off

I've not been at my best of late. Which is to say, that when I say I have been struggling it is akin to saying that in June when the cicadas start their humming, it is a touch hot and humid. Two ER visits in three months for the same condition for which landed me in the hospital in November are certainly of no help to the matter either. The demands of residency are not little and having one's body refuse to cooperate compounds the struggle to put one foot in front of the other. But to rationally list my woes as if it were a To Do List, seems to reduce them to banality, nothing more than a math problem rather than a human experience. I decided I posted enough less than flattering pictures of others when they are less than optimal so turn about is fair play as this picture my mom snapped clearly demonstrates, I am not well. 

burn'em

How can this structure cause so much stress and pain in me? I pondered this while waiting to be seen by my interventional pain specialist. I get my first real chance at some pain relief by burning off some nerve endings in the left side of my spine on March 31st. After that, I start going through the process of getting the right side done. One would never think that "sticking a scope into my spine and burning nerves off" would sound so very appealing. But I look forward to like a kid on December 1st. 

Valentine's

"You sure you don't want a rose, child? Says a lot if you come home with a rose Valentine's mornin' after workin' all night."

I love the late night cafeteria ladies.