I can BREATHE!

Only through my right nostril so far, though. I think those doctors are sitting on some crazy good decongestant sprays.

I even managed to sleep a more or less full night last night. Color me heartened! And, happily, still no pain. :)

Septa and turbinates and nasal valve repairs

Strangely, I'm feeling basically no pain, although I do have a lovely prescription for Vicodin. Mostly I'm just dribbling blood and unable to breathe through my nose, although the latter seems to be abating slightly -- hopefully entirely, soon. No pics, I'm afraid...just the hope that all this will turn out to have been worthwhile. The doctor said everything went perfectly, so my fingers are crossed!

Surgery and Sabbaticals

So, I've finally bitten the bullet and (tentatively) scheduled my septoplasty...I go under the knife on Friday, March 2. After that, I get a whole week off of work (woo-hoo) during which I can feel like crap. Oh, well. I'm still looking forward to being able to breathe properly.

In brighter news, I've also (nearly -- still need to turn the form in to HR) scheduled my sabbatical! July 2 through August 10. No idea what I'm going to do with it. I'm sure I'll spend some time with family, some time with friends, and some time slacking off all on my own and doing nothing. I should fly myself to Vegas or something for a week or two of debauchery. ;)

From the Makers of Willie's Angry Chicken comes...

...Willie's Angry Beef!



I thought I had chicken, but I was wrong. So, I cut up a couple of steaks and threw it in my wok with a truckload of veggies. I have never used so many veggies for this recipe in my life. The photo really doesn't do it justice. I had to improvise with making more sauce to cover it all, since I felt too lazy to measure everything out. A splash of soy sauce here, a few squirts of chili sauce there, and another generous splash of chili oil...and it worked out very well! Go me!

And now I'm stuffed and have a couple of meals' worth of leftovers. Couple this with my having actually gotten to the gym today (gasp!), and I've had a pretty productive day!

Deviant septum

Wow...it's been a while, huh? Sorry about that. I've never been good at keeping up with stuff like this. Oh, well!

So, the most recent big news with me: I've been diagnosed with a deviated septum. Fun! For those of you not in the know, the septum is the part of your nose that separates your two nostrils. Sometimes it becomes deviated, such that it horns in on one or the other of your nostrils, making it tough to breathe through your nose. I had a nasal endoscopy done the other day, wherein a small camera mounted on a thin tube was threaded up my nose, into my sinuses, and down my throat, all of which felt about the same way it sounds. Thanks to the monitor that was in front of me, I also know it's one of the most disgusting things I've ever seen.

Then, I got a CT ("cat") scan done today, which is kind of awesome, because now I know what my skull looks like. I think I can see my BRAIN. Check it.

My Girlfriend is an Awesome Person

When she went to Cosi the other day to buy a salad for lunch, and she then saw a homeless guy digging through the Dumpster in the alley by my condo, she gave him the delicious, delicious bread that came with the salad. She loves that bread, because it's delicious, and she gave it to him. Then, while I was dorking out and spending a truly profane amount of money on comic books on Saturday, she was doing volunteer work, taking children from group homes to a museum because they don't have anyone else who will take them.

In conclusion, these are just two examples of many of why my girlfriend Laura is a wonderful person who doesn't get the props she deserves. Just thought I'd throw that out there.

P.S. I deeply apologize for my egregious use of the word "props" in the preceding paragraph. I hope the reader will find it in his or her heart to forgive me.

Comic-Mania

Time for a bunch of updates! Went to the Wizard World comic book convention this Saturday with my little sister and my honorary little sister. It was my first time, and it was pretty awesome. And tiring! And way more social than I would have thought, what with all the indie artists and creators barking at passers-by to please buy their stuff. I ended up spending most of my time buying comics. Of course, I went in with a list of things I specifically wanted, and ended up buying everything in sight...oh well. Now I have a load of great comic books to read! I even went to Chicago Comics on Monday to buy more. It would appear that I am a great big comic book dork now. Thanks a lot, Sis -- I was wondering what I was going to do with all this money I have now that I'm not buying D&D books and video games every week. That was a close one!

Anyway, I wish I had taken pictures at the con...not sure why I didn't. I always have a hard time overcoming photography inertia for some reason. Anyway, it was about what you'd expect...really crowded, lots of people wearing costumes they really shouldn't, and a few wearing costumes they really, really should. The highlight had to have been Robin, complete with bare skinny geek-legs and green jockeys. That takes balls, and you could pretty much see them.

As far as celebrities go, I briefly glimpsed Priscilla Barnes, better known as Ivana, the topless, three-nippled fortune teller from my favorite movie Mallrats. WWE Superstar Al Snow was supposed to be there, but he evidently canceled. In his place, I saw former WWE Superstar "Grand Master Sexay" Brian Christopher, which was kind of cool, though I didn't get a photo or autograph or anything.

Overall, it was a very good time...count me in for next year!