Wednesday, February 28, 2007

what'll they the think of next?

The new supermarket near our house has an automatic water mister to
keep the produce fresh. Just before it goes on, you hear the sound of
distant thunder and the smell of fresh rain. When you approach the milk
cases, you hear cows mooing and witness the scent of fresh hay. When you
approach the egg case, you hear hens cluck and cackle and the air is filled
with the pleasing aroma of bacon and eggs frying. The veggie department
features the smell of fresh-buttered corn.

I don't buy toilet paper there anymore.

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

even better

The doc was surprised when he saw my knee this morning. He expected the worst and now is thinking that I am healing as we hoped for. The latest time line is in three weeks I may possibly be able to get on the stationary bike. That would be twelve weeks after surgery and twice as long as he expected. You may remember that at the 6 week point I started walking and rode a bit with unpleasant results. Meanwhile I'm keeping my fingers crossed and gulping those chondroitin pills.

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Forget facts; it’s time to get your war on

Oh yeaaah!

homespun taliban

Chris Hedges's new book, “American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War On America,” examines how Christian dominionists are seeking absolute power and a Christian state. According to Hedges, the movement bears a strong resemblance to the young fascist movements in Italy and Germany in the 1920s and '30s. - from Democracy Now!
You can read the transcript or listen or watch streaming video.

Scared? You should be. It's not too late but since these people, just like the Nazis, are good at preying on the fears and prejudices of even the most moderate folks, we need to be on our guard and not let them get the upper hand. Everything, Every Damn Thing, I hold dear and believe in they would ban, criminalize, and destroy. They are called dominionists because they believe their god has given them power over everything on Earth.
More is threatened than many of us might realize by the agenda of the dominionist right. It's not simply gays or abortion--the so-called "family agenda" issues--that they are addressing, although these are hot button concerns that they use to mobilize their base. These so-called Christians have adopted a grotesquely nationalist, militarist agenda. They are pushing a brand of politics that is very similar to the classical fascists in terms of deference to powerful leader figures, and extreme reliance on a hierarchal, top-down power-over model. What's at stake is more than just our freedom--as important as that is--but in fact is our very survival. --Mark Haim from the PeaceNook

Friday, February 16, 2007

Nora is cool!

Nora playing a short piece she composed.

Thursday, February 15, 2007

biathlon is cool!

It's like cyclocross with skis.

Sunday, February 11, 2007

better

Saw the doctor last week and we are now, "cautiously optimistic." Since my knee quit hurting so badly and I have had no further episodes he thinks perhaps I irritated some scar tissue or something. It has been getting better since then. The swelling is less than ever I think and I am able to walk on it with one crutch with no problem. I still use two and try to take it easy on my leg. I want to take it easy on it for a while still and let it heal as best it can (assuming it still is).

About that femur transplant. I asked. It wouldn't be the whole bone. Doc would take a piece from a cadaver matching the area of my femur which needs repair. just a thin peice with bone and cartilage. Not that I want to do that but that doesn't sound so bad as replacing the whole damn bone. Still that would have to be the last resort I think. What if that didn't work either? then what?

In other news...
We have decided to tackle our attention deficit disorder head-on. Bridget's been reading a book on adult ADD and how to organize your life and home. Lots of good tips to retain order and maintain clutter. Those of us with ADD are mentally incapable of maintaining a system of organization. One big thing I have to work on is finding a place for everything. Right now there is so much junk which has no home of any kind except a pile on the dresser or counter or table or...

Sunday, February 04, 2007

not so good

Last Monday I went to the gym to ride the stationary bike again and do some leg presses as prescribed in my physical therapy regimen. Great. I had been feeling good and walking with one crutch. Basically on top of the world. The world came crashing down on me after ten minutes on the bike. I developed some pain in my knee which grew progressively worse until Tuesday night. I hardly slept. Went to the doc's Wendesday and he was not optimistic at all. He fears that the catilage patch he put on my leg wasn't healing. That would be Bad. He mentioned "femur transplant." I don't know about you but I am not excited by the idea of replacing my femur because a bit of cartilage is torn off but I guess cartilage is like that; once gone always gone. I'm hoping for some new stem cells to find their way into my leg.

I am supposed to call him again tomorrow and let him know how my knee is doing. Right now I would say it is doing pretty darn good. The excruciating pain I experienced Tuesday night disappeared almost completely and every day there is less. Of course, I haven't ridden and have protected my leg from putting much weight on it. Basically I feel like where I was two or three weeks ago. We'll see what he says tomorrow and Wednesday after I go to see him in person.

The upshot of it all is that it may be a while before I walk let alone ride.