Happy to be here...

So I had a bit of a scare today.

The last several days I've been feeling a bit of pain from my armpit when I would lie on my left side. It wasn't bad at all, just a bit uncomfortable. Yesterday I had N. check it out for me. (You know it's love when she'll check your pits for ya!) She said she couldn't really feel anything unusual, that it might be a strained muscle or a tendon or something like that. I still had trouble with it last night, but once again it wasn't too bad.

This morning I'm in the shower and decided to check it out more thoroughly. Soapy wet fingers in my pit... oh yea. Holy Crap, I found a bump! It was rather big (don't mistake me, it felt HUGE!) and deep inside my armpit. Now I've had lumps before, but they are always in the boobs, never in the pit! Long family history of those boobie problems, so I don't screw around with them... I get them checked ASAP!

The phone call 10 minutes later:
N: Hello
S: I need you to make me a doctor's appointment.
N: Wha?
S: This thing in my pit is bigger, and hurts more...
N: OK, so I'll make it for Monday.
S: Huh?
N: Yeah, like you think you're going to get an appointment today?
S: OK, whatever

Well she loves me I tell you, because she managed to get me an appointment for the same day... not even two hours later I was sitting in the doctor's office.

Making it short let's just say that the doc gave me shit for not getting a regular mammogram. I used to get them every 6 months because I've had so many problems. Then she started feeling around. (Have you ever noticed that when the doc is feeling around in semi-intimate places that they never look AT you? I find that disconcerting!) After a while she found the offending knot and started squeezing it. OUCH! Man, I jumped about a foot but she didn't stop. After what seemed like an eternity of squeezing and prodding silently, she started talking while squeezing and prodding. "I don't think this is a lymph node... no, it's too far away from the normal location." She was looking at my face while feeling at this point, but soon she looked away again and said, "No, this is more like a swollen sweat gland".

WHAT? you're shitting me! I came to the doctor for a swollen sweat gland. My embarrassment at this silliness was overshadowed by my happiness that it wasn't serious.

So after getting my clothes on and having only momentary thoughts of giving her a big thank you kiss, I flew right out of that doctor's office!!

If my worst problem is a swollen sweat gland... oh man, I'm a lucky one!

Now I have to get N. to get me a gynecologist appointment.
Then they can give me a mammogram... If you haven't had one yet, let me clue you in... they're no picnic. Imagine lying on your cold garage floor with no shirt. Then imagine some sweet and well-meaning lady driving her car over your exposed tit... if you can wrap your brain around that thought, you will know what it is like.

Anyone know any lesbian gynos in Berlin?

The incongruity of the Germans

I am completely blown away that the same people that will ferociously shove each other out of the way while getting onto the bus will say "good day" or "morning" to each other when entering the waiting room at the doctor's office.

It was pure amazement the first time I saw it; but it is normal behavior in a German doctor's office. When someone new walks into the doctor's waiting room they say something resembling "tag" (roughly translated as good day) or "morgen" (good morning), then the crowd responds with something similar...

Don't you just love a sunny day?

Wow! What a beautiful day it has turned out to be!

The summer months in Berlin are great. 70's for temps, sun most days, cooler evenings, not much wind, warm lakes... what else can you ask for. But fall, winter and spring really suck. I'm not looking forward to winter one little bit.

I'm going to have my camera out and ready on the way home!

I think I could get depressed here...

I think I could get depressed in this city. My American optimism flies in the face of oppressive German pessimism. It is my way to find the good in almost everything, especially bad situations. But the Germans just seem to see the bad in everything, even good situations. Complaints are the normal way in this world.

Of course it is probably the "big city" way of life, but I would like someone passing me on the sidewalk to look me in the eye. As it is now, if they look at me and see me looking back, their eyes are quickly averted. This happens even in our neighborhood. Man!

In a way I guess this is my way of missing middle America; the land of the simple pleasantries. In Wichita you could pass a person on the street and expect to get at least a grunt of acknowledgment. Many times you got a smile in return if you offered one. The best part is while driving on a country lane (and by this I mean dirt road) and meeting another car (especially another truck). Very subtly the other driver would raise two fingers from the steering wheel to give you the "yup, you are driving on the same road" wave. Is that cool or what?

Israel

Israel, you are still pissing me off.

John Mark Karr

What's with the Ramsey suspect having champagne and king prawns on his extradition flight? HUH? I mean, I don't think this guy killed JonBenet (I think he's just a twisted freak), but he IS a suspect. Yeah, yeah, they want the freak to talk, but whatever...

Great Britain, I'm With Ya

Wow, can you believe it? Yesterday the British po-po's foiled a plot to blow up several planes bound from Heathrow to America. All I have to say is that I completely understand all of the security measures that are being taken... but as soon as they institute another one, the bad guys have a way of figuring a way around it. So now we will go 'round in circles forever just like the Israelis. As Don Henley sang... "It's the End of the Innocence".