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April 26, 2006
First Day Back in the Office Results in Very Achy Knee
Yesterday was my first day working in the office - first day driving a long distance (30 milies each way). I'm paying for it today. Last night when I took off the brace I had more swelling than usual. I iced it a couple of times and that helped. Today Ithe knee has been very stiff and painful. Guess this is just the normal course of recovery - but I was nervous all day that I had "done something" to the knee and ruined the graft and that's why it must hurt so much. It's also doing some weird "settling" at times - as if all the bones are shifting when I put my weight on it. Kind of creepy.
Other than that...I'm under quite a bit of pressure at work this week and feeling the result of being out of the loop for a while - things really do catch up with you!
Posted by smashmonster at 09:02 PM | Comments (0)
April 24, 2006
Pension Philandering - More Corporate Welfare
Tell me why Exxon with record profits, ability to pay their outgoing CEO something on the order of 400 millioin, cannot fun their employees pensions and is going to leave it to the American taxpayer to pay off these pension funds? Are we so asleep we don't even care that corporate America is ripping off not only their own employees, but all tax-paying Americans whose hard-earned dollars fund the pension guarantees these companies figure will pay the bill for them?
Scarborough Country said it right tonight - too few Americans are paying attention. It's like little corporate raiders are stealing money out of your bank account every month - not enough that you realize it, but if you add it up over your lifetime you are talking a big chunk of change. A series in the LA Times wrote this weekend about how 401Ks are sucking hidden fees out of your retirement. In cases where people were assiiduous savers, it would ad uup to almost 100,000 over their life time of savings ripped off.
We have become too terribily comfortable with letting big business and lackey politicians make our decisions for us.
Posted by smashmonster at 06:29 PM | Comments (0)
9 Points to Go to Meet Nixon's Lowest Approval Rating
And now folks are saying there will need to be a big terror attack or something to pump up his numbers? How perverse is that kind of thinking? He will get better ratings as a president if we have a terrorist attack again? Huh?
Frankly, this president will never get the actual disapproval rate he should, because you have a certain group of people who would give him a thumbs up even if he put babies heads on sticks - "He must have a good reason!" The Kool-Aid Drinkers don't care what he does - it's what he represents, the smug arrogrance of self-rightiousness that pervades the extreme reactionary right that has hijacked the Republican Party.
OK, on polls, does anyone understand the way this newspaper is ishowing the approval/disapproval numbers?
Posted by smashmonster at 06:22 PM | Comments (0)
$54 To Fill My Gas Tank
Yikes. Thank goodness I am allowed to telecommute three days a week. I think more companies may need to find ways to allow employees to do this - the savings iis huge on both sides of the equation! I am fortunate in that I only have to fill my tank every two weeks, sometimes even less often.
I feel sorry for all those people who ran out and bought SUVs in mindless desperation to be like everyone else. Well, I don't actually feel sorry for them. If I had to spend $90 to fill my tank...I think I'd be looking to trade that vehicle in asap.
Posted by smashmonster at 06:15 PM | Comments (0)
April 22, 2006
Lord of War Is a Provocative Film that Particularly Resonates in the Current International Climate
Lord of War, starring Nicholas Cage, seemed to come and go in the theaters rather quickly. I assumed it would be a mediocre film with a lot of pointless action sequences. However, this provocative film about an international arms dealer addresses everything from U.S. manipulation of other countries' politics and the seemingly infinite ability of Americans to justify any means to get the ends they want. The film is pretty disturbing - particularly the scenes with Liberia's Batiste and in Sierra Leone - but it addresses a fundamental moral dilemma when it comes to arming other countries: If they are going to kill each other anyway and find a way to get their weapons from anyone they can, are you relieved of moral responsibility if you are the one who actually does supply the weapons of brutality?
Posted by smashmonster at 02:18 PM | Comments (0)
Why I Bought My Expensive New Keyboard at Comp USA and not Best Buy
I wanted to get a new mouse and keyboard so I can work in my chair with my leg up on an ottoman. My laptop is a bit heavy so I prefer to keep it up on a table, but then it is a long stretch to type on it. I went to Best Buy because it is a mere 1 mile from my house.
The keyboard selection was lousy - but I really wanted to get one today, so I finally picked one that was barely satisfactory. When you work on a computer 10 hours a day, you can be pretty particular about your keyboard and mouse. I also picked up a new mouse pad and went to the register. There were only two open, so I settled behind two people and figured it would be about 10 minutes - Best Buy has some sort of checkout process that takes forever even if you only have one item. Well, the woman in front of me had her credit card denied but she wasn't backing down. She seemed to have another one, and since now there were three lines, but they were three deep each, I figured I would just wait it out. After about 10 minutes or so I gave up and went to another line.
I'm not kidding you, I was fourth in line and the first guy was buying one freaking thing and it was taking forever. I finally just said, I give up, put my stuff down on an empty register counter and walked out. I saw the guy at the door look to see if the lines were really that long. What Best Buy doesn't realize is that a long line means nothing - three people in a line is a long wait because the cashiers are slow and their check-out process is absurdly complicated.
I figured I would drive over to Comp USA - it's a couple of miles further away, and usually a pain in the ass to get in and out of, but I really wanted my keyboard.
First thing I noticed - everyone wanted to help me! They have definitely stepped up their customer service.
Second thing I noticed, they had an awesome selection of keyboards. Whatever CompUSA has done to change their act from a few years ago, it is working. The place was well-stocked, the workers were friendly and helpful, and checkout took exactly 3 minutes.
I realized this happened once before when I wanted to buy a scanner. I don't know why I keep going to Best Buy for computer needs - the store covers too much territory to have a truly superlative computer department. I guess it's the convenience, but I know next time I will remember Best Buy is fine for buying CDs or DVD players, but Comp USA is the best choice for computer products when you are buying locally (I buy my computers online).
Posted by smashmonster at 02:06 PM | Comments (2)
April 21, 2006
ACL Recovery Right on Track
Sorry for another long delay - trying to get back into the swing of work, plus those two hours a day of exercises that seem to knock me out. I have wanted to do lots of napping these days ;-).
I moved to the smaller brace today, so I am no longer in the straight-leg brace from hip to ankle. This one takes a little getting used to - it basically keeps your knee from doing any twisting/turning until the ACL is healed enough to handle that type of movement. I am up to 10 minutes on the stationary bike - might not sound like much but I was pretty happy to make it that long. I am still having pain, but usually just first thing in the morning when everything is stiff - and bending the knee is really difficult, and then late at night, especially if I walked a lot that day.
I am being very assiduous about my exercises and watching my diet carefully. I have officially lost 23 pounds now - I started about 2 months before surgery. I am not sure how much the recent loss is actually loss of muscle in my right leg, but my clothes are definitely starting to fall off. I am glad I have been able to reduce calories - when you are so immobile you really have to watch every morsel. I have not been perfect (a few self-pity meals thrown in there), but overrall I've been strict and stuck with the very low fat diet.
The scar is healing well, although it does look like it will show toward the lower part of the knee as it is pretty wide there. Oh well - battle wounds of a sort!
Posted by smashmonster at 10:27 PM | Comments (0)
April 11, 2006
Why Do Opcasters Fuel Fringe Psycho Groups?
Scarborough Country had the "reverend" Phelps on to talk about his "God Hates Fags" movement - they picket military funerals, say "thank God for 9/11" all under the delusion that everything bad that happens to Americans is because of gay rights (although that is just the beginning of the Westboro Baptist Church's hate-mongering).
This evil and demented kook is so outside the norm of human behavior, I can't for the life of me understand why these shows dignify his vile activities by putting him on the air. Phelps is just the far end of the spectrum of fundamentalism gone mad. He is the Osama bin Laden of Christianity, giving a bad name to truly devout Christians who actually have brains enough to understand bibical teachings without becoming hate mongerers.
This guy actually has a website which I won't link to because I don't want to give him any link popularity. Wait, I will. With the phrase evil godless demented nutcase so others can link with the same phrase - would love that to be the phrase that brings him up in Google!
If you saw this guy on Scarborough you would recognize he is not a well person - he truly looks like he belongs locked up in a nuthouse for the criminally insane. In fact, the guest host shut off his microphone and called him something nasty - mentioning his red eyes. If I believed in that sort of thing, I'd swear he was a demon. Definitely a false prophet - what fools follow this evil sick man who is so far removed from Christ's teachings he shouldn't dare associate himself with anything Christian?
There is no reason in heaven or on earth to give public voice to this sick creep. Read Wikipedia on this freak - he hates Jews too. Sheesh. What a pathetic loser.
Posted by smashmonster at 09:49 PM | Comments (0)
April 07, 2006
Very Good Progress after ACL Surgery
The physical therapist says I am way ahead of where people usually are at this point - he said I'm on a "fast track" to recovery. Woo hoo! All the physical conditioning done in advance of surgery is paying off. I did 40 leg lifts today! If you'll recall I could not do even one the first first days. I'm not doing full lifts yet, but much better than even two days ago.
I've gotten into the groove on the CPM - I just set myself up and relax into it. I'm up to 110 degrees, although each session I have to move it back to about 95 and slowly increase the bend over the next half hour as the leg muscles warm up. I stopped in at the Conservatory coffee shop today with my friend Serena and saw my "crew" - lol, by crew I mean my favorite people I love to chat with in the morning over coffee and newspaper. It was so nice to spend a little time with friends!
I will be back to work on Monday, although I will probably work a slightly reduced schedule due to physical therapy and the fact I get really tired and need breaks throughout the day.
Posted by smashmonster at 06:19 PM | Comments (0)
Comparing Bush to Lincoln?
Sean Hannity, the poster child for those who misrepresent news and twist everything to fit a myopic world view, interviewed Don Rumsfeld on his radio show and asked him (in this typically "leading" way) if the things Dean, Kerry and others say about the war is undermining the effort and not constructive criticism. Rumsfeld started his answer by pointing out all the criticism President Lincoln endured. Wow. It never ceases to amaze me just how deluded some people are about where this country is now.
Is Hannity really trying to say that poor planning and bad management by Rumsfeld et al. have nothing to do with how the war is going - all the problems can be blamed on a couple of sentences stated by Democrats. The human ability to delude oneself is truly remarkable - it knows no bounds.
Sean went on to chat about military confrontation wiith Iran. Sheesh. I think he must have a really active imagination if he thinks our military could take another engagement!
It's hard to believe, but this may be the first administration to ruin the country in a mere 8 years. Other administrations have done damage during their reign, but this looks like one that will undermine our economic and military might for decades to come.
Posted by smashmonster at 06:08 PM | Comments (0)
April 06, 2006
Jobs Americans Don't Want to Do
When I hear the argument that illegal immigrants are doing jobs Americans don't want to do, I think, "What difference does that make? Most Americans don't want to do their jobs. Haven't you experienced the current level of customer service in our country?" How many Americans do you know who hate their jobs but do them anyway because that's simply LIFE.
I know my accountant hates her job. This is why she returns my documents late and then claims she mailed it but when it doesn't arrive tells me I should "swing by" with my bad leg (I'm not driving yet) to pick up a copy.
I know that the people who work on phone lines doing customer service hate their jobs. This is why they act as if they are not listening to you and insist on giving you a solution to a problem other than the one you just described to them.
In my experience most people don't want their jobs, but they do them anyway to survive.
Posted by smashmonster at 05:23 PM | Comments (0)
April 05, 2006
Birds Do the Darnedest Things
Sorry about the photo quality - taken with my Treo in my room during my CPM session so I couldn't fix the lighting. Anyway, this is Inca with her butt plopped right in front of my TV. She was sitting on her tree tower when she figured out (it took her almost a week - which surprised me) she could climb down onto the table and climb up in front of the TV and stare right at it. Of course, I was stuck in my CPM device so I let her star in every TV show for about an hour until I could get my brace back on and put her butt back on her tree.
Inca is my blue-front amazon parrot who definitely has an attraction to TV - more the sounds than the pictures. Certain voices and music really get her going - she will rock out sometimes to good songs. She seems to prefer female vocalists.
Posted by smashmonster at 08:46 PM | Comments (0)
April 04, 2006
6 Days After ACL Surgery - Conclusion: The CPM Machine is BORING
Being in one position with your knee bending up and down for 2 hours might sound like a blast, oh, it doesn't? Well, you're right. You can watch TV, read, sip a soda, chat on the phone...but nothing changes the fact you are stuck on your back in one position with your leg bending up and down. I haven't managed to get in the full 6 hours a day yet - I get in 5 and feel like I've done my purgatory. It also rubs annoyingly - even though it has this fluffy pad I noticed today after my first 2-hour session that it had rubbed some spots of my skin off in two places. I put some aveeno cream on them then tried putting a towel in the machine to get less rubbing. That made the bend weird. My roommate picked up a self-sticking bandage, but that was too rough. I may cut a leg off a pair of stretchy pants to see if that works - also under the brace as that is annoying and rubs too.
I was going to post a picture of my colorful leg, but decided not to because it is unpleasant. It doesn't look as bad as you would think - but it is definitely yellow, red, blue...and swollen. I have some weird muscle stuff going on in the quads - little spasms.
I prepped for the surgery for a few months so I built my quads up pretty well in advance, but I'm already seeing some atrophy.
My big accomplishment today? 10 straight leg lifts. Before the surgery I could do 60 without sweating. Up until today I just ...could...not...lift...that...leg. It's like trying to lift a cement log that someone stuck in your leg's place.
The cryo-cuff ice machine is heaven still. I am raising the leg a bit more because the physical therapist said I should get it as high as possible so everything drains. Pretty.
My second physical therapy is tomorrow morning. I have been doing my quad sets, knee squeezes (ouch), and ankle rotations. The heel slides are the worst thing - even though I'm up to 90 degrees on the CPM, I can't do the heel slide more than maybe 6 inches in and it feels like a steel band stops me.
I have been managing to do a little work each day so I don't get totally behind on e-mail and nothing turns into a crisis at my job, but I get tired pretty quickly. It doesn't help that I got a bad cough and cold two days after surgery. The cough seems to be subsiding, but I'm still pretty stuffed up.
One of the toughest parts of this is the sense of isolation - when you are trapped on the CPM device you are pretty much on your own. I start to feel a little lonely as the day wears on - doing my exercises, the CPM, the ice cuff...TV is a sad substitute for human companionship! When my roommate calls or comes home I'm like a kid who just saw their best friend for the first time in 10 years - I'm so overjoyed to have a little company.
Posted by smashmonster at 10:52 PM | Comments (0)
April 01, 2006
Over the Hump?
Pain has decreased dramatically today - and I'm hoping I can try to do the CPM tomorrow and start that part of my rehab now that I can get in and out of the brace without feeling like I'm going to pass out! I seem to have picked up a bit of a bug - had a fever today and I have developed a deep cough. I am unbelievably tired, but haven't been sleeping as much as I should probably - pain pills have a way of disrupting sleep but leaving you in a constant state of drowsiness.
My first physical therapy is Monday. Today I have been able to walk with one crutch without too much pain. I'm starting to tighten and release my quads to get those working again. It's amazing how much different one day can make - yesterday I was crying and could barely move! Today I'm feeling mobile enough to get things for myself and move about the house. I had a tough time waking up this morning - but finally after a few "naps" I was able to get up and going. I managed to take a shower by covering the brace with plastic garbage bags and sticking it out the shower door. It felt soooo good to wash my hair. The little things in life we take for granted!
My living room looks like a funeral home with all the flowers from various people - which is particularly amusing because my roommate grew up in a funeral home and has a thing about flower arrangements. It is really nice to come into the room as see all the different types of flowers. I love tulips - both my sister and my boss sent me beautiful vases of tulips!
I am just not energetic enough to call people back yet who have called - I'm conserving my energy for rehab and so my updates here will have to suffice at least for a few more days!
I got a blast from the past this week - a mentor and friend from my screenwriting days - what a nice surprise to hear his voice, especially during a week when friends mean everything!
Posted by smashmonster at 09:09 PM | Comments (0)