Skin growth, suicide and good-bye Christmas Tree

So how long does it take for your pierced ear to heal back up? There was awhile there in my early 20’s where I stopped wearing earrings for over a year. I was surprised when one day I was able to put them back in. Yes, the outer skin layer had healed over, but it barely took anything to “re-pierce” the ear. And, granted it was probably 10 years ago but, I don’t remember it really hurting.



I had stopped wearing earrings for a few weeks recently because my left ear hurt a little and thought it best to give them a break. This morning I go to put them in and the skin had healed over. It got me thinking and I know I wore earrings at Thanksgiving. So it’s been less than two months! That’s some fast growing skin, isn’t it? And my ears hurt a bit today. I’m keeping them clean, but just a little unsettling since I didn’t remember the hurt from last time.



Last night I brought the beloved Christmas tree out for pick up (and then took an hour cleaning up the needles in the living room, and on the stairs, and on the porch, and on the sidewalk – it was a dry tree). It seems like such a sad end for a tree. There’s so much work in selecting the “right” tree, decorating it and keeping it lit and watered. And then it gets tossed to the curb. There should be a ceremony or something to provide proper closure. At least this time I took a picture on my camera (instead of my phone where I have yet to get the pics out – years later).



Which reminds me of my list of strange things that I came across recently:


1. Christmas tree pick-up. Last week, I was on the bus, late at night, tired, thinking. Thinking, “I wonder when the Christmas tree pick-up is this year.” And then within a minute my eye rested on the road sign on the side of the road which read, “Christmas pick-up on your regular trash day week of 1/25.” Eerie, right? I guess the message could be eerier.

2. Empire State Building. I was looking up the square footage as a way to put into context a building project I’m working on. Reading through the Wikipedia entry I came across this line:
“On December 2, 1979, Elvita Adams jumped from the 86th floor, only to be blown back onto the 85th floor and left with only a broken hip.” Weird, right? I mean, did someone leave a window open? How did she get blown back in? I don’t get the logistics.



3. Vic Chesnutt. I was catching up on my Fresh Air podcasts this week and was listening to the special, “In Memoriam: Sweet, Sad Rocker Vic Chesnutt”. At one point of an earlier interview, Terry Gross asks him how many times he’s attempted suicide. He answers, “3 or 4 times”. Isn’t that weird? It’s not like she asked: how many times have you visited Chicago? You’d think you’d remember these life changing moments and have the number down.



Well that’s all for now, as I sit here in my fancy corporate uniform while wearing snowmen socks. I really really need to do laundry this weekend.