Tangier Sound

Dear Old Dad and I had to get on the road at 3:30 AM this morning to get my appointment at Johns Hopkins today. It was nice seeing Dr. Niparko again, even if the visit did involve carving a honking huge hunk of skin off of the side of my head!

While I was getting carved up Dear Old Dad gave the kids in the waiting room harmonicas.

Anyway, to use the doctor’s terminology, they “aggressively cut” (aggressive and cut are two words that just don’t sound good together!) the skin around my Baha implant today. Near the end of the procedure they brought Dear Old Dad in and he was kind of freaked by all the blood . . . I’ll let him tell you all the rest of that story himself.

Next week I have to go back for some more work. In the meantime I can’t wear the sound processor so I will be almost completely deaf for at least a week.

In a funny way, it seems proper to end such a crazy year quietly. So much has happened over the course of 2009. Getting my hearing back, the folk musicians retreats, Somerset banjos, my girlfriend . . . I am grateful to have the time to reflect everything that has happened, but I am also using this time to plan for even bigger adventures in 2010.

Have a wonderful Christmas, everybody!

And now, let’s all kick back with the holiday classic, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians!