Good News, Some Noise, & Dylan Tune Stuck In My Head

Well the good news is that the biopsy I had done a few weeks ago has come back with favorable results.  No sign of melanoma which as you can imagine makes me very happy.  The "noise" as I am calling it is that they want to remove the mass anyway just because it is in the area where the affected lymph nodes were  So on August 22nd I go back under the knife for more surgery and another scar from the battle.  Its outpatient and I shouldn't be under for more than an hour.  The shame of it is that my left arm is just now starting to feel normal from the lymphectomy  I had done in December.   I don't really know how much this surgery will set that back and it really doesn't matter.  Again I am so happy to have Dr. M as my surgeon.  He never tires of my endless questions and always takes whatever time I want from him. 

I ended up getting stuck in New Jersey this weekend.  I was scheduled to fly home Friday afternoon and fly back Sunday night.  Continental has been having labor issues all week that stems from their acquisition with United late last year.  The beef as I understand it is this.  Both airlines have pilots on layoff status.  The Continental pilots feel that they should recall all Continental pilots first before offering jobs to layed off United pilots.  I guess this isn't what is happening.  I heard a bunch of pilots bitching about it last week as I was riding the train around Newark getting my rental car.  So they had a sick out this week in protest.  I think this is actually illegal on their part and think it will be interesting to see what happens.  I am guessing nothing.  How do you prove a sick out?    So my flight was coming from Louisville, but canceled due to unreported issues.   I am guessing no pilot or co pilot.  No biggy, they assign a different inbound flight for us to use for our return to Kansas City.  The whole time flights are being canceled left and right over the PA and the line at the customer service desk is getting huge.  Then the mother of all storms blows into Jersey and they pretty much cancel every flight going out that evening.  My opinion is that Continental was being opportunistic and used the weather to cancel all flights so that they can use the weather as an excuse and not have to compensate people.  Anyway, the last thing I want is more free flights.  So I went back and got a new rental car and headed back to the hotel that I had checked out of earlier that day and checked back in.  For all you Pawn Star fans I ran into Chumlee at the Budget rental counter in Newark.  Pretty much just like you see on TV.  Very friendly and personable guy.  I spent yesterday in NYC at the metropolitan museum of art.  All I can say is wow.  What an amazing place.  The city is just packed this time of year and tons and tons of people everywhere.  I look forward to the tourist season being over so its not so crazy, just normal NY crazy.  The freedom tower is coming along nicely finally and you can see it from Jersey now as you are coming in on the train.  The five hours I spent sitting at the airport waiting for them to cancel my flight I had this Dylan tune stuck in my head.  Like most Dylan tunes I have no idea what he is trying to tell us, but it somehow seemed appropriate.  My favorite version of one of my favorite Dylan tunes.  I forget where Rollin Stone had this song on there top 70 Dylan songs but remember thinking it should be higher.  Am I the only Dylan geek who read that edition of Rolling Stone?