The incision from the surgery is healing nicely, so the doctor removed the bandages and sutures. I now just have a removable splint that I wear simply to provide some protection to the incision area for another week or two. The doctor said I have no restrictions on the use of my left hand, within the realms of common sense, as long as I don't try to push too far too fast.

Turns out that I have a benign schwannoma (also called a neurilemoma or schwannoglioma), which is a tumor of the nerve sheath. Since the tumor is extensively integrated into the medial nerve, the recommendation is that we just leave it, and keep an eye on it over time through annual MRIs and physical examination.

I am a bit confused about the diagnosis, because from what I've been able to find on the net, it would seem that by definition, a schwannoma does not involve the nerve itself, and as such, should be fully removable. So, either it is a schwannoma, in which case, why isn't it sitting in a jar of formalin somewhere, or if it has infiltrated the nerve fibers, is it not really instead a neurofibroma? I guess I'll ask the doctor when I see him in a month for my follow up.

If you want to see what a medial nerve schwannoma looks like (a much smaller, not mine version) look here, but be forewarned, these are medical photographs and not for the squeamish. Here's another, although as you can see, this is less than 2cm, whereas mine is ~5cm. One more, not a medial nerve, but good pics nonetheless.

The pain is tolerable, even without medication, and I've regained sensation in all but just a small portion of my thumb, so overall, life is good.

Find something that you enjoy doing...

That not everyone else can or is willing to do...

That you can get really good at...

Preferably that other people find value in so you can make a decent living...

Learn to do it very well, then maintain your skill...

That's it.

Seems simple, doesn't it?

Then why have I never been able to do it?

Bonus information:

If given the choice, pick something that you can be your own boss doing. Any time you are working for someone else, a good portion of your effort goes to financially benefit the owner(s)/executive(s), not you. Plus, there are lots of perks and financial benefits to owning a business. If you do decide to work for someone else - be careful. Small businesses tend to exist for the benefit of the owner, large businesses for the benefit of the executives and stock holders. Don't discount working for the government - you can retire while you are still young and either enjoy many years of life with some level of financial security, or still have time for a second career. Don't discount non-profits - you won't get rich, but you might find the work fulfilling. Money can bring comfort, but it's not everything; on the other hand, being poor sucks. Not matter what, remember, no one will be looking out for you, except you.

Start saving for retirement early. Like the day you start your first job. It is amazing how much sooner or how much richer you will be when you decide you've had enough of the grind. In thirty or forty years, you will appreciate the extra cash much more than you will be glad that you bought that shiny bauble you really didn't need and long ago threw away.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open spaces between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course the sand filled up everything else. He once more asked if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cans of beer from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the open space between the sand. The students all laughed.

"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things - your family, your children, your health, your friends, your favorite passions - things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else - the small stuff. If you put the sand into the jar first, there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take the time to get medical check-ups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean out the garage, fix the disposal, or shampoo the carpet. Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities... everything else is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented.

The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of beers."

This struck me as some of the best wisdom I've com across in quite some time.

Especially interesting given that it was offered in the middle of a quite technical explanation of the elements of aircraft stability.

And why, might you be wondering, would I be reading a such a book?

Because, if all goes well, within the next few months, I will be dusting off that twenty year old private pilot's certificate, and getting back into the air as a driver, rather than just a passenger - albeit in a much smaller bus.

What a concept... downloading music for free on the Internet - legally!

eMusic does require that you sign up for their service and provide a credit card number, but if you cancel within 14 days, they will not charge your card.

The selection is much slimmer than iTunes or some of the other big names, but I was able to find well over fifty tracks that were appealing.

If you are into jazz, blues, indie, or "out of the mainstream" music, you might find that eMusic is a great deal.

They provide 30 second clips of every track, so you can taste before you "buy." Their monthly subscriptions seem very favorably priced relative to buying CDs.

I was going to sign up as an affiliate, since they have an affiliate program, but I decided that it wasn't worth the hassle. Also, I don't like affiliate applications that are not SSL encrypted, and ask you how many hits your site receives. It's not like they are doing me a favor to allow me to be an affiliate - I would be the one who is spending my time and money to market for them.

Anyway, it still seems like a pretty sweet deal - 50 tracks for free. I'd suggest you jump on before they get smart and make the trial less generous.

HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHO TO MARRY?
===============================

( 1 ) You got to find somebody who likes the same stuff. Like, if you like sports, she should like it that you like sports, and she should keep the chips and dip coming.
-- Alan, age 10

( 2 ) No person really decides before they grow up who they're going to marry. God decides it all way before, and you get to find out later who you're stuck with.
-- Kirsten, age 10

WHAT IS THE RIGHT AGE TO GET MARRIED?

( 1 ) Twenty-three is the best age because you know the person FOREVER by then.
-- Camille, age 10

( 2 ) No age is good to get married at. You got to be a fool to get married.
-- Freddie, age 6 (very wise for his age)

HOW CAN A STRANGER TELL IF TWO PEOPLE ARE MARRIED?

( 1 ) You might have to guess, based on whether they seem to be yelling at the same kids.
-- Derrick, age 8

WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR MOM AND DAD HAVE IN COMMON?

( 1 ) Both don't want any more kids.
-- Lori, age 8

WHAT DO MOST PEOPLE DO ON A DATE?

( 1 ) Dates are for having fun, and people should use them to get to know each other. Even boys have something to say if you listen long enough.
-- Lynnette, age 8 (isn't she a treasure)

( 2 ) On the first date, they just tell each other lies and that usually gets them interested enough to go for a second date.
-- Martin, age 10

WHAT WOULD YOU DO ON A FIRST DATE THAT WAS TURNING SOUR?

( 1 ) I'd run home and play dead. The next day I would call all the newspapers and make sure they! wrote about me in all the dead columns.
-- Craig, age 9

WHEN IS IT OKAY TO KISS SOMEONE?

( 1 ) When they're rich.
-- Pam, age 7

( 2 ) The law says you have to be eighteen, so I wouldn't want to mess with that.
-- Curt, age 7

( 3 ) The rule goes like this: If you kiss someone, then you should marry them and have kids with them. It's the right thing to do.
-- Howard, age 8

IS IT BETTER TO BE SINGLE OR MARRIED?

( 1 ) I don't know which is better, but I'll tell you one thing. I'm never going to have sex with my wife. I don't want to be all grossed out.
-- Theodore, age 8

( 2 ) It's better for girls to be single but not for boys. Boys need someone to clean up after them.
-- Anita, age 9 (bless you child)

HOW WOULD THE WORLD BE DIFFERENT IF PEOPLE DIDN'T GET MARRIED?

( 1 ) There sure would be a lot of kids to explain, wouldn't there?
-- Kelvin, age 8

And the #1 Favorite is........

HOW WOULD YOU MAKE A MARRIAGE WORK?

( 1 ) Tell your wife that she looks pretty, even if she looks like a truck.
-- Ricky, age 10

I love long, hot baths.

Given the choice, it most circumstances, I would much prefer a bath to a shower.

Granted, if I am super sweaty and dirty from working outside, I think a shower is a superior bathing solution, but, for those who know me, you know that rarely do I find myself in that circumstance.

I also find a shower the superior alternative when not in my own home.

But, when I am home, and only in need of removing the dirt and stink of a day at the desk...

Spending a half-hour or so soaking in our garden tub is just the ticket.

The benefit goes far beyond the surface cleansing. The warm water relaxes my tense, aging muscles, and sooths my soul.

The one flaw in an otherwise wonderful experience had always been that the water was never quite deep enough. It seems that no matter how deep your tub is, there is always that pesky overflow hole that limits the depth of the water.

Well, I finally found a fix for that flaw! The Better Bath "Deep Water Bath" by Better Sleep, Inc. The deep water bath is an ingenious little product made of vinyl that fits over the overflow cover. It easily attaches to the tub via a circle of little suction cups molded into the product. It also is easily removed.

I found mine at http://www.hometrendscatalog.com item number 037003. It was only $7.95.

Heavenly Father, Help us remember that the jerk who cut us off in traffic last night is a single mother who worked nine hours that day and is rushing home to cook dinner, help with homework, do the laundry, and spend a few precious moments with her children.

Help us to remember that the pierced, tattooed, disinterested young man who can't make change correctly is a worried 19-year-old college student, balancing his apprehension over final exams with his fear of not getting his student loans for next semester.

Remind us, Lord, that the scary looking bum, begging for money in the same spot every day, is a slave to addictions that we can only imagine in our worst nightmares.

Help us to remember that the old couple walking annoyingly slow through the store aisles and blocking our shopping progress are savoring this moment, knowing that, based on the biopsy report she got back last week, this will be the last year that they go shopping together.

Heavenly Father, remind us each day that, of all the gifts you give us, the greatest gift is love. It is not enough to share that love with those we hold dear. Open our hearts not to just those who are close to us, but to all humanity. Let us be slow to judge and quick to forgive, show patience, empathy and love.

Ultimately, the basic math of weight loss/gain is going to prevail. That is, if you take in fewer calories than you use, you will lose weight; if you take in more calories than you use, you will gain weight.

So, you have a couple of options.

The first option is to use more calories per day. You can do this through formal exercise, and/or through increasing the amount or level of your daily activities. For example, you could choose to park farther away from your office each day, or to take the stairs rather than the elevator. You could also engage in either aerobic or anaerobic exercise. One advantage of engaging in anaerobic exercise is that you will build muscle. Pound for pound, it requires more calories to maintain muscle than to maintain fat. Another advantage of any form of exercise is that not only will the exercise directly burn calories while you are actively exercising, but the exercise will increase your metabolism for a period of time even after you stop actively exercising.

The second option is to ingest fewer calories. While being in ketosis has the effect of suppressing our appetite, we still have to retrain ourselves to eat smaller portions and/or reduce the consumption of high calorie selections. Although it is not "fun," many people find that maintaining a food diary for a few weeks helps to get a more accurate picture of how many calories they are truly consuming.

Unfortunately, the reality is that there is no "magic."

It can buy a Clock
But not Time

It can buy you a Book
But not Knowledge

It can buy you a Position
But not Respect

It can buy you Medicine
But not Health

It can buy you Blood
But not Life

It can buy you Sex
But not Love

So you see money isn't everything.
And it often causes pain and suffering.
I tell you all this because I am your Friend,  
and as your Friend I want to take away your pain and suffering...

So send me all your money and I will suffer for you.

Wisdom courtesy of my nephew.

Check in with yourself for five minutes every day. During this respite, ask yourself two questions:

1. What have I done today that was meaningful?

2. What meaningful change do I intend to make in my life tomorrow?

'The older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday mornings. Perhaps it's the quiet solitude that comes with being the first to rise, or maybe it's the unbounded joy of not having to be at work. Either way, the first few hours of a Saturday morning are most enjoyable.

A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward the basement shack with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and the morning paper in the other. What began as a typical Saturday morning, turned into one of those lessons that life seems to hand you from time to time.

Let me tell you about it. I turned the dial up into the phone portion of the band on my ham radio in order to listen to a Saturday morning swap net.

Along the way, I came across an older sounding chap, with a tremendous signal and a golden voice. You know the kind; he sounded like he should be in the broadcasting business. He was telling whomever he was talking with something about "a thousand marbles." I was intrigued and stopped to listen to what he had to say.

"Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you're busy with your job. I'm sure they pay you well, but it's a shame you have to be away from home and your family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet. Too bad you missed your daughter's dance recital. He continued, "Let me tell you something Tom, something that has helped me keep a good perspective on my own priorities."

And that's when he began to explain his theory of a "thousand marbles.":

You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average person lives about seventy-five years. I know, some live more and some live less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five years. Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3900, which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime.

"Now, stick with me, Tom, I'm getting to the important part." "It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this in any detail"; he went on, "and by that time I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays. I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy!"

"So I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended up having to visit three toy stores to round up 1000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside of a large, clear plastic container right here in the sack next to my gear.

Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away." "I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focus more on the really important things in life. There is nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight."

"Now let me tell you one last thing before I sign-off with you and take my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took the very last marble out of the container. I figure that if I make it until next Saturday then I have been given a little extra time. And the one thing we can all use is a little more time."

"It was nice to meet you Tom, I hope you spend more time with your family, and I hope to meet you again here on the band. 75 year Old Man, this is K9NZQ, clear and going QRT, good morning!"

You could have heard a pin drop on the band when this fellow signed off. I guess he gave us all a lot to think about. I had planned to work on the antenna that morning,and then I was going to meet up with a few hams to work on the next club newsletter. Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss. "C'mon honey, I'm taking you and the kids to breakfast."

"What brought this on?" she asked with a smile. "Oh, nothing special, it's just been a long time since we spent a Saturday together with the kids.

Hey, can we stop at a toy store while we're out? I need to buy some marbles....'

WebRings has lots of annoying pop-ups. Yes, I realize it is a free service and the poor person (folks?) who run it need some way to help pay the bills. Nonetheless, it is annoying. I also thought their selection of site generated nav code was too limited, and I found the snippet it created too sloppy for my taste. On the plus side, they do allow you to use a page that they host for your ring home. WebRings also has some nice extras including polls, and easy e-mailing to ring members, and the ability to use HTML in the membership guidelines display.

While RingSurf does not offer a hosted ring home, it does provide a diverse library of pre-customized HTML to help you get your ring home set up quickly. It also gives you lots of easy options for creating your nav code. It too has mailing list management options. The site is lightning quick, but HTML is not allowed in the membership guidelines display.

Autonomy (a sense that you have chosen to do what you do)
Competence (you are good at what you do)
Relatedness (you feel close to others)

In addition, they provide "Ten Steps to a Happier Life:"

1. Decide to be happy. Think and act happy, and inspire it in others.
2. Take control. Take charge of your time and schedule to make effective change in your life.
3. Set goals. Choose ones that urge you forward yet are realistic.
4. Engage you skills. Seek work and leisure activities that are challenging but not overwhelming.
5. Be healthy. Eat well, exercise regularly and get plenty of sleep.
6. Feed your soul. Spend time alone, without distraction. Make art, write poetry, meditate or read inspirational literature.
7. Seek out others. Surround yourself with happy people and nurture these relationships.
8. Reach out. Be compassionate and help those in need.
9. Remain curious. Stay open to new people and experiences.
10. Keep things in perspective. Take a moment each day to reflect on the positive things in your life.

This entry brought to you as a public service by David

I know some men who won't even go to the doctor to get a physical because they so fear this simple procedure. I know others who will begrudgingly go for a physical every now and then, but draw the line "there."

Is the thought of a lubricated, gloved finger "in there" really more horrible than the idea of having prostate cancer go undetected?

It doesn't hurt, it won't turn a straight man instantly homosexual, and the "worst" part of it all is the slightly greesy feeling you are left with after you hike your pants back up.

I hate to tell you guys, but what they do to you when you have prostate cancer that went late stage before it was detected is a lot worse.

But you may be thinking "I'd just die if my guy friends knew that I let someone (most likely a man) stick their finger up my butt." Guess what? You won't; but you just might if you don't!

Even if the cancer doesn't kill you, there's a good chance that if not caught early, the resulting increased mass of the growth and resulting need for more agressive treatments could leave you unable to achieve an erection or unable to ejaculate.

So, in hindsight (pun fully intented) which is really worse... having a brief digital rectal exam, or the alternative?

That's not to say that sex isn't important, and that sexual compatibility isn't a key. But, as the old wisdom advises, if during the first year of your marriage, you put a penny in a jar each time you make love, and in all subsequent years you take a penny out of the jar each time you make love, you'll still have pennies left in the jar when you go to meet your maker.

Your mate should share the same interests you have. They don't have to be exactly the same, but there should be a large overlap. There should be no obvious "deal-breaker" conflicts. If you love to read in silence, and she always has to have the TV blaring, chances are they'll be trouble down the tracks.

Your mate should be of about equal intellect.

Your mate should have either similar career aspirations, or complimentary career aspirations. By similar, I don't mean that you should both want to have the same career, but rather that the importance of your careers relative to your other values should be similar. If one of you is intent on climbing the corporate ladder at any cost, and the other is more interested in quality time, that could create contention. Complimentary career goals could be where one spouse chooses a career that is likely to require frequent moves, and the other spouse chooses a career that allows her to work at home.

Your mate should have similar tastes in music, literature, movies, TV, and food.

Your mate should have similar, or complimentary religious beliefs.

Your desires regarding children should coincide.

You should fall at about the same place on the introvert-extrovert scale. If one of you is a social butterfly, and the other is a hermit, chances are your ideas of a perfect Friday night are going to be night and day.

Your mate should have had a similar background growing up. This may be the most inflammatory statement, but, if your backgrounds are too far apart, there are bound to be issues that arise. Your background shapes your value system, and if your value systems aren't close, this will create rifts.

You should share similar material wants. If all you need is a pair of cut-offs and a bike, and she wants firs and Ferrari's, there's bound to be a messy crash ahead.

If appearance is important to you, look at pictures of relatives when they were her age and focus on relatives that had similar appearances, then look at pictures of that person as she aged. Pay particular attention to parents and grandparents. This will give you some idea of what you can expect later.

Even if appearance doesn't matter, you should be about equally good looking. If one of you is much better looking than the other, chances are either dissatisfaction or jealousy and fear will sabotage the relationship.

Lastly, and maybe most importantly, you must like each other. Being in love with each other isn't enough. Loving each other isn't enough. You must truly like each other. You should enjoy being with each other. Ideally, you should be best friends.

**************************************************

To start with, you get lots of cavities. Which means that you spend lots of time in the dentist's chair, and help him make those payments on his luxury car.

And you end up with a bunch of ugly metal in your mouth.

But do you improve your dental hygiene? Of course not.

Then one day, one of those large fillings in a molar cracks.

But, by then, you're a poor college student, and (you think, in your short sighted youthful mind) you don't have the money to get a crown.

So, you just ignore it.

And it rots. At first it doesn't hurt. But then it starts. Initially maybe just when you have something sweet, or hot, or cold. But then it becomes a constant dull ache. And then the real pain starts.

So, you go to the dentist. But you're still poor, and now a crown is no longer an option. Now you need a bridge, which (you think, in your short sighted youthful mind) you can't afford. So, you just have the tooth pulled. Hey, what's one tooth? You've got plenty more...

Unfortunately, it happens to be a lower molar. And gravity being relentless, the tooth above it starts to slowly drop down. And, the rest of your bottom teeth decide that now that there's extra room, they'll spread out a little.

Now that pretty smile that your parents paid the orthodontist so much to achieve isn't quite so pretty anymore.

Then, as if this wasn't enough, because of all the movement, and extra space, and your continued poor oral hygiene, you develop gum disease.

So now you really get to experience pain, as you endure gum surgery. And that new car that you want... forget that, those payments are going to the periodontist.

Well, you finally realize that you'd better do something different. That upper tooth is still dropping, your teeth are still spreading.

So, you break down and agree to get a bridge. Of course, that means that the teeth on both sides of the bridge need root canals.

More pain, more time, and now you've got payments to the endodontist too.

Then back to the dentist. More time, more metal in your mouth. And now you've got payments to the dentist as well.

So, all that time and money that you "saved?" Uh, guess not.

The story continues in this sad fashion, but, you get the idea, you don't need more details.

And the good news? You've decided that thirty seconds swishing Listerine, one minute flossing, two minutes brushing - two times a day. It's so easy to do. Only seven minutes a day total. What a concept!

*****************************************************

But, you know the funny thing? The one constant in "their" world and "our" world is people. And fundamentally, people don't change that much from one generation to the next. And our elders, they know people. And knowing people, is knowing life.

They've had a lifetime to learn the intricacies of the hairy ape. And they've had a lifetime of mistakes to learn from - theirs, and those of others. And they've had time to know both with their hearts, and with their heads.

So, the next time your elder cares enough to offer some advice, stop being stupid, just for a moment, and listen.

**********************************************

Somehow I grew up with the expectation that were I to be good at something, it would come naturally. That it would be a gift, and would require no effort on my part.

This is not to say that natural talent or aptitude is not valuable. The greatest athletes are those that have been blessed with ability. But, that is not enough. A "natural" without practice and study will be mediocre at best. Someone who has only mediocre innate abilities, but who works hard, who learns and practices relentlessly, will best the "natural" who does not. The best of the best are those that have been blessed with raw talent, and have then honed that raw talent through hard work and practice.

If I wasn't good at something immediately, or if it was hard, then I just figured it was not meant to me, or wasn't for me.

I also always thought that discipline was something that either was taught, or that you had or didn't have.

I now realize that discipline is learned. And that a great teacher of discipline is practice. But for most people, I don't think that the desire to practice, or the realization that practice is a precursor to excellence, is innate. For most people, I think that they must be encouraged, even forced, to practice. That is a hard thing to do as a parent, but the really good parents are the ones who do the hard things, because they know that it is best for their children. The really great parents are the ones who can help their children truly understand the value of practice, so that the child wishes to practice, because they see the inherent value.

Life is hard, and for the most part, worthy achievements require hard work; sometimes they even require discomfort and/or sacrifice.

And they require practice.

***********************************************

Sometimes it's an incredibly useful service.

Sometimes it's the sheer entertainment, or beauty, or novelty.

But, bottom line... it's all about them.