Since it's getting late, today's randomness will be a quick update and some info on a fantastic charity that the Amazing Egyptian Dude and I are thrilled to be a part of.

First, the update. Ok, so the swelling at the incision site went from the diameter of a thin drinking straw to that of a dill pickle from Friday to Sunday. At one end, a sort of bubble began to appear and that bubble was strategically placed so that it bumped up against the place on my throat where, if I were a man, my adam's apple would be. Needless to say, just the right movement meant that the bubble made it difficult to swallow or breathe properly. By early Sunday evening I just didn't feel well, so I called the advice nurse for, well, some advice. She wanted me to go to the ER to get checked, but I really didn't think the situation warranted an emergency room visit; I mean, I wasn't near death or anything. I just didn't feel well.

As the night progressed, the right side of my throat and ear began to throb. I figured that I probably got some kind of infection while I was in the hospital because that kind of thing happens all the time. First thing Monday morning, I made an appointment to see our primary care physician that afternoon. After a thorough check over, he determined that the swelling was actually a collection of the bloody gunk that had been going into the drain that had been removed on Friday. Ibuprofen every four hours to reduce the swelling should help with that part. As for the throat and ear, I was right -- they are infected. A prescription of Keflex for that, along with advice to get plenty of rest, keep myself hydrated, and to haul my fanny to the ER if my temp reaches 100 degrees. That was yesterday.

This morning, the bubble is nearly gone. The incision is still quite swollen and beginning to harden. The throat and ear are still throbbing, although not nearly as badly today as they were on Sunday night or yesterday. I'm tired and feeling crappy, but I've been worse -- I know I have, but I'm having a hard time remembering when that was, LOL. So I will say it again: for such a small and minor surgery, this one sure is giving me one big a$$ old hard time!

Now, on to something far more interesting!

You may have noticed, under causes, an ad that I placed there a couple of months ago for KIVA. I heard about it on a podcast -- remember my list of educational podcasts? -- and decided to check it out. What is KIVA? It's a micro-loan organization that collects donations / loans from people and then pools them with other loans for poor entrepreneurs in developing countries. The Amazing Egyptian Dude and I made four loans of $25 each a couple of months ago and today, I was thrilled to receive the following in my email inbox:

Hi Ali & Carleen Ibrahim,
We'd like to give you a repayment update on the loans you've made
through Kiva.

A total of $35.41 has been repaid today! As of 2009-08-29, you now have
$35.41 in Kiva Credit in your account.

Click here to re-lend, withdraw or donate these funds! Or you can show
your friends some Kiva Love with a Kiva gift certificate.
https://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=account&_te=ru

Below is the repayment update on your Kiva Portfolio:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fadwa Group in Lebanon (Activity: Agriculture)
You Loaned: $25.00
Newly Repaid: $12.50
Total Repaid So Far: $12.50 (50.00% of your loan)
Repayment Status: Paying back on time
View loan profile at:
http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&action=about&id=105064&_te=ru
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sawssan in Lebanon (Activity: Grocery Store)
You Loaned: $25.00
Newly Repaid: $6.25
Total Repaid So Far: $6.25 (25.00% of your loan)
Repayment Status: Paying back on time
View loan profile at:
http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&action=about&id=105265&_te=ru
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Asma Group in Lebanon (Activity: Cattle)
You Loaned: $25.00
Newly Repaid: $12.50
Total Repaid So Far: $12.50 (50.00% of your loan)
Repayment Status: Paying back on time
View loan profile at:
http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&action=about&id=107492&_te=ru
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Abdumalik Soriev in Tajikistan (Activity: Agriculture)
You Loaned: $25.00
Newly Repaid: $4.16
Total Repaid So Far: $4.16 (16.64% of your loan)
Repayment Status: Paying back on time
View loan profile at:
http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&action=about&id=115555&_te=ru

I haven't said anything about KIVA because I didn't have any personal experience with them other than making the loans; however, now I can toot their horn with full confidence! We are so excited to be able to help others help themselves that we're going to re-loan what has been repaid so far. The original $100 that we loaned (or donated) can be used over and over again to keep helping people, and we really like this idea.

So if you've got some change to spare, I do hope that you'll take a look at the KIVA ad in the sidebar and check out some of the profiles of the people who are seeking loans through them. Your loan, no matter how small, when pooled with the loans of others, will go a long way toward helping someone to help him or her self.