In Stitches

Having accumulated a couple of hundred of them over the years, it is my conclusion that stitches are rarely a good thing. Sometimes just a minor irritation, like the 5 needed to attach a bit of flap on a finger. (That E.R. Doc must have been paid by the stitch.) Other times they herald bigger issues, but good? Not likely.

My first stint at being a pin cushion came after tumbling off the swing set my Dad had just set up. (Yep, I started young.) It left a faint scar that still lurks under my goatee. Other bits of .05 handiwork have been needed to re-attach the bottom of my left ear, close an ugly gash over an eye, and seal various access holes needed to install, and later remove, a rod in a badly broken leg. (One of those is high up on my left butt cheek. Calling me a "double-barreled asshole" is really more a statement of fact than it is an insult.) Having gathered up what I think is my fair share, I was kind of hoping to get through the rest of my life without needing any more needlework.

Alas, dental sugary required a couple of stitches to close the hole needed to grind infected bone out of my jaw. Did you know it was possible to mess up a root-canal in such a way as to require that someone drill a hole in your jaw? It was news to me. For the next week or so there will be a bit of thread hanging in just such a way as to tickle my tongue. Odd that, and a bit annoying. But it could be worse.

Anyway, instead of being out flogging the jet to places south or working on Kintala's to-do list, I am crashed in my chair enjoying the effects of serious pain meds. (Actually, I don't really like this feeling at all; which is why I leave "drinking like a sailor" to the experts.) To pass the time and try to ignore the little men hammering on the side of my face I have been reading sailing blogs. One of my favorites states that a successful cruiser should have a concrete objective for the cruise.

Our only "concrete objective" is to get the boat ready and go. After that the plan is to be north of the hurricanes and south of the Nor'easters. I hope that is concrete enough to be "successful."

Oh, and try to avoid getting any more stitches.