zosianicola's Diaryland Diary

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

face hurts

Oh boy THIS hurts. I went to a plastic surgeon yesterday---he removed the REST of a basal cell carcinoma that the dermatologist took off for biopsy. i really didn't know what to expect but one thing for sure I thought i would get a bandage. But no my plastic surgeon doesn't believe in bandages or maybe they just can't get one to stick in this lovely spot right next to my eyebrow and so close to my hairline. So I have quite a large wound above my right eye that my glasses do not hide. It is big and ugly but I am not bruised. He said it was the same technique once used for eyebrow lifting, which leaves some serious bruising. I have no bruise. As yet.

Yesterday what hurt was the novocaine shot---he just kept pumping that stuff into my temple, squirrelling that needle around, and I was astonished by the pain, until I remembered my training-----my Lamaze training that is, which I use at the optometrist and the dentist to this day. I started doing some regulated breathing and the pain immediately got better. It really is just a distraction. But it works. (I suppose the novocaine was also kicking in.) i used Lamaze breathing after a car accident once too, to get my pulse to slow down, but that time I also ran through a Chopin nocturne. Yesterday, no music. surgeon said "You OK?" and I said I was using my Lamaze training, and he said "Surely childbirth is worse than this!" and I said I was sure he'd feel better thinking so

A routine life update is maybe in order, though since Nina is here she doesn't need it------here goes anyway:
we go to work every day. P-dog seems to find it grueling, and not satusfying in the least. he is writing his NIH renewal, so that explains it. I probably make it worse by complaining about all the things his grad students have F****ed up while I was gone. I should cut that out. Nina has been given a tres tedious task by the woman in charge of keeping the grad school records, so she is experiencing the painful dreariness of office work. I have two very bright and cute UG girls working for me, both of whom very hard-working and interested in the work, so teaching them is rewarding. it is entertaining too inasmuchas when I leave them alone, since they assume independence readily, they talk about their lives and I eavesdrop. ANd when I arrived for the summer many of our stocks and equipment etc were messed up by P-dog's students, and we have undertaken the trouble-shooting and solving of the problems. it has been a good experience for the girls, because we did solve many problems and have things working again.

And the grad students are grateful that I have fixed things up. I don't get why they don't see how stupidly they crap things up. All the water baths and incubators were at ridiculous temps (bacteria being grown at 33 or 43, who cares as long as they grow)

7:10 a.m. - 2007-06-22

---------------------------------------------------------

previous - next

a substitute activity - 2007-07-17
tired of this tedious waiting all the time - 2007-07-13
July 13 update - 2007-07-13
- - 2007-07-08
nooooooz - 2007-06-29