wwcitizen: (SteamPunk Stephen)
It was ever-present. It wasn't obvious at first, but it crept into existence. It got bigger and bigger quietly over the years. Then all of a sudden, it was the one thing that everyone noticed when they hugged me: My Family Mole.

Why "Family Mole"? Because everyone in my family has a version of the mole. Mine was only the largest of the entire family's moles. Everyone in my family has a mole in the middle of their back - just out of reach, almost proportionately in the middle of each person's back in my family. However, mine was about the size of the end of my pinkie. 

Years ago, I was told I should remove it because removing it would cause "an imbalance in the organ that is [my] skin". This was coming from a general practioner at Pfizer back when I was working for them.  I thought at the time it was a pretty quirky little myth someone had created and he was promoting it without any dermatological basis. But, I held onto that myth thinking, "Maybe he's right! I need to ask a dermatologist."

Well, yesterday I did just that!  And today I have no mole. It's gone. It's no longer a part of me. It's now bio-waste getting ready to be cremated somewhere and then become dust in the wind.  My family mole has thankfully preceded me to the Pearly Gates.

Now, I can hug without thinking, "Are they gonna ask what that little thing is?  Are they gonna stop hugging me when they hit 'IT'? Are they gonna feel strange about patting me on the back knowing 'IT' is there?"

All those questions would always run through my mind. Even when I removed my shirt on the beach, in a pool, or on the dance floor, I wondered how many people noticed it, pointed at it, and thought, "Ew. What's that?!" 

Thank goodness it never grew an eyeball or a little tooth and tongue. Who knows? It could have been the manifestation of my twin - finally finding a window to the outside world, trying to break free!

Alas, it was just a mole. A family mole. One mole that is no longer hanging from a snippable little isthmus, dangling there begging to come off. It took literally 30 seconds for it to be gone.

Why had I not had it removed earlier? All these years that I either had "off from work" or working from home, why didn't I set up that appointment to have it looked at and promptly removed?  Maybe because, simply put, it was a part of me.

Now, it's not. I did feel a slight, small, little twinge of sadness that it's gone. I do not know why. But, now, I'll no longer have those lingering questions or anticipations from society, friends, and family who constantly asked or acknowledged, "Oh, there it is!"  The mole is free. I am free. And, after that little spot heals, I'll be whole again.

A Snippable Little Isthmus
I had a family mole
That would only cajole
Inquisition, queries, and thought:
"What is it? He simply ought
Remove that big tumor
Like any good groomer.
It's gross, yet it's natural...
I could recommend several
Doctors, who'd wanna snip!
It'd be GONE!" They'd quip.

No, on my own time
And in my own way...
The mole in its prime
Would simply one day
Come to its demise.
It was totally wise!

My mole, my protrusion
That incited much confusion
Is no longer part of me…
It’s weird, but I can see
My back is now flat
So, I guess, that’s that!

A big apparent flaw
That seemed so bourgeois…
Misconceptions abounded
Apprehensions – unfounded!
No need for tears
Cuz I faced my fears
Of something worse that might happen.
But my mole’s grand assassin
Was my doctor, Dr. Lee.
He was happy to hear, very happy to see
That I was willing for him
With sterile scissors - not grim
To snip off my isthmus
After all, that’s his business.

My mole now fully gone
Before I said, “CYA, anon!”
I should’ve really named it,
Cuz it left a small pit
That Neosporin will soon heal.
I’ll strip my shirt with more zeal!

I’ll not worry nor fret!
But I’m also willing to bet
That someone somewhere
Is bound to say,
“When, see? I compare
This photo that day,
You had a big mole!
Where’d it go? Hey!”

I’ll say with a smile
It took me a while,
But my big family mole.
I gave it a new goal:
It had to go and be gone from my back
My doctor simply, steady went THWACK!!
All at once it was history.
It’s simply not a big mystery.
It was what it was
My back’s no longer abuzz
With strange looks and lost hugs
In 10 seconds, and NO drugs!
Now, there’s a small hole,
Where there once was a mole.

©Stephen Lambeth 2013
wwcitizen: (NJ - Greetings)


So, it's day three of the aftermath of Sandy hitting NYC & NNJ (where we are). We are healthy and safe and that's the main thing really. It's hard to keep that in mind without electricity, TV, or internet, not to mention hot water.  But Matt and I have truly been making the absolute BEST of a bad situation. And even though we can't have a grill or natural gas in the condo, I am evermore astounded by and thankful for living in a high rise.  We have security, we have regular community updates, we have neighbors close by, and there are local businesses that are open and easy to get to.

 

 

 

Matt & I have also decided that once in a while, we'll eat solely by candlelight again. One, it's like romantical and stuff, and second, it'll -hopefully - keep this experience fresh in our minds. Of course hoping that something like this hurricane doesn't happen again to this degree in the near future, but also to remind us that we should totally unplug from time to time.

wwcitizen: (Airplane Travel)
This was me today cuz THE SHUTTLE PASSED OVER NYC!!  YAY!! 


I took about 300+ photos within 15 minutes and had gotten up to the roof JUST in the nick of time to see the shuttle passing over. It flew REALLY close to our building.  I whittled the collection down to about 70 shots, which turned out pretty good!  Enjoy!  (...and comment at will...)

I also sent a link to this album to the Rachel Maddow Show; hopefully, she'll use a couple or more on the show tonight!
wwcitizen: (TV Watching)
I posted this directly on FB earlier and I want to see how quickly this post comes across. What do YOU think and how do you read this?

We were watching Jon Stewart's interview with Betty White, who we love to watch. I helped (with millions of other FB folks) get her on SNL as the host (I don't know if I really believe that FB or viral social pressure actually did the trick, but that's another story). But toward the end of the interview, Jon asked her, "Now, is there anything you won't do in the show?" I think he was pointing toward nudity, sex scenes, maybe profanity, etc.

We love Betty White, but she seems to contradict herself between the interview and the scene that's shown in a commercial - directly after her statement: "I don't think drugs are funny and I won't do jokes about drugs..." watch & listen - YOU decide.

(And, yes, I made this video montage this evening from camera recording to my desktop, through editing and splicing, then production, upload, and annotation. Very exciting, indeed!)


wwcitizen: (Face&Smile)
This is the surrealist compliment generator. Might even be good and helpful at the office!!

The first compliment it generated for me (being that I can be long-winded) was:

"The Green Paint on the Walls Clouds my Thoughts of Flying Planks of Wood, Much An ocean-going tin of cross-eyed mussels could never match the melodious burblings of your sister's husband."

The second one was:

"You are the sound of one lip kissing."

And the third was (drum-roll, please...):

"Soft sausages would gladly procreate in the bathwater of your verisimilitude."

Be sure to reload to get another compliment.
wwcitizen: (At Puter)
Today, we were all ready to leave by about noon, had our breakfast, were packed, and were getting ready to shower to leave for DC. At our computers, we heard the UPS made a short BEEP! and everything shut down. Today. Right now. Shut down. UUUUUGGGGH!!!! ARRRRRRRRGH!!

APC has good products, but after and hour with tech support, the front line and sr. tech support folks said, "Seems like a power surge in the building killed the battery." Um, the device is a battery back up with a SURGE PROTECTOR and voltage controller. So, the thing the equipment is protecting our systems from destruction is the thing that killed the battery??? WTF?!

We unplugged and plugged in the thing about 19 times for tech support. Pressed every button on the device about 41 times, took out the innards about 15 times and plugged/unplugged/plugged in all this stuff to the battery pack inside another 23 times (I think). Oh, and we talked to about 3 tech support folks, the last of whom had to transfer Matthew to another person for confirmation of sending us the replacement battery that goes inside, which will take 3-5 business days. WOW!

NOW, if we were fully running a business, how could we wait 3-5 business days for a replacement of a part in their device that was faulty? For something that their product was supposed to be able to handle? The service industry in the US are getting worse every day - and in such a bad economy, tech support, customer service, and training are typically the first folks to get whacked from a company. Strangely, tech support and customer service are also the face of the company for most consumers leading to fewer products leaving the factory if consumers can't talk to someone to get help; they'll look elsewhere for similar or worse products because the other company has better tech support or customer service. This means the company's revenue will go down, and they'll have to lay off more folks and kill good products. Sad.

Back story: When things like this happen, Matt cannot leave until something to fix these situations is underway. That's cool and I understand that completely. I'm on board with it and support it entirely.

BUT, we have places to go and people to see! We have to be in DC by 6:30 for Happy Hour! We have to make it to DC sooner than later. We were supposed to leave around 11:30, 1:30 at the latest, but won't be getting away now till about 3:30 now. UGH! So, we'll be late for Happy Hour. Sorry, [livejournal.com profile] slothel!!! Hopefully, we'll make it to be happy within the right hour.

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Stephen Lambeth

May 2017

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