Hmmm, which to tell first, which to tell first, ok, the one that doesn't involve surgery:

I got a letter from Rosann Cash! Me! She wrote to me! And you can tell she even addressed the envelope herself. So here's what happened. I have loved her music since way back, since the Seven Year Itch album, which is probably 20+ years ago. After her dad (Johnny Cash) died, she made this amazing album called Black Cadillac. I got it sometime last winter, and fell in love with the song "I'll Be Watching You". It says what I feel about my dad, who died when I was 5. So I wrote her a good-old-fashioned fan letter. Pen and paper. Mentioned the time I saw her in concert and she was pregnant. Mailed it off. Today there's a little note card from Capitol Records in my mailbox, on which she wrote: Dear Lise, Thank you for your very kind note- I'm glad the record has been meaningful to you. Best, Rosann Cash P.S. That baby I was pregnant with will be a senior in H.S. this year! It is so cool that she wrote back to me!

Thing #2: I liked the podiatrist. Y'all may be disappointed to hear that she is a straight (I assume), married (by the rings), pregnant woman. And not my type at all But she's also a triathlete and marathon runner, so she gets it. She was gentle, patient, thorough, and informative. Gave me options, was open to my questions, all in all a really good Dr/pt interaction. Early on, as she's looking at my feet, she said, "Where did you get this foot structure? This is crazy!" Me: "My parents?" Her: "It's a doozy!" We were laughing. Yeah, I've got a huge bunion on the inner L foot, a small bunion on the outer L, a really narrow heel and very wide fore-foot, a high arch, I pronate, but "luckily" my 4th toe is totally deformed, or I'd have more neuromas than I already do!

She broke it down for me: My forefoot is wide, it's worse because of the honking bunion on the L, so the nerves between the 2nd & 3rd metatarsal heads get pinched (ie: inflammed = neuroma) with any activity/shoe wearing, and the toes go numb.

Plan: She's making custom orthotics for me to wear in new running shoes (it's time for a new pair, anyway). I'm wearing the narrowest biking shoes on the market, as it turns out. I've had them for 3 years, so I'm going to LBS and buying some wider, mens' shoes, and putting in OTC orthotics (she recommended something like "superfeet"? I wrote it down somewhere). Then in January, I'm having surgery to correct the bunion. I'll be totally off my foot for 10 days, then no impact sports for 8 weeks. I told her I'm doing a 1/2 IM in August next year, and she said she thinks it can be done.

I'm proud of myself for finally acting like a grown up and getting help for this. Now, to get caught up on emails and the latest dirt here at TE.

Sleep tight, my friends. L.