ok, now I really *do* have an audience - here's some news!

So my friend Masha is awaiting future posts with baited breath, and at some point I'll make a coffeee date with you, Peta, to hear your thoughts about all this silliness.

Yipe!

So, Masha wanted the top-surgery lowdown, which she got in person. But the short notes I'll describe briefly here...

I decided to go with Dr. Ching in SF, which is pretty unconventional considering she has a pending lawsuit from a former client who had his top surgery through her. But I knew that well beforehand. I was looking for a multiple-stage process so that I could retain my nerve endings (the original set) and lessen scarring. The way I figure it, if it all goes wrong, then I'm just stuck getting a double-incision eventually, and I'm not the worse for wear. Except for the two rounds of saving inordinate amounts of money, which took me almost three years this time around.

Anyhow, here I am, a couple of months later, out of my bandages and binding-type-thingies, in pretty good shape. I can wear a baggy T-shirt and sweatshirt and it's not apparent at all that I once was a C+ cup. Yay! Upon closer examination (entering TMI land, warning), I'm a little saggy and have more tissue than I'd like, but after I work out a bit it'll look better. It's a process of taking out the bulk, waiting for my body to re-absorb what it will, and then dealing with the leftovers (I had a lot of excess skin that can't all go in one fell swoop). Someday, I believe, I'll go shirtless on a beach. It looks like that's going to be mid 2006 at this point, and that's sooner than I'd thought if you'd asked me six months ago.

I'm still a little bruise-y feeling if I push on my chest in places, so, well, I stoppped doing that. But overall I healed up like a champ. I was a little surprised at how enthusiastic my immune system was about it all, but I guess being a non-smoking, non-drinking, non-controlled-substance-using long-term vegan who exercises probably helped. But I certainly didn't count on that going into it.

In other worlds, here are the updates:

• I'm studying to take the LSAT, so anyone who doesn't think I have masochistic tendancies stand corrected. In fact, this post will end soon because it's back to the books...after all this, I can't afford one of those class things.
  
• I'm growing out my facial hair, which makes me feel like a hippie. But it's amusing. Mazzy likes it; Elly will probably shave it off in my sleep if it's still there by the time she moves back to the Bay Area. My jury's still out. These are the random things I tell people.
  
• I got a computer. It's the first time I've purchased computer hardware for myself, which is kind of funny given that I was a sys admin for years, and have bought lots of computers as a consequence. I have a hard time justifying it to myself, but all you movement people with Mac tech support questions, bring 'em on!
  
• I'm going to El Salvador to be an elections observer for the upcoming Presidential elections there in March. I'm really excited about it, and will probably be pestering those near me to attend fundraisers for my comrades who are also going.
  

Yay! That's all the big news over here.