The horn is history.

Here's a picture of me, just before my horn removal surgery this afternoon. I shaved my head for the event, even though the doctor said I didn't have to. He asked why I wanted to shave it. When else do I have an excuse like this?

I wish I'd taken pictures during the operation, but I forgot to bring my camera in. Well, I wouldn't have been in a position to snap shots, anyway, but I know the doctor would have done it. He was one of the cooler doctors I've had, cracking jokes constantly--many of which were actually funny. For example, when he did the initial incision and I asked what it looked like in there, he replied without a pause, "New Jersey." When I asked him what causes cysts (which is what the horn actually was), his answer was immediate: "George Bush."

Click the pic to visit the Flickr photoset of the event (with before and after pics of my misshapen skull). The before shots of the horn (sans hair) are disgusting, but the after shots are even worse. Removing the horn left a cavity with a raised edge and a bloody set of stitches down the middle. So it looks lumpy and gross. But the doctor assures me that once the swelling goes down, the skin will tighten and the area will even out. I'll have the two stitches in for a week, then it will be smooth sailing.

I'll be wearing a band-aid over the spot when I go into work tomorrow, but the shaved head will still get me looks of astonishment from the marketing girls (they're flabbergasted by anything outside the norm) and laughs from my own group (who are considerably more open-minded, but also have an evil streak).

And Rob, these gross pics are not an excuse to send me even grosser pics you found on the internet. Be careful, your sister has told me many a story that you might not want to see published online, even to my meager audience.