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weeknotes

weeknotes, 1/25

first week of the year!

ringing in the new year with friends (and their overactive puppy) near arouca was really nice, and i think it won’t be the last time we’ll visit this quiet corner of the country. the mountains and the views were perfect, and we had the first beef day* of the year, featuring doc arouquesa meat.

…but then it was back to the reality of postponed work, family stuff and thyroid shenanigans.

my biopsy results came back inconclusive, which means the half of the thyroid where the nodule is will have to be removed for testing. if it’s benign, then i’ll keep going with half a thyroid. if it’s cancer, then we’ll take out the rest of the thyroid and replace it with synthetic hormones.

the path is pretty straightforward at this point: a simple “if A then B else C” kind of situation. it makes me grateful for competent doctors and a health insurance that lets me speedrun through all these appointments and get things done quickly. i’m feeling fine (physically and mentally), eager to get this done so that i can go home.

also, this marshmallow got a kind of wooden jungle gym for christmas and has been doing her best athletic impersonations. i’m keeping these photos for when she wins some olympic medals and the media wants an interview about her childhood. :D

(*) we eat so little beef these days that i plan to count how many times we eat it this year.

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weeknotes

weeknotes, 44/24

a chilled week, spent with both sets of parents in the north. on thursday night, we kidnapped tiny niece and brought her to the village to spend time with us and the grandparents.

we stopped to smell the flowers a lot, and play with the chestnuts that fall on the floor. and i got these super huge crayons that were a hit with both baby and older cousins.

at some point (and seemingly out of nowhere), a bat appeared in the living room! it was a big one, and we don’t know how it got in because all the windows were closed at the time… it must have been there for some time. 😱 scared of catching rabies, we ran outside but despite opening all the windows and doors, it took some time for the poor thing to find its bearings and leave the room. what a thing!

in the end, it was a bit of an emotional rollercoaster weekend. little niece is super attached to her grandfather, and the feeling is mutual, with him loudly stealing her attention at every opportunity. i get it, they’re getting on in their years and this is their only grand-daughter… but it’s also my only niece, and i’d like to be able to have some quiet bonding time with her. :( *sigh*.