The Stitches Are Out

(Warning: there might be TMI in this post for those who don't like discussing my wounds.)
I went to the doctor today to get the stitches in my thumb removed. It was not a difficult procedure, just odd. Shortly after the surgery Dr. Z said to come back in "about two weeks" for the stitches to come out. Two weeks from the surgery was Thanksgiving. His next available appointment was today. That's not the odd part.
Over the weekend I noticed the stitches were starting to be covered up by skin and they were itching kind of a lot. I don't know if you can see in this picture:

Dr. Z is a mellow, relaxed kind of doctor - I like that about him - but he was a little concerned about the amount of time that had passed because the stitches could get embedded in the skin and need to be cut out. As it was, he had to snip some of the dry, old, dead skin around the stitches to grasp them and clip the threads. I think my thumb looks much better even so:

It's a little tender - my thumb has been wrapped up for over a month, first in the brace, then the bandage, then band-aids - I have exercises to do to increase the mobility and range of motion and I have to go back again in a month just because he likes to see me. Not really; it's to check one more time that the trigger has not come back and I do not have pain or anything. Dr. Z is thorough too.
I'm hoping this is the end of the thumb drama.

This is me stretching my thumb muscles.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like We Aren't Picture People

MusicMan called today to ask for a picture of Tarzan and I for the annual Christmas card. Unlike other members of the family Tarzan and I do not take copious amounts of pictures and particularly not of ourselves. We don't have kids to document and I am extremely not photogenic so it isn't something we do a lot of.
And inevitably we find ourselves with this moment at the end of the year, trying desperately to find a photo of the two of us that wouldn't make us jump in the East River knowing the rest of the family and a lot of people we have never met are looking at it.
I put it to you kind people of the Internets. Which of the following do you think is Christmas card worthy?

There are a few from the wedding weekend:

These from the county fair:

A baseball game:

And when we went to the museum last smmer when RHM was in town:

I realize my sunglasses are on in three of these so that might not work. Is it kosher to photoshop one's Christmas card images?

This is me and next year I should plan better for this.

Put It In The Oven

I apologize for the lame overlap. Blogger is not making this format thing easy. I love anyhting with cats as I am sure you have figured out by now. This was one more awesome thing to add to the list:

This is me; you don't want to know how long it took me to realize the narration was added after the film was shot so they could time it correctly.

USC vs Notre Dame

That was one of the weirdest games I have ever seen played. It was almost like watching high school ball again - only in a fancier stadium - what with the interceptions and passes dropped and weird tackles and penalties and inability to hold onto the ball.
And then it stared raining in the middle of the game.
So bizarre. We almost made something happen at the end there but it was not to be. Maybe next year.
USC: 16
Notre Dame: 20

This is me and I do love that there is a player on the Notre Dame team called Floyd.

Countdown Begins

Do you realize that Christmas is only four weeks from today? Four weeks. That's 28 days. I have so much to get started on. There's the Christmas tree decorating party by the kids for the ward Christmas party which is a week from tomorrow. There are about six musical numbers I have to schedule rehearsals and Tarzan for before the Christmas program which is three weeks from the day after tomorrow and there's the shopping and the baking, people to be fetched from the airport, a cousin getting his Eagle Scout award, dinners and all that stuff that comes every year.
I love it, I do, but it seems sooner this time around. Or maybe I'm older and don't have as much energy?

This is me, wondering if those people up north don't have it right. Do Thanksgiving early and then there's plenty of time to slide into Christmas.

Happy Thanksgiving 2010

My three kernels for this year are the following in no particular order.

• Sleep. It's probably lame to mention but this fall has been insanity and I am so thankful for the opportunity to lay down each night, put all the problems and issues of the day out of my mind, get warm and snuggly and drift off for a few hours. It makes the next day possible.
• Tarzan. He makes it all worth it. The crazy weeks and weekends. The scheduling nightmares, the assignments. He's strong and supportive, kind and loving. He works hard and is happy to do so. He's a mite random so it's a trick to follow on occasion but it just keeps my brain active. So many things to be thankful for.
• Safety. There was a huge fire not too far from our house last night. And a few months ago a warehouse down from us exploded. And there's the crazy crack whore next door. And the whole middle of the Jungle thing. But we are safe, every day, and our house is protected and the cats are safe. It's a huge blessing.

This is me and HAPPY THANKSGIVING everyone.

The Other Thing We Did

Lest you think that all we did while the house was being tented was ride horses and sleep I profer these few pictures. Remember when I mentioned the thirteen boxes of apples we were taking out to my parents:

We spent most of our time cutting:

Coring:

Peeling:

And canning those apples into pie filling:

This is me and it will be awesome come February to have pie.

The Tenting Aftermath

I don't know if it's good or not that the fumigation company finished early yesterday morning and removed the tent from our house before we were back in town. The gas company even agreed to come the same day as the tent removal - this is a huge accomplishment - to turn the gas back on.
In many ways it's very great, but it's a little not great because I didn't get a picture of the huge striped tent with the name of the fumigation company plastered across the front of it and our flag stuck in the orange tree because we forgot to take it down before the tent guys came. This is a fair approximation of the color, style and form of the tent on our house:

It does leave out the fence around our property and the sign naming the fumigation professionals. Also, our trees are not of the palm variety but it gives you the idea.

The good news is the cats are all okay. None of the ones we can identify snuck under the tent so they are all alive. The less than stellar news is all my succulents in the front yard look like they have been stepped upon.

Other news that might not be considered good, though Tarzan, ATL and I are fine after having eaten food that was here during the process, all three of us have noticed our eyes itching quite severely since we've been home. We're thinking it might be from air trapped between the layers of plastic bags we had to wrap around everything and once all the bags are gone the itching will be gone too but if not we're going to have to open the windows and let in the November air which is a tad chilly of late.

Remind me why I thought this was a good idea.

This is me and I hope we never have to do that again.

Our Weekend

(We're back now so this post is legit.)
How I spent the weekend at my parent's house while ours was being fumigated for termites:

How Tarzan spent his:

This is me and that's the difference.

USC vs OSU

(This post is totally postdated because I hate to think I missed a day when I was doing so good.)
The game was not what I wanted it to be. No one likes to lose, but it was such a sloppy game and then to have the quarterback get injured and just get whupped in the score. Not the most fun I have ever had watching a game.
USC: 7
OSU: 36

This is me and that was not good.

Reflections On The Fourth Year

(This was actually composed before we left town so I don't consider it NaBloPoMo cheating.)
Happy Blogging Anniversary to us here in The Jungle! It's been four years and I like to think we've come along rather well in the posting department. Tarzan has upped his contributons to the site, albeit a tad random in the subject matter, and we have a few more fans than last year.
It's been a long year as far as activities participated in and a fast one relating to time.
But I do love to come to the computer and see new posts from friends and I really love it when I have some subject matter to share with you. Some times I am making it up as I type and that doesn't satisfy me as much as a really good event - like the Road Rage incident - to create some commentary on human behavior. I've discovered that that is what I like best, discussing people and why people do what they do.
I should have been a psychologist so I could get paid for it.

This is me celebrating four years blogging.
This time last year in The Jungle: Reflections on the Third Year.

Travelling

Does anyone know how to get thirteen boxes of apples, sixteen bags of wheat, three people, all their stuff for four days, two kittens and THEIR stuff plus miscellaneous nonsense that can't really be left in the house while it's pumped full of noxious gas, into one KIA Spectra?

This is me and it's going to be a long drive.

New Interest

It's all thanks to Rocketgirl that I have discovered Hyperbole and a Half and I have to say, that blog is one of the funniest things I have read in a long time. The cartoons totally make the stories and they are so very hilarious. You know how obsessive I can be about new blogs. Going back and reading everything from the beginning in case there's a continuity issue. This one doesn't really have a day-to-day thread, but it is totally worth the read from the start.

This is me laughing at a new blog. Awesome.

Termites

It seems we are having our house tented for termites this weekend. It's all the rage in The Jungle these days and since we found filings on our front porch, we're jumping on the bandwagon.
My question is, what do I need to know about termite tenting? The chick from the exterminator company was really nice and friendly and she said to get all the cats and plants out of the house, to bag up all the food and tell the neighbors to keep their animals indoors. Is that all there is to it? And does anyone want to come help me find all the spices and things I use once a year so have tucked into all the back of my triangle shaped cabinets have gone to? Or you an help me pack up ten cats and all their stuff to a very kind neighbor's spare garage type thing. Or just help me pack my and Tarzan's stuff for four days at my parents'.
Oy.
These things always seem so simple when I start out.

This is me, tired already.

Five Guys In Kilts

Just when I though I'd have to take a pass for today because nothing of note has happened - you've heard about my thumb, no change there, and no one wants to hear how busy I am yet AGAIN - I remembered that I hadn't mentioned how the Celtic Thunder concert ATL and I attended had gone.
Bonus! Blog material.
It was interesting to be on the escort side of the viewing instead of the insane fan side. Usually I am the one shrieking with delight and so delirious I don't remember vast sections of the night. This time I was watching all the others shrieking and being delirious. The night was much less of a blur.
As mentioned previously, they are five hot guys in kilts who can sing. Right away it's a good time. Secondly they don't seem to be caught up in their own fame, which I count as a plus. There were a few times during the performance where they just seemed to be friends hanging out and goofing around. You can tell they are amused and a little amazed at the notoriety they have:

And yes, the flips at the end are on purpose. The guy on the far right, Paul, makes it his signature thing. He's always flashing his legs to the crowd. Ryan, the dark haired guy on the far left, is ATL's favorite. He's the "bad boy." For a 'favorite,' I am torn between the slightly older, Scottish guy (all the others are from Ireland) in the middle, George and the youngest, Damian, who has gone from a short, high tenor at 14 to a tall, deep bass at 18.
We got to go around to the stage door and hang out with the milling throng of teen to ancient ladies yelling for their favorite voice to sign a program, arm or unmentionable item. ATL got Ryan to sign her program and I was close enough to catch a few words from each in their sexy accents.

This is me and in short, it was quite fun.

Chubbs Just Bites My Toes

This is how much I love you readers. So much that I am willing to share the following picture despite the obvious reasons:

(Lest you think I tempt them, I am only holding the cheese in this picture so she will stay up for the camera. Usually she jumps down as soon as I step away.)

Yes, Spike climbs up the kitchen drawers every single time she thinks I am making something for her. I only do that at dinner time but she climbs up at least half a dozen times a day. Making toast is a real challenge because every time the toast pops she's up there to check it out. Each and every piece.

This is me and it's cute but also annoying.

The Unveiling

Today was the big day when I got to take my big old bandage off my hand and replace it with a smaller band-aid. Which was a good thing, the old wrapping was getting kind of grimy and it was a pain to take a shower with. Have you ever tried to wash your hair with one hand? I swear the left side of my head is cleaner than the right.
Additionally, this was the first time I would get to see the wound and I was curious as to the nature of it. The doctor had explained to me how the procedure would go, indicating the incision and placement of the scar etc.
I will say only this; my doctor will never get any awards for his stitching:
This is me and it'll be a much funkier scar than I was hoping for.

USC vs Arizona

I was prepared for a really tough season; new coach, nasty media coverage, BCS sanctions, blah de blah.
It's true, our record is not what it used to be. The team is a lot less flashy and fancy footwork than under the previous regime and a little bit more traditional football. We're running some sneaks and fake plays the NEVER used to work but do now. Sometimes.
I am liking our special teams right now. A blocked field goal or point after the touchdown, making the two-point conversion. These are not things that our team can manage to pull off usually. But in the last few weeks I have seen it all.
USC: 24
University of Arizona: 21

This is me and I like where it's going.

Do I Trust A Man So Happy To Slice My Hand Open?

As previously mentioned I went for (minor) surgery on my right thumb yesterday.

It went well, I suppose - the doctor called it "beautiful" - but on his recommendation I chose the less severe anesthesia option which meant I was awake for it and I was not amused by the sounds I heard during the procedure. I was amused by the doctor though. Apparently he "loves" his minor surgery days and he was "a little goofy" yesterday. Lots of jokes, which maybe are meant to distract the awake and clearly nervous patient.

I am also surprised at how much it doesn't hurt. My young, bald-headed-on-purpose doctor wrote me a prescription for Vicodin - after joking "How many do you want? 20, 30, these things have street value you know" - which led me to believe I might actually need some of it. When I had my wisdom teeth removed I enjoyed the relief those lovely little white pills can give for a day or two.

Here I had my hand cut open and then stitched up and it's been a little sore and achy but nothing that I even need Tylenol for.

Of course I can't turn the car on, button my own shirt or cut my steak, as we amusingly found out last night at dinner, so I guess it's a fair trade.

I also can't tell if I will be able to bend my thumb when this all heals up because of the enormous wrappings around my hand:

The incision is on the inside of my thumb and is packed with all kinds of gauze I can't take off for three days. Dr. Z asked me to wiggle my thumb while the wound was still open but I couldn't tell if it was moving let alone locking or clicking like it had before. Why do medical professionals insist on asking questions that the patient has no answer for? He's the doctor, can't he tell if he did it right?

This is me and no, I did not look at my hand from the time they washed it off until it was wrapped up again.

Veteran's Day 2010

A decidedly odd day all told, trips back and forth across town, a gigantic fight and then some making up, surgery on my hand for the stupid trigger thumb that has come for what had better be the last time...and then dinner out with some friends.

Not the usual way one spends time on a holiday dedicated to the soldiers who have and continue to defend our country. And yet, they served and fought and died to preserve the freedom of this land so we can spend our days however we want.

To borrow from the Kohima Epitaph:

"When you go home

Tell them of us and say
For your tomorrow
We gave our today"

This is me and I hope I will always spend my days well.