A wildly distorted iPhone selfie of the author.
Big, aggressive tumor now gone. Four hours of Mohs surgery. No cameras in sight. A big bandage covering the side of my face. Not as bad as I thought it would be... One less thing to drop dead from in the moment...
Mohs surgery is done on an outpatient basis. I chose to forgo any sort of tranquilizer and just leaned on the power of Lidocaine to skirt the pain of the incisions and the zany feeling of having catgut pulled tight on my face. A good choice? Yeah. Maybe. It did mean I was able to drive myself home afterwards. And when I got home I almost finished a small container of Haagen Daz rum raisin ice cream someone thoughtfully left me in the freezer. The cold ice cream took the edge off.
Usually doctors are adamant about getting patients to move more, do more exercise, get that heart rate up, but it seems that having stitches on one's face requires a different approach. I've been asked, for the next five to seven days, not to do anything to raise my blood pressure and not to spend time sweating in the Texas heat. Seems the rise in BP that is induced while exercising can cause the sutures to bleed or fail. And I sure don't want that.
It will be a novel, new experience for me to stay still for days at a time and keep my heartbeat nice and low. But I'm not sure how many days I can take that kind of torture. Bottom line? A week of negative scanning and no shooting. Of couch surfing but no push ups. And definitely not allowed near any nearby swimming pools.
This was a big one so it will result in some scarring even though it was Mohs surgery which is reputed to be akin to plastic surgery in healing into almost un-noticed, tiny scars. My friend, David, suggests I might want to buy a motorcycle and become a biker. Say's biker chicks dig scars. I'm afraid I'll have to pass on that...
Well, when constrained from the usual daily pleasures It's probably time to whip out the credit card and see what kind of trouble I can get myself into at an online camera source. There are a few contenders...
It seems that I have more or less resolved to stop taking jobs. Entirely. The exception being fun projects from a small handful of clients that are always fun and interesting to work with. No new clients; please!
B. and my wealth manager concur that I won't run out of money any time soon. If ever. As long as I don't start collecting collectable Porsches or bid on any historic Leica cameras...
Air conditioners? Regular cars? Current cameras and lenses? All seem to be fair game by their standards. I've also found a restaurant that's so good I want to eat there every day. That should soak up any excess currency.
So, what's on the camera wish list? I would love to add an M240P to the mix. I have three M240 variants. Two of the black paint originals as well as an industrial gray finished M240 ME. The P model has no red dot on it anywhere, a quieter shutter and a faster, bigger buffer than the original. None of these things are necessities but I still think that camera would be fun to own and use.
If I'm no longer entertaining all kinds of jobs I have give serious thought to winnowing down all the professional mirrorless cameras and lenses. Dumping the SL cameras, the Sigma fp, the Leica CLs, and all the accessories and parts. B. is opposed to this idea and is adamant that based on my previous performances I will just end up buying them all back or buying newer versions of them as replacements a few months down the road. I would argue but I suspect she may be right. Still, it would be nice to have only three cameras and a handful of much smaller lenses to choose from. On the fence about ever getting rid of the Q2. It's just pretty much perfect for casual 28mm and 35mm work.
I still have a lot of lights, modifiers and stands over here and those would be nice to dump on some unsuspecting, young photographers who don't even know yet that they need lights. But maybe they don't. I tried to convince the CFO that some of the cooler LEDs could be artistically adapted to make great lights for the living room, the study and the dining room but that idea got squashed in a moment. It's one of the caveats about living with a designer --- stuff that looks good is a priority for them...
One thing that came up in my mind as I was going through negatives and scanning last week: I think it's important, from a hindsight perspective, to keep shooting because what we shoot today will end up, most likely, as the "nostalgia treasure" ten years and twenty years hence. Not as some imagined legacy for the progeny but selfishly, for myself.
On another note, I've had my Subaru Legacy Sport for a year now and it's a fun, solid and reliable car. I'm keeping it. But I am looking for an eccentric sports car as an adjunct. I still have my eyes on the 2025 Subaru BRZ but several restored 911s have come on the market nearby that look really, really nice.
Finally, when the stitches come out (July 9th?) and the operation is pronounced a success I'm on the next plane out of Austin. Either Vancouver or Montreal/Quebec City. Gotta use some of these cameras before the pass their "sell by" dates.
Kind of fun to be totally unencumbered by work. I haven't had this feeling since school. I'm learning to get over the fear of no boundaries and the conjoined anxiety that comes from change. Good or bad.
I will be on the west coast in a couple of weeks. Maybe we can meet up. Glad to hear you weathered the storm 😀 Life is to short, especially at our age, to waste it making money we don't need. Give'er hell Kirk!
ReplyDeleteGood news! Clear margins sounds wonderful to me.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the MP240, or M-P (Typ 240) when it’s being formal - that’s what I ended up with back in 2016, I went with it based on spec and have never regretted my choice. It’s been recently joined by a M246, it’s nice having two bodies that are nearly identical in use. Now that batteries are supposedly in production I think it’s a safe choice.
Did you ever get a Tri-Elmar? That’s a good way of blowing through some money, and Precision has one in the used case…
Seriously, glad to hear the surgical outcome news.
I had dinner with another Mohs victim a week or so ago, and told him I was scheduled to get it done in mid-July, and I was worried about the size of the problem and the possible scar on the side of my face. He pointed to a spot on his forehead and said he'd had a Mohs the size of a quarter, and I could see no sign of it, except that one of the wrinkles on his forehead had a small krinkle in it. Nothing that anyone would notice, and was hard to see even when he was pointing at it. I really think you'll be fine. My last Mohs had dissolving stitches so I also had to be careful in the shower...don't know if that applies to you.
ReplyDeleteHi John, the affected area was wide and deep so the incision is pretty big. Mine has dissolvable stitches in the subdural layer and regular, removable stitches on the top layer of the skin. No pain during the procedure but it hurts a bit now. And is less that perfectly comfortable when I have a long conversation. Which is, for me, almost always. No exercise until the primary (top) stitches come out around the 9th. Which pisses me off. But really, considering the alternatives I'm quite happy to endure one day of relative discomfort and nine days of enforced lethargy. I had Mohs once before in Dec. of 2020 and you can't even see the scar on my face. It's almost like magic. I'm so entitled I requested that the surgeon's nurse do the initial redressing of the site in a couple of days. They agreed. No shower until after the first dressing change on Thursday. Glad I don't have any cocktail parties or jobs scheduled.
DeleteI'm glad it went well. Happy travels.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jim. Always appreciated.
DeleteGlad to hear the surgery is now in the rear view mirror, Kirk. You wear bandages well. I’m sure your recovery will be a quick one. Regarding new camera acquisitions, an M240P would be fine. But consider either a Q3 43 or M11 (or maybe an M10 if you don’t want to overdo it on resolution). On the subject of cars, a restored 911 is very tempting but the Subaru BRZ is probably just as fun to drive (make sure you get a manual) and a lot less expensive to maintain. A Mazda MX5 coupe should also be on your short list. Myself, two cameras seem to have caught my eye lately: The Fuji X-E5 and the 100th anniversary edition of the Leica D-Lux 8. That last one surprises me. I’m not one to desire “special edition” Leicas. But I like the leatherette and nickel finish - and no Leica red dot. A good night’s sleep will hopefully put both cameras out of my mind.
ReplyDeleteI hope I don't scar, it might ruin my career as a leading man in cinema. Not yet launched. The BRZ is the front runner for the reasons you mentioned. I've driven several over the last year and they are wonderful. And since I'll keep the Legacy I have no issue with the 6 speed. I'm not interested in diving back into Fuji stuff but it's funny we both like the 100 year anniversary DLUX8. It's actually a great little camera. At least my stock on is..... All the best, KT
ReplyDeleteGreat news! I'm glad that the MOHS surgery was a success and you're well on the road to recovery. Some neat trips to Canada being planned to help emotionally. Anxious for your trip reports. Bob Autrey
ReplyDeleteThanks to VSL, I've been applying SPF50 sunblock religiously, and perfecting my ghostly pallor! Maybe I'll get a UV camera to ensure I'm not missing any spots or laying it on too thin.
ReplyDeleteDuring the warmer months in my neighborhood, classic car enthusiasts stage monthly get-togethers, and it's a great photo op for me. But I've noticed that while air-cooled VW and Porsche are very popular, water-cooled models are much less so, and I have yet to see someone bring a 928. Surprisingly few BMWs, (an occasional 2002/320/325), no Audi, and not much Mercedes-Benz either, despite the popularity of those brands: Kinda makes me think.
Jeff in Colorado
Congratulations on the success of the MOHS surgery Kirk. Delighted all went well.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't dare suggest what Leica cameras you should think about as your experience of them is greater than mine by an order of magnitude. Regarding the BRZ, I had the previous GT86 and my son now has a BRZ. Fabulous car in every respect, and in the price bracket the only competitor is the MX5 (Miata to you guys). I went for the 2.0, and really, the choice between the two come down to convertible or coupe. If you are determined not to bask in the sunshine in the oppressive Texas heat (which I suspect you won't be), the BRZ is an excellent choice. To get anything better, you'll need to spend a lot more money, and the enjoyment factor may not be considerably greater. But wait, a restored 911's you say?
Two cameras you need to buy:
ReplyDelete--Leica M-P (Typ 240) Safari Edition
--The 100th Anniversary Edition Leica D-Lux 8
What? You don't already have a backup for your D-Lux 8?
I'm trying to resist purchasing the 100th Anniversary Edition D-Lux 8.
If you need to keep your blood pressure low, it might be advisable to steer clear of cable TV news for a while. . . .
ReplyDeleteGrand job. Give Vancouver a serious look. We've been having a mild summer so far in this neck of the woods. High temps in the mid-70's, not much rain, and we haven't had much smoke from the bushfires. But flights may be packed - with the drop-off in cross-border traffic due to the tariff piss-off, many carriers have been dropping flights.
ReplyDeleteMy Mohs incision was initially a hideous looking scar about three times the length of the visible melanoma. Shocking! It healed nicely as a small lightly visible scar. Happy healing time!
ReplyDeleteInstead of buying a sports car, which would only lead to you wondering if you should have bought that other one instead, why not just rent a fancy set of wheels 3 or 4 times a year for a weekend? You'd get to sample more of them that way and it would seem more like playing than if you bought one. If you bought one, you'd have to maintain it and pay insurance coverage and all the rest of that crap. And since it would be only for playing, you could sync the rental with a specific trip somewhere. If you owned a sports car, you'd find yourself in it on freeways or at red lights and what's the point of that.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear about the surgery results.
If you plan to travel in mid to late summer, Vancouver is the better bet weather-wise. Montreal can be killer humid in late July or August. Québec City would be cooler but eastern Canada is generally a better bet in autumn. You should think about Newfoundland, seriously. It means more driving than visiting a big city, but still.
Kirk, I am glad that the surgery was a success. If you make it to Vancouver please let me buy YOU a coffee this time. I am scheduled to head out to Montreal in August. If that is your destination, I hope to see what places you really like.
ReplyDelete