Monday, July 11, 2011

Two-fer for the ortho

I managed to hurt my shoulder during my training a few weeks ago, and then my knee seized up on me and has been bothering me ever since, so I had a two-fer when I went to the orthopedist this afternoon.

It was an "interesting" visit, starting w/ having to park a block away (construction eating up half the parking lot). "Nothing left but handicapped parking" they said, yet as I gimped thru the lot in the 109-heat-index heat, I passed at least half a dozen empty spots. Sigh.

However:
- The nurse taking my stats was all impressed that I'd lost weight since I was there in early Feb (before I started WW). When I told her I was on Weight Watchers, she asked "Does it work?" "You're looking at the numbers!"
- The ortho's bedside manner was much better this time. He checked my shoulder, determined I have rotator cuff damage to go w/ the arthritis in the AC joint, ordered an MRI & PT. I've got my fingers crossed that the MRI shows little or no damage; if it's torn all the way through, I have to have surgery, but only if it's torn all the way through.
- He said I have a little arthritis in the knee - no surprise - and I've also "aggravated" the joint around the patella. (If I apologize to my knee, maybe send it flowers, do you think it would forgive me?) He told me to give it NSAIDs and time - up to "several months"! It still hurts, but it's a relief to know that he didn't think surgery is required.
- There was a produce stand set up outside the HMO's front door! The heat made all the fruit smell WONDERFUL but I only bought 2 boxes of strawberries & one of blueberries instead of buying *everything* that looked or smelled good.

The heat gave me a migraine and nausea, but imitrex and a light dinner eventually did the trick. Better living thru chemistry, right? ;) That and a husband who was willing to fix dinner while I lay down for a bit.

Friday, July 08, 2011

Squidlets!

After the Chief & I did our futon shopping yesterday, we went to my favorite Italian restaurant for dinner, as it very conveniently was only a few blocks away. I ordered the fettuccine w/ calamari in red sauce and there they were - not just the rings but the micro-squids, or "squidlets". Love those tender little critters! The portion was generous enough that half was a satisfactory dinner and the other half was a very tasty lunch today.

Thursday, July 07, 2011

I don't need this poster but I love it!

Maybe I'll get a copy to put up at work...

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/misspelling

Stalking the wild futon

The Chief & I have been talking for a year or more about replacing the full-size bed in the guest room. We've been dithering because we were remodeling, then paying off the remodel, then trying to decide how we could fit a queen-size bed in that itty-bitty room (about 9'x9'). The other day my sister & brother-in-law e-mailed us that their big family trek is going to happen after all and the 5 of them will be here at the end of this month!

The Chief & I realized we need to replace that bed NOW - my BIL is well over 6' tall - so he started researching beds on line. We quickly realized we could get a queen-size futon for about the price of a good mattress & box spring, so it was off to the store as soon as I got home from work this afternoon. The process wasn't nearly as painful or time-consuming as we'd expected, and the saleswoman told us we'd gotten there just in time, as they were about to raise their prices - tomorrow! That would have added $150-200 to the price, so our timing was fortuitous indeed. Even better was the fact that they give a 15% military discount - we done good!

Our choice is supposed to be delivered late next week, so this weekend's agenda features dismantling the old bed and cleaning, cleaning, cleaning.

Tuesday, July 05, 2011

Has it really been that long?

I can explain. Really. First there was that week-long training trip - all practical exercises, so no computers in sight (what a refreshing change!), and very little down time. Thanks to belt-tightening, seems like all the training is getting fewer days to cover the same amount of material. Makes for long days and, in this case, an exhausting week!

Then of course I had to get caught up at work after being out of the office for a week. What would your inbox look like if you hadn't been able to do any "weeding" for a whole week? Yep, that's how mine looked. All I did my first day back was submit my travel accounting and kill e-mail.

Just got back from a lovely 5-day weekend at the cabin. We hosted 3 overnight guests and 4 local folks who joined us for dinner. The weather wasn't quite as hot as July can get - certainly none of the 3-digit temps we had over the 4th last year! - so we were comfortable with the windows open most of the weekend. We might have had even more guests; that's certainly what I shopped & cooked for, lest I commit the ultimate hospitality crime of not having enough food for my guests. The Chief rather got on my case about that, but at least we'll continue to eat well for the next few days, or until we polish off the last of the grilled chicken. (Wonder how much of that stuff we can eat before we need to worry about sprouting feathers and starting to cluck?)

And now I'm back, to find that H and family will be coming for a visit the between L&C's visit and when the Chief & I visit most of my family. This is shaping up to be a very busy summer indeed! Aside from wishing for a little space between the next few visits, though, I wouldn't have it any other way.