Hello hello hello. Greetings from post-op. Dual trigger release, left ring and middle fingers. Or left ring and “long” finger as they say at the hospital. I asked about that. Sounded vaguely like it might be PC-motivated, but, then, why “ring?” Some people don’t want to get married, etc. etc. No idea.

Entirely too much bandage, as you can see, especially to write. The real mystery is why they bound my index finger when it was not operated on. So, I have redone the bandages a bit, which I am supposed to wear for five days. Absurd. I peeked underneath. not pretty. But now with the regauzing and re-binding, I have my index finger free as well as my pinky, so it’s not too, too bad. Still hard to write. But not impossible.

The scars on my middle finger go up the side, because I had “think tendons” and they had to scrape them down a little bit. Not like fat plump soft boy tendons, mind you, manly beefy muscular tendons. Could have killed a man with my index finger John Wick look out.

The UNC Ambulatory center is not as great as the Panther Creek Surgical center and at one point, when they made me put on a hospital gown, I whined about it and said “they didn’t make me do this at Panther Creek!” And the nurse Sal just laughed. The other thing about Panther Creek is you get one nurse the whole time. This place I had, like, five cycle through? Did not love that. They DID all sign a card afterwards, though. That is a nice touch.

I spent about two hours laying on a bad in a hospital gown waiting for my turn in the surgery. I was right outside the nurse station so I just listened to their nurse gossip for two hours while playing Fruit Merge and keeping an eye on work on Slack. One woman had just returned from work after two months maternity leave with her first kid. She as very sad about it. One woman was trying out a new shift but was worried it would mess with her sleep. They talk about the doctors like they are dictators, so much banter about their preferences and little quirks. One doctor “always starts late,” which, you know. Confirmed some paranoia theories of mine.

BUT I have to say their manager? Head Nurse dude? He was an excellent manager. Great listener. Patient, kind. A+ management. Like I used to be able to do in the olden days.

Ugh I have to keep this bandage on for five days. I (probably) can’t do any work on the studio this weekend that is sad. Though I do need to reorganize my assorted tool workspaces maybe I can do that.

So anyway two hand surgeries, both with complications, but this one wasn’t as bad. Not as long, more optimistic for the recovery, doesn’t even hurt much. They inexplicably gave me way more drugs this time: gabipentin and hydrocodone. Don’t really plan on using them unless I am missing something. Also I always thought it was “gavipentin” but nope, it is a B not a V. The more you know.

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I am listening to that Voyeuer band today. Oh wait, I mean voyeur, no caps because caps are for squares apparently. They sound even more like Sonic Youth today than they did yesterday. Think most melodic Sonic Youth: Star Power, A Thousand Leaves. I like it. Album is called The Burden of Desire. Caps are cool in album names, apparently. Or maybe they grew old and square since naming their band. Or maybe its because Discogs says there are sixteen other bands named Voyeur.

Sure aren’t sixteen other bands named Rockets Burst from the Streetlamps, he says wistfully and nostalgically.

So I logged on to Facebook last night. I don’t post there anymore (well, except for a day ago when something came over me and I desperately needed to post about Florence and the Machine, I don’t know, I don’t know). But something came over me because a bunch of the Boston music scene was mourning the death of one of The co-owners of the Middle East, maybe. He got accused of sexual assault a while back and had to quit but in his decades of running that place he obviously had a huge impact on a lot of people and people – many of them women! – are sad. You are allowed to be sad about people who made your life better, even if they made other people’s lives worse. In fact you’re allowed to be even more sad.

ANYWAY that’s not what I’m here for today. I am here because fucking Facebook took my profile picture — an old photobooth photo of Emma and I — and AI animated it against my will. It was so fucking creepy and my face looked wrong and it ruined the humor of the actual American Gothic schtick we were doing int he photo and the whole thing was so offensive and of course there was no opt-out, just a “see less posts like this” option. See less posts like what? Against my religion and patently offensive? Why is there “don’t fucking make AI animations of my photos without asking” button. Fuckin fuck fuck.

Anyone ever use one of these Cricut jobbies any crafters out there? I want to make weird vinyl stickers and bumper stickers and stuff. Is this a thing that can be done? Is it all cheap garbage? Are there better brands? Better crafting hobbies to distract ourselves while the world falls apart god there is going to be a nuclear explosion this month isn’t there, Iran is totally holding back until they exhaust our supply of ABMs and Iron Dome runs out and whatnot aren’t they oh god oh god

But yeah I want to make bumper stickers or something.

Lead me through this hobby!

Oh speaking of “lead” I inadvertently used “lead” instead of “led” in a past edition of GMHHAY last week and editor extraordinaire Ivelise gently, kindly corrected me on it. I apologize for the error. You are loved.

Check out this amazing drawing Jane did the other day at the Rheumatologist. CRAZY, right? She is so good:

Jane and I talked about Sabrina Carpenter and Olivia Rodrigo this morning on the drive to school and I was going to blow her mind and tell her that the girl Olivia sings about in “Drivers Licence” was Sabrina but Jane was way ahead of me and said that Sabrina was the girl “Obsessed” is about too which, well hey. I learned something from my daughter this morning. But I guess why wouldn’t Olivia be obsessed with Sabrina, so many other people are. “Manchild” is so catchy, man. I was unimpressed at first but that song. Catchy AF.

So let’s give you some PANKOW! Here have an industrial playlist. Ugh also I forgot to put a link on yesterday’s playlist. Whenever I do that, by the way, I remember pretty quick and go edit the online version of the edition so you can always go up there. Whatever, Rick, no one listens to these. Well that is not true, each one gets… eh, 1-5 plays. But you know, I do not do it for you! Well, I do. But i also do it for myself. Sort of.

This playlist is about half old half new. I was recently reminded about PANKOW and I checked in on them and they are still at it and making pretty good music. And “Crucify Me” came on random the other day and man that is a great song. Great vocals, great drums. Properly sedated.

Feels like this is a little short today but this hand is still not the easiest thing to type with. Things might be a little touch-n-go until Monday. Bear with me.