what about the plastic animals?

Gimme Sum Sanwishes!

I wonder if they realized that they spelled "sandwiches" three different ways? On Broadway around 123rd.

Update: Stitches removed today. The nurses were impressed with how I was healing and the rainbow of colors on my head. Now I've got steri-tabs glued to either side of the suture. For a while I thought I could start wearing my glasses again. Then the ooze started. I was warned about oozing. It is superficial but I'd rather not encourage its flow.

Earlier this evening I was bumbling around my apartment Mr. Magoo-like, trying to find my copy of National Lampoon's Sunday Newspaper Parody. The parody was edited by P.J. O'Rourke and John Hughes in the late 1970s and has been one of my prized possessions since then. The paper is, like the National Lampoon's 1964 High School Yearbook parody, set in the fictional city of Dacron, Ohio.

I was trying to find the paper so I could accurately quote the front page story of a Dacron man who witnessed a volcanic eruption. The headline was something like "Dacron man sees volcano erupt" with the sub-head being "50,000 killed".

The inspiration for my search came from this KOLN/KGIN Lincoln-Grand Island news item: Grand Island Man in Hurricane. One can almost hear the lateMel Mains...

Self Portraits in a Dark Apartment

What a serious look! Without my glasses I realized it doesn't much matter if the lights are on or not at night. There is enough ambient light that I can make my way around. These are 15 second exposures in different rooms (kitchen, 2nd bedroom, living room, living room, respectively) of the apartment.

Brief Update

As she was closing up on Thursday the surgeon told me that I wasn't an interesting case. Bad for her but good for me. Likewise my recovery is also uninteresting. Good for me, not very gripping reading for you. As predicted by the surgeon my eye slowly swelled shut on Friday and stayed that way on Saturday. There's still some swelling but it is much better today. I've managed to change the dressing several times without getting too nauseous.

One unanticipated problem with the swelling, suture and dressing is the discomfort and awkwardness of wearing glasses. When you're as nearsighted as I am you don't do much without your glasses. It is a good thing that sitting and staring is one of my favorite pastimes! I think Friday was the first time since sixth grade that I did not put on a pair of glasses. Sixth grade was a long time ago.

Luckily, my sister was here helping me out the past several days. Thanks! I have enough provisions, gourmet provisions no less, to last through the week.

The Mark of Zorro

The surgery today went well! They got everything out on the first try. Because I don't have "lots of loose skin like our old patients" had to do some fancy reconstruction. I now have a cool-looking Z on the left side of my head. It would be fair to say that I have an asymmetric hair cut as well. The stitches come out next week. until then I have to take it easy. No bending over, no lifting, no walking more than two blocks.

Time for a vacation from the computer. Back in a few days!

Gotta Go to Mohs

Beginning in the 1930s Dr. Frederic Mohs of the University of Wisconsin developed a surgical technique that now bears his name.  Mohs micrographic surgery is most often used to treat skin cancer.  The technique involves removing the skin cancer and a very narrow margin of tissue surrounding the tumor.  The surrounding tissue is immediately examined under a microscope to make sure all the cancerous roots have been removed.  If cancerous roots are found the surgeon removes another layer of skin, but only in the location of the cancer cells.

The Mohs technique is the most effective means of treating skin cancers, especially basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, with up to a 99% cure rate at five years after surgery.  The potential for scarring and damage to healthy cells is minimized using the Mohs technique.

Surgery is performed with a local anesthetic and can last anywhere from a couple of hours to all day. The surgery time depends on how many layers of skin the surgeon has to remove.  It takes an hour or two to prepare and examine the tissue samples.  Patients are encouraged to bring a lunch, reading material and a personal stereo to keep them occupied.

A pressure bandage remains in place for a day or two after surgery.  Stitches are removed one or two weeks after surgery.  Patients are back to their normal routines within a couple of weeks of surgery.  It typically takes six to twelve months for surgical wounds to heal completely.  All efforts are made to hide the incision lines with natural lines of the face.

I have basal cell carcinoma on my left temple and on top of my head.  Basal cell carcinomas are benign but need to be removed.  Both are repeat occurrences, so Mohs surgery is the preferred treatment option.  I'll have my temple treated tomorrow (assuming I'm not derailed by what seems to be an ear infection).  After it has healed somewhat we will set a date for the scalp surgery.  That surgery, I'm told, will reduce, if not eliminate, my bald spot!

I'll be taking it easy the next few days.  Don't expect many posts unless I get really bored sitting at home.

More about skin cancer and Mohs surgery:

Stanford Cancer Center Causes of Skin Cancer
National Institutes of Health What You Need to Know About Skin Cancer
Basal Cell Carcinoma from the Skin Cancer Foundation.
American Society for Mohs Surgery
About Mohs Micrographic Surgery from the American College of Mohs Micrographic Surgery and Cutaneous Oncology.
Introduction for Mohs Micrographic Surgery Lesson "how to" from the Loyola University Chicago Medical School.
Mohs Surgery from eMedicine.com with pictures!

Bike Ride - Along Riverside Drive in the 100s

The last stops on the bike tour were on Riverside Drive between 100th and 106th Streets.

Fireman's Memorial at 100th St. It wasn't my intent to stop here as I visited the day before my ride, but the light was really good so I took a few more photos.

This photo was taken the day before, on September 11th.

A previous visit to the Fireman's memorial.

Statue of Franz Sigel, Civil War commander, publisher, and leader of New York's German-American community. The statue was sculpted by Karl Bitter and sits at 106th St.

Bronze statue of Shinran-Shonin, founder of a Buddhist sect, at the New York Buddhist Church and American Buddhist Academy, between 105th and 106th Streets.

That's it for the narrative photos. I've got a few more that I'll post but not in relation to the bike trip.

Previously:
Manhattan to Queens
Greenpoint
Williamsburg
Brooklyn to Manhattan

Causes of Death in Brooklyn, 1852

I was poking around old issues of the New York Times yesterday when I came across this death report for Brooklyn from the August 10, 1852 edition. Almost half the deaths that week were from cholera, diarrhea and dysentery. Only four people died from cancer, heart disease or old age.

A dictionary.com search for dropsy says that the term is no longer in scientific use, the preferred term being edema. Dropsy is, however, a common disease among goldfish. Sprue is now known as celiac disease, an inherited autoimmune disease where a person is gluten intolerant. Marasmus is a protein-energy malnutrition disease in children. It is still a serious problem in developing countries.

What a cheery way to start the week!

Bike Ride - Brooklyn to Manhattan

After stopping for lunch and a water refill at the awful bagel place on Bedford (does it really take ten minutes to slice a bagel and put chicken on it?) I headed under the Williamsburg Bridge to take a look around South Williamsburg. It occurs to me after the fact that I should have taken photos of Peter Luger's and the Williamsburg Savings Bank. Oh well.

South of the bridge the streets on the river side of Kent Ave are only about a hundred feet long before they dead end at the river. I turned down one of them and saw this empty guard booth in front of a big, old brick building. There were a couple of cars parked on the street. Between the cars was a guy sitting in a chair. The guy about fifty feet away from where I'm photographing. He starts yelling out "Hey! Hello!". I look. He is waving to me so I wave back.

I start photographing the razor wire when I hear him walking up to me. He is a security guard.

"You can't take pictures here."
"Pardon me?"
"Why are you taking pictures? You can't take pictures here."

I should mention that after eating lunch I've gotten my second wind and I'm pretty amped up from riding, so I was more obnoxious that I really needed to be.

"I'm taking photos of the empty guard booth."
"Why? You can't take photos."
"It's interesting to me. Don't you think it is interesting against the empty wall?"
Puzzled look.
"Who are you?"
"What do you mean 'Who are you?' I'm a U.S. citizen." I don't know why I said that, but it seemed to throw him off. "This is a city street, right?"
"Yes."
"As long as a person is on public property they can take photographs of anything they want. If I go on your property then you can stop me."
"Who are you?"
"I'm a U.S. citizen and I'm leaving now. Bye!"

That's not quite verbatim so I probably shouldn't have used quotes, but you get the idea.

The recently closed Domino Sugar plant in Williamsburg as seen from the Manhattan Bridge

Next to Sullivan St. Bakery on Sullivan St. They have delicious, thick yogurt. For this break I had a custard-filled pastry.

Nice view on the Upper West Side.

Previously:
Manhattan to Queens
Greenpoint
Williamsburg
Next up: Along Riverside Drive.

Uh Huh It's Her

PJ Harvey is coming to town! October 6th at the Hammerstein Ballroom. I've got my tickets. How about you?

Here's the rest of the tour dates

Sunday Bike Ride - Williamsburg

There's a lot of graffiti, or wall art, in Williamsburg. I was photographing so much of it that I finally had to make myself stop and get on with the ride.

You know all those water tanks in New York? If I remember correctly, Rosenwach's is the only remaining tank maker.

Baseball, Williamsburg style.

A couple of blocks down the street from Peter Luger's.

Previously:
Manhattan to Queens
Greenpoint
Next: Run-in with a security guard and returning to Manhattan.