Things That Go Bump

Some months ago.... Six? Nine? It's unclear how many... I awoke and felt a small bump on the bridge of my nose between my eyes. It felt like a pimple but it wouldn't pop. It got larger over the next month or so until it was the size of a pea. I waited for it to go away.

And I waited.

For a couple of weeks, I tried applying a ginger compress to the growth, and that didn't help.

Finally, I got a recommendation for a dermatologist and went to see the gentleman, who was purported to have a charming old European style bedside manner. Bedside manner is quite important to me, because I've had a lifetime of anxiety around medical situations. If I make it through an doctor's appointment without fainting I consider it a success.

By that measure, the visit to the derm was successful, but my a more common evaluation, it was uneventful. He said my bump was almost certainly a benign cyst and nothing to worry about. He said since it was under the skin, he couldn't take it out and I consult a plastic surgeon about that.

I made an appointment with the doctor the derm suggested, on the Upper East Side. I had my visit (successful) earlier this week and he explained the situation with a bit of a surgeon's swagger: The cyst is most likely caused by a clogged gland. The oils produced by that gland have no where to go so they get backed up, harden, and there's my bump. It might go away by itself, but it probably won't. It might get infected, but it probably won't. There's a good chance it will start growing again, but it may simply stay as is. There's no urgency in taking it out, I'm in no danger. If I was his son, he'd recommend I have it taken out.

I was leaning toward having it taken out. Has my vanity overwhelmed my fear? He described the procedure and my options. Slice, remove intact, stitch. I will have a scar. Can't say how prominent. Local anesthetic. How am I with needles and blood, he asked... On my reply, he suggested general anesthetic would be a better bet for me and him. If it was your foot, or your behind, perhaps you could keep yourself distracted, but we're talking blood dripping into your eyes. Jeanhee, who was with me, wondered if he wasn't a tad too excited as he said that...

I'm leaning toward getting them to knock me out and de-bump me. It's a hospital visit and a standard barrage of pre-surgery tests. It all adds up to the most major medical experience of my life, by a long shot. And it scares the crap out of me.

US Open

Last night, I watched some early round US Open matches. Lindsay Davenport won in straight sets, as did James Blake.

Blake was a lot of fun to watch as he struggled to return his opponent's 130 MPH serves and then take control of the rally enough to approach the net. He had one awesome attack where he jumped Air Jordan style to smash the ball so hard it bounced up into the stands with no chance for any return.

It was a beautiful night for tennis.

Ho. D. in Bryant Park

I went to my first political rally on Tuesday night. Oh sure, I've been to plenty of protests, but I've never gone out to see a candidate speak. I'm not sure why that is. I guess I was never invited before.

On Tuesday night, Jeanhee and I hopped the train up to Bryant Park, in midtown Manhattan. The park happens to be have a free WiFi network, and it was strange but cool to see people sitting small tables in the park surfing the web in the glow of their laptop screens. The center of the park was given over to a crowd of people, many holding "Dean for America" signs, gathered facing a stage and big ol' projection screen. The NY Times put the crowd at 10,000 and that seems about right. Jeanhee spotted her neighbors among the crowd clothed in homemade "Dog Lovers for Dean" tees.

A few speakers were introduced before Dean spoke. Among the highlights were the congressman for my neighborhood Jerrold Nadler endorsing Dean; a young Vermont woman describing her two lesbian mothers, crocheting, baking their cornbread, going to their PTA meetings, and asking "how, exactly they are a threat to the family values" of Rick Santorum and GWB; and a college Republican screaming his support for Dean.

Dean himself was a good speaker. Straightforward. Enthusiastic. Smart. Confident. I was filled with anger during the portion of the speech in which he railed against the current administration's actions. I was surprised by that reaction in myself, as I tend to prefer and cultivate a relaxed existence. But there's no way around how frustrating it is what Bush/Cheney have done with respect to the war, the environment, and the fiscal state of our government.

Dean seems to be in good shape more than a year out from the general election, and I hope he wins the nomination. He's a leader I could trust and follow.

Dean Dialogue

While debugging some code at work this afternoon, I listened to the most refreshing politics I've heard in ages. Chris Lydon was in New Hampshire to see Howard Dean speak and not only did he blog it, but he recorded Dean's speech, his Q&A session, and Lydon's own interviews with various folks in the audience.

It's a great use of the internet -- way to go, Chris!

More importantly, it's great to hear Dean. I've realized that he's not my ideal candidate, but I think that he will make a pretty good president, far better than Bush, and better than most of the other candidates, too. If you have some time, have a listen yourself, and see what you think.

UPDATE: I'm going to see Dean (or "Ho Dee" as my Vermonter friend Molly calls him) speak in Bryant Park tonight, here in NYC. Details: The "Sleepless Summer Tour" is in Bryant Park tonight from 8:30pm to 11pm. Broadcast live on C-SPAN2 at 9:30 pm Eastern, and may be rebroadcast at 11 pm on C-SPAN.