Shaved my head, and Mark left.

Ha Ha! I'm sure no one thinks those two things in the title are related. I tried to fool you with a headline like that once before, but no one bought it. Yes, I shaved my head yesterday. Yes, Mark left for Florida this morning. No, the two are not related.

The head shaving party was quite a sight yesterday. Denise really stepped up and took clippers and razor in hand to do the job. First, she took care of her hubby, Kip. He looked great. We all felt that if he wore a white t-shirt and donned a gold earring, he'd be a dead-ringer for Mr. Clean. I postponed my turn a little by insisting that we eat first. The food was spectacular, and we all stuffed ourselves.

Finally, it had to be done. I sat in the middle of the living room and submitted to Denise's ministering hands. I was really ready because I was tired of pulling hunks out every time I touched my head. It took a little longer than she thought, or than it took with Kip, because my hair has always been really, really coarse and thick. She worked and worked, and finally I emerged with my new bald head.

Considering how traumatic I thought it would be, it was actually OK. I'm glad to have moved on to the next stage. I sent a huge album of photos to almost 3 dozen people, and I received many nice responses. Most people say it looks OK. I guess it does, but I will not be going out in public like that. I do not think society really accepts seeing bald women walking around the streets or at the restaurants or movies. Men can get away with it, but not women. I don't want people staring at me or pointing or whispering. Maybe they would. Maybe they wouldn't, but I would feel like they are.

The hats and scarves will make it tolerable. It's also fall and winter. As Kip pointed out last night, it would be much worse if it were summer. Since it's not hot and sticky, the scarves and hats should feel quite nice.

We all got up a little extra early this morning in order to leave around 7 a.m. to drive Mark to the airport. Today is the day he begins his week in Florida. He'll land shortly after 12 noon today, rent a car, and drive the hour down to our house. He's looking forward to time in the house, putting away our summer clothes, packing up our winter things, and finding the Christmas presents we bought in Hawaii. Tomorrow he has to try to get his car fixed, which is something he is a little worried about. If that goes well, the rest of the trip will be lots of fun. He hopes to go to the Halloween party at the Magic Kingdom Tuesday night and the Food and Wine Festival at Epcot Center on Wednesday. Thursday he and the rental car, packed with our necessities, will board the auto train to return to the Washington area by Friday afternoon. I think the trip will be great for him, and I'd be jealous that I didn't get to do it if I weren't too scared of it. I actually am happy for him and happy for me. I wanted the chores done, but I was afraid to go, so this is the best for everyone. I will miss him terribly, though, because we are almost never apart anymore, and I don't mind that at all.

While Mark is gone this week, I have made lots of plans to keep busy. Today my friend Jan is coming up, so we will go out to lunch together and have a nice visit. I have not seen her in months and months. Tomorrow my friend Annie is coming up for lunch and a movie. We are going to go see the new movie Social Network, all about Facebook. Wednesday I am having my toenails professionally trimmed at the podiatrist's office. I'm not allowed to go to the nail salon anymore, so I have to go somewhere. Insurance doesn't cover this, even with the chemotherapy angle, but it will actually cost about the same as going to the nail salon twice as month, so I'm prepared to pay for it. Thursday will be the biggest day of all. I'm driving to Greenbelt to meet Annie for lunch out, maybe a walk around the lake, and a few hours of playing Mah Jongg. That night Cindy is making chili, and Lowell will come over to TV and dinner. It is shaping up to be a great week. I'm not jealous at all that Mark is going to Disney World. I have plenty of fun plans up here with friends.