R.U.R.

(R.U.R. or Rossum's Universal Robots -- a 1920 play by the Czech playwright, Karel Capek. I read it in college but I don't remember it, good or bad. It did, however introduce the word "robot" into the English language)

   And if I'm not feeling robot-like (what with a new total of seven pieces of metal and plastic installed in my interior), I am beginning to resemble the $6,000,000 Man (It's not that bad, but thank god for insurance)  -- It's too bad there isn't some sort of  installable window for the knee -- I could put the kids with their  silly little "piercings" in their proper place.  Or I could emulate grandson Josh who got a ankle to knee tat that illustrates his broken-leg surgery.

   The recovery and rehab are proceeding with not much to say about them. It hasn't been as painful as I heard it would be (it's very tolerable -- I'm voting to award a Nobel prize to everyone who has invented an analgesic). I'm walking about -- with crutches for balance only -- and am getting flexibility back. The staples came out Wednesday, and the Doctor's PA said I'm making excellent progress -- It might even be good to slow down on the stretching so I don't rip open the incision.

  In other news, there isn't any. Very little of interest happens when your day consists of moving from the couch with leg propped up, to some exercises and back to the couch -- with ice this time.
 
  A special commendation for my private home-care nurse, dw, who has been doing a stellar job. It's really nice having your needs taken care of before you really need them.

Books:  Quantum Man (Lawrence M. Krauss)  a biography of Richard Feynman life in science. With clear explanations of electromagnetism and quantum mechanics. The author does an excellent job with his discussions of physics, and Feynman is an intriguing subject.
   Unfamiliar Fishes (Sarah Vowell) A brief history of Hawaii. Up to her usual form, Vowell is not a humor writer but she is frequently humorous. In this book, the missionaries weren't as bad as they could have been, the Yankee whalers, soldiers, businessmen, et al, were consistently foul.  But when you're part of Manifest Destiny it's to be expected and forgiven (or at least ignored)  DA
  

dw here, dja on the sofa

Good Sunday morning to everyone. As you may remember dja has had a knee replacement as of Monday March 19 and a stellar experience it's been. Being the GudWif I channeled all of his anxiety so that dja was the epitome of calm. Really, it was almost unnatural (from my perspective anyway) but not unexpected. In spite of being warned from a well meaning friend about post op grumpiness in The Man, I've not seen it except once when waking up and perhaps too many people saying "how are you?"

He is doing exceptionally well and pretty much self care. Twice a day he does the prescribed exercises and I help with the lifting parts and can tell he's improved with each day. So have I as it's been a long time since I've done an arm curl and more than once in the beginning we've slowed for me. Now he's pretty much on his own. This is much less trauma than I was expecting as so far (knock on wood) all is going routinely. There was the temp scare the first night when he hit 101 and we diligently called the doc to report (as instructed on the handout) who said "nah, not to worry until it hits 102-103, do the incentive spirometer and call me in the morning". No aspirin, though, he was already taking it. Dja topped out at 102.4 during the night and came down to 99 during the day. Reported that all was well to the drs. office. Deja-vu the next night as he went over 101 - guess he's just a hot-toddy at night. The night temp spikes have apparently stopped.  Sooooooo, the cell phone is readily available for safety and social interaction. Hmmmmm - works too as I just called him.

That's my update and I'm sticking to it. For those interested, dja has finished Bossy Pants by Tina Fey and found it okay, so-so, not stunning. I listened to half of the audiobook read by Tina Fey while in WI. and enjoyed hearing it, then didn't finish the book. Currently on the top of the pile is Quantum Man by Lawrence M. Krauss about Richard Feynman's life in science. (Can you hear me snoring? My current book is Detective Inspector Huss by Helene Tursten (Sweden's Prime Suspect) and full of mouth tangling place names and action! Will turn this over to dja for a proofing and editing and then post. Later, dw

The Ides Of March

   This year, for the first time in over 2000 years,  the ides of March will fall on the 19th. The date wasn't considered ominous until Plutarch reported a soothsayer predicting Caesar's assassination on the 15th (the ides, in case anyone doesn't know). And then a few hundred years ago Shakespeare (to the irritation of H.S. freshmen all over the U.S.) reinforced the notion. The ides, with all of it's perilous connotations, falls on the 19th this year because the 19th (tomorrow) is the big day for my knee surgery -- an ominous epochal event in my book.

   The hospital gives every knee patient a spiral notebook which explains what's going to happen, how to navigate the hospital, prepare your home, where and how to get rehab and etc. etc.
Included is a web site with a simple-minded cartoon game that takes you through (with ample illustrations) the procedure:  www.edheads.org/activities/knee.  Simple-minded, but with chills and thrills if you're vividly empathetic and not sedated.

  After watching the cartoon, I have a theory about how the procedure developed.
  In the beginning, the surgeon went to a lot of trouble with straps, clamps, hot glue and a vice-grip to hold the cutting jig in place.
   (The cutting jig is a very good thing. Any carpenter can tell you that you make cleaner more accurate cuts when you use a jig)
   So keeping the jig in position was always a difficult part of the operation. On one occasion the surgeon was having a particularly hard time of it, cursing and swearing, vowing to retire immediately if things didn't improve post haste, when his assistant asked: "Why don't you just nail it in place?" The surgeon said: "What?!" and the assistant explained: "Nail it. As long as you don't use ring-shank nails they'll pull out easy as pie and you won't have to mess with all these clamps and stuff."
   And the surgeon did just that. Taking all the praise for the idea, as people in charge usually do.
   (The cartoon shows a light tack hammer being used. I suspect they actually use a two pound framing hammer)
   So by this time tomorrow I'll have a new knee (possibly ensuring cavity searches at the airport) and be on my way to retiring my crutches and brace. 

Books: Just one of interest:  Arguably essays (Christopher Hitchens) A great thick tome of essays covering authors, ideas, politics movies and actors and etc. A good display of his skills as an essayist, but I did start skipping parts. I simply wasn't interested in everything he wrote about. It would have been better to read a few at a time, rather than going straight through. His famed atheism was on scant display.  DA

P.S. From dw: given my penchant for decorating, it has been suggested that I do something creative with the brace perhaps turning it into a "summer" tree loosely based on the "spring" tree I currently have in the living room. I am open to suggestion and if anyone has a creative or not so creative idea please say so. All submissions will be the property of danddontheroad and will not be returned.   There will be a prize, as decided by me, for the best idea, as decided by me. Good luck.   dw
  

The Case Of The Levitating Coyote

Rather than arouse unrealistic expectations, I will admit upfront that I don't actually solve The Case Of The Levitating Coyote.

   A few blogs ago I mentioned that I had started training to ride the STP. -- The Seattle To Portland bike ride. I recently  told a friend at the rock gym, who is six weeks into rehab for a new knee, and who is a younger and fitter (than I am) bicyclist, of my plan to ride the STP. Opining that even with the interruption caused by my upcoming knee surgery I would still have enough time to train for the ride. He didn't even bother to try and conceal his snicker. Telling me, in effect, that while it is possible that pigs will develop wings and fly, the laws of evolution pretty much guarantee that it won't happen in the next five months.
   But I have been repeatedly told by my surgeon, his PA, and not least, by my spousal unit -- dw -- that the stronger and fitter my legs are pre-surgery the quicker and better the re-hab will go.
   (Completely as an aside, the uncapitalized "dw" for dw is her choice. She said that's how she always initials things.)
   Back to the bike riding:  So I have been riding with increasing frequency and distance. Most of my non-errand rides start on the same bike path. It circles around the sewage treatment plant (which generally doesn't smell -- much -- but occasionally could stun a buzzard) and after three miles I choose a long or a short ride. The short ride totals about 10 miles, and the longer one as much as 80. In each case, aside from crossing some streets, I share the way with cars or trucks for only about two miles.

For most of the short ride and the start of the long ride, the bike path is bordered by art installations. This carved limestone clam shell is one of them. There are also similarly sized stone flower buds, snails, dinosaur skulls an American Indian canoe (also stone -- it probably doesn't float) and so on.  The items have a vague connection to the specific area and they make for an entertaining ride. There is also a series of peeled and partially de-limbed trees 15 to 20 feet high set along the path. Some have stylized masks and others pod-like bird houses stuck in the limbs. I wouldn't call any of it significant art but it all provides a distraction from a bicycle-sore ass.

 

And the levitating coyote is in a fenced field that's part of the sewage treatment plant. Perhaps it was put there to discourage geese from hanging around the field  (My solution to the Mystery of the Levitating Coyote) but if that's the case it didn't work. The field is festooned with goose poop. And besides the coyote doesn't look scary, it looks like someone just kicked it in the butt. I concede it's doing its' best, but when you've got no legs and you're levitating -- you're just not very scary -- even to a goose.   DA