Darn

Well, I jinxed myself. I brought my other shoe with me to my doctor's appointment in case I got to wear it again, and it turns out that I have pain in a very bad spot (the cuboid something-or-other), pain I've actually had for a couple of years but flared up while I was walking to my car so I mentioned it, and I'm in the cast and boot for two more weeks. It could have been a week but next Friday was not good for me due to some things going on at work. I am not happy.  At this point, if it weren't environmentally horrible, I would burn the thing. But I guess it's better than continuing to be in pain, right?

Well, damn

I was feeling better, and so earlier this week I dispensed with the boot and just wrapped my foot, and I did pretty well, not hurting any more than it did in the boot.  I had an MRI on Monday, and got the results on Friday.

So by the time I went to the appointment on Friday, I actually showed up in sandals without having even wrapping my foot.  This was not a good idea, and the doctor was not pleased. Now, in my defence, he didn't think there was going to be much on the MRI to be concerned with when he ordered the MRI.  And my foot and ankle was feeling much better.

However, his first words to me when he came in was that the MRI had shown all sorts of problems.  I do have arthritis midfoot and some mild plantar fasciitis, but the more worrisome issue was the ligament status.  Several were terribly sprained and one was actually kind of lax.  So...I have to be in the boot, probably for about five weeks, to make sure the ligaments do not become any more damagaed, and certainly I don't want to tear anything completely.  This was not the information I wanted to hear.  Even worse, without me quite realising what he was doing, he put a soft cast on my foot, using a plaster bandage with magnesium in it that helps keep down swelling.  But I can't get it wet.  And I don't go back for a week, which means I can't take a shower.  On the one hand, I've talked to a few people at work (we are an orthopaedic hospital, after all, even though we mostly deal with children and adolescents).  Several suggested putting a heavy plastic bag wrapped tightly with tape over my foot, but the problem I have with that is the layout of our bathroom.  The  shower has two doors and is set with the tub between two tiled pedestals that are tiled halfway up and glass above, so glass on three sides.  I have been using a shower chair, but if I sit on it and open the door with my foot out in the bag, the shower head is on that side and the water will spray out, but if I turned on the other side, my foot would be on the wrong side to put it outside.  Plus, the tub doesn't quite drain quickly, so if I get up to get out, I'd have to put my foot down into the water, which defeats the process.  So it's sink baths fo me, I guess. :(  So yeah, not ideal.  My roommate has been mocking me unmercifully and not letting me forget that I was not being compliant, and rightfully so.  So, since I don't want surgery and don't want to be out for weeks on end (wearing the boot), I will wear the boot like I'm supposed to.

It has almost been a month since I posted

I'm not sure why I dropped the ball on that.  I've been busy--I went back to work full-time on June 1st.  Then three weekends in a row we took down a honeysuckle hedge and then our friend Brenda came over and we chipper-shredded the resulting wood so Brenda could take it to her garden and spread it on the paths.  We've filled up the lawn waste receptacle two times with branches that were sawn because they were too big for the chipper-shredder.  There's about one more load.  But we got enough done so the mowers could mow.

So my weekends have been busy, too.  In fact, the only reason I'm writing now is that I'm home for a few days because at 12:37 am on Tuesday (Monday night), I tried to pick up something that had dropped off the bed (if you must know, it was a teddy bear).  I had my CPAP masque and a pair of headphones on and was teetering on the edge and trying not to lose the headphones or masque at the same time while trying to grab the stuffed animal.  And then I fell, with a very loud boom, onto the hardware floor.

Once I picked myself up, I was hurting all over and it was hard to tell what I'd done to myself, although my toes looked bruised pretty quickly and my foot and ankle hurt more than everything else.  I went to an urgent treatment centre for x-rays the next morning, first thing, and found out that I had broken my ankle (yes, again, but this time the left instead of the right, thankfully), a medial malleolar fracture (which is what I had on the right when I was hit by a car in 2012).  They gave me a lace-up brace and made me make an appointment with the doctor who did my ankle surgery back then.   They sent me home and didn't say anything about being non-weight-bearing, so while I've stayed off of it mostly and iced it for two days, I have put some weight on it. I had an appointment with my doctor today. I do have a fracture, but it's more like a chip on the bone, and he didn't think it warranted surgery.  I could go back to work Monday in a boot and since it's the left ankle, I can still drive and then take the shuttle with the boot on, which is much easier than if I'd had to have a walker or something.  I'm the only driver in the house, so it was important that I be able to drive.  However, he did want to get an MRI to make sure the deltoid ligament was okay, although he said it was a large ligament that was not likely to have torn.  He just wanted to rule that out.  So I should have an MRI sometime next week.  I'm off till Monday but I can go back, to the relief of my backup person at work, I'm sure.  My boss was relieved as well, I think.  Considering the last time I broke my ankle I was off for three months, this is really good news.  And yesterday I'd gone to my storage unit and got out my walker, my shower bench, and my old boot from the last time.  I couldn't find my cane, but I took the walker with me today in case they made me non-weight-bearing.  But I'm okay.  I just need a boot, and the boot I have is universal, not right or left, so I can use it, although I forgot how long it took me to get into it and how heavy it is.  But it's better than surgery.  And he said I shouldn't take a shower standing up but could use a shower bench, so it's good I pulled that out.  I've taken sink baths and washed my hair in the bathroom sink the last couple of days. I am definitely showering tomorrow!

Anyway, that's what's going on in my world.  Hope you're doing well.

Ow

It's been four-and-a-half years since I was hit by a car on my way to catch the bus to work - - October 12, 2012. Although my memory of that time is pretty decent, since it made quite an impact on me, generally I don't think of it much anymore. The car ran over my foot, breaking two metatarsals, and while my foot was trapped, the car hit me, breaking my ankle on the medial (inside) side, requiring surgery and a couple of implanted screws. But on those rare occasions, like now, when I turn my ankle a certain way, I remember. The pain is sudden and kind of takes the breath away. My doctor says that a small piece of bone has broken off inside my foot since the initial treatment. He tried to get my bone stimulator reset  but the insurance wouldn't go for that. If it gets worse, we may revisit further surgery, but for now it doesn't happen enough to warrant that for now. But when it does, it's definitely an owie.

This was taken

Right after I finished the bike ride.  Don't I look thrilled?  There was another the tracker didn't save that had me looking a bit like a scared prairie dog.  :)  My ankle's feeling better now.  I have it propped up and I'm in front of the fan.  I'll take a shower and start my day properly in a little while,  starting with some caffeine.

One good thing,  my tracker (Samsung Health)  is saying I'm at 60% of my daily activity goal and it isn't even 10 am . Usually I hit about 50% around 1 pm.

Taking a break tonight

from the book moving and dusting. I moved a lot of books at work, ones in boxes, and I'm just a little sick of toting for the moment. I will resume tomorrow. But I'm not sick of books--I went to a book fair today and was very good, buying only one three-paperback set of books that deal with the origin of superstitions, expressions, and the like. I got a present for my grandmother as well.

After work I went over to Kroger and got some groceries, dropped a couple of things off at my friends' house, made dinner for YKWIA, and ate mine. Then I came on home. Things I need to do tonight, despite being a bit bushed:

• Wash dishes
• Do game notes
• Straighten up a bit
• Water the plants

Today I also had another book review published in The Journal of Hospital Librarianship. It is of the book Grassroots Library Advocacy: A Special Report by Lauren Comito, Aliqae Geraci, and Christian Zabriskie. Check out my résumé for details.

Lastly, I went to my ankle surgeon for my one-year followup to my surgery. He was quite pleased with how things are going, both with my ankle and with my diabetes. He checked out my ankle, which I turned the other day, and I seem to be fine. He wants to follow me yearly due to my diabetes, and suggested shoes and orthotics designed especially for diabetics. Turns out the orthotics I use are very stiff and hard, and that's bad for the diabetic foot, plus they're starting to break down, which could cause a sore on my heel. As far as I know, my insurance will not pay for orthotics, but he said sometimes they will for diabetics because its so important to prevent sores and loss of feet and legs. So, we're going to see. I'll get them regardless; I need to. We did some measuring and scanning today, and I go back in four weeks for them.

Okay, I've been listening to some Linkin Park (Living Things), but I think it's time to go do a few things. I'll try to write later.

Owie

So I managed to turn my ankle right after I got out of the car in my parking lot at home. This is the same ankle I broke last year. I think I'm okay--it's just a bit sore, as is my knee and hip on that side. My klutziness still rules supreme. I need to be careful--several co-workers have fallen in various places of late, and I don't want to be the next one. I haven't had trouble since the ankle healed with rolling over (I have at tendency to supinate when I walk, which means my weight is borne by the outside edges of my feet.) This is especially true of my right foot, which was turned just a bit when I was born and which I don't pick up as well as my left, so when I do fall or turn my ankle, it's usually that side. But I think the screws in my ankle actually gave me a bit more stability. Still, there's always a chance I'll go over. Of course, my klutziness had nothing to do with the injury last year, as someone ran over my foot while I was crossing the street in the crosswalk, which pinned me briefly and then the car side hit me while my foot was trapped, breaking my ankle. It was very quick, very freaky. I was very lucky it wasn't worse, and that I healed well. I filled an interlibrary loan yesterday of an article about complications with ankle fractures in people with diabetes, and a lot of bad things could have happened that didn't. So I'll be more careful, and hopefully won't break anything else. :)

It's beautiful and sunny

and I've had a great day. It started early, with an 8 am appointment with my ankle surgeon. That went well. The x-rays show everything is doing great, although he was concerned by the swelling, which is happening on both ankles, even early in the day, although worse on the one that was broken. He suggested compression stockings, so I got those, and having my family doctor prescribe a diuretic, which I will do. Work was nice. I got many compliments on the new haircut (which does look better than in the picture; I'm just not photogenic). My roommate in the library kept saying it made my eyes 'pop'. I know what she means, but having the perverse sense of humour that I do, I kept visualising eyeballs popping out of my skull. :) After work I went in the rain to my last session (at least for now) of physical therapy, graduated from the programme, and got a shirt. Then I came home, watered the plants outside, and settled down to some yoghurt and fruit, plus a little cheese. I have a free evening and I'm all for relaxing in my nice, clean home and celebrating a really nice day.

Tomorrow it's work and then over to a friend's to help with something. Saturday's a visit with family. Sunday and Monday are free at the moment; we're not playing the game because the other player will be away for the weekend. I should probably work on the game notes sometime during all that, though. :) I want to catch up on 'Doctor Who' and do some reading, plus spend some time with friends. It'll also be a bit cooler this weekend, so I hope it's pretty pleasant.

I've been listening to an Ed Sheeran album that I got the other day, and I've told you about the two songs on the radio, 'The A Team' and 'Lego House' (Yes, that's Rupert Grint [Ronald Weasley] as the obsessive fan in the video). I think my favourite song on the record is actually 'Small Bump'. Like 'The A Team', it seems sweet and happy, a father's song about a baby-to-be, imagining holding the infant, and it's fine until the very end, when a miscarriage shatters the dream. It's very sad. Here is the video:

I felt guilty this morning for two things

1) I was running behind and didn't make the bed, and felt I was leaving the house somewhat 'imperfect' as a result. That's not bad, though, if I'm less likely to let things slide. I'll make the bed tomorrow. :) Also 2) I was running behind and didn't get a chance to water the plants outside, and I felt bad for it. They're doing well, and I'd thought about watering them last night, but it's really better to in the morning as there's less chance of fungous growing as it does on wet leaves overnight. Fortunately a cloudbusting rain storm came up just as I was leaving work, and I barely managed to get my foot into the car before the heavens opened. I went on to physical therapy, and the rain lessened, and so by the time I got home the windowboxes and pepper plant had had a good soaking, with some time to dry off before night falls. Yay!

Now I'm drinking some water and relaxing after a bite to eat. I'm in my comfy sleep shirt and thinking about taking a short nap and then watching some 'Doctor Who'. I also need to go through some bills tonight. So, a quiet night at home. I'm thinking Thursday may be my last physical therapy visit, as I'm doing quite a bit better. I also see my ankle surgeon Thursday for a follow-up. It seems strange that it's been over six months since I was hurt. I still have some ankle swelling, and some pain, but I'm much better, and I don't take my mobility for granted anymore. :)

See what I mean?

Ouch, I say! And that's after more ice! Granted, it's not as bad as when I actually broke it, but you kind of expect it to settle down after six months. But, I've been told it's strong and that true healing can take at least a year. I think I'll focus on doing a few things here that I can sit down for.

PS: The dark spot on my toenail is from where the car ran over my foot. It was originally in the centre of the nail. Oddly enough, that toe did not break. Rather, I had breaks in the second and third metatarsals (which we allowed to heal naturally), and a fracture of the medial malleolus, which required an open reduction and internal fixation, in which two screws were placed in my ankle at the fracture to stabilise it. I think that latter happened as the car itself (which had my foot trapped under its wheel) hit into my leg. All in all, despite everything, I came out very lucky, for getting hit by a car.

Ouch

So the only way to be somewhat comfortable is to place my entire lower leg on a pillow so it's elevated, with ice on my knee (the ankle got iced earlier at PT). Not sure what I did to really aggravate it. I think tomorrow I'm going to look for some shoes. I have a pair of fake Birkenstock sandals that are very comfortable and don't seem to aggravate and swell my foot, but they are worn to nothing in terms of tread and just normal wear and tear. My Easy Spirits are adjustable, but seem to still constrict too much. Even my New Balances, which aren't sandals, still have issues as my feet swell. :(

Happy Plants

I did get the herbs planted. Each box has a strawberry on each end. One has sage and oregano (pictured), one has thyme and rosemary, and one has dill and basil.

I've been up since 3:30 this morning, have done four loads of laundry, have worked a full day, had physical therapy, and my ankle is swollen to the size of a grapefruit because I've been on it much of the day, a lot of getting up and down. I am very tired. The danger, of course, is that I will fall asleep rather than work on the house. I'm going to take my contacts out and put my foot up for awhile, but I'm going to try not to fall asleep, maybe listen to peppy music or something. Wish me luck!

I forgot to mention the milestone I passed today

This morning was the first time since the accident (I was hit by a car in October and it broke my ankle and two metatarsals) that I felt comfortable taking a shower without using a shower chair, and it went really well. I was really careful. But I am essentially healed, although I still wear the bone stimulator (obviously not in the shower). Anyway, I thought I'd mention it, especially for those of you who stuck with me during a relatively boring time as I recuperated. :) Yay!

I had physical therapy today

and that went really well. The therapist doesn't think it will take as many visits as usual for this sort of injury because I'm already walking in my shoe and the cane's really just for balance and I've even dispensed with that in the house and library. (I have a one-room library.) :) That's good, as it's $40 each time I go, and I don't want to use all my flexible spending money early in the year. He mainly is going to work on flexibility of the foot and ankle and strengthening the muscles in my leg, hip, and back that got used to not working as well. But I can already tell a difference in those from last week. When I walked around the hospital last week my back hurt really badly, but this week I have to walk pretty far for that to happen. So I am healing. At his suggestion I got some oil that has Vitamin E in it and will use that on the scar and manipulate it to maintain flexibility. He also said to ice it when I come in from work if needed to keep the swelling down but try to stay in the shoe for now rather than using the boot, unless I have a really bad day of it. I'm supposed to go twice a week for now.

My mom came up with the title of the car this afternoon and I got some decent car insurance, following some advice from someone who deals with insurance all the time. I'll go transfer the title first thing tomorrow. Then the plan is to see about getting it inspected this weekend for a safety check and get new windshield wiper blades. I won't be surprised if I need new tyres; they're original to the car. Also, the brakes are squeaking a bit when applied and I'm not sure if that's an early sign of wear or normal. So I want to find out. I also need to get it washed and vacuumed out. I may do that tomorrow. Also this weekend I'd like to get my eyes checked so I can get contacts again. I've been wearing my glasses throughout my recovery but I really prefer contacts.

I gave a friend a ride from work through some back roads between Nicholasville Road and Tates Creek and took him by Kroger for a bus pass, then got home a little after 6. I put my foot up and listened to some music for awhile, then fell asleep. I woke up at 10:30 and realised that I needed to go by Rite Aid for some things, including wine for my monthly libation, which I am finally able to resume. (Liquor Barn had already closed at 10 pm.) I may wait until tomorrow night, however, as the house needs some sprucing up. I need to do dishes and take out the trash and recyclables. I'll try to do that tomorrow evening.

Well, I had hoped for better

1. I got the worst case scenario--I have an ankle fracture as well as the two metatarsals in my foot.
2. If we can get the swelling down, I'll be having surgery on my ankle sometime next week. Good thoughts and prayers are greatly appreciated.
3. I'm off work for now, unsure of when I will go back.
4. I e-mailed the coordinator for the trip to Chicago and said that in all likelihood, I need to cancel. So, no Field Museum, no giant T. Rex skeleton as I take care of my bones.
5. A little down tonight as a result. But I'm alive, at least. And also I have some more medicine for the pain, plus something to bring the inflammation down. This morning when they unwrapped my foot, it was this sickly swollen yellowy green, from the bruising. And, I'm back in the splint, non-weight-bearing still. And Brandon brought me pillows that are helping with sitting up and keeping the leg propped up.
6. I have talked with a host of people today, whether friends, co-workers, business related to the accidents, etc. I am cheered by the willingness to help from all of them, and well wishes.
7. Brandon took my by YKWIA's today, so I got to see him (albeit from the car. No trying to get me up any more steps than necessary.) It was good to see him. He is an odd best friend, and most people would not find him comforting. But I do, generally.
8. I'm lucky to have good friends. I'm finding out I may have more than I thought. My definition of 'friend' is someone who you can count in in a pinch. And there seem to be quite more than I thought out there.
9. Sooo, for now I'm going to count my blessings, and I'm going to try to focus on the positive.
10. Really.

'You can get hit by a car and live'

So said a former acquaintance's four-year-old daughter when she got bumped by a car years ago. Well, I have to admit, it's true.

I was crossing Richmond Road today on the way to catch the bus, obeying all traffic lights and laws, and in the crosswalk. A man turning left with the yellow caution arrow came into me, running over my foot and hitting me on the right side. Fortunately for me, 1) an EMT and physician on their way to work both stopped and prevented him from trying to move me, 2) they called 911 and stayed with me, giving me a quick once over, making sure I was breathing okay and knew my name and such, 3) they kept him in place until the police and ambulance arrived, 4) there was a police report and the driver does have insurance, and 5) if you're going to get hit by a car, it's always nice when you're within sight of a hospital.

The folks with the police, EMTs, and St Joseph Hospital were great. I'm not clear just how extensive the damage is--at least two bones in the foot are quite broken and possibly the ankle, judging from my paperwork. They put a splint on me and gave me crutches, and I'm to see an orthopaedic specialist to determine eventual treatment. I called and got an appointment for Tuesday. The biggest problem I have at the moment is the crutches. My right leg is my normally good leg, I have arthritis in my left knee. So I'm putting a lot of pressure on it since I can't put weight on the right. And of course, there's quite a bit of weight to put on one leg only. I had some crazy idea of trying to make it into work today after everything until I tried the crutches and found I am virtually immobile at the moment. I'll work with them tomorrow and see if I can get around the house. Then we'll tackle going back to work. Thank goodness I have a sedentary job.

Thank you to Brandon for getting me home, getting my medication, and getting me something to drink. He'll also be taking me to my orthopaedic appointment. [Bless his heart, texting 'Dont panic. I got hit by a car today' just didn't go over well, and I worried him terribly]. Thanks to A for calling and checking on me, and Brenda for her offer to get me food if needed or anything else I need. And thanks to YKWIA for letting everyone know what happened. Also to the folk at work for being understanding and offering to take me home.

Okay, I've eaten, had something to drink, taken a pain pill (I hate the things, but there are times they're necessary), and I am going to retreat to my bedroom and get my leg elevated.

Good news

I got the results of the MRI and there are no stress fractures, which makes me feel better. See, the ones I had before were in an area where a very large friend stepped on my foot years before and probably broke the bones then, so they were weaker and fractured with my weight and standing up to 10 hours a day at work. But if normal bone fractured, then there must be something wrong with my bone density or something. I haven't reached the age where they start scans yet, so I haven't had one. I so need to increase my calcium, though. I understand calcium citrate comes in something other than horse pills now. :)

What I do have, however, is a severe (she stressed that several times on the phone) case of peroneal tendonitis, so I have to wear the boot for at least a month. If the pain gets worse, then they want to take me to non-weight-bearing, so I'd need crutches. That would seriously be a problem at work. I will say that when in the boot I have no pain other than a spot on my leg where the boot's plastic rubs. I've been putting on band aids and wearing heavy socks (despite the fact that it's summer) in an effort to counteract that. Being diabetic, I have to be vigilant about eroding patches of skin.

Speaking of summer, I think I spent all day sweating. The hospital is air conditioned, of course, but I put a lot of boxes of children's books on a cart, took them to a closet, pulled out different boxes to unpack and put books on our clinic book cart, and put the newer ones (many were the same title, and I didn't want to overwhelm the clinic with too many of them at once) in the closet. I really worked up a sweat between pushing the cart with the boot on (although two people helped me out with that part) and toting boxes. I worked on that right up to time to go and went straight into errands in an unconditioned car, then over to a house where the air conditioning is turned off for reasons I won't go into. I also cooked over a stove there and did my laundry, so that raised the temperature around me even more.

So the first thing I did after getting home was take a shower. I'm clean, and I have a clean night shirt on, and this makes me happy, especially as I have both air conditioning and a fan if necessary.

Speaking of heat, on Friday I got my hair cut. I donated 10 inches of hair to Locks of Love, and the hair cut was free as a result. It's now very short, but I couldn't stand the long hair anymore even in a ponytail given the heat, so it's fine now, although when I perspire my hair as a whole goes damp, and then it starts to do a flip up. It's a little longer in the front than back, with layers. Here's a somewhat fuzzy picture:



I like it, but I'm not used to it yet. I'm used to flipping my hair up on the pillow when I go to bed, for example. But it doesn't get tangled and it's really easy to take care of. I can poof it up a little with mousse and a hair dryer, but this is just me after a quick shower and not doing anything but running a comb through it.

Heaven help me I am not photogenic in the least.

Well, that's all for now. I think I'll turn in early tonight.

Short and sweet

These three Twitter posts say it all:

eilir: Tomorrow I get to fix the car. Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!
less than 5 seconds ago from web

eilir: I am so not wearing the air boot on my foot when I sleep. It is too clunky and hot. I can't even stand socks on my feet, much less this!
less than 5 seconds ago from web

eilir: Snot! Effusive snot to the point of not being able to breathe out of nose! I hate allergies/colds!
less than 5 seconds ago from web

[but I'm not going to take the codeine/phenergan cough syrup again since I overslept this morning as a result]

I'm very tired and I have to be at the auto shop at 8 am. I'm going to bed now. Good night!

Sick

Last night I came in from work and just passed out. I've had a sore throat for a couple of days. Now I'm sniffling and coughing, the latter bad enough that sometime when I was up during the night I took some cough syrup with phenergan and codeine, and that helped me sleep.

Yesterday was also the first day I wore the boot. I forgot how clunky and Frankenstein-like it is. I couldn't bring myself to sleep in it, as bad as I felt already. I'll do that tonight. But last night I just had to have the thing off of me.

I am so glad tomorrow is the day the car gets fixed, barring any complications. Yesterday the buses got trapped in the transit centre due to fire trucks. I'd taken one to the pharmacy to get some baby aspirin (which keeps blood clots from forming in the leg with the boot) and the next bus just never came, and the one after that was late, so I was about 10 minutes late for work. It was truck night, and I mostly ran the register and put away a few things since I couldn't really get up on the ladder to put away cigarettes.

Okay, I got up, checked to make sure I got paid today, and now I'm going back to sleep for a little while. My head hurts. Maybe I should take some of that aspiring now. I'm thinking aspirin and ibuprofen together are not a good combination. The CPAP machine helps me breathe when I'm sniffly. I hope I feel better soon.

I feel like I have walked all over creation today

although that's an exaggeration, of course. I did walk over to the doctor's office today to see about my ankle. I have peroneal tendonitis and a possible stress fracture in my foot. I have an appointment for an MRI on Friday. They asked me if I were claustrophobic and I said yes. Apparently if you are they sedate you and you have to have someone drive you. I am the main driver, so I really don't have anyone to drive me, unless Margaret was free. So I said I'd just work through it. Only my waist down has to go in the machine. When I had the stress fractures in my other foot a couple of years ago I had trouble with the MRI but managed to get through it okay. Now when they did my head I had an open MRI and felt much better.

The doctor had a hard time trying to fit a boot on me because although my feet are very small, my calves are large, and the uppermost strap wouldn't close. She sent me across the street to a brace office, but they weren't in my insurance network. Since it would have been next Monday before I could really go to another orthotics office, I said I would go ahead and pay out of pocket, which in this case meant $250 out of my flexible spending account. But when I saw the orthotist, I mentioned that I had a boot that had been on my other foot. They're universal, and although he couldn't say for certain that it would help in this case, he suggested trying it and seeing. It's shorter than the one the doctor tried and therefore the calf issue is moot. They didn't charge me for the consult. I got to the bus stop before realising I'd left my umbrella, had to go back, and then managed to catch the bus to work.

I used some points I'd built up at Papa John's to get a free pizza today. That's pretty much held me all day. I talked to a friend who was really down and upset. I hoped I helped her. Then I went over to another friend's to do some work for him. I got in from there about an hour ago.

I'm looking forward to getting the car fixed on Thursday. I hope it won't be too expensive. It's also the day that LexTran rides are free. I haven't decided whether to take the day off or go to work during the repair and going back out to pick up the car. Thursday is our catered employee appreciation cookout, and we get a gift from the hospital. Although I don't eat the hamburgers, hot dogs, or baked beans (which have meat in them), they usually have garden burgers that have been cooked separately. So it would be nice to be there. I'm leaning towards that, especially given that I was out two days last week for the museum and the seminar, and I'll have to leave early Friday for the MRI.

Tomorrow and Wednesday I'm working from 10 am to 10 pm, with only a bus ride down Richmond Road between jobs. In theory I should be off from the store on Thursday and work 6-10 on Friday (another reason I couldn't do the valium sedation for the MRI).

I did my good deed for the day during my wait for the bus home. A pit bull puppy had wandered out of a house and the little boy who was holding the door open and calling it was being ineffectual. Of course, it came over to me, being the only other person around and it being a curious pup. I picked it up and brought it back over to the townhouse entrance. Fortunately the bus didn't come for another few minutes.

I meant to mention the other day that there is an advantage to riding the bus and walking down the road--you notice so much more along the side of the road. For example, as we passed the reservoir on Richmond Road the other day there was a turtle or tortoise sunning itself, its head bobbing up and down. There are also lots of geese with their goslings there. There were the daisies the other day, of course, but at the inbound bus stop across from the hospital there is a patch of tall yet small-flowered thistles that butterflies really love. I'm sure when they go to seed the birds will be all over them. When I used to live over by the hospital and walked, there was a creek where I'd stop and watch the fish for awhile.

Speaking of which, my platy mom has been having more babies. I'm not sure how many I have now, but the first ones are over a quarter of an inch now and a darker orange. The black swordtail is pregnant too. Thursday I hope to take some water over to Animal House to have it tested to see if it's okay. If so, I want to get an Amazon lily and a couple of golden snails at the very least and maybe a catfish or algae eater of some sort.