Ouch

I am in pain. Not just, "Oh, I don't feel well" pain, but the excruciating, vicodin-doesn't-help pain that comes with surgery.

On Monday I had some much needed surgery: my tonsils were removed, tubes were inserted into my ears, my uvula was removed (little hanging thing in the back of the throat), and I had turbinate restructuring. This article explains the turbinate thing pretty well.

My ears have been plugged for over a year, which was caused by an inflammation in my eustacian tubes. The tubes in the ears are to correct this, and appear to have already worked.

I get strep throat/tonsillitis on a regular basis, so that's why my tonsils were removed.

The other two procedures were the most necessary for me, to help me sleep better. I cannot recall a day in my life when I haven't been tired, regardless of how much sleep I've had. My doctor sent me for a sleep test last month, where it was determined that I have mild sleep apnea (which is a condition where you actually stop breathing many times during the night!) My doctor figures my body hasn't been completely rested in years, and he predicts that I'll add about two hours of productivity to my day!

If you've ever had strep throat, this feels like strep x 10. The fact that it takes me an hour to eat a popsicle or a bowl of pudding doesn't help!

So...here I sit, miserable, but trying to reassure myself that in about 10 more days, it will all have been worth it!

At least now I know

After having another dream about Positano, it has become painfully obvious what my unfinished business is.


It's not going to make things any easier, but at least now I know!

Balloons

Every year at this time, we have The Great Reno Balloon Race.

I live about one mile from the park where the race begins. Occasionally, the wind will blow the balloons away from my neighborhood, but most years they float my way. They drift along, their various shapes and colors delighting children of all ages. There's always a bit of excitement when a balloon lands on a nearby street.

These pictures were taken last year. (For some reason, I didn't take any this year).


View from my house:



A few blocks away:



Not great quality, but this is just around the corner from my house:



There are two bees, but I could only get a picture of one:







These guys were laughing at my dog because she was barking at them:


Landing in the street:



Another one landing in the street:



Landing on the edge of a park:



Humpty Dumpty in the background:





A strawberry!




There is also a Jack Daniels bottle, an eagle, a stagecoach, an ark, the Energizer Bunny, and even a cow!