Monkey Love and Painful Procedures

Let me start by saying this - Valentine's Day is not one of my favorite days. A lot of people seem to think that "romantics" (or whatever comparable labels we're given) would be a natural match with a day devoted to love. Not true, in my book. I'm more of a belief that every day should be devoted to love. Why just one day? And why the expectations of flowers, dinner, candy and other gifts? I'd much rather give small tokens of my love and express myself throughout the year than have one day devoted to it. Actually, and it's a cliched joke, Hallmark, FTD and the other big profiteers of the day are the one who perpetuate it, I think.

Anyway, I still feel an obligation to make sure my beloved LampLover knows I love her, and to take the time to express it in a way that *I* like. Dinner out a nice restaurant would have been nice...and a bit better of a present would have been good too. However, I don't really have the money right now - one reason why will follow this recap - and so I'm left to devise more creative activities. Luckily, LL is good with the imagination as well, and she suggested a little frozen chinese food buffet (from the cold depths of my freezer - prepackaged and pretty much ready to go) and I threw in the idea of a movie, and we were off. It was a quiet little romantic meal...we exchanged gifts just before - LL gave me a great framed picture of the two of us from New Years Eve and I gave her a little basket of bath items to pamper her with - and then enjoyed the food and the company (though not the movie really....FYI, The Corpse Bride is a bit sub-par). Other activities of the evening will remain on a need to know basis. It was a very enjoyable day, despite it's over commercialism on the whole.

Now, some of you don't know, so I will share. My out of shape gut managed to let down it's defenses a bit last fall when I was moving into my current digs, and lo and behold - out protruded a small hernia. I've put it off for some time, because it's really just a bit of a nuisance, and not particularly painful. But, during my last visit to my doctor, I decided to have him check it out. Yep, he said. Hernia it is, and you need to get it worked on - call this fella, he's good...handed me a reference. Being the speedy guy I am, I followed up on said reference about 3-4 weeks later. The Referred Doctor took a look at it. Yep, he said. Hernia it is, and you need to get it worked on. Not today or tomorrow or anything...but pretty soon. No more than a month or so from now. Ugh. So, I scheduled the surgery, and that was about two weeks ago. My surgery is upcoming this next Tuesday. So, wish me luck...good thoughts, etc., etc. It's not a particularly difficult surgery, I've been told, and it's an outpatient procedure, and I'll be back in the very bed I get out of the morning of my surgery later that afternoon, but I'm still a bit nervous. Guess I'm chicken. Oh well. Good mojo is requested, none the nevermind.

Oh - and the Olympics are on. Good hockey. Actually, VERY good hockey. Catch some if you can - the best in the game are on display.

Monkey - out.