So that's what vestigial means

It started Sunday with a wretched stomachache. By Tuesday night, I was wearing an assless robe and a surgical intern who looked about 19 was prodding my belly while the reassuringly older attending surgeon informed me that an appendectomy is a "chip shot" as far as surgeries go. I don't know what a chip shot is, but I decided it had to mean "so easy the 19 year old could perform it one-handed, after a night of tequila shots and keg stands".

In between, I spent many hours waiting for assorted tests, and have never in my entire life been so grateful that I happened to have a good book and my knitting on hand. Also, that thing about always wearing clean underwear is totally true. Because you never know when you might be having an emergency appendectomy.

The knitting in particular entertained both this librarian-in-training and the kindergartener sitting next to me, who was spending her sixth birthday in the hospital, waiting for her mom's CT.

Now, I'm not exactly fond of kids, but she won me over almost immediately by being completely and utterly entranced by the knitting. So entranced was she that I finally just taught her to knit, using the heel flap of my mom's sock. Any knitter knows that using size 2 DPNs in the round, with inflexible splitty bamboo-cotton yarn is not the easiest way to learn how to knit. But learn she did, executing perfect knit stitches almost instantaneously after I showed her the basics a few times. I was seriously impressed. Who knew kids were that smart?

I've never had surgery before, and chip shot or no, being in the hospital pretty much blows. Recovery, on the other hand, has been a pleasure (except for the pain and exhaustion part - that part sucks). Megan of the dainty feet picked my newly-appendix-free self up at the hospital and stayed over for a few nights to fetch me food and juice and happy pills, and to yell at me when I tried to overexert myself. And as a totally unexpected bonus, BFF Quinn was in New York for a conference and offered to take the bus down to Boston to share in convalescent duty. They were the best caretakers one could possibly imagine.

Plus, my coworkers sent fabulous food, flowers and wool, and a knitty get well card (gotta love working for a cookbook publisher that's crawling with knitters). My boss was nothing but nice about my unexpected absence. Many of my SNB ladies called and emailed to make sure I was ok and to wish me a speedy recovery. I've been completely amazed by the thoughtfulness of everyone around me. And very, very thankful.

Knitting content returning soon. I've got some pretty new wool to show off, after all.