02 April 2007

Call Me Karl

Yes, it’s a few days beyond Wednesday. The birthday celebration lasted longer than expected (as it should), and the brilliant work of a beloved engineer left my home PC unable to open the Blogger site. There are many entertaining tales from the last couple of weeks; I just wish I could share all of them with you.

But let’s start with a tragedy.

This is how I looked just days before my birthday:


I was sporting a near-gin blossom, rockin' the Karl Malden look — bulbous and deep red and just plain ogrish. I’d love to say it was from all the partying and boozing it up … but it was a weird infection in my sinuses. And it was twice as painful as it looked; just rolling over in bed brought tears of pain.

I knew this was serious, as I had a staph infection in my sinuses back in college — an infection that landed me in the hospital (quarantined!) for nearly a week. See, your sinuses are near your brain, so doctors get a little worried when things go funky in that area. And I could tell from the pain that something similar was brewing.

But that’s not the really painful part. Peter Buck and Scott McCaughey saw me schnozzled.

*sigh*

Thanks to antibiotics and steroids and a smart ENT, I was nearly back to normal by the birthday bash … but a lot of folks are still calling me “Karl.”

* * * * * *

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21 Comments:

At 4/02/2007 08:37:00 PM, Blogger a said...

Ha HA! First to respond! Woo hoo! I'm proud of you for posting the pic! Gotta lotta guts to put that snoz out there for everyone to see.

This post could almost go hand-in-hand with my new post. It's kinda related. Sorta.

 
At 4/02/2007 08:43:00 PM, Blogger kfluff said...

Holy Moly! That's a schnozz, all right! Remember, yours is temporary; Karl's is (was?) permanent.

 
At 4/02/2007 09:36:00 PM, Blogger Karen said...

aww, I hope you get better! For that to be permanent would be crap. Looks horrible. :<

--karen

 
At 4/02/2007 09:45:00 PM, Blogger Jeremy said...

Wow. I had an infection just under my eye that kept getting worse as my brother's bachelor party kept going. I went to the dr the day aftert I got home. Same deal - antibiotics and steroids. It sure is fun, eh?

 
At 4/02/2007 10:30:00 PM, Blogger Dale said...

If Michael Douglas starts calling, change your number. My mom had huge sinus issues including a couple of operations and she said it was more painful than childbirth. Just think how Scott will look at you once the swelling goes down!

 
At 4/03/2007 02:11:00 AM, Blogger Joe said...

OUCH.

Glad you're feeling better.

 
At 4/03/2007 07:23:00 AM, Blogger Old Lady said...

Ouch! Feel better soon!

 
At 4/03/2007 09:54:00 AM, Blogger Tenacious S said...

Oooooo, you should have seen one of the kids I work with. He had some weird infection that started near his eye and spread to one half of his whole face. I've never seen anything like it. Infections are weird. I'm blaming global warming this year.

 
At 4/03/2007 11:11:00 AM, Blogger Jenna said...

Yikes! I'm glad you're feeling better!

 
At 4/03/2007 03:49:00 PM, Blogger Moderator said...

I think your nose looked lovely. It's what's inside your nose that counts.

 
At 4/03/2007 04:12:00 PM, Blogger Cup said...

DAN: Max is rockin' a Jackson Pollock thing, isn't he? I guess he takes after his dad ...

KFLUFF: For a couple of days, I was afraid that would be my nose for the rest of my days. But it's back to normal.

KAREN: Didn't I look like a freak?

JEREMY: We really need to stop rubbing our faces all over each other.

DALE: They discovered a polyp in my sinuses and said I can opt for surgery. I didn't opt.

 
At 4/03/2007 04:15:00 PM, Blogger Cup said...

BUBS: It was a total OUCH.

OLD LADY: Already back to normal! Well, my concept of normal.

TEN S: I'm blaming global warming on everything.

GIZMOROX: I think I frightened a few children ...

GRANT MILLER: You always know what to say, sir. Such a deep-thinking man.

 
At 4/03/2007 04:21:00 PM, Blogger barista brat said...

poor beth!

but i know you can rock any look - even 'the karl'!

 
At 4/03/2007 05:31:00 PM, Blogger KK said...

I think that nose will look lovingly like my nads after I get them snipped next week.

 
At 4/03/2007 10:47:00 PM, Blogger Ellis Vener said...

Ouch! Sorry we missed your birthday (We were in Houston). That looks like that one really smarts. thanks for noting the new blog o' mine.

 
At 4/04/2007 02:07:00 AM, Blogger Writeprocrastinator said...

Tonight on The Streets of San Francisco: "A Cup of Coffey, A Cup of Crisis!"

Da-da-dah-nuh-dah!

 
At 4/04/2007 02:10:00 AM, Blogger Writeprocrastinator said...

Kidding aside, I'm glad that you're better.

P.S. Antibiotics, steroids, a smart ENT, and your American Express Card, don't leave home without them.

 
At 4/04/2007 09:56:00 AM, Blogger Cup said...

BRAT: Thank you, ma'am. Your check is in the mail.

KEITH KENNEDY: Ah, going for the big snip, huh? Your beloved will love you for it. And I'm feeling your pain already.

ELLIS: Enjoying the new blog, sir.

WRITE PROCRASTINATOR: Excellent episodic title! I think that should be my blog's subhead, don't you?

 
At 4/05/2007 08:59:00 AM, Blogger Dale said...

As long as you don't go with A Cup of Malden, I'm cool.

 
At 4/06/2007 10:55:00 AM, Blogger Jeremy said...

Now that I think about it, that picture makes you look a lot like Charles Bukowski. I guess you could take that as a compliment. I would.

 
At 4/18/2007 11:56:00 PM, Blogger Cup said...

DALE: A Cup of Mauldin, maybe ... but not of Malden. Unless there's whiskey.

JEREMY: That's the look I've been striving for these last few years!

 

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