Category — Family

Sourpuss

by sarahviola

.: This is my favorite Dilbert ever; it always makes me feel better.

This morning, as I was trying to get out the door, just about everything that could have gone wrong went wrong.

I bribed my department into starting an hour early by promising them McD’s breakfast this morning . We were all going to come in at 8, eat, and hit it. I was ready to walk out the door on time at 7:30, but couldn’t find my belt. Because I didn’t want to fight the plumber-look all day and I only have one belt, I had to tear shit up looking for it. (Found it.) Then the cat yakked on the carpet, and I had the privilege of cleaning that up. Then when I did get out the door, I realized I didn’t have any cash and would have to stop for that too. Except… (wait for it) …I left my debit card on the coffee table. Then I had to grab stuff for our lunches (which ended up being Hot Pockets, jello, pistachios, applesauce, dried fruit and a turkey-and-stuffing-freezer-dinner) before running out the door a third time. I was 30 minutes late. I hate being late.

I knew that it couldn’t possibly get any worse, so I was going to have a great day. Right? How could it get any worse?

Then, my BFF called to tell me that her gramps, just diagnosed with lung cancer this week, had a seizure and ‘coded’ earlier in the morning. Wow. So, I’m an asshole. He’s stable now, thank God.

My husband’s response to my email, wherein I declare myself a horrible person for saying the day couldn’t get any worse:

When you said that the day couldn’t get any worse, you were referring only to the specific context of being unprepared to meet the day in the way that you would have liked.

In the existential sense, it can always be worse. That goes without saying and is generally omitted when we refer colloquially to the course of our lives.

So, you’re off the hook, basically.

This is only one of the reasons why my husband is perfect. Tonight when I got home (at the end of a day that got increasingly worse), he hugged me, parked me in front of my computer, put a popsicle in my hand, and hooked my iPod into the Bose stereo where now I’m listening to Jose Gonzales. I’m so lucky.

And, tomorrow will be better.

May 23, 2007 3 Comments

Skin Deep

by sarahviola

.: The following PSA is healthy-husband approved :.

May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month. I actually didn’t know that until I started looking for facts and information on this post, one that I’ve been putting off writing for a couple weeks. Why didn’t I know that? Why doesn’t everyone know that? (maybe you did… why didn’t you tell me!? pfft. some friend…)

Ever since I’ve known my husband (6 years, btw) he’s had this mole on the left side of his nose right next to the thingy where his glasses rest. Then, about 3 years ago, another one popped up on the other side of his nose. I figured it was from the friction caused by the glasses. Both have gotten bigger over the course of our relationship, and another showed up on his forehead. That one was different; it wasn’t raised at all, and was a darker color, almost like a spot from a dark red Sharpie. There were also a couple little bumps on his neck and under his eye. I’m no topographer, Jim, and I know I’m rather excitable and tend to overreact sometimes, but.. Sue me.

I’ve been wanting to make an appointment for him for years, but didn’t want to piss him off. (that whole excitable/overreact thing. it’s not his favorite quality of mine.) So a couple months ago, I started mentioning it in passing. “Oh, hey, gonna make you an appointment, pass the chips, please.” This was a carefully choreographed, strategic attack. After 3 or 4 comments like that, and, an equal number of “What?! Why!?” from him, I just made the appointment. “Oh, hey, made you an appointment, pass the edamame, please.” That was a month ago.

The dermatologist was a Barbie look-alike with hot pointy-toed heels. That’s not really relevant to this story, but we were both impressed with her kicky shoes. She checked him out, had him take his shirt off, looked at all the moles in questions, and cut them right off. We were there for about 30 minutes total: sign-in, patient info forms, excisions and all. They mean business over there.

A week later they called with the biopsy results: 4 normal, one not. The dark one on his forehead was ‘irregular’. It was completely excised, so no action is necessary after the biopsy other that a head-to-toe skin check every month and an office visit every six months. He assured the doctor that I would be ‘vigilant’ in enforcing the at-home skin checks. Damn right. BOOYAH.

Since then, I’ve turned into a skin-protection nazi. Even I’m surprised at my vigilance. But the thing is, my husband isn’t someone that hangs out and frolics in the sun. He’s not an outdoorsy guy, and is in fact putting up a serious fight to my desire to vacation in Jamaica this summer. If he can get ‘irregular’ moles, what about the rest of us who grew up in the sun? Who have maybe gone tanning once or twice. (it was before prom! shut it!) We need to protect ourselves, check ourselves and each other, and raise awareness.

There is a ton of information on skin-protection and cancer prevention online if you know to look for it. These are some of the basics I used in my own research, and when putting this together. Also, last month’s Glamour Magazine had a 12-page article on skin cancer if you can track it down. It had some great info, things I had never heard before, like the fact that most melanoma occur on women’s legs and feet, because they are the least protected. Wow, yeah?

The A, B, C, D & E’s of Skin Cancer.

Dangerous mole or not: Take the quiz.

Know the facts.

Protect yourself and everyone you love.

.: M and I at dinner on our wedding night in Hawaii, 07.20.06