHE TAKING SO LONG TO RUN MY CREDIT CARD and out to the waiting room, into the bathroom, up with lunch.
Sadly, our neighbors made us dinner the night before and I had leftovers for lunch, food that was delicious going down that I will likely never be able to eat again.
I suffered through the rest of the day’s meetings and slowly rode my bike home, wincing the whole ride. When I got home, I passed out for over an hour. Of course, los gatos were running over me and Lucas wanted to sleep ON my sore spot. It wasn’t until J came home (armed with white bread for toast) and changed my bandage that I realized the whole mole was missing. Mole to hole. OUCH!
It hurt about 1000x worse than “a simple cut, like if you cut your leg shaving” which, for the record, I haven’t done since I was 14. It still hurts now. I can feel a phantom mole in the hole. I’ll know in 2 weeks if it was cancerous or en route to becoming cancer. To be honest, I liked that mole. It looked good. Mole no more. Wonder if I’ll get used to the hole. For now, Hello Kitty bandages….for a long time.
Yesterday, I went to the dermatologist about a mole that my doctor didn’t like. I had a full body mapping which involved me lying in a paper gown, completely naked, with the doctor looking me up and down. Far more intimate than the average physical. The only point of concern was the mole on my leg, and she asked if I wanted to come back or if she could simply take a biopsy of the mole right then and there. Those of you with any medical knowledge would have understood what she meant. Fool I am, I thought she was going to take a piece of the mole – to “biopsy the mole” as opposed to remove the mole. Right, I get it now, it’s the same damn thing. Plus, who wants a half-mole left? But I was unprepared. And alone. And I had to return to work, and then ride my bike home. You can see this is going in a bad direction.
The “little pinch” of lidocane was more like a huge giant pinch. (I am on a plane and feeling nauseous just thinking about this)… she took a big chunk of my leg off. I was queasy so she had me remain horizontal for a few, and then I had to sit up for a few. I felt relatively ok 10 minutes later, but as I walked to the check out counter, I had to use every last ounce of energy to keep, as the page on 30 Rock would say, “the sick down.” Since I was about to ralph, I tried counting backwards and then forwards and WHY IS SHE TAKING SO LONG TO RUN MY CREDIT CARD and out to the waiting room, into the bathroom, up with lunch.
Sadly, our neighbors made us dinner the night before and I had leftovers for lunch, food that was delicious going down that I will likely never be able to eat again.
I suffered through the rest of the day’s meetings and slowly rode my bike home, wincing the whole ride. When I got home, I passed out for over an hour. Of course, los gatos were running over me and Lucas wanted to sleep ON my sore spot. It wasn’t until J came home (armed with white bread for toast) and changed my bandage that I realized the whole mole was missing. Mole to hole. OUCH!
It hurt about 1000x worse than “a simple cut, like if you cut your leg shaving” which, for the record, I haven’t done since I was 14. It still hurts now. I can feel a phantom mole in the hole. I’ll know in 2 weeks if it was cancerous or en route to becoming cancer. To be honest, I liked that mole. It looked good. Mole no more. Wonder if I’ll get used to the hole. For now, Hello Kitty bandages….for a long time.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
a toothpick holder IS a good gift!
This week proved to be relatively slow for travel, save for October 9th. My acting assistant (my real one is on vacation) scheduled me for a visit on the day after my birthday. In Gallup, 2 hours west of Albuquerque. Seeing as I didn’t want to travel on my birthday, I was creative and tried to solve around this issue by implementing the following travel schedule: get up at 4.30am to catch the 6am flight to ABQ via Dallas, arrive at 10am, pick up a green chile breakfast burrito, drive 2 hours to the meeting at 1.30pm, drive back to ABQ for a 5.30pm flight home via Dallas, and be back home at 1am. As I write this, it is 10.30pm EST. I’ve been awake for 18 hours now, save a nap or two on the multiple planes. Best practice is to avoid day trips to the west. Lesson learned.
When I travel to warmer climates, I typically wear flip flops, especially in the summer. I always keep a pair of socks with me in the event of hot pilots. Somewhere between landing in New Mexico and taking off from New Mexico, I lost my socks. This tragic incident reminds me of Tom Robbins’ Skinny Legs and All which, incidentally, I just read for the second time. I am not a huge fan of re-reading books, but since the last time I read it I was in undergrad, I gave it another go. I love that book! A tale of a dirty sock, a spoon, and a can o’ beans learning how to be animate inanimate objects (along with some stuff about fighting in Jerusalem which rings true today as it did the day it was written). Oh lost socks, may you learn how to wiggle around in this big world without me.
I had the glorious opportunity to have dinner from the bookstore in DFW: Fig Newtons (fruit, fiber) and Reese’s Pieces (protein) and an apple juice (fruit again) on the plane. Who is jealous?
Oh! I had a birthday! Most creative birthday ever, courtesy J. She came up with a scavenger hunt and each clue led to a present. I was so impressed and I have to share it with my loyal readers (if you exist).
Clue #1: When Lincoln was president, he did a lot for the relationship between blacks and whites. I wonder if he were around today, if he’d do the same for gays and straights.
This required a little extra help from J. She told me to start walking where I think the answer would be. My first guess was a new gay bar that’s 2 blocks from our house. Fortunately, it was hot out and she didn’t want to walk to the wrong place. I guessed another place but I was wrong again. “You’re thinking about the wrong part of the riddle.” Ah-ha! Lincoln Theatre on U Street. But…. Most of the shows there are very expensive (believe it). The GLBT Film Festival is taking place there and she got us tickets to see Itty Bitty Titty Committee which I’ve been dying to see! Awesome.
Clue #2: Creamy, sticky and sweet. Here are some hand-sewn concoctions you’d love to sink your teeth into.
Mayday! What the hell? Candy….sewn? My simple brain struggled. It wasn’t until J mentioned the Daily Candy and a new place she had just pointed out to me the day before. She had me lead her to where I think it might be and we arrived at a new boutique called Caramel. She had a purchased a gift card for me and I got to try on all of the clothes (well, the ones in my size) and pick out a fancy article of clothing that I’d never buy for myself. Awesome! (This gift forced her to take me to Nordstroms the next day to buy another gift – Spanks. If you haven’t tried them, go now! It’s like a crash diet without the diet!)
Clue #3: Don’t let your new digs sit out too long or they’ll attract these.
Got it! Shoefly! She had another gift certificate to this cute store with funky shoes.
Kudos to J. Not only did she come up with a creative way for me to discover presents, but she kept it all local and at locally-owned stores/venues! Rock star girlfriend.
What did I get her but 10 days prior for her birthday? I bow my head in shame. I got her a toothpick dispenser, a belt, and a pillow. But she loves toothpicks!
When I travel to warmer climates, I typically wear flip flops, especially in the summer. I always keep a pair of socks with me in the event of hot pilots. Somewhere between landing in New Mexico and taking off from New Mexico, I lost my socks. This tragic incident reminds me of Tom Robbins’ Skinny Legs and All which, incidentally, I just read for the second time. I am not a huge fan of re-reading books, but since the last time I read it I was in undergrad, I gave it another go. I love that book! A tale of a dirty sock, a spoon, and a can o’ beans learning how to be animate inanimate objects (along with some stuff about fighting in Jerusalem which rings true today as it did the day it was written). Oh lost socks, may you learn how to wiggle around in this big world without me.
I had the glorious opportunity to have dinner from the bookstore in DFW: Fig Newtons (fruit, fiber) and Reese’s Pieces (protein) and an apple juice (fruit again) on the plane. Who is jealous?
Oh! I had a birthday! Most creative birthday ever, courtesy J. She came up with a scavenger hunt and each clue led to a present. I was so impressed and I have to share it with my loyal readers (if you exist).
Clue #1: When Lincoln was president, he did a lot for the relationship between blacks and whites. I wonder if he were around today, if he’d do the same for gays and straights.
This required a little extra help from J. She told me to start walking where I think the answer would be. My first guess was a new gay bar that’s 2 blocks from our house. Fortunately, it was hot out and she didn’t want to walk to the wrong place. I guessed another place but I was wrong again. “You’re thinking about the wrong part of the riddle.” Ah-ha! Lincoln Theatre on U Street. But…. Most of the shows there are very expensive (believe it). The GLBT Film Festival is taking place there and she got us tickets to see Itty Bitty Titty Committee which I’ve been dying to see! Awesome.
Clue #2: Creamy, sticky and sweet. Here are some hand-sewn concoctions you’d love to sink your teeth into.
Mayday! What the hell? Candy….sewn? My simple brain struggled. It wasn’t until J mentioned the Daily Candy and a new place she had just pointed out to me the day before. She had me lead her to where I think it might be and we arrived at a new boutique called Caramel. She had a purchased a gift card for me and I got to try on all of the clothes (well, the ones in my size) and pick out a fancy article of clothing that I’d never buy for myself. Awesome! (This gift forced her to take me to Nordstroms the next day to buy another gift – Spanks. If you haven’t tried them, go now! It’s like a crash diet without the diet!)
Clue #3: Don’t let your new digs sit out too long or they’ll attract these.
Got it! Shoefly! She had another gift certificate to this cute store with funky shoes.
Kudos to J. Not only did she come up with a creative way for me to discover presents, but she kept it all local and at locally-owned stores/venues! Rock star girlfriend.
What did I get her but 10 days prior for her birthday? I bow my head in shame. I got her a toothpick dispenser, a belt, and a pillow. But she loves toothpicks!
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