Little more to the right...ahhhh...right there!

I am within seconds of clawing the living hell out of my neck. If I hadn't been proactive and hadn't cut my fingernails down to the quick, my neck would be bloody shreds, a la Griffin Dunne in An American Werewolf in London.

I won't go into gory details because even I get ooged out by them but a little over a week ago I had a cyst on the back of my neck that had gone a little crazy removed. Now I get the thrill of climbing onto a number 9 streetcar each morning and heading down to the university hospital to the clinic of dermatology and venerology (and personally I think the venerology patients need to be forced into wearing a sign just as a warning to the rest of us!) to have my incision site cleaned and rebandaged. I only have perhaps one or two days of this left and then I supposed I'll just have to drop by every week or so for a little look-see. Let's hope the bandages keep getting smaller because honestly I'm getting pissed beyond belief at having them stick adhesive tape in my hair. It's got "have you by the short hairs" having a whole new meaning.

In the meantime I am being driven to the brink of insanity by how it's now itching. Yes, yes, I know it's a good sign. I know it means it's healing. It also means that I'm starting to obsess over this and if I don't get control over it, I'm going to end up going into a scratching orgy and doing more damage. You know, not like I haven't had enough of navigating slippery sidewalks and riding with the drunks who stay on the streetcars all day to stay warm. I need screw this up and make my treks to the hospital continue.

Had my birthday last week and while the literal pain in my neck was sort of detracting from the festive mood, it wasn't so bad. I got to talk to my mother and got supper delivered. And I got flowers and money. And some peach cake (Yes, I ate it. I'm going to blood sugar hell for it. Who cares...it's my birthday, dammit!). If you've got all that, then quityerbitchin and enjoy. B gave me a lovely new watch (What? You mean the 10 euro number I bought from a sidewalk sale wasn't pretty enough?) and seasons three and four of West Wing. I understand that show has gone into decline but I'm only so far into it that it's still the good stuff and I'm going to enjoy it and not think about it's impending downhill slide. Used some of my birthday money to buy four new books... Stich 'N Bitch by Debbie Stoller - my buddy PoppyDawn has inspired me to take up knitting again. A twenty-five year hiatus from it shouldn't hurt me too much should it? I got three novels as well - The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, Little Earthquakes by Jennifer Weiner and I'm currently reading the third, Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal. I'm loving it. I knew it was going to be funny and quirky but I was pleasantly surprised to find it's also touching and rather poignent in places. But still full of that smart-ass humor that I love.

Made me laugh out loud today as I read it while I was waiting at the hospital. People must have thought I was one of the has-gone-crazy-from-syphillis venerology patients.