Tomorrow’s a big day for me, literally and figuratively. It could be a new beginning… or the end of everything. You see, I’m checking into Auckland Hospital for bariatric surgery – a gastric bypass, to be exact. Despite the complexity of the procedure, my surgeon promises me that he’s “never lost anyone,” but had to advise me of the 1-in-1000 risk of complications. There’s a lot for him to do – staple off a section of stomach here, remove a section of intestine there, connect the remaining shorter intestine to a 1cm hole he’s creating in the remaining stomach pouch, and reconnect the original stomach further on down the intestinal tract. And he’s doing this all laparoscopically, via 4 small holes. I should be out by Sunday. Or… I’ll know what’s really on the other side – most likely nothing. But I won’t be around to care.