Dear Mark Schwahn,

by Sara on February 28th, 2009

Please do not kill off my twin soul, Peyton Sawyer.

Just because your show often follows the mold of original sudser “Dawson’s Creek,” and just because Jen Lindley was killed off in the final throes of that show, that does NOT, Mark Schwahn, mean that you must kill off Peyton. Please be creatively bold; do not follow the mold of “Dawson’s Creek” in this instance. Death of a character creates much more devastation than you can possibly be aware of, and your creative power should not be taken to that level.

I can’t threaten you and promise that I won’t watch if you let Peyton go. But I can promise this: by letting Peyton leave “One Tree Hill,” you will create an enormous hole in the soul of many, many fans, not to mention in the heart of Lucas Scott. Actress Hilarie Burton is a genius at conjuring simple tears, just as she is unbelievable at creating sympathy and adoration for her lost, broody self. Now that Peyton has everything that she’s ever wanted, it’s no reason to let her go.

If Peyton is to die, you’ll be sending a message to all fans that even though good things may come to those who wait, death is an impending, cutting certainty after those desires come to fruition. That’s not a positive message to send to your thousands of devoted fans, Mark Schwahn.

Now, on to Lucas. Mark Schwahn, please do whatever you can to keep Lucas on the show. If it’s more money, do it. If it’s on a recurring guest star basis when Chad Michael Murray is available, do it. Lucas is the heart and soul of the show, and without Lucas, Tree Hill will never be the same.

Last, if you are to let these two unbelievably talented actors go, DO NOT BRING IN ANYONE NEW. I DO NOT WANT ANOTHER FELIX/ANNA DISASTER.

Most importantly: DO NOT ATTEMPT TO RECAST PEYTON OR LUCAS. I don’t want to see another actor try to manifest the souls of these two characters.

Mark Schwahn, just use the talent that you have left in Nathan, Haley, Brooke, and Mouth. Oh, and if Jamie ever leaves the show, so do I. He’s a Godsend. Oh, and if you’re serious about “One Tree Hill: The Jamie Years”, I’ll be there at forty years old. You can count on it.

OTH’s adoring fan,
Sara

Pinkie Update

by Sara on February 20th, 2009

Hi all,
Just an update on my pinkie.
I had a club-finger for a while; the gauze around my pinkie finger, and my hand, was wrapped tightly and endlessly layered for protection, which tended to make writing in class difficult, but I certainly survived.
I had the gauze and stitches removed yesterday at the doctor’s office, which pinched a little, but it sure is nice to have freedom of mobility again!
Dr. Van Demark also mentioned that when he was operating on my tumor, the tumor was so large that he thought he’d have to make a second incision on my finger (he made a large vertical incision that stretches the length of my finger) in order to get it out. So, COOL that my tumor actually was something to be concerned about; makes me feel like less of a hypochondriac.
Dr. Van Demark also revealed that pathology found the tumor to be benign, which is always great news. He did say again, however, that the tumor has a 50% recurrence rate, so to be prepared if I eventually feel something in the same location. He suggested that I wait a significant amount of time before removing it again, however, so to encourage the surgeon to get all of the tumor. He suspected that the tumor that he removed from my pinkie had been growing for 3-5 years! WOW!
Anyway, I’m doing very well, and while the incision is still scabbing over and looking icky, it sure is nice to be able to wash my hair with both hands now.

Thank you for all of your thoughts!
Sara

Not to be negative…

by Sara on February 11th, 2009

Things that bug me:

When TV shows (namely ONE TREE HILL) go on hiatus for, like, six weeks, TWICE in one season. (It’s happening now. Can you tell I’m agitated?)

When Timbaland says “Hypmatized” instead of “Hynotized” in his song with Justin Timberlake and 50 Cent “Ayo (Technology)”.

When people have names that are spelled to totally confuse the general public as to how to pronounce them. (Coach K, anyone?)

When the wind gusts in twelve different directions in one minute.

When I have to wear gauze on my pinkie that subsequently requires me to wear a garbage bag on my hand when I shower.

When I tell Jordan I want a dog, and he teases me that we can get one if I do (insert impossible or disgusting task here). Meanface.

When I have all these ideas about what would make a great poem, but I fail to make the time to write poetry.

When I click the left-clicker on my laptop track pad and it takes twelve clicks to actually click.

When I choose the wrong 10:00 newscast to watch for sports and I miss my brother’s basketball ballerness on the local news.

When I turn on ESPN and all I hear is AROD this, AROD that.

When people say I can’t like both Duke and UNC. (I do anyway.)

When I have to shave my legs. (Being a girl sucks sometimes.)

When I am having a great hair day, and then I look outside and it’s raining.

When I try and type an apostrophe, but I keep typing a semi-colon. (Stupid gauze.)

Thank you for reading my rant! :) I really am in a good mood right now…I got a TON of work accomplished tonight :)

Best,

Sara

The results are in…

by Sara on February 6th, 2009

;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

That’s right, all, I still have a pinkie!

In fact, not only do I have a pinkie, but I have an amazing amount of gauze surrounding my suchered finger.

The IV portion of my pre-op was especially painful, as the nurse had to poke me not once, but twice. I have absolutely no recollection of the surgery, but apparently my surgeon decided not to put me completely under, so I was awake.

Anesthesia has an interesting effect on me; the two times I have been under anesthesia, I’ve woken up crying. This happens to my Mom, too, but it’s still rather strange. I think I wake up incredibly afraid that I am alone.

I had wonderful nurses, which was great. I was at the hospital for about 4.5 hours, even though my surgery took only 15-20 MINUTES! Can you believe it? Very quick. My surgeon said that he got all of the tumor out of my finger, but that if there were microscopic cells in there, it’s likely that it would grow back. He sent the mass to pathology to ensure that it’s benign.

I feel especially grateful that my parents and my boyfriend were able to be there for me.

I’m going to take some pills now to stay ahead of the pain, and relax. I go back to the hospital on Feb. 19 to remove the gauze wrapping. From now until then, it sure will be interesting showering, taking notes in class, and typing.

Thank you all for your prayers!

TOMORROW!

by Sara on February 5th, 2009

Hi there,

Just a note to let you all know that tomorrow at 9 a.m. I’m having the benign tumor removed from my pinkie finger on my right hand. (If you’re confused about what I’m talking about, click here).

I’m a little nervous about it, since it is a surgery, and it’s the first time I’ll be in an actual hospital as a patient (outpatient procedure or not, it’s still scary to me!)

The doctors tell me that I’ll be completely under anesthesia during the procedure (the entire thing is supposed to last 45 minutes at most). I think being completely under will be nice; I hate IVs, however, so it’s always rough getting anesthesia, however pleasant it is afterward. Coming out of anesthesia is always tough; I’ve only been on real anesthesia once before (when I had my wisdom teeth surgically removed), and I woke up feeling unbelievably alone and like my mouth felt like someone attempting to plug up the Grand Canyon with cotton balls. Lovely. Hopefully this time is better…

Hopefully this time is also WAY less painful. Man, I hope that I never have the kind of excrutiating pain I had with my wisdom teeth again. But, as my boyfriend Jordan “lovingly” reminds me, it’s not like I’m having knee surgery, so we’ll see! I have so little pain tolerance you could say I have a negative level of tolerance, so you just never know…

I’m lucky, though, because my Jordan and my parents will all be in the waiting room for me. :) I feel very blessed to have their love and support.

Tell you what:  I’ll blog tomorrow using only semi-colons, so you know that I still have a pinkie on my right hand; here’s to no accidental amputation! Tee hee :)

Please send up a prayer or two for a successful procedure, and for the tumor to take its sweet time in growing back, or for it not to grow back at all.

God’s blessings, -Sara

The Michael Phelps Saga…

by Sara on February 4th, 2009

Hi all,

After hearing of Michael Phelps’ idiocy a few days ago, I feel compelled today to make known my unbelievable disappointment in his choices.

I know that Michael Phelps is 23 years old, which is one year older than me, and that his youth may allow for an understandable level of “youthful experimentation.”

However, I am extremely disappointed in his choice to partake of illegal substances, especially in light of the notoriety he’s garnered after winning a record number of eight gold medals in swimming in the 2008 Olympics. Furthermore, Phelps was one of twelve Olympic athletes who pledged to “My Victory”, a campaign initiated by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency to emphasize participation in competitive sports without using illegal substances.

I feel especially sorry for the children who look up to Michael Phelps and aspire to garner success similar to his. Personally, I hold to a high standard athletes and celebrities who attract media attention because of their seemlingly inevitable status of role model.

I consistently am disappointed by such athletes as Kobe Bryant, for example. I feel that many, many children look up to Kobe Bryant, yet he was accussed of sexual assault. Children need to have role models that they can depend on, not role models that are looking for trouble.

There are plenty of celebrities in Hollywood and athletes on courts and fields that do not commit crimes. It’s too bad that these people rarely garner enough media attention to warrant the title of “role model.”