Superbowl Road Trip, Valentine Tacos, Leg Slices

[Note: This is another blog based on my weekly emails to my family on the mainland.]

2/18/23

Aloha Snow Bunnies!

This was an "interesting" week.  It started with Super Bowl Sunday, of course -- the most mega, most lollapalooza-ish, hugest, most gargantuan, superduperist football game in the history of the universe.  I didn't watch a minute of it. Well, except for some of the commercials, which I saw on YouTube.  I really think this game is over-hyped in an already over-hyped sport, and I have very little interest in who wins.  Don't get me wrong -- I do like certain team sports and several individual sports, too.  But professional American football is just not for me.

Instead of being glued to our t.v., we drove up to Waimea and enjoyed a very nice late lunch with friends from Ohio (now living in Wisconsin) and their daughter, who is a teacher at the Hawai'i Preparatory Academy.  Her parents are visiting for most of the winter, staying in her apartment on campus.  One of the best things about driving to Waimea was that there was almost NO traffic. If we hadn't joined them for lunch, our usual SB Sunday activity is to go to Costco -- no lines at the checkout!

Next up was Valentine's Day.  I kept it low key this year by treating Karen to a session at Planet Fitness followed by a romantic lunch at .... Taco Bell.  Hey, do I know how to charm the ladies, or what?!

On Wednesday I went to my dermatologist for my yearly checkup. Overall things were good, except for the thing that is growing on my thigh.  It has been removed twice, and each time it's come back bigger and badder.  The second time it was removed the biopsy identified it as a squamous cell carcinoma. The treatment (removal, plus cauterizing and scraping) often takes care of this type of nasty, but it seemed like it came back again.  However, the dermatologist (actually, her PA) was puzzled this time because it didn't fit the usual characteristics of squamous cell carcinoma.  She took a sample and sent it for analysis.   She called yesterday afternoon with the biopsy results, which identified it as non-malignant (whew!) "somethingsomethingsomethingelse hypersensitive tissue" where the tumor was removed.  The treatment is to apply a special steroid cream and cover the spot for two weeks to get it to heal properly.  If that doesn't work we'll hit it with a steroid injection.  Hmmmm..... Then I suppose they'll amputate.  Remember, this all began just to remove a wart that was kind of a nuisance.

Caught in the Middle

 We were scheduled to play golf on Thursday at Makalei but we canceled at the last minute because of a big storm that dumped rain on most of the state.  This continued into Friday and even this morning, to the delight of the coqui frogs.  From the radar picture on Thursday we might have been able to get in a few holes before getting drenched, but it didn't seem worth it.  Of course,  wimping out certainly isn't in the original spirit of the game, which was invented in cold, wet, and windy Scotland!  Don't care.  I'm definitely a fair-weather golfer.

My intention of continuing some painting projects was partially realized before the rains came.  Paint on the concrete block foundation in the front had bubbled and blistered, so I scraped all the loose stuff off, then primed it with a high-quality undercoat that should help the paint adhere better, then repainted.  It certainly looks better and should last longer.  When the weather cooperates I've got a wooden bench that needs re-staining and some sections of our lanai railings that need repainting, plus it's time to recoat our driveway.  I do this every 3-5 years with a special concrete paint that not only makes the driveway look nice, it keeps down the mold and mildew that used to form on it.  This isn't as big a job as it sounds because I get my handyman to help and we use long rollers that makes it go fast.  The hardest part is pressure washing the driveway first, then getting the paint on before the birds poop on it.

Ok, that's the weekly report.  Take care.  Only a couple more months of this fun winter weather to go!