To Shave or Not to Shave

No real news today. We had a lot of friends come by, though. Sean and Catherine brought breakfast tacos and Bill-sitting while Caris went to the gym, and then Sean's nurse practitioner sister Shannon and brother-in-law Jaime came by to swap healthcare stories. Shannon worked as an OB nurse for a long time at Seton and had some helpful general advice about navigating the hospital.

Dan and Maria came by after that for lunch, wherein we tried unsuccessfully not to talk to much about work. Dan's writing the Stampede annual report which I would normally be helping with, but having a brain tumor seemed to be a passable excuse. I hope he was able to get it done since they're leaving for Hawaii in the morning! My sister called during lunch, and we were able to catch up on both of our simultaneous health issues. She's doing pretty well, too, for which I'm very grateful.

Then my old TAMS friend Mike pulled into town from the Louisiana swamplands bearing homemade pizzas and old times. We caught up over the course of the next many hours and swapped more stories of healthcare woes. Mike's great, and I miss having him in town to hangout in late-night coffee shops and quiet pubs.

It was very nice to have folks around today to pass the time. At some point if it gets quiet, I may go stir crazy, but for now we're doing great with visitors from all parts. Many thanks to everyone who's stopped by so far.

The current remaining question is what to do with my hair and beard. Shannon suggested that I take care of it myself. She said they do a pretty hack job cutting it in the OR, so maybe I'll go get it all clippered down to nothing by a barber, or maybe I'll do it myself. A clean shaven face might also make it easier to keep the breathing junk taped to my face for surgery, too, but I haven't seen my own face in 18 years or so. That might be too much of a shock!

T minus 5 days and counting. Let's get this thing!