I will be editing this post ‘on the fly’… so check it again later; it may have changed.

To begin with, I ran into Mike N. Friday afternoon, and let him know that I expect to be able to at least ‘consult’ on his black tie event. He then told me that just that morning his contact at the Boyle Street Centre had called to let him know that the author of the book the event was to showcase was found dead of an apparent overdose of prescription drugs. Mike was still showing signs of disbelief. All I could think of was the waste of talent, and about how many artists are so conflicted within their lives that they have to get out of them, somehow.

The conversation with Mike was not the first thing of note in my day.

We met with Dr. Williams to discuss ‘stuff’ and to sign off on the surgery. At that time I asked him three questions and a point of information: do we have a date?, what about laetrile? what happens to the tooth that they will remove? and talk to us more about tanning beds.

Do we have a date? Yes. November 26, 2007, 7 am. This is weeks earlier than we expected, and while its a major bonus that we are getting the tumours dealt with sooner than later, it is going to mean some serious rejigging at the office. The Doctor then went on to discuss what to expect, and suggested quite strongly that Gail find something to do during the 15 hours I would potentially be in surgery and recovery. He suggested she go home… he will phone her when the surgery is complete. She remains adamant that she will be right there the whole time. Its also starting to look like my mother and father will be flying in as well…

What about laetrile? He has nothing against it, but would prefer that we wait until after the surgery to introduce it into my diet. He is concerned primarily about the anti-coagulation properties and the surgery.

What happens to the tooth that they will remove? Unfortunately, its a throw-away. The team has tried saving the tooth, but it has not been successful. In my case, because of the crowding of the lower incisors, the roots of two teeth would be compromised if they tried to saw between teeth. By popping one tooth out, they can get a clean, safe cut. And, once the jaw is back together, the gap may allow the other teeth a little bit of breathing room. Doctor Williams also pointed out that when I smile, people don’t really see my lower teeth. The gap will not be hugely noticeable. And Gail suggested that we can always see Doctor Scott about getting a false tooth if it becomes an issue for me. Ahhhh… vanity.

Talk to us about tanning beds. Doctor Williams is not a fan of the tanning beds because of the sharp rise in melanomas that appear to be linked to indiscriminate use of the technology by the vain and the uninformed. Now while I may be vain, I certainly do not consider myself uninformed. After a few minutes of back and forth with this, the message that we took away from the discussion was about moderation and sensible use; don’t do any more than one would get from an hour and a half of exposure to natural sunlight.

I am still so incredibly impressed by how fast this is all moving! My experiences with the ‘system’ so far are wonderful. How much of this is because of my attitude? ‘Don’t know for sure, but I really have so little to complain about…

I will add to this post throughout the day. Actually, no I won’t… its now Monday.