Happy anniversary to me!

Five years ago, I was having a mastectomy. Actually, the surgery was at 2:15pm, so five years ago right this minute I was probably finishing up a pre-op appointment with the plastic surgeon (Hi, Dr. Heistein!). I believe my instructions were no food or water after midnight, so I was very thirsty and pretty tense. I don't remember a lot of details about that day (honestly, probably due to the no water thing as much as anxiety; thirst is pretty distracting), but I remember checking into the hospital at about noon and pleading — pleading — with the intake nurse to let me keep my underpants on. For some reason it was really important to me. (I guess sometimes a woman just needs her underpants to feel secure, you know?) She kindly relented and let me wear them during the surgery, and I do realize that's not actually a detail you really needed to know.

I also remember the anesthesiologist telling me, "I've given you the happy juice," and I responded, "Okay. Bye-bye." I was obviously right about the bye-bye part, since that's all I remember until I woke up back in my room.

I did, at some point, think I ought to take a last look at my left breast before it and I parted company. I don't think I did, though, and honestly I wasn't all that sentimental about it. No angst. I was okay, as long as it leaving also ended the breast cancer thing. Of course, in the following months, I had times when I lay in bed at night, staring at the ceiling, wondering if I had made the right choice.

Well, five years later, I can tell you I believe I did. My chances of recurrence went down dramatically because I opted for mastectomy, and that's something I can sincerely appreciate.

So, anyway, today's going to be a good day, pretty much however it goes.

Hello? Hello?

I have a bunch of really great topics that I plan to blog about, but only have time for a quick note right now. [Liar, liar, pants on fire, nose as long as a telephone pole.*] Yeah, well, anyway.

I don't think anybody besides me ever reads this blog, because there are virtually never any comments, but I get an email every week with some site statistics. They tell me how many visitors my blog has had that week, how many first time visitors, and so on. And I'm always surprised that all the numbers aren't zero every time.

So here's a test. A spot check, if you will, to make sure that StatCounter.com isn't just making numbers up to keep from hurting my feelings.

We have season tickets to the Dallas Stars (if you actually know me, this is not a surprise to you). There's one game in a few weeks when Rich will be out of town, and I'll need someone to go with me. There are a few more games over the holidays that we'll miss. If you're a hockey fan and you want two free tickets and a parking pass to these games, just leave a comment and they're yours.

I need a buddy to go with me on 11/18 (vs the San Jose Sharks; always an enthusiastic game)

I'm offering two tickets & a parking pass for:

• 11/20 against the Colorado Avalanche
• 11/26 against the St. Louis Blues
• 12/21 against the Montreal Canadiens
• 12/23 against the Calgary Flames
• 12/26 against the Phoenix Coyotes

So…anybody there?

*A tribute to my sister Linda's third graders early in her teaching career. She kept trying to tell them it's "…nose as long as a telephone wire," so it'll rhyme, but they informed her that wouldn't make sense. So pole it is.