As I lay in my bed for the third morning in a row watching the sitcom "My Name is Earl" with blood, chocolate ice cream, and Chicken and Stars (for Kids!) caked on my horrible lips, it dawned on me that if I wasn't going to do something constructive like ride a bicycle today, I could at least make the effort to make a post on my blog.
So, here I am.
Sadly, I must admit that when I walked into the Augusta/Aiken Oral and Facial Surgery facility on the morning of the 21st I was completely and utterly SCARED.
Yes, I said it. Scared.
For the week prior to my surgery I had been having a recurring nightmare that I would wake up mid operation and freak out. So, it was with nervous anticipation that I was led into the operating room, helped into my chair of doom, and had my IV started. Doctor Bakeman came into the room, said good morning to me, did something to my IV, and...
...The next thing I remember is riding in SGT Lee's blazer back to Fort Gordon holding an ice pack to my ear thinking it was my cell phone. There was no horrible wake up in the middle of my operation in which I could feel Doctor Bakeman's scalpel slicing away at my gums. Dreams sometimes don't come true and that's a good thing.
The whole experience hasn't been that bad. I've had very little pain or swelling up until this morning when my cheeks did poke out like a chipmunk's (or squirrel's). I'd say the worst part of it all is the fact that I haven't taken a shower for three days and I smell like a dirt bag. I also can't go out and eat a real meal of food. I have to stick to the essentials like Campbell's Chicken and Stars (for Kids!).
Mostly I just lay in bed watching DVDs and thinking of how much cooler my life would be if I was still in Chicago.
I went on leave to Chicago from the 9th to the 17th of November to visit my brother Joey and the Trish who now lives there. I think we did pretty well riding the EL, going to rock shows, seeing movies, and cruising the downtown area. I found this huge complex city of eight million human beans so intriguing that I would like to take back any bad things I've ever said about urban environments being inferior to nature. The city is actually a pretty rad place and I find myself missing it so, I think I'll write a poem about it and post it later. Besides, if I was a bike messenger in a gargantuan city I could ride a singlespeed just as much as if I was camped out in Pisgah (and make money doing it too). It was also good to drive through West Virginia to see and visit with family. Thanks for the baby pictures grandma and I will mail them back to you (I promise).
For those of you who don't know I'm supposedly in/starting a band these days. Yes, that's right, a band. Right now we consist of a guitarist, violinist, and a drummer. No material, no lyrics, not even a practice to our name. It's a little rough getting things like this off of the ground, especially when the guitarist works a schedule opposite of everyone else, but we'll keep trying to make it happen and see where it goes.
I'll keep you posted.
Finally, I haven't touched a bike for about two weeks which is depressing, but sometimes I guess you just burn out...or go on leave. Actually that's all a lie, I'm touching a bike right now, I just haven't ridden it for two weeks. Seriously, prior to going on leave I found it hard to have a good time while riding a bike and I fear that I might have burnt out on riding. This is due possbily to the fact that I ride the same trails/routes over and over again or maybe it's just that time of the year when Charlie burns out on riding. I really don't know, but I'm going to find some other things to do until I bounce back and have the desire to ride again.
I really think I just need a change of scenery.
Oh, so it's Thanksgiving. Well, I give thanks to lots of things; Chicken and Stars, chocolate ice cream, country berry scented candles, bicycles, friends that make me smile, Chicago, snow, finally taking a shower, and looking forward to a time when I can eat solid foods again.
Happy Thanksgiving!
(Sorry for the 23 day period of silence...it happens).
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