I'm getting back into the swing of things at work... I'm going to classes, starting to remember things, and doing all kinds of work related stuff. I get to be an overachiever even before I get back to work. So I figure that I'm doing so well, I shoudl go ahead and take a test for certification and I should pass it because, after all, my brain is good, right? I haven't touched the stuff in over a year, and there have been some new things I haven't gotten to touch, but really- that shouldn't be my issue, because I can just catch up and do it all before I even get back.

I go and take the test and...well, yeah, I fail.. Ugh. I chalk it up to not working for 12 months, a momentary brain seizure, and not using what I've learned. Never mind that the last time I ever failed the test was 21 years ago. There's probably some boy out there that was born the same day I failed my last test and is currently out drinking whiskey in the alleyway behind the school but I digress. But hey, I've given blood and bone, so the doctor should be able to tell me something good the next day and all will be well, right?

I go to the doctor to find out what the blood tests tell her and what I can expect from the bone marrow extraction (which by the way, can be painful before and/or after the work is done by The Physician People).

I greet her and she saya, 'I have some good news and some bad news!!' Immediately I think that the bad news is that I'll die in 60 minutes but that the good news is that she saw Kelly Perrine and Michael Dorn and they're on their way over to comfort me in my hour of need. But no, her good news is that I have plenty of B12 and I'm rich in iron. The bad news is that in attempting to retrieve bone marrow, they got a lot of...fat. No muscle, no bone, just...fat. She's fairly incensed, but she assures me that she'll pick a Friday and I'll just come back and she'll get it herself.

Oh, and she is still analyzing the blood she got before. It looks like I might be more anemic than originally thought.

So I'm in the need for better brains, more blood and giving more bone. Help a brutha out.

Yes, for all intents and purposes, I'm back. Let's do some catching up, shall we?

If you read the blog below, you'll have the "what I did in the winter" blog. To bring e'rebody up to date, I've taken the tests, and I should have something to report tomorrow. The only reason I haven't reported anything until now is because I've been procrastinating patiently waiting for the doctor to retrieve and disseminate results. I've taken 4 classes so far. I've got a doctor's thumbs-up to return to work March 3rd, and I've gained enough weight so that people don't get frightened when I'm at work, securing my space and my career. I have a certification test on Wednesday, a retreat on Friday, and three classes to take next week.

I have watched television until I've turned blue, and yet I can't stop. Will & Grace, Scrubs, E.R., Charmed, Oz, 24, and The Shield have been my mainstays, with Kingpin doing a bumrush on my plans and consuming all of my free energy.

I'd like to say that I'm still running around in my free time and hanging out but the truth is that the workaholic in me is coming out in full force which makes me seem like I'm doing nothing for fun, but that would be a lie, since- gasp- work is fun for me. I changed my fonts too, and I'm going to change my colors of this website. I'm nowhere near an artist, so I'll be slower than normal, but that's because I'm trying to catch up to 1 years' worth of work without collapsing and/or working more than 40 hours a week (a nice maximum number of hours as given to me and my employer by my doctor).

Stay tuned for more...it took me no time to write this, so I think life as it stands is pretty busy but pretty darned fun. In my near future: getting a passport, working out, and purchasing more music to thrill me as I drive around in my car. And oh yeah...the women of my life...