Carrie + Beer + Tequila = Hot Mess

I don't know that I need to add much to that title. Thank heavens for good friends and a day to recuperate.

It just happened so fast. The shots went down smoothly. The beer tasted great. Then I stood up. Ooops.

B drove me home. I'm glad it was a nice day for a walk to Frank's today.

D called me this morning that she was in much the same shape, as she went on a pub crawl in Detroit last night. Funny to be an hour and a half away from each other, yet experience much the same thing. Beautiful.

I actually feel quite well now...no headache (thanks, Aleve!), my stomach is a little upset, but not too bad...I'm sure the sleep helped.

Note to self: just because it tastes good doesn't mean I should drink it...repeatedly.

Blogging From Work...Never Good

I've been trying to avoid political discussions at work...and haven't been too successful. The issue of Palin's wardrobe just came up. I commented that she stated she was frugal, and was met with a retort that Alaska cuts $2,000 checks to residents when they have a budget surplus. I told the person that perhaps he should move to Alaska. I'd say "oops" if I were actually sorry.

Holy Mole-y: Part D

I had a delightful trip back to the dermatologist's office this morning. I sat gleefully as she pulled out my three little stitches. We talked about the pathology results. The moles (yep - plural) were benign - yeay! But wait - moleS? Who knew? I just thought I was having one removed, but in my freak-of-nature way, I had two removed. A mole on a mole. Weird. It certainly didn't appear to be more than one, but thanks to the marvels of science and medicine, the dermatopathologist was able to diagnose two. One was congenital (from birth / shortly thereafter) and one from some point well after that.

So, after they pulled the stitches, they went on to glue a makeshift steri-strip to the "wound." It should wear off in 5 - 7 days, give or take a few, which would make it roughly 3 - 10 days. Hmm...sounds conspicuously like the margin of error for political polling. I was also given clearance to soak my hand (meaning I can get it wet and not worry). I didn't bother to tell them that my version of soaking involves an hour in chlorinated water twice per week. I think that might get me to the lower end of the steri-strip range. One can hope. I'll surprise myself if I don't rip it off at some point.

Holy Mole-y: Installment 3

I just want the flippin' stitches out already. It's getting old. I'll be very happy to see the doctor at 8:45 Monday morning. Yeesh.

My New Toy

I stayed at Chateau May (mom & dad's house) last Saturday night. Sunday morning, I made myself cinnamon toast with applesauce - a childhood favorite. It was inspiring. So much so that I bought my very own toaster. I know - strange to live without a toaster for over 7 years. But such is life - I never really wanted one before. If I wanted toast, I either heated up a frying pan or turned on the oven. But I finally decided to give in to the convenience.

I also decided to try my hand at homemade applesauce. Yes, I know buying it in the jar is easier. But I grew up on homemade applesauce, and it's so much better. I found a great recipe:
Ingredients:
3 - 4 lbs. apples, peeled, cored and cut into quarters
juice from one lemon
four strips of lemon peel
3" cinnamon stick
dash of salt
1 cup of water
1/4 cup dark brown sugar (my new favorite baking ingredient!)
Directions: Throw everything in a large pot. Bring it to a boil, then simmer for 20 - 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. The recipe also called for 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, but I thought that would make it entirely too sweet. So far, it's the best applesauce I've ever had.

Texting With D

Friday, October 17:

D: Did you know October is National Domestic Abuse month?
C: To commit it? You have two more weeks to smack Foofie around.
D: Thanks. He just punched me in the face because you wrote that.
C: You deserved it and he only did it because he loves you.

I think D and I should form the anti-Lifetime channel.

Hey, guess what? I'm pretty.

I must be glowing this week or something. Maybe the stars are aligned in a way they never have been before. But I had declarations from two men this week, both at gas stations, that I'm pretty. Actually, both were along the lines of, "Damn, you sure are pretty. Oh shit, I hope that's not your husband over there!" It's kind of funny, really. I never have the urge to walk up to some guy and say, "Damn, you sure are handsome!" Although, maybe I should do that anyway!

ER...who the heck is left?!?

I just finished watching ER this evening. It was Abby's (Maura Tierney) last episode. So far this season, and we're not that far into it, the writers have gotten rid of three main characters - Luka, Abby and Pratt. Who the heck is left for the rest of the season? How interesting can it possibly get? I don't know, but I'm hoping to have more quiet Thursday nights like this so that I can actually watch the original airing of a show!

And yes, it made me cry a little.

Holy Mole-Y...the Update

Since I had the mole / growth thing removed, I've been fairly compliant with the doctor's main order - I've avoided soaking my hand, which is very hard to do. I considered trying water aerobics, and even invested in some waterproof bandages to try out. I took a shower with one on, and thanks to some ridiculously sensitive skin that doesn't agree with adhesive, the 20 minutes the bandage was on was about all I could take. Now, I know that sounds dire. It's not like my hand was on fire, or skin started bubbling up or anything. What tends to happen is almost a burn-like rash that scabs up quite a bit...I've had times where I used a band-aid to cover a cut, and it took longer for the skin to heal that was in contact with the adhesive than the actual cut itself. It sucks. So, I'm sticking with gauze pads and paper tape. But that means no water aerobics until Monday. And I've been missing it desperately.

Holy Mole-y!

Today was my yearly appointment with the dermatologist to have an overall mole check. I've been a crispy critter in the summer for most of my life, many times despite using sunblock. And for the moles I can see, I try to keep in mind the cute little ABCDs of skin cancer:
A - Asymmetry
B - Border irregularities (ragged, etc.)
C - Color - not uniform or color changes
D - Diameter (greater than 6mm = time to worry!)

So, each year I point out whatever changes I've noticed. This year, four moles were raised more than in the past, and with one mole / growth, the color in the middle was lighter than the outside. The dermatologist assured me the four raised moles were fine. The one with the color issue, on the back of my left hand, seemed okay. But she gave me the option - keep monitoring, or have it removed. I opted to have it removed.

Now, I know I'm a bit of a freak (CFreaky, anyone?), so when she asked if I wanted to lie down or if I thought I would be comfortable sitting, I told her with gusto that I wanted to sit and watch it all. She called the assistant for the 6mm punch, and proceeded to glove up, clean the area, and inject some fantastic anesthetic. She warned me the last time she removed a mole that the anesthesia would sting considerably, and I either have a great tolerance to this or I have insensitive nerves, which seems like a contradiction in terms, but it didn't sting at all. It was pretty cool to see the entire area balloon up when the anesthesia was injected. And in just a second, the area was numb, including my middle finger (how convenient!).The assistant came in with the punch. This by far was the coolest part. The doctor placed the punch over the mole, depressed it, pulled it back and snipped the piece of flesh that was still connected, and presto! I had a beautiful hole in the flesh of my hand. And all without feeling a thing! The doctor put in three stitches, which was also fascinating to watch - any stitches I've had have been in locations I couldn't see, so this was a treat. I'll have the stitches in for two weeks, which is going to be inconvenient at best, and I know I'll be sorry when the anesthesia finally wears off. Mom already tried to convince me to take some kind of pain medication for the impending discomfort. We'll see how bad it is. So, it's uncovered right now, as referenced by the picture. It's supposed to be covered, and I'll bandage it up shortly. The adhesive on the tape was starting to irritate my skin, so I made a quick trip to Meijer for some different tape, as the last thing I need is an adhesive rash surrounding what will soon be itchy stitches.

All in all, it was an interesting appointment. And I urge my fellow pale-skinned friends and those who think because you tan easily that you're immune from the horrors of skin cancer - if you haven't had a mole check, take the time to get one. Prevention can be a beautiful thing.

Just a Thought...

I think Celebrity Deathmatch should be resurrected for a Tina Fey as Sarah Palin vs. Sarah Palin bout. Wouldn't that be fantastic?

Oh, Mamma Mia!

Sheryl organized a little group to take in Mamma Mia! at the Wharton Center. I'm still bopping along! I sat between Sheryl and a very nice stranger (no stranger danger there!), who were probably sick of me chair dancing most of the time. I had a special affinity for Rosie, one of Donna's (the mom) best friends. Kittra Wynn Coomer was fantastic in the role, and had me in stitches almost every time she was on stage. Of course, our row laughed more than most, and I know there's nothing shocking in that statement.

I remember listening to Abba when I was little. Mom & Dad had one of the albums. Yes, old-fashioned vinyl! And I vividly remember playing it on the old turntable in the big console stereo. I fell in love with Abba again when I watched Muriel's Wedding. My sister had rented it for her and Mom to watch one night, and the next morning, she told me I had to watch it. I sat on the couch in the living room by myself, watching and giggling and laughing throughout the movie, which had my sister cracking up as she and Mom were hanging out in the kitchen. I certainly wouldn't call Abba the soundtrack of my life by any stretch, but I do have some very strong memories attached to the music. And it was so interesting to see the music brought to life on stage. The colors were fantastic, and I looked at Sheryl a few times and told her I wanted to be up on stage with them - not a normal response for me!

I will be curious to see if Sheryl tracks down the outfits. I have dibs on the red one with the cape!