My eye is almost healed. Amazing how every time I'm injured, I'm reminded what the handicapped endure and overcome every day. Keeps me from feeling too sorry for myself since my disability is just temporary.

Another cause for celebration: I made it past two selection panels for a new assignment. If I'm lucky enough to get this position, I can ride my bike to work (17 miles, each way, MUT for all but a mile or so). I've been enduring a really awful/unprofessional work environment for the last year, and to make matters worse, my commute just tripled, each way, since we moved to a new building in August. I have one more panel--the toughest--to get through. Because the new job is a new discipline, it's a bit of a risk. I've been in my current field for most of my 20 year "career" at my employer. That said, this new field will open up more opportunities, especially post-retirement, and the manager for whom I'll work is someone who will mentor/develop/support me and recognize hard work. Quite the change from my current situation. I'm not counting my chickens, as my lack of a technical background will been seen as a real negative. My chances, I'd reckon, are probably 50-50. Regardless, I am celebrating the fact that I've made it this far in the process.