TURN OVER HONEY, YOUR WOUND IS SMELLING

Over the past few years I've had what--until recently--I thought was a cyst burrowing its way toward my brain just above my right eye. It was mostly in the right eye lid , as opposed to in my eye. This little bastard--we nicknamed the manatee--really got me good. Painfully so, it would taunt me on a daily basis getting bigger and bigger and bigger...why was it there? I've got no clue, how did it get there? I found out the other day.

I honestly feel that my body set itself to work as some deranged oyster would, to produce this THING, only later to have it removed from my system. And really was it worth all that much? Was it a pearl of wisdom, or something of value? No, it was some frayed and ratty piece of crap that was growing out of the roots of my eyebrow hair. Ewww is right.

What the hell is that?

I certainly don't know.

The human body tends to do odd things when pushed, or more often than not, when it feels like it. We're all relatively fragile creatures with a mystical nature to our complex make up. Why things actually happen in our body, we only vaguely understand...sure modern medicine may seem up to snuff, but do we really know what the cells are doing and saying to each other? What form or arcane esperanto do they speak? Is it the blood music that I hear? Or is it just my heart beating in my ear, assuring me that I'm still alive inspite of my hopes, and aspirations?

I don't know. I'm confused, annoyed, pissed off, and now I'm marred by the surgeon's scalpel. His tool of excision. The sharp blade and skilled hand that removed this thing from my head is clearly also that which is used to enlarge women's breasts. Thank god I don't have a nipple sticking out of my eyelid. That wouldn't do me any good at all.

As people found out about the surgery I became increasingly more light with my tale. Oh yes, I'm having my eye replaced with a bionic one so that I might see through women's clothing. Wouldn't that be ripe if it were true. Something I'm sure the hoards lonely php geeks who're still crying over the fact that COMDEX has been shut down, would want to get in on. Alas, poor yorick. Woe is you, for the truth be not had in this idea. Not yet anyway.

The surgery was fun and entertaining. I had been frozen, or so I'd thought. The surgeon numbed half my face and part of my neck by injecting me nearly half a dozen times directly into my orbit. One would assume the shear volume of novocaine running through me would be enough to cool even the most heated debate, but then you would be wrong, and I'd probably call you an asshole like I called him every time I felt him cutting through the fatty tissue beneath my eyebrow.

*Oh yes*, I intend to be graphic. This is not for the feint of heart, feeble of mind, nor dull of wit.

If you ever have the misfortune of not being able to perform the surgery yourself, then you'd expect the surgeon be he plastic, rubber, or otherwise, to use pre and operative words such as: routine, standard, no problem, likely, and positive. The last thing you want the surgeon to do in the middle of the operation is to say things like: Hmmm(n)..., what?, Pass me a...no the whatchamacallit, what's that?, and that can't be good. It's a great confidence builder.

Needless to say my "routine" 20 minute surgical procedure was extended to a 1 hour butchery session. Butch butch butch. With a tiny sharp knife, no less. Each slice, and each dice, I felt. When I raised my leg he asked "Do you feel that?" I responded with "Asshole," and he shot me up full of novocaine again. It felt very good, and once again he was free to hack his way through my face. Leaving me in lala land for a while.

Finally it was out. He plopped it into a dish and told me that he'd never seen anything quite like that in his life. That made me feel good--always an encouraging remark. Always indeed.

But thankfully I'm now home in the comfort of my office / bed / life, away from the hospital. Quite pleased that I didn't have to die there--and trust me you don't want to die in th hospital, but that's clearly a tale for another time--and quite happy I got to go home.

We'll see what the mutant piece of me was...what deranged possibility it could have been, and why it felt the need to befriend my eye. We'll see...

[PAIN]

THE TIME REMAINING

In the time remaining we look back at the events of this year, and perhaps the last century. We are now truly moving into new and uncharted territory. The new year moves us squarely into the new century. There are no words to describe where we've come from, and there are fewer thoughts to describe where we're headed.

Has everything gone wrong, or has everything gone right for you? The answers lie in the hearts and souls of each of us. Pushing through the curtain...past the edge of the tunnel.

In the time remaining I sit and wonder, not lament about choices I could have made, and choices that I will make. I am on the cusp, I feel that new discoveries will be made and new options will present themselves.

What will you do in the final hours? Is it the end or the beginning. Are you working hard at what will earn you your dream, or are you celebrating the events that will finally close a long chapter in your life?

In the time remaining we look up at the collapsing towers, to the falling memories of love ones, cherished times, and our failed attempts at peace, unity, and understanding. What will you do now? Will you help rebuild, or will you move into the next year with only a vague idea of what you want to do.

In the time remaining will you share, give, love and care, or will you steal, borrow, hate, and show indifference.

Seconds now until the new year is upon us...what will you do? Where will you go? Whom will you touch? How will you do it?

A dying moment left for you to decided what you do, in the time remaining...

Originally penned
December 31, 2001

[PAIN]

J.: MY GIRLFIREND, FORMERLY REFERRED TO AS "THE LIVE IN GIRLFRIEND."

It's amazing how a year in a life can affect one person. The ups, the downs, the sideways, and the asymmetrical gyrations can leave one feeling rather topsy turvy not knowing in which direction to throw up. Compress that entire year into one single solitary instance where the big bang was starting to feel the turtlehead pop out of its ass and you'll only begin to tread on how amazing that one year in a life can actually feel.

But then again you've lived that one year...and the one year before that, so really you should be on par with me. Unless of course, you've been gladly ignoring your feelings, yourself, your family, your work, and your increasing need to neglect everyone and everything around you--if this *IS* the case then you need help. For any of this to make sense I'll just assume that you're not the later...

Some of you may have noticed my lack of blog over the past 6 months, and if you are one of them then that's probably a sad indication of your need within your own life...you couldn't possibly enjoy these silly stupid, and nonesensical rants that I've been leaving...or can you?

I took somewhat of a hiatus--not because of lack of things about which I could write--because of a certain impersonability and detachment that I have shared with you, the reader. So I shed my old ways and try to get to the point of the matter without beating my meat for far too long. I am suddenly struck with an effervesent happiness that's cooler than cool.

My live in girlfriend is (figuratively) exactly as she is written: one who lives in the apartment with me, shares a life with me, and a great powerful love. On a single blank page the words MY LIVE IN GIRLFRIEND are meaningless, and were I to let you know her you might be taken with her as I am...unfortunately for you I WILL NOT SHARE much about her...except that she is my girlfriend, my partner, and my mate.

She is real and brings calm sensible reality to my world, and most certainly she is a person worthy of much cherishing, much love, and much committment...

Yes I said it, and I meant it.

Having not blogged over time has given me grounds to read over the writing on the inside of my eyelids, the opportunity to pretend to have near death experiences in a jacuzzi, and sell my sports car, and become more responsible, committed, and devoted, to her--My girlfriend, the one whom *I* live with: J.

Ah, but that is all you get from me, for I dare not share more than the letter J. Could you imagine what would happen if I shared more? No. I suppose you couldn't; a shame your wandering mind and eye can't begin to fathom what I meant to say...or perhaps it's just a shame I couldn't write it. I really mean that privacy wins in the privacy vs. paparazzi debate in this case. Oh sure. I'm famous...

One year.

This is the time that has elapsed between my meeting J. and her absolutely transforming my life, pointing me in the safe and sound directions of purpose, insight, and self fulfilment. The self loathing, the self hatred, the self involvment, and sense of self righteousness, I once felt have all melted away leaving a truely new and vulnerable me.

Why? Because of J...because of our interactions, and because I've learned, and now I strive to be a better me, chip of the jagged edges of the me that was pulled from the casting die. Yes. A better me.

And what does this all really mean to you? Nothing. I and my life are but blips in the history of the human kind. I now know that I am to have a legacy, or at the very least the progeny I see in her eyes.

Sports car gone.
Money depleting.
Life stabilizing.
Happiness here.
In my pocket,
with you.

I am truly happy for the first time in my life.

She is deserving of a much better respect feeling, and representation than I have previously given. To eat my laid down writing is a compromise the size of eating the universe, so I release these electrons to assure--YOU--the reader that it won't happen again.

The path of destiny is now illuminated by the glow of her heart.
With all love, and sincerity, J.


[PLEASURE]