Behold the Swedish Work Permit/Visa affixed and stamped into my passport with authority. Such a simple thing delayed my departure for more than a month, but when it finally arrived I was impressed with its ornate, iridescent beauty. Fitting, I think — such a document deserves a bit of pageantry. Click on the image to biggify it.
Dave tells me that this is what Sweden is like...
It should be noted that Dave has not traveled east of Denver.
Many thank yous to all of you who assisted in my post-surgery. I enjoyed happy visits (some I recall and some I do not due to heavy medication), thoughtful calls and offers of help, and many, many frozen dessert treats.
So, there I was, on this 6th day of recovery, sitting in front of the computer and sucking on a fruit bar, and I had a few questions about this whole tonsillectomy miracle. After querying my pal Google I was whisked away to the wonderful world of X-Plain™, the interactive medical teacher with the clever name. A friendly voice and stellar graphics guided me through everything I wanted to know about my tonsils.
There are modules for nearly any disease or medical condition you can imagine. Give it a try! Go learn something about your own body. It's easy and so much fun! And don't fly through the presentation without paying attention. You will be asked True or False questions to make sure you're listening and can't continue until you've answered them correctly.
Here are a few interesting things I learned from my new friend X-Plain™:
1. Playing tug-o-war can lead to scabies.
2. Even gentlemen with exquisite style can get headaches.
3. Bad clip art is a leading cause of erectile dysfunction.
Today at three p.m. i bid farewell to my tonsils. Well, less of a "farewell" and more of a "good riddance". They have proved to be nothing more than throatal swelling and pain and all manner of trouble for years and I welcome their demise. My sweet nephew Joseph has written a fitting memo commemorating the event. (He is a very witty 6-year-old with excellent writing skills and he's just figured out how to use a word processor. He's also quite proud to tell you he knows about silent 'e's, even if they don't legally belong. He is also learning cursive — it says "Joseph Coles" at the bottom and I adore his hand — such power in the stem of the 'h'!)
Topher Grace / Spike Jonze / Stoof